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SynLink PDUs Predict Failures
A great smart PDU must have two fundamental characteristics.
<ol>
<li>Reliable power distribution.</li>
<li>Reliable network connection.</li>
</ol>
Power loss and unplanned service calls should never be the PDU's fault. Luckily for you, we have taken the time to consider the most common PDU failure modes. Predictive Failure Analysis is the process of measuring and analyzing system characteristics to predict failures before they occur.
We have applied this concept to our new SynLink series PDUs from the start of the design process. SynLink PDUs have built-in self-monitoring features to alert you before issues arise. We believe this makes SynLink the best smart PDU on the market. Let us explain… 
<h4>Relay Health Monitor</h4>
Smart switched PDUs use mechanical power relays to control power at the outlets. There's no argument that relays are an additional point of failure in the power distribution path and some system admins opt out of the benefits for this reason alone. We believe we have a solution. Our engineers at Synaccess have developed an industry-first Relay Health Monitor through collaboration with the Panasonic Relay Engineering team. The Panasonic Industrial team brings their power relay expertise and a deep understanding of relay failure modes to the table. They helped to inform our proprietary hardware and firmware designs for all SynLink Switched PDUs. The Relay Health Monitor autonomously collects sensor data on all built-in relays. Threshold limits are set on this data to accurately assess the health of the relay and predict issues before they occur. This data can be obtained directly on the PDU's web interface in the 'Diagnostics' tab. Additionally, built-in voltage sensors are included behind each relay in the PDU. If a relay does fail, the voltage sensors will detect and immediately raise a flag. The Relay Health Monitor is a standard feature for all SynLink Switched PDUs.
<h4>Network Watchdog</h4>
The Network Watchdog works in the background to periodically monitor all network interfaces for activity. Activity signals a properly working PDU. If a long period of inactivity is detected, the network interface is forced to restart in an attempt to recover.
Two network interfaces are monitored out of the box. The ethernet network interface and the fault-tolerant Controller Area Network (CAN) interface used for internal sensor communications. The Network Watchdog is a standard feature for all SynLink PDUs.
<h4>Circuit Breaker Trip Detection</h4>
SynLink's built-in Event-Action tool can be configured to send alerts or switch outlets when power consumption is near the threshold of a branch circuit breaker. Immediate alerts can be sent via email, SNMP trap, or custom webhooks when a circuit breaker trips. When set up properly, these automated notifications can significantly reduce your MTTR (Mean Time to Repair).
<h4>Power Supply Fail-Over Detection</h4>
One of the most common issues that cause a circuit breaker to trip is when a server power supply fails. On a server with dual redundant power supplies, the drop in load of the failing power supply will be taken over by the other power supply. SynLink PDUs utilize current metering at each outlet to detect this scenario. The Event-Action tool can be configured to quickly detect power supply failures and quickly alert you of the issue via email, SNMP trap notifications, or custom webhooks.
 
Request a demo or ask for a quote at sales@synaccess.com.

Predictive Failure Analysis (FA) is the process of measuring and analyzing system characteristics to predict failures before they occur.
Discover how Predictive FA in SynLink PDUs can give you peace of mind and help you sleep at night.

Predictive Failure Analysis in Smart PDUs

<h3>Adding Power Redundancy to Legacy Single Corded IT Equipment</h3>
 
<div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0496/7835/2545/files/vilmar-simion-ffREEWWVimk-unsplash_1_3efeae71-70e6-4f4a-b29c-55ee691995c8_600x600.jpg?v=1603994068" alt="legacy equipment"></div>
 
Summary Single Corded IT equipment is provided power redundancy by connecting to an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) Power Distribution Unit which accepts two inputs from redundant power sources. The ATS PDU maintains power to connected equipment by switching to an active backup power source if the primary source goes down.
Many rackmount servers, switches and other IT rackmount equipment have redundant power supplies (dual-corded). Equipment with one power supply (single-corded) are susceptible to power failures. The single-corded equipment is not utilizing power source redundancy. 
SynLink ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) PDUs is the solution. Two power sources can be fed as inputs into the ATS PDU. Single-corded equipment is connected to the ATS PDU output receptacles. Failure of the primary power source results in the ATS PDU automatically detecting and switching to the secondary power source without a noticeable interruption at the outlets. Redundant power sources can now be utilized for IT equipment with single power supplies.
 <img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0496/7835/2545/files/Screenshot_2020-10-29_101630_1024x1024.png?v=1603991824" alt="ATS Inlet Settings Screenshot">*ATS Inlet Status Page
 
<a href="/signup?tag=category%3Aats&amp;title=ATS%20PDU%20Arrival%20Notice" title="ATS PDU Arrival Notice Sign-up">Learn more</a> about ATS PDUs.

Many rackmount servers, switches and other IT equipment have multiple redundant power supplies (dual-corded). For facilities with two redundant power sources, equipment with one power supply (single-corded) are susceptible to primary power source failure. The single corded equipment is not utilizing power source redundancy.

Power Redundancy for Legacy Equipment

<h3>Automating IoT Device Recovery From Application Level Networking Failures.</h3>
Summary An IoT device that fails to respond to pings is restarted by a SynLink Power Distribution Unit (PDU), which monitors the ping statuses. Failures are logged, and logging information is used to identify the cause of the issue.
 The IoT network-enabled device that reports sensor data crashes repeatedly from an unknown issue. It also does not have a remote management card or remote access card to manage and recover the device. The setup requires manual intervention to restart and recover, costing time and money. 
 With a SynLink Power Distribution Unit, the built-in AutoPing feature is configured to monitor the ping status of the troubled device. Using the IoT device's LAN IPV4 address, the PDU pings the address at a periodic rate and triggers multiple user-defined actions when there is no response.
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*Screenshot of the AutoPing Reboot configuration page on the SynLInk Web Interface
 
Once triggered, an SNMP trap notification is sent to the monitoring software running on the local area network, an email is sent to the lead technician, and the outlet that the IoT device is connected to automatically power cycles to restart the device.
All losses of ping are subsequently logged and characterized. Failure patterns are found, and the source of the error is identified.
 
<a href="http://synaccess.com/synlink-smart-pdus" title="Synlink smart pdu page">Learn More</a> about SynLink Smart PDU Technology

The IoT network enabled device which reports sensor data crashes repeatedly from an unknown issue. It also does not have a remote management card or remote access card to manage and recover the device. The set up requires manual intervention to restart and recover, costing time and money.