Remotely Power Cycle Your Servers and Equipment with This New "Smart Fuse Panel"

UPDATE: New build option with alarm monitoring functionality now available. Contact DPS for details.

If you've ever had to jump in your truck and drive hours to a site to reboot jammed equipment, you know how expensive and frustrating it is. You can't afford to waste time or money on truck rolls, but you can't just ignore the problem, either.

You also need the ability to deactivate your equipment remotely in the event of an HVAC failure. This allows you to shut down expensive infrastructure before it burns up, protecting against costly damage. Remote shut-down is also important when you have a commercial power failure and you're running on batteries or a generator. You can extend the run time of the site if you turn of ancillary devices that you can live without and devote all power to core functions.

What you need is a remotely accessible device that can toggle power to your site equipment without requiring a truck roll. Truck rolls eat up technician staff time but also mean that it takes much longer for problems to be fixed. With a device that allows remote power control, you'll power on/off and reboot all your critical devices - right from your desk.

That's exactly why the new Remote Power Switch AB6 was designed. It combines the functionality of a traditional fuse alarm distribution panel with a PDU (Power Distribution Unit) that can toggle power outputs to cycle your equipment. At just 1RU in size, it's also a physical-size match for most common fuse panels.

The front panel of the AB6 includes 12 fuses, 2 circuit breakers, and a LAN port.

The back panel of the AB6 has dual power inputs and 12 power outputs controlled by internal relays.

The AB6 is divided into two halves for convenient use with redundantly powered gear. 6 power relays on each half make a total of 12 power outputs. Each of the 12 relays supports up to 10 amps of current draw (40-amp max. per 6-output side). The power relays are physical, rather than solid-state. This avoids certain "power-on surge" issues that can blow solid-state relays, and it also minimizes the risk of a relay becoming "stuck on."

To remotely access the AB6, you can use either the built-in web interface or your SNMP manager. Each of the 12 power relays may be turned on, turned off, or reset via SNMP SET commands. You may choose to receive SNMP trap notifications (v1, v2c, or v3) when one of the power relays is toggled on or off, a fuse is blown, or one of the inputs loses power.

Shown here powering 3 servers with dual power supplies, the Remote Power Switch AB6 has used just half of its total capacity.

The web interface is convenient when you're away from your NOC center or when you need to manage just a handful of sites. To maintain your security, the web interface supports HTTPS (via SSL encryption), allowing you to browse securely. Up to ten usernames & passwords may be created, with the ability to define varying access levels.

The web interface on the Remote Power Switch AB6 makes it easy to monitor and control your powered equipment from any PC on your network.

Web interface user accounts may be modified, suspended, or deactivated at any time by an administrator. You can even enforce regularly scheduled password changes. An audit log captures attempts to log on, access security files, or change the unit's configuration. A custom message may also be uploaded for display to users at the logon prompt. Finally, access may be restricted to certain IP addresses using a "Filter IPs" table.

If you happen to be on-site, front-panel LEDs indicate power state and "fuse blown." For added convenience, all fuses and both input breakers are accessible from the front panel.

To learn how the Remote Power Switch AB6 will work in your network, call DPS today at 1-800-693-0351 or send email to sales@dpstele.com