I admit that, prior to writing this review, I didn't understand all of the various power problems that could affect computer equipment. Sometimes the power company will even purposely cause a sag in a certain area in order to make up for excess needs in another. And when your computer doesn't have enough power, critical functions start to fail. When the power goes out, we all know what happens. And, of course, the computer stops providing its normal services.
Unprotected equipment is fried, and data is lost.
A surge is like a spike, but it's less extreme and lasts longer. Causes are similar to those of spikes, but surges can also be caused when high voltage devices are turned off. They can also destroy equipment, or they can simply stress it unduly. Noisy power can cause erratic device behavior. A good UPS can deal with all of these problems and provide steady power to your Linux box.