ABSTRACT
This chapter examines three independent areas where problems may arise. These areas are the physical environment, the electrical environment, and physical security. Exceeding the nonoperating temperature range can cause the system permanent damage. Just as certain foods will spoil when they are out in the open too long, server system components have the same limits. Damaged pieces may fail immediately upon use or they can develop some sort of intermittent failure. Only swapping out components will tell if a component has gone bad. Nearly all pieces of electronic equipment have two sets of acceptable temperature ranges. One is the power off, or cold, temperature range. This range will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. It states the minimum and maximum temperatures the equipment can reach while not powered up. When a component is shipped, it should never reach a temperature out of the range. The chapter focuses on troubleshooting the server environment.
