I realize that the phone world that MFS is part of operates differently, but this is networking equipment we are talking about, not phone switches, and UPSes are very old tech at this point.

In other words, its silly for them not to have UPSed AC available.

I know I'm going to regret stating what I thought was obvious, but when has that ever stopped me. When ordering and installing equipment you need to be aware of the environment you are placing the equipment. When installing equipment in a normal office, use standard 120 AC powered boxes because thats the power source you find in a normal office. When installing equipment in large data centers, the best power comes from three-phase 208-volt outlets with strange plugs. Order the right equipment for the job, or you might get stuck trying to fit a square plug in a round hole. When installing equipment in a telco facility the best power comes from -48 volt DC power sources. Once again, ordering the right equipment for the environment it will be housed will avoid many problems later. Its true telcos don't have much experience running data centers for customers, formally known as timesharing, now known as co-locating. But the folks who do, EDS, IBM, Digital, etc, sense the gap in the market and are moving quickly to fill it. Maybe the trend will reverse and telcos will start co-locating at data centers instead of data centers co-locating at central offices. Operationally, "web hosting" isn't that much different from the timesharing services of twenty years ago. The question for network operators is who do you think will have an easier time. The billion dollar computer companies bringing data centers up to central office communications standards. Or the billion dollar telephone companies bringing central offices up to data center standards. If you think you know the answer, place your bets, err, I mean orders. -- Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO Affiliation given for identification not representation