External vent for cupboard server room

[Jollity]

Hello all

 

Should I get an external vent put in the wall of our new server room?

 

Currently in the middle of a cupboard upgrade. Moving our main servers from the technician's office to a room about the same size (2m square) but without the need to fit in the technician as well. Fitting in 3 servers, 2 switches, one smoothwall appliance, but I think probably still only about 700W total. The new room is a walled off part of a boiler room with an external wall and a non-opening window that is going to get boarded up. There is an aged extractor fan that still seems to work a bit, and we are going to get a hole drilled for the outlet of a cheap portable air conditioning unit. But there is no other ventilation.

 

I am concerned if the aircon packs up on a summer weekend the servers may cook, so thinking should put in kind of vent to allow some passive airflow. However also do not want a lot of damp air or rain getting in during the winter, or to let in a lot of bugs. So perhaps something I can open and close.

 

To vent or not to vent?

[jmak]

The vent would have to be closed for the air con to work, so you'd need some kind of sensor and automated opening mechanism.

 

So, I'd say no....

[Jollity]

The vent would have to be closed for the air con to work, so you'd need some kind of sensor and automated opening mechanism.

 

So, I'd say no....

I can see that being true on really hot days, which I suppose is when I am most worried about overheating. But if the outdoor temperature is lower than the target temperature, say 24oC, as it usually is in the UK, does it not still make sense to have a vent open and aircon on?

[dhicks]

To vent or not to vent?

 

Don't vent, but do add a fan at the bottom of the back of the servers so that warm air circulates back round to the air conditioner. You can probably replace the extractor fan with the outlet for the air conditioning unit.

 

Also, add a temerpature-monitoring system of some kind that turns the servers off in case of a temperature rise. If you can't afford a pre-built system, a Raspberry Pi with a USB temperature sensor and a script that shuts down the other servers should do it.

[Jollity]

Don't vent, but do add a fan at the bottom of the back of the servers so that warm air circulates back round to the air conditioner.

To be clear, you just mean a fan to move the air around inside the room, not a fan with its own vent to the outside world? That does sound sensible.

 

Also, add a temerpature-monitoring system of some kind that turns the servers off in case of a temperature rise. If you can't afford a pre-built system, a Raspberry Pi with a USB temperature sensor and a script that shuts down the other servers should do it.

I was looking to rig up some kind of temperature monitor. It probably will have to be something I put together rather than a pre-built. A high temperature shutdown sounds like a good idea, but I think I would do the monitoring on each server and look at the core temperature rather than the ambient.

[dhicks]

To be clear, you just mean a fan to move the air around inside the room, not a fan with its own vent to the outside world?

 

Yes, a fan just inside the room. Air inside a server cupboard needs to circulate properly otherwise the air conditioner will just wind up circulating a layer of cold air while the area at the back of the servers stays warm. We found it only needed a small fan - we got a cheap rackmount unit, basically three standard case fans in a 19" frame, nad that seems to be enough to keep air moving.

 

I was looking to rig up some kind of temperature monitor. It probably will have to be something I put together rather than a pre-built. A high temperature shutdown sounds like a good idea, but I think I would do the monitoring on each server and look at the core temperature rather than the ambient.

 

That's a good point - less hardware to go wrong that way.