Thermal Image Surveys for Servers

Finally, there is an alternative solution to shutting down your server, because lets face it, nobody wants to take responsibility for shutting down a server, because everyone is terrified it’ll never start up again!

In fact I still wonder why any business still operates a fixed server in their workplace, the anxiety associated with everything that could go wrong must be immense.

This is not an article on the benefits of ‘cloud’ storage, but surely that’s got to be a safer solution?

Anyway, for everyone not utilising the cloud, and still having a fixed data rack (aka server) in a cupboard somewhere in their building, that they’re terrified of turning off, this service is for you.

For keywording, we call it Thermal Imaging of Servers; in reality, it’s a data rack. The server unit is just one small part of that big rack of appliances that do all sorts from storing data (server, like a hard drive), to CCTV, to TV, to sound amps, to communication switches and so on. So if we call it a data rack, or a server, just assume we mean the same thing.

We have been trading as PAT testers since 2009, and in that time we have tested, with a full shut down, a grand total of 2 servers. Yes, 2.

In that same time we have conducted visual inspections on over 800! Probably even more.

Once, we were booked by a client because their previous server had been destroyed by fire. They were told by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), at trial, that they should have had their server PAT tested, and that may have found the fault before it became such an issue. 

They had a new server, to protect their business, they had it in a shipping container separate to the main building.  

They booked us to test the server, and all their other equipment in their offices, factories, production sites etc. In total we tested over 4000 items for this company, and did it for 6 consecutive years, and in that time do you know how many times they shut the server down for us – Not once! Not once. They had been told to do it by the HSE, they had had a fire, and still they wouldn’t shut it down to be safety tested. 

Right now, when you get PAT testing done, when it comes to your server, you probably get a visual inspection done.

What does a visual inspection do? When a PAT tester can’t unplug an appliance his hands are tied. We can literally look at the parts of the data racks, and see if anything looks unusual. When this often means squeezing into tight dark places, the visual aspect isn’t the easiest, and you have to ask, what can we really tell? If you look at any plug, plugged into an extension lead, that you can’t unplug, and you can’t really see clearly (as the plug top is black and the extension block generally is, and the light isn’t great), what are you really going to see? Not much.

But for years, PAT testers have popped a sticker on every part, each plug, each network switch, each fan, each CPU, each adaptor, and so on, and you think it’s been given a safe pass. Not really. A basic visual is all that has been done. But the item is on your inventory (report) and you’re happy.

But the result is not that helpful. If that data rack ever caught fire, will you have done enough to prevent that happening, and be covered by your insurance? No.

So what are your options?

Your first option is – be brave and shut down the server system. If I were worried my server wouldn’t restart, then I would definitely get a full shutdown done, so I can rule out that worry, or if it came true – get it fixed. If you have a server, you should have an online back up anyway. Even the online back up servers, have online back up servers.

When you plug in your office computer, you get it PAT tested every year or two, so what’s different about the server PC? Nothing, but you’re not checking it. So it’s sitting getting hotter and hotter. If your server room conditions are not right, it’s at even more risk. Is the air conditioning working – the room must be cool. There must be sufficient space around the rack for example.

If your IT department is good enough to build the server in the first place, they must be good enough to be able to do maintenance on it, to have the ability to shut it down without that damaging your entire company history.

Get the server shut down, allow the PAT tester to do his job, and unplug each part and run a proper test.

If you don’t dare shutdown the server, or you just can’t, then a thermal survey is a good alternative.

What does a thermal survey do? 

If you know a thermal camera, it checks for things that are overly hot. When we use a thermal device on a server we are looking for parts of it that are hotter than they should be.

In technical terms, a thermal image of a server shows its heat distribution using colours. The imaging is used for maintenance to identify hot spots that could indicate overheating or potential component failure.

• Using infrared technology thermal camera detect the infrared radiation (aka heat) emitted by the server and convert it into a visible image.
• The resulting image is a ‘heat map’ that shows where the heat is concentrated, with different colours representing different temperatures.
• This allows our engineers to find these hot spots quickly, even when they are not usually visible to our eyes.

The thermal survey, for us, can highlight issues within the electrical wiring, plugs and parts of the rack, that may be overloading and or overheating.

Once we find these issues, we will report them to our onsite contact who can inform the IT department, who can then do urgent appropriate maintenance, such as swapping out that part for a replacement, or finding the reason for the fault, and fixing it.

These images show a ‘server rack’ in its normal state, and the view of it using a thermal camera.

You will need to be an existing PAT testing client; after we have done your PAT testing, we will recommend a thermal image survey if a shut down is not an option.

If you are not a client yet, please contact us to book in an appointment.