[Gllug] Re: How to prove a computer is overheating

[David Abbishaw]

Just wanted to add some info to this, firstly our server room at work which
is approx 86m x 90m is kept around 22C its fairly static except that some
racks do have hot spots.  Secondly I run a bunch of servers in a loft,
during the winter its regularly at 4 degrees or less.  During the summer
40+C is often seen.  The only problem I had with doing this (and there are
machines that have been running 24x7 for some years - one even an old p166
and  Some Dell Pcs/ Dell puka servers and some home made rackmount kit) is
that the APC UPS batteries cant take heat, they might last one summer if im
lucky so these have been moved into a normal room and everything runs great.
I do make sure that the filters on the servers (esp raid arrays) are clean 3
or 4 times a year but its not that dusty in the loft really.  

If your worried its heat check the bios - loads of machines now have a
shutdown on overheat option available, last award bios I fiddled with just
made you pick a temperature first for cpu overheat.  75C was the default I
think although I may be wrong on that.



Message: 5
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 14:29:17 +0000
From: John Hearns <john.hearns at streamline-computing.com>
Subject: Re: [Gllug] How to prove a computer is overheating.
To: Greater London Linux Users Group <gllug at gllug.org.uk>
Message-ID: <1105712958.5383.19.camel at Vigor45>
Content-Type: text/plain

On Fri, 2005-01-14 at 08:41 +0000, Peter Childs wrote:

> 
> 	Using a normal digital theomiter the temprature in our office
> measures 24C (actually ranges between 22 and 28 depending on location)
> and in the server room 21C.
> 
21C doesn't sound to bad for a server room to me.

and turning down the regulator too low is, as you say, asking for
trouble.

Once you have adequate aircon in a server room, more importance should
be attached to airflow. Most rackmount kit is designed to take air in
the front and exhaust it out the back.
Nothing worse, IMHO, than a small room crammed with kit which has
accumulated over the years.


I've done temperature sensing of cabinets, using Nagios and some
thermocouple probes. Worked well.
If you have a few hundred quid, its worth looking at the 'Jakarta'
sensor box, which can be bought from Scan.


I agree though that this problem could be dirty power.
For a server room, please God have a separate feed for the computers.
Don't share it with the air con, or domestic feeds. Just think of those
kettles and vacuum cleaners...
For the boxes out on your office floor, why not just get a Belkin type
surge protector strip from the local pc/office store? Or maybe a small
UPS. 








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