Mailing List Archive

The bigger thing to notice is the *lack* of noise as every server, switch and storage system spins down.

---

Keith Stokes



On Sep 15, 2021, at 3:50 PM, Stephen Satchell <list@satchell.net<mailto:list@satchell.net>> wrote:

In the data centers I've worked in over the decades, those Big Red Buttons would activate a normally-closed contactor in a breaker panel. When pushed, the contactor would open, and turn off all the circults in said breaker panel. Not affected are lights, convenience outlets, door locks, and other non-data loads. Resetting the contactor to the working position was done after throwing all the breakers to the off position, and then turn on each breaker, one at a time.

The only noise that I have ever heard when the Big Red Button was pushed was the loud BANG as the contactor operated. You hear a similar bang in movies in scenes where lights in a large area are turned on and off.

Nothing like the BANG of a 600-amp 3-phase breaker tripping -- experienced that at University of Illinois Center for Advanced Computation. You immediately look for the person holding a gun.

Indeed. Few sounds in the data center haunt me quite as much as a sensation
that the decibel level has just decreased significantly.

On Wed, Sep 15, 2021, 4:14 PM Keith Stokes <keiths@salonbiz.com> wrote:

> The bigger thing to notice is the *lack* of noise as every server, switch
> and storage system spins down.
>
> ---
>
> Keith Stokes
>
>
>
> On Sep 15, 2021, at 3:50 PM, Stephen Satchell <list@satchell.net> wrote:
>
> In the data centers I've worked in over the decades, those Big Red Buttons
> would activate a normally-closed contactor in a breaker panel. When pushed,
> the contactor would open, and turn off all the circults in said breaker
> panel. Not affected are lights, convenience outlets, door locks, and other
> non-data loads. Resetting the contactor to the working position was done
> after throwing all the breakers to the off position, and then turn on each
> breaker, one at a time.
>
> The only noise that I have ever heard when the Big Red Button was pushed
> was the loud BANG as the contactor operated. You hear a similar bang in
> movies in scenes where lights in a large area are turned on and off.
>
> Nothing like the BANG of a 600-amp 3-phase breaker tripping -- experienced
> that at University of Illinois Center for Advanced Computation. You
> immediately look for the person holding a gun.
>
>
>

Totally agree @billy, could've put it better myself. Though it's much more
entertaining (and terrifying) to wince at the audible difference between
just the hardware whirring to a silence, and all of the temp and humidity
controls whirring to a halt with the hardware. The fear in the air is
literally palpable, because it's immediately 90 degrees and your lungs cave.

On Wed, Sep 15, 2021 at 7:51 PM Billy Croan <BCroan@unrealservers.net>
wrote:

> Indeed. Few sounds in the data center haunt me quite as much as a
> sensation that the decibel level has just decreased significantly.
>
> On Wed, Sep 15, 2021, 4:14 PM Keith Stokes <keiths@salonbiz.com> wrote:
>
>> The bigger thing to notice is the *lack* of noise as every server, switch
>> and storage system spins down.
>>
>> ---
>>
>> Keith Stokes
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sep 15, 2021, at 3:50 PM, Stephen Satchell <list@satchell.net> wrote:
>>
>> In the data centers I've worked in over the decades, those Big Red
>> Buttons would activate a normally-closed contactor in a breaker panel. When
>> pushed, the contactor would open, and turn off all the circults in said
>> breaker panel. Not affected are lights, convenience outlets, door locks,
>> and other non-data loads. Resetting the contactor to the working position
>> was done after throwing all the breakers to the off position, and then turn
>> on each breaker, one at a time.
>>
>> The only noise that I have ever heard when the Big Red Button was pushed
>> was the loud BANG as the contactor operated. You hear a similar bang in
>> movies in scenes where lights in a large area are turned on and off.
>>
>> Nothing like the BANG of a 600-amp 3-phase breaker tripping --
>> experienced that at University of Illinois Center for Advanced
>> Computation. You immediately look for the person holding a gun.
>>
>>
>>

We had a new fire suppression guy testing our system for our computer room,
and unbeknownst to him, one of the tests that he did triggered the EPO.
One of my co-workers was in the room, which had about 20 racks of
equipment, and he told me afterwards that for a quick second he thought he
died.
He said that that going from all that noise to eerie quiet was very
disconcerting.

rgt

On Wed, Sep 15, 2021 at 7:51 PM Billy Croan <BCroan@unrealservers.net>
wrote:

> Indeed. Few sounds in the data center haunt me quite as much as a
> sensation that the decibel level has just decreased significantly.
>
> On Wed, Sep 15, 2021, 4:14 PM Keith Stokes <keiths@salonbiz.com> wrote:
>
>> The bigger thing to notice is the *lack* of noise as every server, switch
>> and storage system spins down.
>>
>> ---
>>
>> Keith Stokes
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sep 15, 2021, at 3:50 PM, Stephen Satchell <list@satchell.net> wrote:
>>
>> In the data centers I've worked in over the decades, those Big Red
>> Buttons would activate a normally-closed contactor in a breaker panel. When
>> pushed, the contactor would open, and turn off all the circults in said
>> breaker panel. Not affected are lights, convenience outlets, door locks,
>> and other non-data loads. Resetting the contactor to the working position
>> was done after throwing all the breakers to the off position, and then turn
>> on each breaker, one at a time.
>>
>> The only noise that I have ever heard when the Big Red Button was pushed
>> was the loud BANG as the contactor operated. You hear a similar bang in
>> movies in scenes where lights in a large area are turned on and off.
>>
>> Nothing like the BANG of a 600-amp 3-phase breaker tripping --
>> experienced that at University of Illinois Center for Advanced
>> Computation. You immediately look for the person holding a gun.
>>
>>
>>