Mac OS X UPS support

I thought I'd pass along this tip in light of last week's Back up strategy presentation.

CreativeTechs Tips: Find Mac OS X's hidden UPS options.

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is the only way to make sure your studio's servers receive clean, sufficient, and consistent power. In the past, configuring an UPS for Macintosh required tedious fiddling with dubious third-party software. Now the functionality is built directly into the operating system, and the most challenging part of the process is finding exactly where Apple hid those controls.

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In System Preferences (Apple Menu > System Preferences), look in the Energy Saver pane.

When your Macintosh is connected directly to a compatible UPS device via USB you can select UPS from the top pop-up menu. These options are only visible when an UPS device is connected — which is why most people consider them near-impossible to find.

Once you've selected the UPS option, a bevy of previously concealed settings appear for interacting with your device. At the top is the current battery charge, along the model information for the attached device. Below that, you can choose to configure three shutdown options based on minutes you’ve been on battery power, minutes left on battery power, or the percentage of charge left in the battery (generally the most accurate of the three).

APC offers a wide range of models which can accommodate Macintosh workstations or servers.

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