Keeping Your Server Room Clean

Server rooms are crucial spaces for modern companies since they play a significant
role in a business’ operations. A server room is a space that houses computer systems,
servers, and other electronic equipment. In these rooms, the environment is controlled
with an adequate temperature that is monitored to allow systems and equipment to
operate without interruption.

Server rooms are among the most important areas of an office building and must be
maintained with great care. From private client information to valuable market
research data, these rooms are critical to a business’ success. Since these rooms house
expensive equipment, including cables and servers, a great deal of attention must be
paid to ensure that all of the systems function properly. Therefore, if something
happens that disturbs this highly controlled atmosphere, it should be attended to
immediately.

The biggest disturbances within the room include human error and dust. Thus, it’s
crucial to keeping your server room clean. As in any other area of the building, server
rooms need to be cleaned in order to prevent unnecessary problems in the future.

When server rooms accumulate dirt and dust through a negligence of cleaning and
lack of maintenance, your systems can potentially suffer. Dust build-up can slow
systems down, and, if not maintained, can cause overheating within your servers
which may result in server crashes, malfunctions, and data loss.

Computers and server systems are vulnerable to dust that accumulates over time. Dust
enters the filters and damages internal components. In order to keep your systems
running at optimal levels and without fault, it’s critical to keep your server room
clean. Although the gradual accumulation of dust is a slow process, areas such as
server rooms are more susceptible to this if regular cleaning is not likely to occur.

When it comes to cleaning your server room, you should invest in the proper care with
your cleaning provider. Hire a professional company that specializes in providing top-
quality services. Ensure that the company that you hire has the necessary equipment at
their disposal to provide your server room with the care it needs.

Vacuums equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters remove 99.7%
of the dust particles that are present in the air. The vacuum cleaners used in server
rooms need to be equipped with these filters to ensure maximum dust removal, further
protecting your server room and all of the equipment and systems inside. Cleaning
companies should also use anti-static cloths that trap fine dust and dirt easily. Wet
mops can be used on floors instead of brushes to prevent the spread of debris.

Server rooms are highly stable and finely-tuned environments, so they must be
maintained in way that guarantees the proper functioning for all their systems.
Companies specialized in professional cleaning and maintenance should know how
the correct procedures in cleaning a server room.

Importance of Fan Trays in Server Room Networks

To get the most out of your servers and networks, all relevant devices must be
maintained at the appropriate temperature to prevent overheating and permanent
equipment damage. This is especially true in data centers because they hold systems
that are integral to a business’ function to operate as efficiently as possible.

Careful and well-planned ventilation trays around the server systems help regulate the
heat. We examine how ventilation trays can be used to manage the flow of heat
around delicate equipment below:

Ventilation

As with all important and sensitive IT equipment, servers must be well ventilated to
ensure proper operation and to avoid damage. If preventative measures are not in
place, you run the risk of causing a malfunction with the cables, connections, and
hardware. This, in turn, can cause lasting damage to the entire network.

Although server racks have vents integrated within their design, among other minor
mechanisms, these must be used in conjunction with other equipment. Various servers
can be purchases with front panels in full mesh to ensure easy and unobstructed
airflow.

Fan Drawings

Since servers are designed to allow for cold air to pass through the front of the system
and out through the back, it is crucial to place fans in a system that complements the
airflow. As a customer, you can choose between two types of fans: ceiling-mounted
and rack-mounted fans.

Ceiling-mounted fans are attached to the opening of the server and are useful because
they do not occupy and space inside the server rack. These trays are designed to
simply vent the air from the server enclosure, keeping it cool.
Rack-mounted fan trays, on the other hand, are attached to the 19” mounting rails,
occupying the work area, and move around the cabinet as it travels in the required
direction.

Surveillance

When it comes to ensuring your cooling system is fully operational and stays within
the ideal temperature, it’s a good idea to use a monitoring kit. This kit allows you to
fine-tune the temperature and provide you with accurate information about the cooling
system in real-time to ensure that you’re always updated and can perform the
necessary procedures when needed.

If your data centers utilize high-density technology that requires constant cooling, it’s
crucial to ensure that airflow within the space is as efficient as possible. Several
studies have been conducted to determine the most efficient way to cool a large
number of servers.

Tips to Organize your Server Room

To organize your server room, you must consider some essential steps throughout the
process. Server rooms contain information that is invaluable to your business. Thus,
the safety of your equipment should always be a major concern, and the equipment
you choose should be effective in maintaining this safety and security.

1. Choose a good server rack frame

When attempting to organize your server room, it’s best to start with investing in new
server racks. Choose racks with enough internal space to house all of your current
equipment and sufficient space to accommodate any future extensions or expansions.
Having additional space is a necessity, as well as the purchase of additional unplanned
equipment. Among the obvious things to check, you should determine if you have
adequate space to move the new server systems, enough space to allow you to pass
through, and enough space between the servers. When installing the equipment, be
sure to install it in accordance with the instructions provided to avoid future and
potential problems.

2. Include your new server room in your security strategy

Security, especially with regards to your information, is always important to your

business. When organizing your server room, make sure that any changes or additions
are consistent with your company’s general security plan. Consider purchasing server
racks with lockable doors, minimizing staff access to the room, and using security
monitoring systems within the room for added protection. New monitoring systems
allow you to control the server room environment at any time. Temperature changes,
water leaks and electrical circuit problems, among many others, can change without
you knowing it. With these modern monitoring systems in place, you’ll be able to act
quickly and to protect your equipment.

3. Customize your rack design server

Many server racks allow for customization. Consider adding or modifying shelves,
top or side panels, mounting rails, and legs to create a server room that meets all of
your needs.

4. Evaluate your power usage

Energy devices are constantly updated, offering several options for your energy
banner. With many options to consider, including rack-mounted outlets, remote power
supplies, and standard power outlets, it’s imperative to consider your space, the
number of outlets you need, and the power specifications that you require of your
power supply units. Calculate the amount of power that all of your systems will
generate in order to find a power supply that is powerful enough to sustain the load of
your systems.

5. Guarantee your safety with a cooling strategy.

Heat emitted by each unit varies, which means that the cooling requirements of your
server room also varies. Evaluate all of your requirements and develop a cooling
strategy that ensures the overall safety of your team, the environment, its devices, and
the company.

From choosing effective equipment and organizing your systems to ensuring proper
ventilation and efficient airflow, there is a multitude of things that contribute to
keeping your server room clean. To ensure that your server room receives the
attention, maintenance, and care that it deserves, it’s best to hire a professional
cleaning service that specializes in cleaning this type of space, as well as one that’s
well-equipped to provide the best service possible.