I had a goofy ID10T from Trane pull the wires from our AC controls for the Offices and Library after I told him not to touch them. He didn't think that I knew my network and the HVAC control system as well as he did. He almost cooked four servers when the HVAC system reverted to it's last program and shut down at 5. He and I had a rather lengthy talk dealing with my network, his intelligence, his family heritage, and the very near end of his career with his employer. I figured $25,000 + for servers and $3000 for my time to rebuild a network would have pretty much ended his tenure with Trane.

We also do the same thing as you do with the AC but since the library also serves as the public library, they leave the air on until at least 10. The problem is that there is no ductwork in that "closet". If the door is closed you can bake a cake in there. That has only been a problem once. The public librarian and I have reached an understanding.

Quoting Jim Flanagan <jhflana...@gmail.com>:

Most servers monitor stuff like CPU temp. Don't they?

I'd just suggest that you set the servers to shut down when the servers are @ greater risk of failure.

Then go home at the end of the day. When the servers shut down, head back in with a good thermometer and take readings. Explain to the Supt. That the servers will fail if they get to hot and to prevent that they need to shut down whenever they get too hot.

Jim

Sent from my iPad
Cell 773.396.4638
Chicago 773.463.5494
Beaver Island 231.448.2109

On Aug 11, 2010, at 10:58 AM, "Russ Gowin" <rgo...@dwschools.org> wrote:

No, the maintenance guy shuts off both of our buildings from 3PM to 6PM so we are not drawing any power. This is due to an agreement with our power company, they fax us and call us to tell us what days they will be curtailing power, which is typically on days when it is over 90 degrees outside.



Russ Gowin
System Administrator

Technology Specialist
DeLand-Weldon CUSD #57
304 E. Illinois Route 10
DeLand, IL 61839
217-736-2311



From: tech-geeks-boun...@tech-geeks.org [mailto:tech-geeks-boun...@tech-geeks.org] On Behalf Of Scott Williams
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 10:07 AM
To: Tech-Geeks Mailing List
Subject: Re: [tech-geeks] OT: A question that makes you say "DOH"



Yeah 3 hour break doesn't seem like much.  My guess he meant 6am.

I suggest you just shut off your servers for a couple days. Then he may understand how important they are to stay cool.

Scott



McKay, Curtis wrote:

How much power are they shutting off at 3pm? And it comes back on a 6pm? I'm confused.

Curtis McKay
Network Administrator
Belleville Township High School District 201
cmc...@bths201.org


-----Original Message-----
From: tech-geeks-boun...@tech-geeks.org [mailto:tech-geeks-boun...@tech-geeks.org] On Behalf Of Russ Gowin
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 9:30 AM
To: 'Tech-Geeks Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [tech-geeks] OT: A question that makes you say "DOH"

Yes, he could walk to my office and do it, but even if he did he wouldn't
understand.  I've explained to him before that we have a lot of time and
money invested in the servers and the last thing we want is for them to go
down because of heat.

Russ Gowin
System Administrator
Technology Specialist
DeLand-Weldon CUSD #57
304 E. Illinois Route 10
DeLand, IL 61839
217-736-2311


-----Original Message-----
From: tech-geeks-boun...@tech-geeks.org
[mailto:tech-geeks-boun...@tech-geeks.org] On Behalf Of Mike Oliveri
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 9:23 AM
To: Tech-Geeks Mailing List
Subject: Re: [tech-geeks] OT: A question that makes you say "DOH"

First, let him walk down there and turn it on. Maybe then he'll realize what
a PITA it is.

Second, show him how much it would cost to replace burned-out servers and
let him compare that to the cost of bringing in central air.

Mike


On Aug 11, 2010, at 9:20 AM, Russ Gowin wrote:


I come in to work this morning and I tell the supt. that the new portable
air conditioner in my office works great except that when they curtail our
power (shut it off) at 3pm and then turn it back on at 6pm that the A/C

unit

doesn't come on automatically so whoever turns the power back on will
probably have to turn the unit back on.  He says to me "You turn it off

over

the weekend don't you?"  I just wanted to smack my head against the wall

but

I replied and said "No, because all of the servers are in there and they
have to stay cool".  It has been this way for at least the past 5 or 6
years.

The problem this week (and part of next week) is that the maintenance guy
who normally turns the power off/on is on vacation until Wednesday so that
means the supt. will be flipping the switches and I just know that he

won't

want to walk to my office and unlock it just to turn my A/C back on.
Luckily I still have the window unit in here so I'll just turn off the
portable unit and turn on the window unit before I leave, at least until

the

maintenance guy comes back.

I just wish they'd pipe central air over to my office from one of the

rooms

across the hall.  The A/C unit that goes to 2 of those rooms is actually
made to cool an entire floor of an office building and it wouldn't take

much

to run some ductwork to my office.

Russ Gowin
System Administrator
Technology Specialist
DeLand-Weldon CUSD #57
304 E. Illinois Route 10
DeLand, IL 61839
217-736-2311


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Scott R. Williams

Fisher School District
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Fisher, Il 61843





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