APC urges businesses to address power management before Windows Server 2003 phase out
It has been reported 11 million servers and applications are still running on Windows Server 2003, so it's crucial that these businesses act now to avoid the issues associated with the migration. APC by Schneider Electric have identified four main areas that need to be addressed in order to avoid issues as they upgrade to the new software. The phasing out of Windows Server 2003 will require some businesses to implement new servers.
While a rack full of servers from 2005 may currently be connected to a UPS from 2008, the same rack will soon be full of servers from 2015 and the legacy UPS from 2008 may not be a workable solution for new requirements.
The legacy UPS may not be as efficient or may be missing features that will prove critical to business applications. Newer UPSs, such as the Smart-UPS On-Line, have been upgraded to run at peak performance and ensure ideal compatibility with the latest servers and IT gear.
Additionally, with a UPS life expectancy of 10 years, newer servers will outlive older UPSs and an upgrade will eventually be necessary. Secondly, legacy UPSs are not optimised for the demands of today's equipment.
Businesses are already thinking about compatibility as they navigate their Window Server migration, and compatibility is key when running a fleet of UPSs and a complex IT infrastructure.
With newer firmware and other product improvements over the past several years, it is important to implement technology that can match advanced software capabilities throughout a datacentre. Thirdly, UPS life expectancy fluctuates greatly depending on five key factors, including placement, ambient temperature, cycling, maintenance and battery chemistry and storage.
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As batteries play an integral role in maximising the life of a UPS, it's important to understand the manufacturer's warranty (two years is common among leading providers), determine whether extended warranty coverage is appropriate and change the batteries according to the recommended maintenance schedule to prolong its life.
When upgrading servers and datacentre equipment, datacentre managers should check batteries to ensure they can support new technology. Lastly, rather than upgrading on-premise equipment, many organisations may choose to move their data off-premise in the form of a private, public or hybrid Cloud or consider deployment in a co-located datacentre.
As a result, many IT departments will need to rethink how they maintain availability of new and critical networking equipment to ensure a constantly reliable connection to remote server data.
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