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Some server fans can be rather noisy. If I were to relocate a server rack to a basement area, what considerations would I need to take into account?

  1. Are there certain temperatures or humidity ranges the server hardware needs to stay within to function properly, and avoid damage to the components?

  2. Does poor air quality (dust or mold) have a negative impact on the running hardware? If so, must the air be filtered, or is the solution as simple as opening up and blowing the dust out the server every few months?

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  • I would consider retracting my close vote if the "can" questions were phrased in a way they don't seem like you are asking permission to do so. I relate "can" questions back to elementary school when kids ask "can I go use the restroom" and teachers respond "I don't know can you?" To give you a little push "What considerations ..." would be a good start of a title for the question(s) you are actually asking. Although I have a little hesitation to do so since I feel some answers could be highly subjective.
    – Ramhound
    Oct 26, 2015 at 18:24
  • @Ramhound Thanks for the input, I see what you mean; how does it look now?
    – IQAndreas
    Oct 26, 2015 at 18:34
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    @Ramhound This seems to have become a pretty good question, I've voted to re-open.
    – misha256
    Oct 26, 2015 at 19:45
  • @IQAndreas - Yes; Your edits have turned several subjective questions into questions that can be answered based on verifiable facts.
    – Ramhound
    Oct 26, 2015 at 19:54

2 Answers 2

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Computers are typically quite happy to live in "out of the way" places, as long as they have sufficient airflow. That's probably a good thing for two reasons. Fan noise is one, as you mentioned. Reduction in accident likelihood may be another.

  1. Temperature: Yes. Temperature: The cooler, the better. (Not sure if that's absolutely always true, e.g. Antarctica, but in most habitable places in the world, you'll be better off with cool air.) So, basement is probably a good thing when it comes to temperature. Humidity: Sure, there are some ranges. Regarding humidity, whether the basement is a good thing, or not, probably depends on where you live.

  2. Air Quality: Air quality is a good thing, sure. However, many computers do run in places of low air quality. Cleaning can prolong the life of computers, so they say. That is why an industry of cleaning supplies, namely canned compressed air, has been able to thrive. Airflow is certainly a good thing. Now I've seen quite a few computers (as a professional who worked for a company providing professional IT services to numerous other companies), and computers did typically last longer in the offices of lawyers or dentists, compared to mechanics. Why? Offices are kept clean. Some of the computers in places where people work would get extremely dusty, and it did seem to shorten life spans a bit.

If you have a table saw in your basement, the sawdust would be a bad thing, and so a filter may be more appropriate. Clean air is desirable. That said, filtering the air for anything but humidity is probably not necessary in many environments, as long as there is sufficient airflow and you keep things clean. If your air is clean, the circulation/fans ought to keep things clean enough that you don't need more filters.

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  • Temperature: The cooler, the better. - I'm glad to hear that, I was one I was quite worried about; I'm not sure how well insulated the basement is, and worried temperatures may be down to +10°C during the winter months.
    – IQAndreas
    Oct 26, 2015 at 18:47
  • the only drawback and that is minor is that I prefer to have the server as close as possible to the main switch since they're both critical components, easier to troubleshoot problems if they're close to each other.
    – Kilisi
    Oct 26, 2015 at 18:49
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A basement should be OK for running servers. Servers are very much akin to desktop PCs, with similar tolerances – thus if the environment is OK for people it's probably OK for computers.

For a home setup you probably don't need to worry too much about best practices (compared to what you will find in a data center), but as I don't know your basement environment best practices to bear in mind include:

  1. The cooler the better – Data centers spend a lot of money cooling. From a practical view, anything above 10 and under 30 degrees C is OK, with 18-20 degrees apparently being optimal. I'd have no qualms about running my computers at anything above 7 degrees C.

  2. Stability of temperature – I'd argue this is more important than temp itself, as contraction and expansion due to heat changes are more likely to shorten the lifespan of components.

  3. Humidity – Too damp and you risk moisture on components and damage; too dry and you risk damage from static buildup. About 40% humidity is ideal, but most equipment will run between 5% and 95% humidity.

As for air quality, the cleaner the air the better – air clogs up fans which can cause servers to overheat (which makes them go slower) or die sooner (probably more a theoretical concern). If air quality is not great, you can schedule maintenance to clean out fans to overcome most of the issues here. Alternatively, filter the air before it's sucked through the fans – but you will probably need more/bigger/noisier fans to get the airflow through the filters.

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