Re: Lightning/Power/UPS discussion

[David Dyer-Bennet <dd-b@dd-b.net>]

Bertho Boman <boman@vinland.com> writes:

> You are welcome!
> 
> I have not had any problem here either so far even though I never unplug
> anything.  I have too many computers, servers and LANs running around here.
> Some day, lightning is going to strike too close and I will have a problem.  It
> will induce voltages into every wire and if they are of significant lengths and
> the connection unfavorable, there will be problems. I keep my fingers crossed.
> 
> I am not against unplugging stuff, it is a good idea but it is not practical for
> me with daily lightning during the summer months.

I know the feeling.  We don't have so much lightning up here (were you
in Florida, lightning capital of the US?).  I'm in Minnesota, and we
have quite a few thunderstorms seasonally, not nearly daily though.  I
ran a BBS for 10 years, never took it down for weather (sometimes 1
phone line, sometimes 2, sometimes multiple computers too), never had
weather-related damage.  Currently my web server system is on
full-time, and no weather-related damage (at home since October
1999).  And my personal system has been on full-time (my info leads me
to believe that shutting it off for less than 24 hours is more wear
than letting it run, and I'm certainly never off it for that long at a
stretch.  Note: this info may now be out-of-date).

So, with reasonable care (I have surge suppressors or UPS with spike
filtering on everything, whole-house surge arrestor, phone line surge
arrestors), systems can stay on full time and not have any trouble
even through thunderstorms.

On the other hand, a friend once lost a system because chips on his
disk controller were literally blown open by a big surge!
-- 
David Dyer-Bennet      /      Welcome to the future!      /      dd-b@dd-b.net
SF: http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/          Minicon: http://www.mnstf.org/minicon/
Photos: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/
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