Computer Storage

From: Huw Davies <H.Davies_at_latrobe.edu.au>
Date: Tue Apr 13 07:10:58 1999

At 18:31 13/04/99 +0930, Geoff Roberts wrote:

>Some stuff is more tolerant, our Vax 6310 kept right on going despite the
>a/c failing last summer during a long weekend. It was 44C in the computer
>room on the Monday morning. The netware server in the same room died when
>it's power supply failed, presumably due to overheating!

Well I can attest that a VAX-11/780 will run (faultlessly) for a whole
weekend at between 40 and 50C (air conditioning failure) and also
(faultlessly) at 20C whilst having water falling on it from a flooded floor
above (also for a weekend).

At the next job you discover that uVAX-IIs are game to run in about 12" of
very cold water (that really belonged in the heat exchanger in the room but
managed to escape). Hint, if this ever happens to you do not, under any
circumstances, be the dummy that opens the computer room door - you should
delegate this. Water at 4C is f'ing cold :-). Second hint, don't replace
the plastic filter that failed in the heat exchanger with an equivalent
fitting, otherwise you'll be called out a few evenings later when the water
level in the computer room exceeds 2'. This error is magnified if you can't
delegate (see hint 1). The uVAX-II in the BA213 (world box) will have
drowned, but the uVAX-II in the H9640 (not sure of the part number here)
will still be running, but the bottom RA81 won't be....

Extra hint for young players, do not build your computer room above the
mouse rooms. The computer centre was part of a World Standard Biomedical
research organization. All the water from the computer room will
contaminate the mouse rooms and the cost of all the mice that had to be
destroyed was nearly an order of magnitude more than the replacement cost
of two uVAX-IIs at 1986 prices (ie lots).

 Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies_at_latrobe.edu.au
 Information Technology Services | Phone: +61 3 9479 1550 Fax: +61 3 9479
1999
 La Trobe University | "If God had wanted soccer played in the
 Melbourne Australia 3083 | air, the sky would be painted green"
Received on Tue Apr 13 1999 - 07:10:58 BST