UPS Monitoring with PRTG

A UPS stands for “uninterruptible power supply”. It's a device that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source fails. UPS systems are commonly used to protect computers, data centers, telecommunication equipment, or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause data loss, damage, or downtime.

UPS units typically incorporate batteries or supercapacitors to store energy, which can be quickly deployed when the main power source fails. They also often include surge protection and voltage regulation features to ensure stable and clean power delivery to connected devices.

A PDU stands for “power distribution unit”. PDUs take power from a primary source (such as a UPS or mains power) and distribute it to multiple devices or pieces of equipment within a data center, server room, or other industrial settings. PDUs are typically mounted within equipment racks and provide electrical outlets or connections for servers, networking equipment, storage devices, and other hardware.

UPS monitoring refers to the process of actively monitoring and managing uninterruptible power supply systems to ensure their proper functioning and reliability. This involves continuously monitoring various parameters and metrics related to the UPS units to detect potential issues, prevent downtime, and maintain optimal performance.

Key aspects of UPS monitoring typically include:

• Monitoring the input power source and the UPS output to ensure that the UPS is providing consistent and clean power to connected equipment.
• Monitoring the status and health of the UPS batteries, including their charge level, temperature, and overall condition. This is crucial because batteries degrade over time and need to be replaced periodically to maintain UPS effectiveness.
• Tracking the power consumption and load levels on the UPS to ensure that it is not overloaded, which could lead to system instability or downtime.
• Detecting and alerting administrators to any faults or abnormalities within the UPS system, such as component failures, overheating, or voltage fluctuations.

Electrical and power systems, like monitoring, are often overlooked as being an important part of the infrastructure. A backup power system at a minimum in the form of UPS, for example, is a must to keep your systems operational in the event of an outage.

Most power outages are fairly short and for critical systems, a UPS should be able to keep you going for 30 minutes or more. This would allow you to get through most outages without interruption and give you enough time to start shutting down systems when the battery charge drops to a critical level.

A UPS combined with a generator for extended outages is desirable for critical systems, though often cost extensive. Unless you are monitoring your power systems, you may still be caught off guard and have systems go offline without a graceful shutdown.

In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.