Compaq ProLiant ML350 Server General Troubleshooting Guide

Preventing Future Problems 7-7
Compaq Confidential – Need to Know Required
Writer: Susana Weinstein Salazar Project: Compaq Servers Troubleshooting Guide Comments:
Part Number: 161434-001 File Name: h-ch7 Preventing Future Problems.doc Last Saved On: 9/2/99 1:52 PM
Power Problems Caused by Acts of
Nature
Some power problems are caused by acts of nature, which can range from
lightning and excessive heat, to ice, rain, and windstorms. Lightning can cause
spikes and surges. (A spike is a quick impulse of undesirable high voltage on a
power line, typically lasting only a fraction of a second. A surge is a sudden
increase in line voltage of short duration.) Excessive heat can overload utility
grids from increased use of air conditioners, causing erratic voltages,
brownouts, or power outages. (Brownouts are voltage reductions by a utility
company to counter excessive demand on their generation and distribution
system.) Storms can cause total blackout conditions due to downed power
lines.
Power disruptions take many forms, including power surges and sags,
high-voltage spikes, switching transients, brownouts, and complete power
failure. Any time there is a power disruption, you should check the server for
signs of data damage, data loss, file corruption, and hardware damage. The
difficulty of dealing with power fluctuations is that the damage is not always
immediately noticeable; thus, problems may not be noticed until long after the
power disruption has occurred.
Preventing Damage to Removable Drives
Removable drives are fragile components that must be handled with care. To
prevent damage to the computer, damage to a removable drive, or loss of
information, observe these precautions.
■ Before removing a diskette drive or CD-ROM drive, make sure that a
diskette or disc is not in the drive. Make sure the CD-ROM tray is
closed.
■ Before handling a drive, make sure that you are discharged of static
electricity. While handling a drive, avoid touching the connector.
■ Handle drives on a work surface that has at least one inch of shockproof
foam.
■ Do not drop drives from any height onto any surface.
■ Do not expose a hard drive to products that have magnetic fields, such
as monitors or speakers.
■ Do not expose a drive to temperature extremes or liquids.