Loud Server in Performing Arts Center

[clarkmcc]

By the way it looks like it's running windows 7 so no different than a consumer PC. Also I'm betting that's an atx server case so you can put standard consumer parts in it. A real server is proprietary, has redundant PSUs, dual network ports (at least) a management console port etc... and costs well over $2000. I'd bet money that's a crap PC with an SAS card....

[Luke Wells]

27 minutes ago, clarkmcc said:

It sounds like this guy has a high impression of himself... maybe we should all send in our resumes so he can see the truth from some real people who know what they're talking about...

 

[scottyseng]

20 minutes ago, Reagan Reese said:

Thanks for all the support, I'll leave these suggestions to him. I'm seriously thinking about quitting this class, just the cringiness is to much for an enthusiast like me. Again, thanbks for all the support! 

haha, before you leave the class, you should tell him to get some proper enterprise 10K or 15K RPM drives, that'll help the noise and make it even more "server" grade. Heck, I can tell when my WD Re Drives are looking for data...I can hear them across my room with only four of them. They also run seriously hot, so the fans will spin up even faster to keep them cool.

 

But yeah, it's a lost cause unfortunately.

[clarkmcc]

1 hour ago, scottyseng said:

haha, before you leave the class, you should tell him to get some proper enterprise 10K or 15K RPM drives, that'll help the noise and make it even more "server" grade. Heck, I can tell when my WD Re Drives are looking for data...I can hear them across my room with only four of them. They also run seriously hot, so the fans will spin up even faster to keep them cool.

 

But yeah, it's a lost cause unfortunately.

Nah just tell him to get a real server...

[Blake]

Email Boss outlining why you think it is a bad idea (it's nor a server, it looks like he is just using a server case), CC HR.

Boss will reply saying you are wrong, forward this to your personal email address.

 

Bring it up occasionally, just enough that he knows it is still an issue. drop hints when in staff room to other staff/hr so they know you have an issue with it.

Shit hits the fan at some point.

 

Boss throws you under the bus.

 

You print email out and give to HR.

Computer gets re-built to requirements for sitting in auditorium.

Issue resolved.

 

[clarkmcc]

46 minutes ago, Blake said:

Email Boss outlining why you think it is a bad idea (it's nor a server, it looks like he is just using a server case), CC HR.

Boss will reply saying you are wrong, forward this to your personal email address.

 

Bring it up occasionally, just enough that he knows it is still an issue. drop hints when in staff room to other staff/hr so they know you have an issue with it.

Shit hits the fan at some point.

 

Boss throws you under the bus.

 

You print email out and give to HR.

Computer gets re-built to requirements for sitting in auditorium.

Issue resolved.

 

Or just put really loud fans in it secretly 

[leadeater]

@Reagan Reese The best option is go talk to who ever he reports to. That is a completely inappropriate system as you pointed out for any kind of audio/visual work. That 'server' is also not enterprise grade, or close to it. Big, loud, multi PSU does not equal enterprise grade.

 

Any system that is going to store student work or be essential to learning outcomes should be under warranty which that is not. Old servers are just old, there is nothing that makes them more reliable than a decent workstation and the mere fact that it is old makes it worse by default. I've had power distributors fail before which means no matter how many PSU's you have they all become useless. That UPS is worse than useless also, it is likely massively under rated and not an online double conversion so is giving a false sense of security. Second point about the UPS, where is the second/third one? You don't put all three power supplies on to the same power source that is just idiotic.

 

Dual power supply workstations exist, they are quiet and designed properly to be used in that type of situation. Not that one is even necessary in your situation, a much better solution would be to have backups of that system and a cold spare in case of failure.

 

Visually speaking that setup looks shoddy and unprofessional ignoring the noise of it, add that in..........

 

If you were willing to buy a replacement PSU offer to pay for an IT consultant to come in instead along with his manager, should be much more effective than you or any of us can say.

[SLAYR]

20 hours ago, RobinHood5 said:

As long as its in a pretty well ventilated area, open it up and pull half of the hot swap fans that are cooling the hard drive bays. As long as you are leaving the ones directly cooling the CPUs and its in a pretty well ventilated area you will be fine without some of them.

Yeah some servers will not even boot if they dont have all of the fans on and spinning.

 

My suggestion is put the thing in a closet and just run cables out, like an actual server, or just get a passively cooled pc.

[spexiono]

Am I the only one thinking that the "server" could be moved into another room and have cables to where it is now? See Linus' Home PC video for details:

 

 

[leadeater]

52 minutes ago, spexiono said:

Am I the only one thinking that the "server" could be moved into another room and have cables to where it is now? See Linus' Home PC video for details:

Depends on the audio cabling setup etc. Would work fine if the audio card is USB or firewire but if it's an older card that uses RCA or XLR input/outputs cabling would be a mess. XLR would have no issues with long cable runs, if it's balanced, but RCA is terrible and must be kept as short as possible.

 

Professional audio equipment doesn't use the typical things a standard desktop would and can be very touchy about cabling and cable lengths etc so the thunderbolt extension may not work for anything other than video/keyboard/mouse which isn't that bad. Some mixing consoles can also plug in to the computer directly using USB/Firewire.

 

Basically yea it should work, I still disagree with the reasoning to use that computer though. Would be better than what it is like now anyway.

[Sevilla]

Your boss should have had a bit more forethought prior to investing money into a rackmount server which historically ALWAYS use smaller/louder/higher RPM fans. Decent alternatives would have been to get a similarly priced server-grade desktop system with the same reliability as what you guys are stuck with now but without the huge noise pollution (noise will be there, but not as loud).

If your boss is stubborn, there isn't much you can do.

 

Sorry, not a solution, but just an observation. It's always painful to hear about people making misinformed decisions like these.

 

[Reagan Reese]

4 hours ago, Sevilla said:

Your boss should have had a bit more forethought prior to investing money into a rackmount server which historically ALWAYS use smaller/louder/higher RPM fans. Decent alternatives would have been to get a similarly priced server-grade desktop system with the same reliability as what you guys are stuck with now but without the huge noise pollution (noise will be there, but not as loud).

If your boss is stubborn, there isn't much you can do.

 

Sorry, not a solution, but just an observation. It's always painful to hear about people making misinformed decisions like these.

 

Check this out: 

 

[Sevilla]

11 minutes ago, Reagan Reese said:

Check this out: 

 

That is quite the background noise you have going on.

 

Also, was that your boss calling your name? He sounded mad, think he realized he purchased the equivalent of a monster truck to ride around in a golf course?

[Jarsky]

I'll point out, that the Norco 4U case you can swap out the mounting plate inside holding the 4 x 80mm fans, with one that holds 3 x 120mm fans - then just use some quiet fans like 3 x Noctua NF-S12A ULN's

 

Fan Mount Plate: http://www.amazon.com/Norco-120mmfanbracket-120mm-wall-bracket/dp/B0075790SO

 

 

 

[Reagan Reese]

On 4/12/2016 at 2:54 AM, leadeater said:

@Reagan Reese The best option is go talk to who ever he reports to. That is a completely inappropriate system as you pointed out for any kind of audio/visual work. That 'server' is also not enterprise grade, or close to it. Big, loud, multi PSU does not equal enterprise grade.

 

Any system that is going to store student work or be essential to learning outcomes should be under warranty which that is not. Old servers are just old, there is nothing that makes them more reliable than a decent workstation and the mere fact that it is old makes it worse by default. I've had power distributors fail before which means no matter how many PSU's you have they all become useless. That UPS is worse than useless also, it is likely massively under rated and not an online double conversion so is giving a false sense of security. Second point about the UPS, where is the second/third one? You don't put all three power supplies on to the same power source that is just idiotic.

 

Dual power supply workstations exist, they are quiet and designed properly to be used in that type of situation. Not that one is even necessary in your situation, a much better solution would be to have backups of that system and a cold spare in case of failure.

 

Visually speaking that setup looks shoddy and unprofessional ignoring the noise of it, add that in..........

 

If you were willing to buy a replacement PSU offer to pay for an IT consultant to come in instead along with his manager, should be much more effective than you or any of us can say.

 

On 4/12/2016 at 6:59 PM, Luke Wells said:

 

 

On 4/12/2016 at 7:00 PM, scottyseng said:

haha, before you leave the class, you should tell him to get some proper enterprise 10K or 15K RPM drives, that'll help the noise and make it even more "server" grade. Heck, I can tell when my WD Re Drives are looking for data...I can hear them across my room with only four of them. They also run seriously hot, so the fans will spin up even faster to keep them cool.

 

But yeah, it's a lost cause unfortunately.

 

On 4/11/2016 at 1:15 PM, manikyath said:

tell the idiot this:

 

theres a reason why a SERVER is in a SERVER ROOM. they're loud, ugly, and not supposed to be plugged into directly either way.

 

theres also a reason why a lot of companies in the biz (sennheiser, intel, and so on) have a 0db room to test the sound their products make.

 

in the audio world a 100% quiet system is a must, if not possible (imax for example) the device will be put in a 0db room to block all its sound from the audience.

 

On 4/11/2016 at 1:22 PM, Huntsman said:

He isn't wrong ya know... Strictly speaking, on/off equates wear and tear. The power button might come loose and you won't be able to turn it on. LOL!

Check this out: 

 

[Reagan Reese]

52 minutes ago, Sevilla said:

That is quite the background noise you have going on.

 

Also, was that your boss calling your name? He sounded mad, think he realized he purchased the equivalent of a monster truck to ride around in a golf course?

It's so much worse actually being there. I think he is going to move it into a different room, but if I even mention anything, he will wait until he can claim it as his own idea. Total lost cause.

[scottyseng]

34 minutes ago, Reagan Reese said:

It's so much worse actually being there. I think he is going to move it into a different room, but if I even mention anything, he will wait until he can claim it as his own idea. Total lost cause.

Ah, yeah, that's a lost cause. Wow, that's pretty loud...imagine if it run under load (where the fans spin to 100% speed). haha

[Sunshine1868]

So you need 100% reliability and extreme performance? sounds like the perfect candidate for a Mac Pro.

Near silent, small form factor, and high performance.

[imreloadin]

On 04/14/2016 at 3:22 PM, Sunshine1868 said:

So you need 100% reliability and extreme performance? sounds like the perfect candidate for a Mac Pro.

Near silent, small form factor, and high performance.

Then you'd have to spend time clearing debris out of it because people think it's a garbage can.