Brian Henning wrote:
I have no personal experience in this matter, but I can offer some rules of thumb about what typical computer equipment doesn't like in its environment:
- Heat. Enough of it makes components fail, either intermittently or, in worst cases, permanently. Don't throw your server in the attic on a summer day and expect it to work for long.
- Extreme cold. Of itself, not a problem generally, but around here it combines with humidity to create condensation. Might as well hose the bugger down.
- Large temperature shifts. Not necessarily a problem, but can lead to thermodynamic issues involving connectors, particularly card-edge, coming un-seated.
- Dust. Dust contributes a lot to the heat problem by creating an insulative layer over everything, preventing effective cooling. Also, depending on the environment, dust can contain conductive particles that could conceivable wreak electrical havoc in some of the circuitry.
A basement might not be a bad location; mine is rather cave-like, maintaining a nice 65 degrees pretty much year-round without any help from air conditioning equipment. Put in a dehumidifier and a good filter to keep down moisture and dust, and things could be peachy.
An attic would certainly mean curtains for all but the hardiest of gear, and insure flaky, erratic performance.
HTH, ~B
Tommy Williams wrote:
I was wondering if anyone has successfully moved server machines to an un-conditioned portion of their dwelling. Also what (if any) problems have arisen from this, or what type of preparatory work I should expect to perform.
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