Battery Backup for Your Tops Server

Every Tops server should be hooked up to a battery backup, or uninterruptible power supply (UPS), of some kind. This allows the Tops server to continue running just long enough during a power outage to allow for proper shut-down of the Tops server software using the Tops Server Utility Window on the Tops server desktop (see below). An added benefit of the battery backup is surge protection.

Guidelines for Choosing a Battery Backup:

• The battery should be able to meet the total wattage requirements of all devices connected, including external drives and monitors. Keyboards and mouse don't use enough wattage to figure into the decision.
• The battery should be able to allow adequate run time for proper shut down of all devices connected. No more than 10 minutes should really be necessary.
• The battery should be chosen based on the voltage requirements of the country the device will be used in. For example, North America uses a 120V current but Australia uses 230V.
• The battery should have surge protection + battery backup power, though not every item plugged in may need battery backup, so those items that don't need battery backup should be plugged into the surge protection-only plugs. Your Tops server MUST be plugged into a battery backup + surge protection slot.
• The battery should have a USB connection so that settings for the device can be configured in your machine's System Preferences. Though the device may come with a CD for software for the battery, it should not be necessary to install that software in order to configure the battery's settings.
• The higher the VA rating of the battery, the longer the battery will run devices after power is lost. The higher the VA rating, the more expensive the battery.

Our Recommendations for a Battery Backup:

Configuring the System Preferences for Battery Backup:

• For macOS12.x.x or older, go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Energy Saver.
• For macOS13.x.x or newer, go to Apple Menu > System Settings > Battery > Power Adapter.
• Set the Battery to Shut down the computer when the UPS battery level is below... 50%. Use the slider in the Preferences pane to set this.

• Under the Power heading, set the Computer Sleep time to Never.
• Set the Display sleep time to 45 minutes.
• Check Wake for network access and Start up automatically after a power failure.

• Under the UPS heading, set the Computer Sleep time to Never.
• Set the Display sleep time to 1 min.