American Airlines is in the news this June because it has had to cancel 40 flights out of Phoenix Arizona due to high temperatures. The cancelled flights were all scheduled on Bombadier CRJ airplanes, which have a maximum operating temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit, one degree below today’s projected high as the Southwest experiences a record-breaking heatwave.
Airplanes need lift to get off of the ground, and while some planes can make up the difference with a longer runway, the CRJ can’t because of its mass. High temperature can impact the amount of lift a plane can generate because the heat can change the density of the air.
So what does this have to do with you and your server?
Servers also have a maximum operating temperature, but it’s nothing to do with lift.
Your server is full of processors, hard drives, lights, and RAM, all of which generate some amount of heat while they are operating. If your server gets too hot several things could happen as a result of the temperature. First your processors can fail because of overheating – the delicate electronics can slow down or completely malfunction if they overheat. The next concern is your hard drives, which may start generating read/write errors or which may fail entirely as a result of the metal components expanding in the heat.
Temperature sensitivity is why servers are frequently kept in dedicated server rooms with careful climate control. Many server rooms have their own dedicated air conditioning, insulation, and exhaust systems to keep server temperatures stable.
PMCS sells HP Proliant servers, the maximum safe operating temperature for a Gen 9 HP Proliant is 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
With temperatures across the Southwest expected to hit record highs and excessive heat warnings in place in California, Nevada, and Arizona it’s worthwhile to check and see if your sever can handle the heat.
If you aren’t sure your server is up to the challenge call PMCS for a consultation – we can offer a variety of solutions to keep your business running as cool as a cucumber.