Eaton
Eaton is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Its UPS range runs from the 5E for desks, 5P/5PX for racks and the online 9SX/9PX to the 93PM for data centers. IPM software talks to VMware, Hyper-V and Nutanix to shut VMs down in order.
- Headquarters
- Ireland
- Positioning
- EntryMid-marketEnterprise
- Official website
- www.eaton.com
Who it suits
Server rooms that see brownouts around 17:00-19:00 and run VMs that must shut down in sequence before the battery runs out.
Overview
Who Eaton is
Eaton is a power management company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. UPS is only part of the business: Eaton also makes switchboards, circuit breakers and power distribution for buildings and plants. It bought Tripp Lite in 2021, and in March 2026 completed the purchase of Boyd Thermal to add liquid cooling for data centers.
UPS range and hardware
- Eaton 5E for desks and small network gear.
- Eaton 5P / 5PX line-interactive units for racks. The 5PX G2 covers 1 to 3 kVA and takes extra battery modules.
- Eaton 9SX and 9PX are on-line double-conversion units for servers that need clean power all the time. The 9SX runs from 700 VA to about 11 kVA, and the 9PX Gen2 covers larger sizes.
- Eaton 93PM and 9395 are three-phase UPS systems for data centers and hospitals.
- Rack PDU G4 (ePDU) comes in basic, metered, switched and managed versions, with per-outlet metering on the higher models.
- Network-M3 is the current network card, certified to the UL 2900-1 and IEC 62443-4-2 security standards, and fits both UPS and PDU.
Software
Intelligent Power Manager (IPM), part of the Brightlayer Data Centers suite, is where Eaton stands out. IPM talks to vCenter, Hyper-V and Nutanix: in an outage it can move VMs off a host that is about to shut down, power off low-priority VMs first to stretch battery time, and then shut hosts down in order.
Who it suits
Server rooms in offices, banks and factories that run VMs and see frequent sags or flicker. If you have a virtualization cluster, IPM with a 9SX or 9PX is the combination we usually recommend.
Strengths
- IPM does more than shut down: it migrates VMs, powers off low-priority VMs first and brings things back in order when power returns, which suits multi-host clusters.
- Network-M3 carries cybersecurity certifications, which matters because an unpatched UPS network card is a commonly forgotten hole in the network.
- The 9SX and 9PX are on-line units with a wide input voltage window, so evening sags do not push them onto battery every time.
- Eaton makes UPS, PDUs and building electrical gear, so the server room's power path from main board to rack can be designed with one brand.
Things to know before choosing
- The free IPM tier is limited. The advanced virtualization features need an additional licence, so confirm which feature sits in which edition before ordering.
- Models and part numbers differ by region (230 V for Asia and Europe, 120 V for the Americas). Check that the quoted part numbers match 230 V supply and the sockets used in Laos.
- Three-phase units (93PM, 9395) need manufacturer-trained engineers for commissioning and maintenance. Check how quickly a service team can actually reach your site.
Using it in Laos
The most common problem in Lao server rooms is not long outages but dozens of sags and flickers a day, especially between 17:00 and 19:00 and during storms. An on-line UPS such as the 9SX handles this better than a line-interactive unit because it never has to switch back and forth.
Advice from the field:
- Generators: at factories and mines with generators, set the UPS to accept a wider input frequency range, or it will sit on battery the whole time the generator runs.
- Heat: VRLA batteries in a 30°C room age much faster. Fit a temperature sensor to the Network-M3 card so you get an alert.
- Testing: once a quarter, pull the input plug and confirm IPM really shuts VMs down in the right order.
Popular 5PX and 9SX models are stocked by Thai distributors. Three-phase units and large battery extensions usually need several weeks' lead time. Size the system first with our UPS runtime calculator.
Compared with alternatives
APC has a comparable model at almost every size, and batteries and parts are easy to find in Thailand; choose it if your team already uses PowerChute and NetBotz. Vertiv fits better when you need a pre-built cabinet with its own cooling and UPS, or precision cooling for a server room. Choose Eaton when orderly VM shutdown is the top priority.
Product lines
- Eaton 5E
- Eaton 5P
- Eaton 5PX
- Eaton 9SX
- Eaton 9PX
- Eaton 93PM
- Eaton ePDU
- Intelligent Power Manager (IPM)
Solutions that use this brand
UPS & Power ProtectionUPS, earthing and surge protection for servers, switches and CCTV. Built for outages, evening brownouts and rainy-season…
Server Room Build-outServer rooms built for the Lao climate: racks, N+1 cooling, online UPS, earthing, gas suppression, access control and alerting…
IoT Environmental MonitoringIoT sensors for temperature, humidity, water leaks, power and air quality, alerting instantly by SMS, LINE, Telegram or email.FAQ
What is the difference between the 9SX and the 5PX?
The 5PX is line-interactive: more efficient and cheaper, but it switches to battery on deeper sags. The 9SX is on-line: it regenerates power continuously and copes far better with dirty power and generators. For servers where power is unstable, we recommend the 9SX.
Does IPM work with Proxmox?
IPM integrates directly with vCenter, Hyper-V and Nutanix. For Proxmox, the usual approach is for the hosts to read UPS status over SNMP from the Network-M3 using NUT and shut down VMs and hosts themselves. We set up and test the shutdown order before handover.
Are Eaton and Tripp Lite the same company?
Yes. Eaton bought Tripp Lite in 2021 and some products are sold as "Tripp Lite by Eaton". In Laos you will mostly see Eaton's own UPS lines, while the Tripp Lite name shows up more on KVM switches, cables and accessories.
All brand names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Mention does not imply official partnership unless explicitly stated. Products are sourced through legitimate distribution channels.
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