Server Room Smells Can Be an Early Warning 154
Barence writes "As embarrassing as it may seem, an eggy smell in a server room needn't mean broaching the delicate subject of hygiene with a colleague. It can actually be a signal that something is about to go wrong with your server setup, as this consultant discovered after days of assuming questionable personal habits were to blame. The culprit? An expiring UPS device, sending out its own unique warning signal."
Re:Ooooga Booooga oh S#!t (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Ooooga Booooga oh S#!t (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Ooooga Booooga oh S#!t (Score:4, Informative)
APC UPS's (Score:5, Informative)
I recently pulled these APC batteries out of an APC Smart-UPS 1400, which had to be disassembled (including the removal/replacement of rivets) in order to get the batteries out.
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/171/imageyv.jpg [imageshack.us]
Re:Can be? (Score:3, Informative)
Amusing post, but if your backup tapes are not reliable to restore then you're doing it wrong. I know you were being a bit tongue in cheek, and yes I've seen many cases where backup tapes were next to useless. In each case one could trace that to user error on the part of an administrator, often the person who setup the backup.
Yes smell is an important warning tool in the data center. This article isn't even really news, or at least shouldn't be to anyone with more than a little experience.
Re:APC UPS's (Score:1, Informative)
Not leaving room for swelling was bad enough. But what genius came up with the idea of making the access plate hinged. In the worst possible direction. With the weight of a heavy battery sitting directly on top of it?
And what other genius declared that their most popular desktop-sized units should all incorporate this abomination?
Re:Can be? (Score:3, Informative)
Helical scan is the horribly unreliable technology that gave tape a bad rap.
The linear technologies such as DLT, LTO, and 9-track (which you mentioned) have always been reliable and capable formats.
Anyone who has substantial experience working with tape systems is happy to give Exabyte the finger. Their drives were pure junk from the very start, but were the only option for high density until the linear tech began to mature.
Comparing Apples to Articulated Aardvarks (Score:3, Informative)
Obviously tape and hard disks are used in different ways - so with tape reliability is not is you can run the same tape continously for years, it's if you can write it, store it and then read it years later. Hard disks are not so reliable by that measure. You can not rely on them. In this case that is what reliability actually MEANS even if you try to win an argument by saying that is longevity instead.
The last comment has things reversed as you would know if you've had the misfortune of multiple failures with optical media or had actaully read anything about the experiences of others.