How to Run a Computer in a Sub-Zero Environment?

Underdog asks: "I've seen tons of Slashdot articles on cooling hardware, but my company may be taking on the task of wiring a large sub-zero (as low as -14) warehouse with temperature sensors and the requisite network equipment and computers to read them. Our initial proposal includes at least a dozen acquisition computers, hung from the racks in the freezer. Does anyone have any experience with installing computers in extremely low temperature locations?"

Comments

Close-ish I suppose

[Artana Niveus Corvum]

I once worked for a company that had a computer closet on top of a mountain.It would often get -25 to -50F and sometimes much much lower. If you can find a way to enclose the computers they will keep themselves warm. We just put up some 1"-thick insulation inside the walls of the little shed and the two computers kept it at 40-50F in there at the worst times.

Remote sensors

[slasher999]

This may be missing the point of the OP, but why not install the computers elsewhere and use something like the Sensatronics sensors? The sensor device can be outside the freezer - only the probes need to be in that brutal environment. The device connnects via Ethernet. We monitor using Intellipool Network Monitor, although before we had that package I threw together a Perl script to poll the devices via snmp.

Re:ATIC

[Anonymous Coward]

Taking advice from people who can't keep their server running isn't advised.

Doing it all wrong

[grozzie2]

The first step is to go back and re-visit your overall design. You only need sensors in the freezer, you dont need to put the computers in there. What you really want to do is go shop around in the industrial supply channels, and you will find all sorts of sensor equipment ideal for the job. You probably want temp sensors that speak ethernet out the other side, then either wire the place with ethernet, or use some wireless gadgets to further bring that data out of the freezer. For the life of me, I cannot fathom a system that needs a dozen computers to handle the sensors in a freezer. How many thousands of sensors are you putting in ? One computer (in an office outside the freezer) should easily be able to process the data from a few hundred sensors, all arriving in real time over a dedicated ethernet run.

I've done lots of industrial installations, in places where -14 would be considered 'toasty warm' compared to outside temps in the middle of winter. If I saw a proposal that includes putting full blown computers in the freezer, the first thing I'd do, find another vendor, this one obviously has no clue when it comes to embedded industrial equipment. Mil grade sensors that are good to -40, may not be a dime a dozen, but, there's lots of them out there that you can just buy and install, which will happily feed the data back to a computer sitting in an office somewhere.

The bottom line, if you are going to put rack mount pc's inside the freezer, do your customer a huge favour, and reccommend they find an expert in the field. You will be saving yourself a long term support nightmare, and your customer a whole big pile of money, because the proposed solution is kind of like taking money and flushing it down the toilet.

Re:In addition ...

[theshowmecanuck]

I believe you are thinking too small. The OP mentioned the word warehouse. I doubt even several computers would make much of a difference in heat load. I have seen warehouse freezers the size of football fields. There is likely greater heat impact from people opening doors and gaps in insulation in an area that size than from computers. Even in a small warehouse.