Re: Never push the Big Red Button (New York City subway failure)

[Adam Thompson <athompson () merlin mb ca>]

Now I'm curious... in all of the DCs and COs I've worked in - to the best of my knowledge, I haven't personally tested 
this! - the EPO button does not​ switch to emergency power.  It turns off ALL equipment power in the space - no lights, 
no klaxons, nothing.  In simpler setups, the EPO is connected to the UPS so anything plugged in to the UPS does dark 
instantly.  In one DC I'm familiar with, the EPO switch kills all the UPS output and​ uses several relays to kill 
commercial power at the same time.
In some, the room lights were not covered by the EPO switch, in some they were.  Emergency exit lamps will continue to 
be lit, as they have internal batteries, and are required by building/fire code.

Is it (somewhat) common for an EPO switch to only disconnect commercial power and leave local redundant power live?  
What sort of facilities would have this?

-Adam

Adam Thompson
Consultant, Infrastructure Services
[1593169877849]
100 - 135 Innovation Drive
Winnipeg, MB, R3T 6A8
(204) 977-6824 or 1-800-430-6404 (MB only)
athompson () merlin mb ca<mailto:athompson () merlin mb ca>
www.merlin.mb.ca<http://www.merlin.mb.ca/>
________________________________
From: NANOG <nanog-bounces+athompson=merlin.mb.ca () nanog org> on behalf of Jay R. Ashworth <jra () baylink com>
Sent: September 11, 2021 22:23
To: nanog <nanog () nanog org>
Subject: Re: Never push the Big Red Button (New York City subway failure)

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sean Donelan" <sean () donelan com>

> NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT RAIL CONTROL CENTER POWER
> OUTAGE ISSUE ON AUGUST 29, 2021
> Key Findings
> September 8, 2021
>
> https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/WSP_Key_Findings_Summary-for_release.pdf
>
> Key Findings
> [...]
>
> 3. Based on the electrical equipment log readings and the manufacturer’s
> official assessment, it was determined that the most likely cause of RCC
> shutdown was the “Emergency Power Off” button being manually activated.

I don't even *do* datacenter for a living, and I know that when you hit the
Molly button,

1) A Klaxon goes off in the Data Center -- one that sounds *different* from
the Halon Klaxon, in both cadence and tone (just for a couple bursts), and

2) Yellow rotating beacons turn on, and stay on while you're on Emergency Power.

Yes, real honest-to-ghod *rotating mechanical beacons*, none of this flashing LED
crap.

Clearly, it's important that the use of Emergency Power be annoyingly noticeable.

Cheers,
-- jra
--
Jay R. Ashworth                  Baylink                       jra () baylink com
Designer                     The Things I Think                       RFC 2100
Ashworth & Associates       http://www.bcp38.info          2000 Land Rover DII
St Petersburg FL USA      BCP38: Ask For It By Name!           +1 727 647 1274