Novell NETWARE 6-DOCUMENTATION Manual page 2859

Preventing Static Electricity Problems
102 Server Operating System Administration Guide
You can have reliable network performance only if you plan for power outages
and fluctuations and protect against them. The following tips can help you do
this:
Add a dedicated power feed and ground line from your breaker box to
critical equipment. Make sure the ground line connects to earth ground.
Install an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or a standby power system
(SPS) to provide power to critical equipment for 15 minutes after a power
outage.
The capacity of such power supplies is limited, so you might not want to
plug nonvital hardware (such as monitors or printers) into the UPS or SPS
line.
Train users to save data and log out of the network when the power goes
out. Then you can bring down the NetWare server in an orderly manner
without forcing users off the system while the server is running on UPS
or SPS power.
Install a surge suppressor or power conditioner on all power lines that are
used by computers. Many UPS and SPS devices already have this feature.
Do not allow anyone to plug fans, printers, copy machines, vacuum
cleaners, or other motor-driven appliances into the dedicated line or into
any power line with computers.
Insert "dummy plugs" into open outlets to prevent people from plugging
such appliances into computer power sources.
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) must equal about 3000 volts before you can
feel it, but sensitive electronic components such as microchips and circuit
boards can be damaged by ESDs of as little as 20 or 30 volts. These small
discharges do not cause a component to fail immediately, but can cause the
component to degrade over time and fail at a later date.
We recommend that you take the following precautions to protect electronic
components from electrostatic discharge:
Ground yourself and your equipment with a proper wrist strap and mat
before working on computers and computer boards. Test grounds daily to
make sure they have not become loose or intermittent.
WARNING:
Do not use a wrist strap when working on monitors! They can carry a
large voltage that can reach you through the strap.