Server room and server temperatures
Server rooms should be kept dust free and at no more than 20c / 68f.
We mentioned server before and still get some interesting questions regarding what makes a great room to house your equipment. Some are questioning why we bother to mention servers and climate controlled rooms now that many of us are using Cloud based solutions to handle what was once on premise.
First, you can’t have a 100% cloud-based anything if you have offices with more than a few people with desktop computers. Unless you are giving everyone a 4G/LTE data plan and using that, you will need things like some equipment from your ISP, a router/firewall and a switch at a minimum. Those should all be in a room with a temperature reaching no more than 20c (68f).
The purpose of the controlled temperature is as follows:
- Prevent condensation (if subjected to air that is too humid or cold
- Keep the devices from overheating (each manufacturer has their limit documented)
- Extend the life of components. One school board saw drive failure rates drop dramatically by lowing the temperature of their server room.
- Dust can accumulate and reduce the airflow. Fans can even stop from the buildup.
- Too much dust can cause fires.
Another question we get is how many fires we have seen. Sadly, a lot.
For example, one system had so much dust in it that it ignited. The fire was put out but the unit was garbage. Another server started to produce thick blank smoke from one of the power supplies. It was caught in time and unplugged before it could do more damage.
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