In the digital age, servers play a key role in processing large amounts of data and providing Internet services to people worldwide. The server market is still dominated by cloud data centers in 2023 and powerful multi-function offices have become the new work environment. Well-known service providers such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft must rely on high-speed servers to provide good consumer service. Because servers have a wide range of Internet-related applications, most regions worldwide require them to be built. The next logical question is, how can we improve stability in servers?
Below is a list of servers that Facebook, Microsoft, and eBay have built.
- Facebook has built a data center in Sweden that is located 100 kilometers away from the Arctic Circle. In winter, the average temperatures can get as low as -20 degrees Celsius.
- Microsoft has deployed a submarine-like data center in the waters off the coast of the Orkney in Scotland.
- eBay has established a data center in Phoenix, USA. With an average temperature of over 38 degrees Celsius. This data center is planned to close down in 20 years.
(Reference: https://read01.com/zPJakO2.html)
Data centers are built in polar climates, desert areas, and even underwater. A high-temperature environment can lower performance in servers due to poor heat dissipation. A dry environment can easily cause static electricity to build up, yet a humid environment can easily cause electronic components to corrode. These problems can be very detrimental in the long term, not only wasting investment costs but also causing management issues.
Studies have shown that the ideal temperature range for data centers is between 22°C and 23°C, and the maximum suggested temperature is 35°C. The ideal humidity range is between 40% and 60%. Achieving the best balance between stable working performance and temperature and humidity settings requires extensive testing. Then we can adjust the parameters to improve the entire server system, extending the servers’ lifespan and improving performance.
Therefore, more issues will come up. How can servers be safely transported in various temperature and humidity environments? How can servers maintain normal, stable, and efficient operation with their cooling system?
- Risks
The data centers of Facebook, Microsoft, and Google mostly cover users worldwide. A server in an average data center may have thousands of people connected simultaneously. If the server crashes due to environmental temperature and humidity issues, it will affect individual users and even enterprises around the world. The loss would be impossible to estimate. To prevent this, Allion has built a 65KW walk-in chamber to meet the requirements for temperature and humidity tests for servers.
- 65KW Walk-in Chamber (Can withstand heavy weights, large volumes, and high heat dissipation)
Our 65KW walk-in chamber was built based on our server testing experience in response to the needs of our clients’ various markets. It has advantages that our competitors do not have. Not only can it simultaneously accommodate three 48U racks for testing, but it also has a great ventilation system to deal with high heat dissipation servers might have. It can also match different test voltages to meet the needs of our international clients.
- High Load Capacity: Can carry up to 2000kg
- Large Volume Capacity: 270cm door height, 254cm (W) * 300cm (H) * 300cm (D) inner box size (can fit 1-3 racks)
- High Heat Dissipation Threshold: 65KW (meets most racks)
- Multiple Test Voltages: Provides 110V-480V, three-phase, or single-phase
- Humidity Controls: Temperature range -40℃ to 90℃, Humidity range 20%-95% RH
Basic Tests Include:
- High-temperature Operation/Storage Test
- Low-temperature Operation/Storage Test
- Thermal Cycling Operation/Storage Test
- Temperature & Humidity Operation/Storage Test
Professional Testing Experience
CASE1-A Company Sever: Product Performance Evaluation
Under different temperatures and humidity, we evaluate the cooling performance of the server and the performance of various components.
- Temperature Cooling Performance: The relationship between the fan speed and CPU temperature.
- Performance: HDD read/write speeds, CPU/disk/memory/network functionality
- Temperature: Thermal couple
CASE2-B Company Sever: Product Stability Test
Under normal working conditions, the simulated server’s performance will be affected according to changes in temperature, humidity, or abnormal conditions, causing errors or lowering performance. We can evaluate if the conditions are destructive to the server or if it’s still recoverable. Here’s an example of a recoverable situation, the SSD powered on abnormally, causing the server to fail to power on, and the server will return to normal after reinstallation.
CASE3-C Company Sever: Assisting Clients with Product Optimization
We can provide a stable and controllable temperature for up to three months, assisting clients to find the highest temperature points in the server and optimizing the heat dissipation for these places (including heat conduction path, air ventilation cover design, and temperature adjustment of the components). We also carry out hardware and software troubleshooting with our clients remotely, solving problems together with our clients in real-time. During this period, we conduct a thorough investigation of fan failure and alternative material tests on the influence of the changing temperatures of the server. With the results, we analyze them and make more detailed adjustments.
Remote Troubleshooting for Increasing Heat Dissipation Efficiency: Engineers perform design changes for the air ducts.
In addition to our 65KW chamber, we have plans for a 40KW chamber for 52U in the future. We’ve already built a 20KW server chamber to meet the different needs of our clients.
Allion has diverse testing experiences, professional testing capabilities, and customized testing services to help our clients identify issues in their servers under various conditions.
With Allion’s professional testing verification solutions, you can discover potential problems in your product at the early stages of development. Issues we find may also be used to your advantage for future revisions and updates to your product. If you have any questions regarding this article or consulting, please feel free to contact us: service@allion.com, or click the here to contact Allion easily!