[CentOS] Power-outage

[Timothy Murphy]

Emmanuel Noobadmin wrote:

>> It seems to me that it should be possible
>> to have a simple, torch-battery operated, system
>> which will keep the machine alive long enough
>> to make a graceful exit.

> Like others have suggested, a cheap UPS is the way to go.

I'm convinced.
Could you (or anyone) suggest a cheap UPS?
This is only a tiny server (HP MicroServer) on a home LAN.

> The problem
> with your idea is that you'll need a DC to AC inverter that can handle
> the output current required by your server and something to hold the
> batteries (you'll need more than one because attempting to draw a huge
> current from a normal battery will either kill it or at the very least
> cause it to have a shorter than expected capacity) and everything
> together, it's probably going to cost more in both money and time to
> have this thing.

I'm sure you are right, as I know nothing at all about power supplies.
But surely computers actually use DC,
so couldn't my torch-battery device just supply the PC components directly?

Many decades ago I went to lectures at university given by Fred Hoyle
(famous at the time for a TV series where he said God was unnecessary).
The lectures (on thermodynamics) were not really very good,
but they were interesting because Fred Hoyle was slighly paranoid,
and believed evil capitalists were foisting unnecessary devices on us.

One of his pet theories was that cars did not need huge accumulators,
but could be started with a torch-battery.

Another was that incandescent bulbs were deliberately made to fail
after a certain time.

Another was razor blades, which according to him could easily last for ever.

One interesting idea was that instead of nuclear power stations
it would be cheaper, and give the same energy, to plant trees
in a strip around the equator (I forget how wide).






-- 
Timothy Murphy  
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland