Liebert PowerSure PSI Network UPS

Posted by David on June 24th, 2007 Comments Printer-Friendly

If you are in the market for a network grade uninterruptible power supply, look no further than the Liebert PowerSure PSI series. It’s vast array of features is bound to be suitable for your servers, network closets, or even critical workstations.

The Liebert PowerSure PSI UPS is a line-interactive power backup solution that ranges in capacity from 1000 VA to 3000 VA. All these models are 2U (optionally) rackmount devices. However, it is very easy to use the UPS as a mini-tower as feet are included to keep the UPS in a vertical alignment. This proved very space efficient in my testing, taking up less space than a normal computer tower.

When I first got my hands on the device, I was impressed with what was included in the box. Liebert included everything you would need to operate the UPS in any configuration desired. You receive a phone cord for use with the communications protection port, as well as both a USB and RS-232 (serial) connector for monitoring purposes. The product manuals, software, and rack rails are also included.

In the initial setup of the UPS, I was very pleased to find that the UPS did come pre-charged at the factory, and the manuals state that the UPS can be started without any connectivity to a power source. This could be desired by those who needed power where it wouldn’t necessarily be available. A confusing part about the initial setup of the UPS is that the standard power button on many devices (circle with a line extending from the center point out of the circle) is not the actual power button to turn it on. The manual only gives instructions on connecting the UPS to a power source under the rackmount instructions however, so that took a little looking into also. However, once I confirmed I was installing the UPS correctly, everything went relatively well. Simply plug your devices into the UPS, then plug the UPS into a power source. You’ll immediately hear the powerful cooling fans of the device kick in. Then by simply holding a button, the UPS is fully charged and ready to go.

As with many UPS models, the PowerSure PSI outputs constant sine-wave current even during a current drop. “Buck Boost” kicks in if any change in current is detected. In the event a full power outage occurs, the UPS immediately triggers and provides power to the attached devices.

As far as monitoring goes for the PowerSure UPS, Liebert gives many options for this. Included by default is the RS-232 serial support. This serial support connects to their proprietary MultiLink software. This software supposedly provides statistics about the UPS (load, battery status, current information) and provides the ability to shut down the connected computer if the battery reaches a certain level. However, I could not get the java program to compile itself most likely because the software itself was not the most up-to-date. However, if you can get the software to work, it supposedly works on Windows, Linux, *BSD, Novell, and more. The UPS is also equipped with a smart card slot for UPSs. Through this slot, you can install either a Web card, or an SNMP card. If you wish to manage the UPS on a large network, the SNMP card provides statistics about the UPS via the SNMP protocol, which is commonly used to monitor network UPS devices. The other possibility is the Web card. This card provides a complete web interface to the UPS, and allows for shutdown and management of certain UPS settings such as input power level. Also, the status of the UPS can be checked in real time.

An interesting feature of the PowerSure PSI model is that instead of upgrading the UPS to provide more battery power, you can simply attach another battery to the UPS. These batteries are sold through Liebert, and provide a great deal of extra battery runtime. They can easily be rackmounted with the UPS, or they will also readily fit into the mini-tower setup. This is great for adding more power quickly, and for less money than a new UPS.

Whether you are looking for a new powerful UPS to support your mission critical computing, or a UPS to keep your network services online even in a complete (or partial) power failure, the Liebert PowerSure PSI provides a cost-effective option.

Pros