Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!deccrl!news.crl.dec.com!jg From: jg@crl.dec.com (Jim Gettys) Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix Subject: Re: How to Cook a DECstation Message-ID: <1991Jun21.190343.9663@crl.dec.com> Date: 21 Jun 91 19:03:43 GMT References: <1991Jun21.182020.17142@raven.alaska.edu> Sender: news@crl.dec.com (USENET News System) Organization: DEC Cambridge Research Lab Lines: 21 I believe the specs are correct as written... Our machines are often used in harsh environments; they get tested in test chambers at elevated temperature extensively. Think about a factory floor sometime. Machine room machines are often more sensitive, and often when your machine room airconditioner allows the temp. to get to 90, it is broken, and this forces the shutdown before the machine room gets too hot. The other thing to be avoided which stresses machines is rapid temperature change; again, if a machine room airconditioner fails, the temperature often rises quickly, and disk drives can become unhappy. Most of our desktop machines have thermostatically controlled fans these days; the fans run faster when the machine gets hotter, to keep the operating temperature of the components relatively constant. (i.e. hot conditions causes you machine to get noisier!). Just keep the airflow to the machine unrestricted, and check that everything you have is similarly rated, but I believe we mean what we say in the specs... - Jim