The not so funny side of Network Management
Filed under: Data Center, environmental monitoring, temperature monitoring
Something odd happened today.
I was in a planning meeting with my manage
r and my AT&T Tilt started to vibrate. I find this very annoying. Of all things to happen during this super exciting meeting, this had to take the cake. Yes, I am being sarcastic and a bit over dramatic. The issue is still the same, I hate being annoyed.
The real point to this rant is to point out the subject of the alert. It was a SMS page from my Ravica tempature probe. It had been violated.
This issue raised multiple questions. The first, and most important, would be how to politely excuse myself from the meeting. In general, this wouldn’t be a hard thing to do, but my manager was excited about the new data room expansion project. By excited, I mean elated, and by elated, I mean that he expected everyone to have the same level of passion or face the most harsh punishment executed on mere mortals.
Knowing that I could lose my admin privileges, I forged on. I told Jon that something is happening in the sever room and had to leave. He said “ok” and went on with his conversation.
Puzzled, I quickly went into the server room and found the issue. Brandon, our new, green intern had placed his super hot cup of coffee next to the temp sensor. He was in the process of cleaning up cables and listening to the Ramones on his headset.
The heat from his coffee cup quickly raised the temp around the sensor.
From this I have learned two things. The first is that you should never leave your interns unattended. They can cause way too much damage. The second is to not locate your temperature sensor where someone can obstruct it in any way.
Now I have to explain this to my boss. Wish me luck.
- JimmyD
Ideal temperature and humidity for a data room
Filed under: environmental monitoring, temperature monitoring
I was talking to my friend Chuck the other day about how cold it was in our office and joking about how the computers probably like it. The fluctuations we are seeing back in June was pretty wild. I emailed him the SNMP trends that we maintain of humidity and temperature.
Ravica’s environmental probes support SNMP. To make sure we stay on top of our data center cooling. There is an OID available to gather the sensor measurements such as smoke, water, voltage, etc.
“Humidity is directly related to the temperature, so monitoring temperature and humidity together is critical. Keeping your data center or IDF closet humidity levels between 45% and 55% is recommended. While maintaining an ambient temperature range of 68° to 75°F (20° to 24°C) is optimal for system reliability.”
Chuck Cahoon
Solutions Architect – CDW
Cisco Systems CCIE# 15255
E-mail: chuck.cahoon@cdw.com
Since they support SNMP, you can use MRTG, Denika Performance Trender or other programs to gather it. Check out this Denika humidity trend graph we created by polling the SNMP OID on the BitSight:
Notice above that you can highlight any spike and drill in for greater detail. Check it out, they cost about $250.00.
- Mike
Measure extreme temperatures with a thermocouple sensor
Filed under: SensorProbes, environmental monitoring, temperature monitoring
The Ravica temperature sensors can certainly save you a lot of headaches when it comes to maintaining a certain temperature range in your data center, storage facility or even health care facility. However, what if you have an application that requires you to measure the temperature outside of the capabilities of our standard temperature sensor? For instance, maybe you are monitoring the temperature in a very low temperature freezer; or perhaps you are in charge of making sure a boiler room doesn’t get too hot.
The standard temperature sensors are designed for accurate temperature readings from -55° Celsius to +75° Celsius or -67° Fahrenheit to +167° Fahrenheit. So our boiler room scenario might be a problem if the sensor needs to be at, in or near the boiler itself. This is where the thermocouple sensor comes in handy.
The thermocouple sensor is capable of accurately reading temperatures in dangerous or harsh environments or in heavy industries, such as petrochemical and metal processing. Temperature ranges on the thermocouple sensors are -270° Celsius (-454° Fahrenheit) to 1372° Celsius (2501° Fahrenheit). Ravica uses a type K thermocouple, which is very commonly used in these industries.
The thermocouple sensor is compatible with the SecurityProbe line of sensor probes. So anyone planning to add a thermocouple to their setup will want to plan accordingly. The BitSight line is an excellent entry level series of products, but is not compatible with some of the more advanced sensors, like the thermocouple and the power monitor.
So don’t get discouraged if your current temperature monitoring solution can’t take the heat. A SecurityProbe and a thermocouple sensor can get the job done.
~ Jon Mills
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Monitoring for Smoke at a National Level
Filed under: Intelligent Sensors, Security Monitoring, SensorProbes, environmental monitoring, smoke detector
Monitoring the data room, your home, or for smoking in the boys room is just the beginning. The United States Government takes monitoring smoke and air seriously. 
Check out the smoke map maintained by the Interagency Real Time Smoke Monitoring web site. I drilled in on California and clicked on the center of the state. The air and smoke quality doesn’t look as good as other parts of the state.
Yosemite National Park
California likes their state parks. They have a web site showing off how they measure smoke ozone levels, particulate matter levels and more. The site provides air quality and smoke monitoring trends as well as web cameras. The cameras actually allow you to see the differences in air quality. I thought it was cool.
Ravica provides smoke detectors for $125.00 and security cameras on the SecurityProbe for $1,795.00. These probes also monitor temperature, humidity, water, etc., and it supports SNMP, so that you can trend the data over time.
Our services department can set you up with a monitoring web page like Yosemite. Just tell us what you need and we’ll help you get started.
- Mike
Securing your data center with Ravica equipment
Filed under: Data Center, Intelligent Sensors, Security Monitoring, SensorProbes
I started working with an interesting client today.
The company is a small hosting service provider with approximately 100 clients. What made this company different was that their clients would come on site quite often. Each client would has a key card; this identifies who is coming in and out of the server room. The problem is that the cards were being handed off to other employees. Since the company promised the utmost in security, this started to become a concern.
The goal of my client was to provide a video record of each entry. To accomplish this, I suggested that we add security sensors to each door. This would tell us when each and every person went through the door. Next, we added multiple security cameras, to record who was in the server room. The dry contact sensors would also give us a good idea of when the person left. The next hurdle was the lights, since they are off most of the time.
We used the Sensor Controlled Relay to turn the lights on and off in the room. This gave the security cameras more then enough light for recording. This was implemented via the alert from the trigger of the security sensor.
The Sensor Controlled Relay is easily controlled by any of Ravica’s extensive selection of sensors. The relay can provide automatic responses to sensor alerts. This made it easy to configure a scenario where the security sensor on the door was tripped and the lights were turned on.
In the end, the process worked perfectly. When a customer entered the server room, not only was their entry logged via the keypad, but they were also getting video record of that visit. We are currently working on providing a common interface between all of the data sources.
- JimmyD
Temperature monitoring system for cold food storage
Filed under: Security Monitoring, environmental monitoring, humidity monitoring, temperature monitoring
Much of the time on this blog we focus on environmental monitoring in the server room, simply because that is the most common application for our hardware. However, that is not to say it is the only application for our hardware.
Today, I would like to share another customer experience from the point of view of a restaurant that needed a solution, fast. This restaurant, we’ll call it Larry’s Lobster Shack (we’re in Maine, we love lobster), had a major disaster; their walk-in cooler died. Yes, that’s the big walk-in refrigerator that stored all of their perishable goods. The pertinent issue here was that the refrigerator died just after closing time, so what happened? That’s right, the temperature continually rose all night long. So when Larry came in to open The Lobster Shack the next day, he immediately noticed the problem and called a repair man. Unfortunately, the necessary part to fix the compressor was going to take a day to get in. That means Larry was going to have to discard all of the food in his walk-in cooler. By the time everything was back up and running, the temperature had risen too much.
That’s when Larry called Ravica looking for help. He couldn’t take the chance that this would happen again. If he had known as soon as the cooler’s temperature had gone out of its normal operating range, he could have acted sooner and possible saved his stock of food. Larry didn’t only lose all of the food in his cooler, but he couldn’t open The Lobster Shack that day with no food to serve. Well, the lobsters were still alive in their tank, but it hardly seemed right to serve them with nothing else, and as the only option for customers.
The thermostat of the walk-in refrigerator at Larry’s Lobster Shack is set to 38 degrees Fahrenheit with a 3 degree differential. That means when the temp rises to 41 degrees, the thermostat closes and the compressor and condenser fan comes on. When the temp falls to 35 degrees, the reverse happens.
To set Larry up with temperature monitoring for his cooler, all he needed was a BitSight2 and a single port temperature and humidity SensorRemote (he figured when it comes to food storage, he should be aware of the moister in the cooler as well). He mounted the BitSight2 outside the cooler, then ran some cabling inside the cooler and mounted the sensor there. The process was easy enough that Larry did it himself.
From there Larry was able to configure his BitSight2 with the appropriate temperature and humidity thresholds. Now, if the temp rises to 42 degrees (remember, that is outside the cooler’s normal operating range, so the compressor and condenser fans should have turned on) and stays there for more than 20 minutes, then Larry gets a text message and an email.
Larry has since opened two new locations in different parts of the state. In each location he installed another environmental monitoring system. He even added a security sensor to the door of his walk-in coolers, so that he gets an alert if one of the employees leaves the door open for more than 5 minutes.
So you can see that the Ravica line of temperature and humidity monitoring systems are about more than just monitoring data centers. There are many industries that can take advantage of our systems. I think next time I might share a story about a customer of mine that uses the SecurityProbe-x60 in his metal fabrication plant to monitor his HVAC system.
-Jon Mills
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Water leak monitoring helps avoid mold
Filed under: Intelligent Sensors, environmental monitoring, humidity monitoring, water leak monitoring
Water leaks and or high humidity can lead to mildew and mold. The results after prolonged exposure can mean premature paint problems, structural issues and health problems, not to mention the stink!
We can’t depend on our noses to do your mildew monitoring because we can’t be in a dozen places at once all the time.
There is an easier way. Our water sensor can monitor for water leaks. The cable for the actual sensor can be up to 100 feet away from the BitSight. Because its unique design, it can be used to notify when water levels drop too low as well.
The humidity sensors we manufacture can be run 1,000 feet and fished through walls to measure humidity in air ducts, crawl spaces, etc. As a bonus, the same unit performs temperature monitoring and measure as well.
Ravica has a complete line of intelligent environmental monitoring solutions to help protect your business from a environmental disaster. All units support SNMP and send alerts in numerous formats.
- Mike
5 tips to protect your data center hardware
Filed under: Data Center, environmental monitoring, humidity monitoring, power monitoring, temperature monitoring, water leak monitoring
I work with network administrators everyday and I hear one common story. They are not buying servers. The IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker supports me on this. Server vendors are reporting that their business is off 24.5 percent from last year, falling to $9.9 billion in the first quarter of 2009.
They don’t have the budget or can’t get the budget to update their aging equipment. So, what can these admins do to extend the life of their equipment?
Just like an older automobile, maintenance and proper care of the equipment can easily extend your equipment’s life. Constant monitoring of your system inside and out can save you from loosing mission critical servers. Environmental monitors like the temperature and humidity, airflow, smoke and water sensors can be used to make sure that the environment that your systems operate in are the best they can be.
Now, I know what you are saying, “Jim’s just a salesman and wants you to buy something.” Although I might get excited about a product and preach its goodness, I am not a sales person . I might dream of being the star of a Shamtastic infomercial, but trust me, I’m not. What I do want you to know, is that there are some simple things that you can to to help save your hardware.
- Your server room is not a storage area! If it is, it really shouldn’t be. Extra stuff in the room can cause heat issues and possibly be a fire hazard. Keep the area clean and free of obstacles.
- Manage your cables properly. I had a boss who had a hang up on making sure the all cables were organized correctly. You guessed it, I didn’t think it was all that important. In hindsight, I was wrong. Keeping them organized is great for physical management, but more importantly, it makes it easier to manage airflow. Be it a cable tunnel or just pulling them together with a zip tie, making sure your servers get the correct ventilation is important.
- Have a physical maintenance window for your machines. It might bring you back to youthful A+ days, but making sure the servers are dust free and cables are in the correct place can help immensely.
- Monitor the servers health with an SNMP Trending app. Most servers can give you CPU, Server Temp, Fan Info and other valuable information, via a simple SNMP walk. A SNMP trending application, like Denika, will allow you to gather historical information on this data and alert on it.
- Monitor your environment. As I mentioned before, monitoring the room temp, humidity and airflow will make your admin life a lot easier. If you have some room in your budget, this might be the best way to spend it.
So there it is. I guess the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is correct. Even in today’s super digital world!
- Jimmy D
SNMP support for the SecurityProbe allows secure data center monitoring
Filed under: Data Center, Intelligent Sensors, Security Monitoring, environmental monitoring, power monitoring, smoke detector, temperature monitoring, water leak monitoring
In 2004, the IETF officially recognized SNMP v3, as defined by RFC 3411–RFC 3418, as the current standard version of the Simple Network Management Protocol. SNMP v2, although being a highly competent and widely used protocol, was severly lacking in the areas of security and remote configuration. Thus, SNMP v3 was born.
SNMP v3 added some much needed security features, like ensuring message integrity, verifying that the message came from a valid source with authentication, and packet encryption to ensure that messages aren’t being disseminated by unauthorized sources.
Because of its enhanced security features, SNMP v3 quickly found itself a requirement for many government and secure corporate projects. Since 2004, SNMP v3 has found itself a home in most networks with any sort of security requirements.
That is why the Ravica SecurityProbe line of SensorProbes supports SNMP v3. From within the Settings tab, simply select SNMP under the Connectivity header to the left. You will see the screen below.
From here you can select the type of security features required:
- No Authentication
- Authentication Only
- Authentication & Encryption
Enter your desired password, choose your authentication protocol and access privilege, then it’s off to the races. Now all of your SNMP information will be sent/polled from the SecurityProbe in version 3.
This is a highly popular feature amoung SecurityProbe users. Hopefully, if you didn’t already know it was there, you will find it valuable to impliment in your network. It is now as easy as ever to keep your physical data room details secure.
~ Jon Mills
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Sensing temperature without Neurophysiology
Filed under: SensorProbes, environmental monitoring, temperature monitoring
Wouldn’t it be cool if computer equipment had cold-sensitive ion channels in their casings that could translate information about the temperature of their surroundings into electrical signals that could ultimately send alarms to management when the environment became unstable? It sounds like science fiction but, it is really biology.
Temperature Sensing Gel
Brandon Brown Ph.D at the University of San Francisco Researches a remarkable gel under a shark’s skin that enables it to locate prey-rich thermal fronts. Apparently the thermoelectric properties of this extracellular gel removed from the electrosensors of sharks develops significant voltages in response to tiny temperature gradients. Check out this Neuroscience for kids page.
Anyway, we can’t be harvesting sharks to suck out their extracellular gel. 
There must be an easier way to monitor temperature in the data room. For $75.00 you can buy a temperature sensor or for $295 you can buy a temperature probe with a sensor.
I’ll bet a shark doesn’t have a use for a dry contact sensor.
- Mike