UPS Recommendations 4 NAS Setup

#1

We purchased our very 1st NAS (a Synology DS218+) a while back & then had to save up for the HDD's (that didn't arrive until recently do to being back-ordered). When they finally arrived I started researching 'NAS setup' & I noticed that a lot of people recommended hooking-up a NAS to a UPS. So I ordered a CyberPower: LE850G (from Costco) because it seemed like the best value that would fit our needs. But then I looked on Synology's site & didn't see it on the compatibility list. Now I understand that the model_#'s @Costco are usually slightly different, but I thought it would still be listed on Synology's site. (Normally I take more time researching b4 i buy, but I was hoping to get our 'new' NAS setup around Xmas):christmas_tree:

Now, we've always had surge-protectors but other than an APC (that was hooked-up by a guy that setup our old desktop_PC years ago) which ended up being recalled; we're not familiar w/ UPS's. We've bought some Furman surge-protectors {PST-8 & SS-6B-Pro} over the past few years. In hindsight, if I had known we were going to be purchasing a NAS, I probably would of put some of that $ towards a UPS.

Here's a list of what we're looking to do &/or questions. Any help re: 1 or more ?'s would be greatly appreciated (in particular, if you have any knowledge or 1st hand experience w/ UPS's &/or NAS's) :slightly_smiling_face:

1a. How important is it to use a UPS w/ NAS?
1b. How important is it to plug the NAS into the UPS during initial setup (of the NAS)?

2a. Is there any reason why the CyberPower: LE850G wouldn't be compatible w/ the (Synology) DS218+ ?
2b. (If so,) is there a particular UPS model you would recommend to use w/ the DS218+, if it's primarily going to be used as a Channels DVR_Server (& possibly part of an upgrade to our home-security system)?

  1. Based on what I've read, it's not advisable to plug any type of Surge-Protector into the NAS or the NAS into any type of Surge-Protector? Is that correct?

4a. Is there any (legitimate) reason the LE850G wouldn't be capable of automatically
shutting-down the DS218+, if there is a power-disturbance?
4b. Can we download the CyberPower software directly to the NAS (& keep it there)?

  1. What practical uses are there for a LCD (display) other than "peace of mind"?

6a. What else should I take into account that I'm not considering?
6b. What other questions should I be asking?

  1. Brand Preference (&/or who U would stay away from)? {APC, CyberPower, Eaton or TrippLite} Based on Reliability & Value (quality 4 price)?

8a. Which devices need Line-Conditioning &/or (simulated) SineWave?
8b. How important is SineWave vs simulated-SineWave?

  1. Of the components listed below, I was wondering which ones I should plug into the battery-backup vs line-conditioning or just surge-protection?

(BTW, I should mention that we live in the U.S.)
Here's a list of what we have to work with:

  • 2 'Power-Stations' {Furman: PST-8 & PST-8D}
  • 2 Power-Strips {Furman: SS-6B-Pro}
  • UPS {CyberPower: LE850G}

  • NAS: DS218+ {2 x Red_Plus [10TB]}

  • Ethernet Switch {Monoprice: 24-port Gigabit}

  • "Coax Amplifier" (w/ a 'power brick') {Antronix: MRA1-15}

  • Modem/Router (2-in-1 unit)

  • HDHR: Prime

  • 1 (or 2) Tuning Adapter(s) {Cisco: STA1520}

  • 2nd HDHR (Prime &/or Quatro)

  • Nvidia Shield {16gb[2015]}

  • Ext.HDD-4TB {WD}

  • AppleTV {4K-32gb}

Please forgive me :pray: for so many questions, but I'm trying to avoid costly mistakes. One of the primary reasons we got into cord-shaving/cutting was to save $, but part of me is starting to feel that 'Channels (DVR)' maybe a bit of a "techie gateway drug":rofl:. Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be an issue if we hadn't already started "falling for":rose: 'Channels'. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :laughing:

#2

I don't know any of the details related to your questions but I think can address the main point of it. As a side note, I have two QNAP NAS boxes and have run them without a UPS for years. If you abruptly shut down a NAS there are risks. One risk is that it could cause a hardware failure, although I think that risk is minimal. The other main risk is that it is going to certainly leave the RAID corrupt and the process for it repairing itself can be quite lengthy... like multiple hours to rebuild the RAID. Having a UPS that is simply continuing power in an outage is one level of protection and as long as the power comes back on before the battery goes dead, all is good. If you have a power outage that runs longer than the battery, then when the battery expires you are back to what would have happened if you didn't have a UPS at all... an abrupt power loss. Having a UPS that is compatible with the NAS, it will send a signal to the NAS telling it to do an orderly shutdown so that the RAID doesn't become corrupt. With any of this, there is always a risk that the RAID will be corrupt beyond repair and then you'd have to start from scratch and rebuild everything and restore from backup. But the most likely thing that will definitely happen without a UPS is that you will have to wait hours for the RAID to rebuild. I go through this whenever we lose power, but our power is pretty stable most of the time. If you are going to buy a UPS, you might as well get one that can do the orderly shutdown automatically.

#3

I use a UPS on my NAS and I do recommend it, for several reasons, which were covered well above. One thing to point out is that the only thing “compatibility” buys you is the NAS gracefully shutting down when the UPS battery gets low. They have to communicate to facilitate this. So even if they are not compatible, you’ll still have a battery backup that will cover voltage drops and brief outages. If you have a longer outage and you’re home you can even shut the NAS down yourself before the battery dies if you move quickly.

Either way Costco has a very generous return policy so if you buy it and plug it in and the NAS doesn’t recognize it, you can always return it for a full refund. If I was a betting man, I would bet it will be compatible.

#4

Thanks for the input, you confirmed what I'd read.

(Just curious,) is there any particular reason(s) U've chosen to run your NAS's w/o UPS's?

#5

Laziness.

#6

Okay :laughing:, I understand.:ok_hand:

#7

The NAS has its own software that talks to a UPS and will shut itself down when the battery is low; that's the point of the compatibility list. You can add a UPS any time. I have a UPS connected to our Synology NAS (that runs Channels) via USB.

This is how it looks in DiskStation Manager. You can also set up a network UPS server (more useful if the UPS itself isn't networked) if you want to broadcast the UPS status to other devices plugged into the UPS.

image
image2268Ă—1472 343 KB

Then you'll see notifications and logged information when the UPS goes on battery, for example:

image
image1222Ă—120 31.9 KB

#8

I'm not a Power Consultant so can't make recommendations for you.
I went through the same thing choosing a UPS for my PC and NAS's.

Since you already have one, hook it up and see if your Synology recognizes it.
Don't use the software that comes with the UPS, not needed for Synology NAS.
https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/DSM/help/DSM/AdminCenter/system_hardware_ups
Set it up to enter safe mode after power failure.
If it's recognized, that buys you time to do further research on what you actually need.

Consider everything you'll plug into it and whether they need power outage or just surge protection.
Figure the load of all devices needing outage protection to choose the right capacity UPS (VA or Watts).
I did this with a Kill A Watt meter http://www.p3international.com/products/P4400.html
Consider how long you want the UPS to power the devices plugged into the battery backup outlets and choose a device with the appropriate run time for the load.

I ended up returning my CyberPower and getting a single APC Back-UPS BE550G that powers both my Synology NAS's. One NAS connects to it via USB and acts as the UPS Server which notifies the other NAS getting power from it of power fail and battery status. This UPS powers only my two NAS's, I have another UPS that powers my PC and everything else.

NAS1 UPS Server

Synology DiskStation
Synology DiskStation1154Ă—570 40 KB

NAS2 UPS Server Client

Synology DiskStation2
Synology DiskStation2828Ă—565 24.1 KB

Most importantly for peace of mind, after connecting, configuring and allowing the UPS battery to fully charge, test it by unplugging the UPS from the wall. You'll sleep better knowing it works when it's needed.
I have mine setup so the NAS's power back up when the power resumes.

From the Synolgy link above
In situations where the Synology NAS shuts down during Safe Mode, it will automatically turn on when power is restored if you have enabled the Restart automatically after a power failure option (located at Control Panel > Hardware & Power > General ).

#9

Power outages can cause data integrity issues, and it all depends on what the NAS is doing at the time of the power failure. Think of it this way. If you're walking along and get a muscle spasm in your leg it might throw you off balance a little, but you'll tend to it until the spasm stops and move on. But if you get the same muscle spasm in your leg while carrying heavy furniture down a long flight of stairs it could quite possibly cause death if all the right conditions are met.

You don't know when a power failure is going to happen, right? So having that UPS will prevent the possibility of things ranging from a simple but lengthy recovery, to catastrophic data loss.

That being said I've learned not to bother with anything else but APC. They're a few bucks more but are pretty much compatible with anything that supports a UPS. I run an Unraid NAS with 14 drives that's connected to a 1500va APC UPS. Last night we had a power failure. The NAS supports the APC, and shut itself down gracefully during the 30 minutes of power the UPS device provides. I couldn't be happier with it.

So basically what I'm saying is the investment requires risk analysis. If your NAS is filled with highly expendable data you might not care. If it's like mine and has baby pictures, graduation pictures, etc, you don't want to lose that data. Hell one of my upcoming projects after I upgrade my NAS hardware in Q1 is to setup a backup NAS to keep copies of all those files, and it will STILL have a UPS on it. So in the end it's a decision only you can make based on your personal situation.

#10

Good point. I don't have the UPS, but have a second backup NAS, and then that NAS backs up to Amazon Drive. The UPS is a lot easier to setup then all of that. Especially since both of my NAS boxes got infected with QSnatch malware a while back and I can't tell you how much time I spent on that to get them finally cleaned up.

#11

The only "compatibility" i have ever looked at on a UPS is if it is Square or Pure Sine-wave output.

The electricity form the wall is Pure since wave, and most cheap UPS use square, which can harm certain electronics, and overall is hard on anything it is powering.

For many desktop PC's especially high end, the PSU in them often will not work on a Square sine wave (also called "simulated") and must use Pure Sine wave. If i recall, these type of PSU's are called Active PFC.

I have 4 Cyberpower Pure Sine wave UPS to run my computers and network devices.
When then are, since they are pure since wave, there is no very loud hum from the devices connected to them, liek they do when a square since wave unit is power it. AC adapter and power bricks i have scream when on square sine wave.

Other factor, is the battery size, run time, and load needed in watts. Most NAS are low power, depending on the number of HDDs in them. Or use little power if ssds. etc.

#12

You're correct about needing a pure sinewave UPS if any devices powered by it have an Active PFC power supply.

I do use a CyberPower GX1325U 1325VA 810W PFC Compatible Pure Sine Wave UPS for my PC, HDHR tuner, router, switches and other devices because my PC has an Active PFC power supply.

The APC UPS powering my two Synology NAS's is not pure sinewave and they have no issues with it (they probably don't have Active PFC power supplies). I've been using that UPS for about 10 years through probably about 10 power outages/year and it's now on its second battery as they wear out after 3-7 years.

#13

I wanted thank everyone for your advice & let U know that I think I learned a little something from each of your responses.:ok_hand: (sorry I didn't respond sooner but I've been trying to get caught up on things after the holidays) :persevere:

After some further research & based on your guys input, I decided to give the 'LE850G' a try w/ the understanding that if I have any problems I could always return it (to Costco). Additionally, if I didn't have any issues I figured I could upgrade down the road & use it somewhere else.

But one thing I'm still uncertain about is what really "needs" the back-up_battery outlets.
Other than the NAS, is it just a matter of preference which devices you would like to use when you lose power or are there some technical/electronic reasons why it wouldn't be good for certain devices to suddenly have a 'power disturbance' (w/ the understanding that "spikes" that are too high aren't good for any electronics)?

#14

List your devices on paper if you have to and consider what you want to work when the power goes out while the UPS is providing power. Maybe nothing. Maybe you want some things to work as long as the UPS can power them.

Channels DVR Server?
HDHR Tuners?
Antenna Amp?
Cable modem/gateway?
Routers?
Switches that connect devices (and which devices)?
Access/Mesh Points?
Clients that need A/C for power?
Media PC's?
TV's?
etc.

After that I would plug anything else into the non-battery backup surge protector outlets of the UPS.
Most surge protectors are limited life devices and most use sacrificial components that degrade over time (like MOV's). Always good to have UPS/power conditioning/surge protection for electronic devices. Power conditioning (more expensive) and surge protection (cheaper) are two different things. I use Brick Walls and UPS's.

#15

A UPS isn't really for continued usage of devices during a power outage. They're more so designed to execute a graceful shutdown and/or give you time to save work. For continued usage during a power outage beyond low power devices like routers and modems, you may want to consider an inverter generator.

1 Like