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To maintain a safe and reliable electrical infrastructure on campus, it is occasionally necessary to shut down electrical service to one or more buildings for a brief time. When that happens, the Department of University Services will notify the entire community so that everyone has time to plan accordingly.
Computers and related devices can be especially sensitive to power fluctuations and LTS recommends that all members of the community take the following precautions to protect them.
When the electricity goes out, computers will power down and lose any work that has not been saved. You should always save any open files on your computer before leaving your office for the day, but it is vital to do so before an electrical shutdown. You might also consider copying especially important files onto your UNet space.
To save an open file, open the associated program's File menu and choose the Save option. For assistance, please contact the Tech Desk.
When a running computer loses power, it can shut down in a way that puts its data at risk. When it starts up again, it may need to perform lengthy disk checks, be more prone to crashing, or even lose data. You should manually power your computer down before an electrical shutdown to prevent these problems
To power down a Windows computer, open the Start menu and choose Turn Off Computer. To power down a Macintosh, open the Apple menu and choose Shut Down. For assistance, please contact the Tech Desk.
Some computers are configured to turn back on automatically the moment that power is restored. That can be dangerous because sometimes electricity is switched on and off several times in a short period during a shutdown. If your computer is plugged in, it might power on and off rapidly enough to cause physical damage. To be safe, you should unplug your computer after shutting it down.
Printers, scanners, external disks, and other computer-related devices that plug into a standard electrical outlet can also be affected by power fluctuations and should be similarly unplugged. Some devices should be shut down before being unplugged - consult the manufacturer's documentation for each device to determine whether this is necessary.
The power cable can be disconnected by unplugging either the end that attaches to the wall or the end that attaches to the device. Remember always to disconnect a cable by pulling on the plug rather than on the cord.
A: Brandeis's phones draw power from the network equipment they connect to. In most buildings the network equipment is connected to a UPS, which will allow it to function for a short time during an electrical shutdown. In those buildings, phones may function for the first hour or so of a shutdown.
The Feldberg and Goldfarb/Farber buildings use a generator to provide electricity in the event of a power outage. In those buildings, phones will remain operational during all shutdowns.
Q: What about UPSes?A: A UPS or Uninterruptable Power Supply is a battery-powered device which continues to provide electricity to devices connected to it in the event of a power failure. A UPS is typically only able to provide power for a few hours at most, which makes it insufficient to handle most planned electrical shutdowns. It is still a useful investment to protect against short, unplanned power failures.
Even if you have UPS, you should still unplug your computer and related equipment before an electrical shutdown.
Q: My computer doesn't work after an electrical shutdown! Who do I call?A: The friendly people at the Tech Desk will help you determine the nature of the problem. If necessary, they will refer you to the Hardware Repair Shop to fix the problem.
