OT: Server room temp monitoring

From: Ben Rockwood (benr@cuddletech.com)
Date: Fri Jan 16 2004 - 16:41:49 EST


Hello Managers.

 This post is minor off topic, but something thats of more concern I think
to high performance UNIX admins than other types of admins.

 I'm curious what solutions people have come up with for monitoring temps
in their server rooms. As I see it there are 4 solutions, assuming that
you don't have a networked computer control and reporting system on your
HVAC (which most of us either don't have or don't have control over):
1) Create a script that runs via cron to look at CPU and Power Supply
temps from prtdiag -v, possibly supplimented by output from luxadm or RM,
etc, tools that reports when over a threshold.
2) Use an SNMP/RMON system, either via your NMS or scripted, to get
internal temp values
3) Use a device such as a TempTrax network thermometer.
4) Walk around the room from time to time with a thermometer and record
temps.

Or, you can simply just assume the temp is good and stable.

 I've got a server room in a new building that has a poorly designed HVAC
installation and it tends to freeze over frequently even with the temps
set pretty high, at which point it stops supplying cold air and CPU temps
run as high at 56C untill we defrost it and get it back online when temps
get down to a more tollerable 40C-43C.

 So here are my questions to anyone who's interested:
1) What solutions do you use?
2) Have you tried TempTrax or other similar solutions and are they any good?
3) If you use digital handheld thermometers, do you use lasers or
conventional? The problem with lasers I think is that you are not getting
the temp of the intake/output air, but your getting the temp of the
materials in contact with that air which may not be as good a metric as
the air itself as monitored with a good "conventional" thermometer.

 Does anyone have an opinion or experience on this so that I can establish
some best practices guidelines?

  Thank You.

 benr.
_______________________________________________
sunmanagers mailing list
sunmanagers@sunmanagers.org
http://www.sunmanagers.org/mailman/listinfo/sunmanagers



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.7 : Wed Apr 09 2008 - 23:27:50 EDT