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Affected Roles: Administrator, Owner
Related Digital Watchdog VMS Apps: DW Spectrum® IPVMS
Complexity: Low
Last Edit: December 15, 2020
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When installing a DW Blackjack® Server, it is highly recommended to include a battery backup. The server is responsible for storing video footage. Unless there is a secondary backup configured, footage storage is in a centralized location. As a result, power failure where the server is hosted poses a considerable risk of damaging the server and corrupting the hard drives. This could cause the degradation of server performance and create future recording issues, including complete drive corruption, where the only solution would be having to format or replace the drives completely. In both scenarios, all saved footage will be lost. However, the purpose of a battery backup is to temporarily provide power to the server so that it is kept operational until someone can safely shut down the system to avoid damage.
This article will outline recommendations for UPS battery backups to protect DW Blackjack® servers in the event of power failure, as well as basic environment settings.
While simply connecting the DW Blackjack® unit directly to a wall outlet is an acceptable way of providing power input, it is recommended to additionally use a form of surge protection – particularly that of a UPS battery backup.
The purpose of implementing a UPS battery backup for your DW Blackjack® server is to protect the recording system from encountering an out of phase wave which can cause damage to the system’s motherboard. This can be an effective method of mitigating power interruption (such as power outages) or power surges.
It is worth noting that there are different kinds of UPS batteries as well. Some UPS batteries also require periodic replacement of the rechargeable cells within the battery itself. Be aware of the kind of UPS that you will be using before purchasing, as power input problems caused by low-grade UPS batteries is an issue that DW Technical Support encounters periodically.
**Note: Digital Watchdog does not manufacture, produce, or sell UPS battery backups. Please consult with your security installation company if necessary.
DW Blackjack® NVR Model |
Minimum Watt / per power supply |
Recommended Watt / per power supply |
Mini, Bolt, Cube, & P-Rack(1U) |
320W |
600W |
P-RACK(2U) |
450W |
800W |
E-RACK(2U,3U, 4U-24 BAY) |
960W (2x) |
1100W (2X) |
E-RACK(4U) |
1300W(2x) |
2560W(2x) |
NOTE: The above suggestions are specifically for having only the NVR connected to the UPS battery backup. Any deviation will be at the installer’s discretion.
NOTE: For UPS battery uptime, please consult the specifications of UPS battery backup model to ensure that ample time is provided to shut down the server in the event of a power outage.