Today I'm neither Angry nor Happy about....

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Just spent two hours battling server meltdown... Managed to keep four going but lost two and I don't have any replacement switches or any IT help on hand. At least my data's safe even if the data stream is finito for a couple or so days. Better outcome than the last time we lost mains electricity, but still a right pain in the arse. That's six major power losses in four years - it's getting to have a regular third world feel about it.

[thebish]

that's the tories for you....

[Dujon]

It sounds, Spotty, as though it's time for your organisation to start saving its pennies in order to install a back-up generator. Mind you (and depending on your power requirements) it might cost a few bob. Then there's the batteries necessary to keep things going whilst the genny gets up to speed. I have worked in two IT departments, for the same organisation, where I reckon the diesel powered generators would have run an average sized naval destroyer. One of them had two, the other four.

Good luck, sunshine.

[Burnden Paddock]

Exam day. Last one. Gulp!

Good luck to Dan doing his also!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

It sounds, Spotty, as though it's time for your organisation to start saving its pennies in order to install a back-up generator. Mind you (and depending on your power requirements) it might cost a few bob. Then there's the batteries necessary to keep things going whilst the genny gets up to speed. I have worked in two IT departments, for the same organisation, where I reckon the diesel powered generators would have run an average sized naval destroyer. One of them had two, the other four.

Good luck, sunshine.

It has been looked into. Our problem on this site is lack of room to install them. We do have a back up, but its relatively small and can't guarantee to maintain the correct temperature in the server room, and the automated fire system goes into action once the temperature rises above fifteen degrees centigrade, and resetting the system once that's gone off is the biggest pain in the backside conceivable.

[bobo the clown]

It sounds, Spotty, as though it's time for your organisation to start saving its pennies in order to install a back-up generator. Mind you (and depending on your power requirements) it might cost a few bob. Then there's the batteries necessary to keep things going whilst the genny gets up to speed. I have worked in two IT departments, for the same organisation, where I reckon the diesel powered generators would have run an average sized naval destroyer. One of them had two, the other four.

Good luck, sunshine.

It has been looked into. Our problem on this site is lack of room to install them. We do have a back up, but its relatively small and can't guarantee to maintain the correct temperature in the server room, and the automated fire system goes into action once the temperature rises above fifteen degrees centigrade, and resetting the system once that's gone off is the biggest pain in the backside conceivable.

Can you not alter the Auto Fire System temperature on specific occasions ... not switch them off, that'd be crazy ... but when you know of freak weather coming, for example, raise the level over the 15F ?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

It sounds, Spotty, as though it's time for your organisation to start saving its pennies in order to install a back-up generator. Mind you (and depending on your power requirements) it might cost a few bob. Then there's the batteries necessary to keep things going whilst the genny gets up to speed. I have worked in two IT departments, for the same organisation, where I reckon the diesel powered generators would have run an average sized naval destroyer. One of them had two, the other four.

Good luck, sunshine.

It has been looked into. Our problem on this site is lack of room to install them. We do have a back up, but its relatively small and can't guarantee to maintain the correct temperature in the server room, and the automated fire system goes into action once the temperature rises above fifteen degrees centigrade, and resetting the system once that's gone off is the biggest pain in the backside conceivable.

Can you not alter the Auto Fire System temperature on specific occasions ... not switch them off, that'd be crazy ... but when you know of freak weather coming, for example, raise the level over the 15F ?

The simple answer to that is No. The system is designed to be fail safe - absolutely fail safe, because lives depend on it. If somebody is in the server room it will not lock - this is because it relies on killing fires by flooding the room with carbon dioxide and anybody in the room at that juncture would die: the set up ensures that it only works when the doors are locked and nobody is inside. It is therefore a completely automated process, and a decision was taken right at the outset that the system should be foolproof, so none of the elements are 'adjustable'. The system builders can override any particular aspect but the temperature is measured by three independent ways that rely on different methods - in order to reset this then all three methods would need resetting at source within the measuring systems (one of which is buried in the walls of the server fortress). The server room, by the way, has very impressive specs: in the event of a fire (external to the server room) the servers are guaranteed to survive in a functional state even if temperatures reach 1000 degrees centigrade for up to two hours and the integrity of the room is guaranteed even if the building is destroyed completely by the fire and the room plummets the ~thirty feet to earth (it's on the second floor).

[bobo the clown]

Go on .... I bet you can !!!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Go on .... I bet you can !!!

With a lump hammer, three hours spare, determination, and a casual disregard for what the temperature trigger will be ... possibly.

[bobo the clown]

Just leave the door open !!

[thebish]

The simple answer to that is No. The system is designed to be fail safe - absolutely fail safe, because lives depend on it.

yet - as you describe it - it seems to fail quite often!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Just leave the door open !!

(that would set the fire alarms of, both in the building and down at the fire station. It would also bring the police out and BSafe would alerted on top of that too. Costly.)

[Lost Leopard Spot]

The simple answer to that is No. The system is designed to be fail safe - absolutely fail safe, because lives depend on it.

yet - as you describe it - it seems to fail quite often!

It doesn't fail... it works splendidly . It works on the principle of prevention. (It doesn't know that the temperature is rising because the mains electrics have failed). The fact that that prevention gives me an on average four day headache was never considered by the feckin system designers.

[bobo the clown]

Just leave the door open !!

(that would set the fire alarms of, both in the building and down at the fire station. It would also bring the police out and BSafe would alerted on top of that too. Costly.)

I'm trying to help here !!

... and if I proposed switching the fire alarms off I presume you'll just nit-pick that as well ?

You just don't want a solution do you ?

"There's none so blind as those who will not see ".

[thebish]

The simple answer to that is No. The system is designed to be fail safe - absolutely fail safe, because lives depend on it.

yet - as you describe it - it seems to fail quite often!

It doesn't fail... it works splendidly .

well - stop whining about it then!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Just leave the door open !!

(that would set the fire alarms of, both in the building and down at the fire station. It would also bring the police out and BSafe would alerted on top of that too. Costly.)

I'm trying to help here !!

... and if I proposed switching the fire alarms off I presume you'll just nit-pick that as well ?

You just don't want a solution do you ?

"There's none so blind as those who will not see ".

I suppose I could turn the fire alarms off and disable all the door locking mechanisms and then leave the server room door wide open and employ a couple of Romanians to furiously fan the servers cool. That'd work probably. Cheers Bobo

[Lost Leopard Spot]

The simple answer to that is No. The system is designed to be fail safe - absolutely fail safe, because lives depend on it.

yet - as you describe it - it seems to fail quite often!

It doesn't fail... it works splendidly .

well - stop whining about it then!

I'm whining about the third world electric supply in essence... but I'll shut up eventually.

[CrazyHorse]

The simple answer to that is No. The system is designed to be fail safe - absolutely fail safe, because lives depend on it.

yet - as you describe it - it seems to fail quite often!

Which is exactly why it's fail safe.

[Worthy4England]

It sounds, Spotty, as though it's time for your organisation to start saving its pennies in order to install a back-up generator. Mind you (and depending on your power requirements) it might cost a few bob. Then there's the batteries necessary to keep things going whilst the genny gets up to speed. I have worked in two IT departments, for the same organisation, where I reckon the diesel powered generators would have run an average sized naval destroyer. One of them had two, the other four.

Good luck, sunshine.

It has been looked into. Our problem on this site is lack of room to install them. We do have a back up, but its relatively small and can't guarantee to maintain the correct temperature in the server room, and the automated fire system goes into action once the temperature rises above fifteen degrees centigrade, and resetting the system once that's gone off is the biggest pain in the backside conceivable.

Can you not alter the Auto Fire System temperature on specific occasions ... not switch them off, that'd be crazy ... but when you know of freak weather coming, for example, raise the level over the 15F ?

The simple answer to that is No. The system is designed to be fail safe - absolutely fail safe, because lives depend on it. If somebody is in the server room it will not lock - this is because it relies on killing fires by flooding the room with carbon dioxide and anybody in the room at that juncture would die: the set up ensures that it only works when the doors are locked and nobody is inside. It is therefore a completely automated process, and a decision was taken right at the outset that the system should be foolproof, so none of the elements are 'adjustable'. The system builders can override any particular aspect but the temperature is measured by three independent ways that rely on different methods - in order to reset this then all three methods would need resetting at source within the measuring systems (one of which is buried in the walls of the server fortress). The server room, by the way, has very impressive specs: in the event of a fire (external to the server room) the servers are guaranteed to survive in a functional state even if temperatures reach 1000 degrees centigrade for up to two hours and the integrity of the room is guaranteed even if the building is destroyed completely by the fire and the room plummets the ~thirty feet to earth (it's on the second floor).

So I'd probably start looking in the direction of airflow within the server room to see if the load that's on each server could be dispersed by following a hot aisle, cool aisle layout. This could require additional venting, and I'm not sure of any outflow vents you have. Some good guidance on the ASHRAE site on this. You could also look (if you're really cramped for room) at installing cooling racks - along the lines of

http://www.coolingracks.co.uk/?gclid=CI ... 7Aodmy8AzQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dujon]

Ah, the dreaded CO[sub]2[/sub] syndrome. In years of yore 'our' system was set up to activate an audible alarm in parallel with a somewhat disconcerting flashing light. Once activated it was up to the humans to evacuate the room. In all the rooms I worked it'd be less than a five second trip to the exit wherever you might be within that room. Of course that meant that, whatever you might be doing at the time, the evacuation took precedence over the task at hand. I don't recall whether or not we had some form of interlock but I doubt that the system would allow some recalcitrant twit to be locked in.