DW Blackjack Battery Backup Recommendations

DW Blackjack® Battery Backup Recommendations

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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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UPS Battery Backups

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.

Supported/Affected Devices:

• DW Blackjack® Server Series (all models)

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)

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.

• Sine Wave – Utility and high-end UPS; ideal wave form for equipment performance and longevity that smoothly alternates between negative and positive electrical polarity.
  • Good performance, safe for sensitive equipment, increased monetary cost
• Simulated Sine Wave – Mid-tier UPS; modified square wave form for a compromise between cost and power utility.
  • Similar performance to utility power, close overall voltage output to Sine Wave UPS, lower monetary cost in exchange for possibility of irregular operation to sensitive equipment
• Square Wave – Low-end UPS; peak voltage of this wave is lower than that of a sine wave of the same total power output, potentially posing risk of operational issues or premature failure of systems.
  • Low monetary cost, decreased equipment longevity, possible equipment operation issues

**Note:  Digital Watchdog does not manufacture, produce, or sell UPS battery backups.  Please consult with your security installation company if necessary.

Recommendations

Server Environment

• Store the server in a clean and well ventilated area.  Environments with lots of dust can pose issues for the hardware.
• Ambient room temperature is recommended to be kept below 74° Fahrenheit
• Include a dedicated power circuit for each server
  • DW Blackjack® MINI, Bolt, Cube, or P-Rack – minimum 15A current
  • DW Blackjack® E-Rack – minimum 20A current
• Recommended to avoid connecting servers directly to wall outlets, power strips, or surge protectors whenever possible

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.