Re: DC power versus AC power

["Stephen Sprunk" <ssprunk () cisco com>]

Thus spake ip dude <ipdude () cattle-today com>:
> Hello NANOG group. I am trying to make a case for using DC power
> supplies versus AC power supplies for typical IP networking
> equipment. Is there any published whitepapers detailing this subject?
> Do you have any suggestions to aide my argument?

Most of the argument depends on the facility you're in.  Assuming you're
asking as an end-customer:

DC requires clue from your staff when installing/removing equipment, and
this means safety training at a minimum.  Power choice also affects your
equipment purchasing: DC versions of gear are often priced higher, and gear
not intended for telcos/ISPs may not have a DC option available at all.

OTOH, many colos -- especially ones run by telcos -- don't provide AC UPS.
If you want AC UPS in these environments, you'll have to provide your own,
which is expensive, bulky, and a maintainance burden.

If you're building your own datacenter, please specify that and I'm sure
you'll get a whole different discussion :)

S