[CentOS] UPS issues with PFC PSU

[Blake Hudson]

Robert Arkiletian wrote the following on 8/24/2011 1:17 AM:
> Just noticed that our new server has a newer 80+ efficiency 865W PSU
> with PFC. So apparenty our existing 1500VA (865W) APC Back-UPS is not
> safe to use anymore. We apparently need a pure sine wave UPS.
>
> http://nam-en.apc.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8883
>
> I found an affordable 1500VA UPS by CyberPower,  model CP1500PFCLCD,
> which has a pure sine wave output.
> Wondering if anyone has experience with CyberPower UPS's. Are they any
> good?  Any problems with pwrstatd ?
>

We have used several CyberPower sine-wave, AVR UPS units in our server
room - AVR1500, I believe. The cyber power monitoring app that comes
with the UPS (also available on the site) works fine in Redhat Linux,
though we don't use it, and I have not tested it in a few years (last
version was probably RH5).

However, we have not found them to be 100% reliable. We use them with a
mix of equipment from different vendors. While the units work fine when
tested, in production they sometimes do not switch fast/early enough and
we have experienced several equipment reboots due to this. We have
tightened the thresholds in the CyberPower control software so that the
UPS will kick in more frequently, but the adjustments are pretty
limited. Because of this, we have moved the units to non-critical
equipment or equipment that is protected by a redundant power source
through an APC UPS. We've since stopped buying the units for server use,
but may consider them for desktop use.

--Blake