We definitely don't plan on shutting the servers down completely, and for the reason you mention. While their functions won't be needed over each 3-day weekend since no one will be working, I'm not comfortable shutting them down, leaving them off for a few days, then bringing them back up again when it can be avoided. That's why we decided to go with the plan where we bump up the thermostat (to, say, 85 degrees) rather than turning off the A/C altogether.
So what I'm worried about at this stage is what effect heat in that range will have on the servers. We'll be looking at 3 days of it at a time for a period of around 8 weeks. So let's say 24 days. Again, 85 degrees is within the servers' listed operation range. It's 10 degrees below the max of 95 degrees that Dell lists. Still, it's on the warm side, and it's a good 10-15 degrees warmer than the servers normally run at. John -----Original Message----- From: Bob Fronk [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4:49 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: Speaking of server heat... That just really sounds like a bad idea. My goal is to rarely, if ever, shut down a server. Sure, they get rebooted periodically (more than I would like - thanks MS), but for the most part I think it is better for servers to stay powered up and the hard disks spinning for as long as possible. It has been my experience that equipment failures follow power off events. I usually use the "light bulb" analogy. A light bulb, for the most part, will blow out upon turning it back on. But usually does not blow out when lit. This is due to the heat/cool effect that was mentioned in an earlier post. My advice to you is to request proper server room cooling, and leave your systems up and running. By the way.. what was your plan for email during the "shut down weekend"? Were you just going to reject all mail until Monday when you power back up? Bob Fronk > -----Original Message----- > From: John Hornbuckle [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4:01 PM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: Speaking of server heat... > > I had mentioned in an earlier thread we're looking at going to a 4-day > work week over the summer so that air conditioning in our buildings > could be shut off Thursday, Friday, and Saturday each week. > > Since our server rooms (aside from our NOC) aren't on separate A/C > systems, this would mean completely shutting the servers down every > Thursday and bringing them back up on Monday. We'd also need to do the > same with all of the switches in our wiring closets. > > Upper management has seen the problems this could create, and it looks > as though instead we'll be leaving the A/C on, but at a higher > temperature. Our Dell servers are rated to run at up to 95 degrees with > 80% humidity. I don't want to hit those levels, though, and am pushing > for us to let temps get no higher than 85 degrees. > > My question is, could even this lead to problems down the road? I > understand that it's within the operating range of the servers. However, > it's still on the high side. It will result in higher-than-usual > temperatures for the servers, and their fans will run at higher speeds > (which, ironically, will consume more electricity and partially offset > the money we're trying to save). The fans are mechanical devices, so > running at higher speeds would have to reduce their lifespans somewhat, > I would think. Any other considerations? Effects on other components of > the servers? > > > > > John Hornbuckle > MIS Department > Taylor County School District > 318 North Clark Street > Perry, FL 32347 > > www.taylor.k12.fl.us > > > > ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~ ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~ ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~
