• Servers have unique power requirements.Computer servers skyline image by patrimonio designs from Fotolia.com
  
  Servers are electrical devices and, like all electrical devices, have power requirements. These requirements are not hard to fulfill, but must be considered. Electrical engineers usually specify requirements and any special precautions that must be taken. If you are involved with hooking up or maintaining computer servers, familiarize yourself with their electrical requirements.
  
  

Uninterruptible Supply

• According to IBM, a continuous source of power, or uninterrupted supply, is recommended. This means if a brownout or blackout occurs, the server must still have a continuous source of power. This is accomplished by having a backup generator system or a battery box that kicks in when the main power is lost. The University of Michigan recommends individual battery boxes, called Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS, for each server.
  
  

Proper Grounding

• IBM further recommends proper grounding of all servers. Proper grounding is simple. To achieve this, attach all the ground wires to one solid bus bar or wire, then ground the bus bar to the main building ground. This assures a good, solid ground.
  
  

Calculate Power Consumption

• To calculate power consumption, add all the power requirements of each server in the room. For example, suppose a server room has one server drawing 300 watts, another drawing 350 watts and another drawing 200 watts. Adding 300, 350, and 200 yields 850 watts of power needed in the room. Bear in mind, though, a momentary slight overdraw of power occurs when a server activates from standby to "run." You have to calculate your power factors to account for slight overdraw conditions.