TL;DR
A contractor working at an Australian council office was banned after a NAS failure knocked servers offline during a storage-shelf install. The contractor says the root problem was a tripped breaker and weak power distribution rather than his actions; council staff blamed him.
What happened
A reader who asked to be called “Patrick” was installing an additional storage shelf for a NAS at a local council office in Australia. While he was finishing paperwork in the computer room he noticed on his laptop that both storage controllers were reporting network ports going down. Shortly afterwards the NAS failed and that outage took down council servers. Council IT staff surged into the room and accused Patrick of causing the outage; he says he was not near the rack when the failure occurred and that, at most, he might have nudged something earlier while looking for two separate electrical circuits. A separate reader, identified as “Leslie,” said moving a second power cable to a UPS caused a Microsoft Exchange server to shut down because the UPS had not been switched on. The Register’s account notes a breaker tripped on one of the council’s UPS units and criticizes the decision to put critical infrastructure on a single circuit. Patrick reports he was banned from the site after the incident.
Why it matters
- Power distribution and UPS setup can be as critical as server configuration — design mistakes can turn maintenance into outages.
- Redundant hardware (eg, dual power supplies) does not protect systems if both feeds rely on the same underlying circuit.
- Incidents caused by infrastructure faults can lead to misplaced blame and personnel actions without clear investigation.
- Sites that allow external contractors into sensitive rooms need clear procedures for access, oversight and incident attribution.
Key facts
- The incident took place at a local council office in Australia, according to the contributor identified as “Patrick.”
- Patrick was installing an extra shelf for a NAS and was alone in the computer room while handling paperwork.
- Both storage controllers reported network ports going down and the NAS subsequently failed, taking council servers offline.
- Council IT staff accused Patrick of causing the outage; he says he was banned from the site afterward.
- A separate contributor, “Leslie,” found that moving a second power cable to a UPS caused an Exchange server to shut down because that UPS had not been powered on.
- The Register’s account states a breaker tripped on one of the council’s UPS units.
- The story highlights that critical devices were connected to the same circuit, undermining redundancy.
- This account appeared in The Register’s reader-contributed 'Who, Me?' column.
What to watch next
- Whether the council completes a formal investigation and what its findings and follow-up actions are — not confirmed in the source.
- Any changes to the site’s power distribution or UPS configuration to provide true redundancy — not confirmed in the source.
- If the contractor’s ban is lifted or if there are further personnel or contractual consequences — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply): A device that provides emergency power to equipment when the main power source fails, often used to allow safe shutdown or short-term operation.
- NAS (Network Attached Storage): A dedicated file storage device connected to a network that allows multiple users and heterogeneous client devices to retrieve data from centralized disk capacity.
- Redundant power supplies: Multiple power inputs for a single server or device intended to provide fault tolerance if one power feed fails.
- Circuit breaker: An automatic electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit by interrupting current flow.
Reader FAQ
Did the contractor cause the outage?
Not definitively established in the source; the contractor says he was not near the equipment when it failed and that a tripped breaker and power layout were the likely issues.
Was the UPS involved in the failure?
Yes. The Register’s account states a breaker tripped on one UPS and a separate reader said a UPS had not been powered on, which contributed to equipment shutting down.
Did the Exchange server have redundant power?
According to the reader account, the Exchange server had redundant power supplies, but it still shut down when moved to an unpowered UPS.
Was there a formal investigation or policy change?
Not confirmed in the source.
STORAGE Techie banned from client site for outage he didn’t cause UPSes don’t work without power, or well-designed electricals Simon Sharwood Mon 12 Jan 2026 // 07:31 UTC WHO, ME? Welcome to Monday morning…
Sources
- Techie banned from client site for outage he didn’t cause
- Suspension upheld for prominent Detroit demolition …
- Wage Theft at the North Square Apartments in …
- Opinions/ Op-Ed – Nantasha Williams – New York City Council
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