Datacentre power tests scheduled for 26 to 28 October

13th October 2017

The datacentre in which our servers are located has sent us the following advisory:

Starting on the 26th October [2017], we will be performing our annual black building test where we simulate a mains power failure to the building. This maintenance period covers a 3 day window where we will have engineers performing pre-tests, the main generator test itself, and finally post-test checks to ensure that everything worked as expected.

We do not expect any problems or outages, however this period should be considered at-risk as there will be contractors and engineers on-site as well as transitions to and from generator power.

The maintenance is scheduled to take place between 0800 and 1600 BST. In line with this message, we do not expect there to be any interruption to web or email services. However, services are classed as “at risk” for the three days during which tests are being performed.

Starting on the 26th October, we will be performing our annual black building test where we simulate a mains power failure to the building. This maintenance period covers a 3 day window where we will have engineers performing pre-tests, the main generator test itself, and finally post-test checks to ensure that everything worked as expected.

We do not expect any problems or outages, however this period should be considered at-risk as there will be contractors and engineers on-site as well as transitions to and from generator power. 

Datacentre UPS maintenance scheduled for 22 to 24 May

4th May 2017

The datacentre in which our servers are located has sent us the following advisory:

On 22nd – 24th May from 09:00 to 17:00 our Reading data centre UPS [Uninterruptible Power Supply] systems are undergoing routine planned preventative maintenance. Only one UPS will be under maintenance at a time and it may be necessary to operate the UPS bypass or simulate a mains failure to an individual UPS to ensure correct operation. The UPS are designed to allow these checks with no loss of load however the activity will be classified as at risk. 

The maintenance is scheduled to take place between 0900 and 1700 BST. In line with this message, we do not expect there to be any interruption to web or email services. However, services are classed as “at risk” due to the reduced redundancy.

Datacentre power maintenance scheduled for Thursday 12 January

5th January 2017

The datacentre in which our servers are located has sent us the following advisory:

On the 12th of January 2016, our local NDO (SSE) will be performing maintenance on the portion of the grid which provides our HV feeds. For the duration of this maintenance we will be running on generator power only.

Switching to generator power for maintenance work is a routine activity that has been carefully planned for. We do not therefore expect any customer service interruption, but all standard maintenance should be considered an at-risk period.

The maintenance is scheduled to take place between 0800 and 1730 GMT. In line with this message, we do not expect there to be any interruption to web or email services. However, if the generators fail for longer than the UPS is able to handle the load, there could be an interruption to services.