Computer controlled winch

It was a long time coming but I've just had AC installed in my server room. I've also purchased a MiniGoose II from ITWatchDogs which I can't say enough about. So I'm covered by cooling, and I'll be alerted if something goes wrong but what if I'm a significant distance away? What I would really like to do is have a computer controlled winch which could be activated in the event of a problem. Can anyone suggest any hardware / software I might use for this? My MiniGoose II is capable of sending SNMP traps, emails and has consumable XML services so those could be the methods of sending / retrieving the alert. The server room has a security grate which is always locked off hours and a door which has no latch so if pulled would pop open. If our new AC system broke down it wouldn't take long before the temperature in that room hit 90. I was thinking about some sort of winch that could be activated somehow and would reel in its cable thereby opening the door.

Any ideas?

Rather than a remote-control winch, I'd say what you need is simply a remote-control power strip (and, ideally, an IP camera to monitor things). Flip on the outlet for the winch, wait (x) seconds or watch the video to know when, and then flip it back off.

You could very easily script this into Nagios, and even include some elementary logic to try to guess whether the door is already open, but unless your server room has a ridiculous delta-T, paging someone to do it by hand is going to be a lot safer.

wouldnt it be easier to lightly spring load the door (to open, not close), and just use an electromagnet to hold it shut normally ? flip the magnet off and job done.

Technical gadgets in all their glory...

The usual solution I'd say is to wire a separate room temperature alarm to the burglar or perimeter alarm and give security the authority to open the door if deemed necessary.

Usually they can actually fix the problem on the spot as well, and they'll have a list of contacts to go through, not relying on you personally to be available, and a written set of instructions to follow. All security systems have temperature sensor options and this needs to be tested periodically (what you test is the actual incident response, not just the alarm system itself).

This makes me sleep well at night. A mechanical arm depending on a series of self-setup monitoring software and hardware, not so much. That would be an interesting secondary addition. If security calls you or someone else in the middle of the night and says they got a temperature alarm, it's always nice being able to confirm this through your own monitoring system - but it should always be separate from the actual room sensor imho.

Also, a backup and/or redundant AC is pretty common even in small one-rack server rooms due to their low cost compared to the alternatives, and a third cooling system from the building itself to help slow down the heat build-up if available.