Server room basics: power, cooling and physical access

When people think about IT risks, they think about hackers. In practice many outages in small companies come from much simpler things: a power cut that kills a disk array, an overheated room in summer or a server that someone switched off by accident.

Power

• Every server, storage and core network device should be connected to a UPS with enough capacity for a safe shutdown.
• Configure automatic shutdown when the battery is low, and test it.
• Replace UPS batteries according to the manufacturer's schedule — old batteries fail exactly when needed.
• For critical systems, consider dual power supplies and a generator.

Cooling

• Use a dedicated air conditioner, not the office one that is turned off in the evening.
• Install temperature and humidity sensors with alerts by SMS, Telegram or email.
• Keep the room clean and the airflow of racks unobstructed.

Physical access and order

• Lock the room and give keys only to responsible people.
• Label cables and devices; keep documentation up to date.
• Do not use the server room as a storage room for boxes and old equipment.

A server room should be boring: cool, quiet, locked and documented.

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