The data centre at Metrorail Durban's suburban train service has been fitted with state-of-the-art uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system to protect data from corruption and hardware from damage caused by power variations, and to maintain system operations if mains power supply fails.
"For Metrorail, the data centre is the nerve centre for ticket sales and for train, carriage, driver and staff allocations. Any interruption of these online facilities could create severe disruptions of our service to the public," said Patrick Khosa, LAN manager at Metrorail Durban's information technology department.
Metrorail contracted Durban-based information and communications technology (ICT) company Concinnitas Intellect (Ci) a black economic enterprise (BEE) to provide and project-manage an APC power solution for its requirement to minimise disruptions caused by power outages. Ci is a distributor of Square One Power Solutions, the UPS specialist in the JSE-listed Square One Solutions Group Limited and APC's first tier supplier for the KwaZulu-Natal region.
Ci sourced a 20kW APC Silcon UPS system from Square One Power Solutions and headed a project team including personnel from Square One Power and Motrorail's IT department to install and commission the UPS system.
Winston Hloba, technical services director of Ci, said the Metrorail requirement was for the UPS system to provide 35 minutes of operational power in the event of extended mains power failure. "However, the present data centre load is such that the UPS unit is able to give 90 minutes of emergency power supply before the APC 'PowerChute' Network Shutdown software sequentially shuts down multiple file servers to prevent corruption or loss of data.
"This solution therefore ensures that future expansion of Metrorail Durban's data centre is well catered for. Sophisticated additional monitoring of the data room environment in terms of temperature, humidity and access control also takes place through PowerChute using SNMP," added Hloba.
Charles Bott, Durban regional manager of Square One Power Solutions, said the data centre also had to be pre-configured and converted from single-phase power supply to three-phase. "To ensure minimal disruption of services to the public, the contract stipulated installation and change-over in just four hours on a Saturday afternoon when train traffic levels are at their lowest."
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Concinnitas Intellect is a Durban-based consultancy providing solutions and services in information and communications technology. Square One Power Solutions is a national UPS company, an APC High Power Partner and a member of the JSE-listed Square One Solutions Group. It provides power solutions for the SOHO, PCA and SME network environment, telecommunications, medical, security, lighting and general industry as well as major corporations and government.
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