Computers and air travel
What should I be aware of when bringing a computer on an airplane?
general answers welcome but...
I'm particularly interested in:
- Are computers bothered by X-ray machines or anything else that carry-on or checked baggage is exposed to?
- What kind of red flags would packing a non laptop raise with the TSA?
- Are there any setups known to work well for packing around larger system (like server scale)?
- Has anyone seen one of those cases bands use to pack there sound equipment used to mount a server?
(In case you didn't spot it, I'm puzzling out what it would take to build a mobile server farm for fast, short notice deployment. FWIW it's more likely to end up in a story than on a plane)
Solution 1:
- Are computers bothered by X-ray machines or anything else that carry-on or checked baggage is exposed to?
No. Magnetic media is not affected. That applies to undeveloped photographic film.
- What kind of red flags would packing a non laptop raise with the TSA?
Does it look like a bomb? Is it clearly accessable (openable)? Can it hide a bomb? I've seen CPAP machines receive swabs for explosive chemical tests because the TSA can't open it up to look in it.
Pack a regular bag if you can, and unzip it for them to look around. If it looks suspicious, then it is.
- Are there any setups known to work well for packing around larger system (like server scale)?
Unless you cook up a homebrew setup of some kind (dolly cart, etc.) you're probably going to have a hard time. I certainly wouldn't put a server though luggage, that's a sure-fire way to end up with a box of broken contents. Maybe look into packing a powerful, high-end PC class board into a portable LAN party case that doesn't have blazing dragons and etched tattoos on it?
- Has anyone seen one of these cases bands use to back there sound equipment used to mount a server?
Mobile 4-post racks, yes. Expensive, but if you do a lot of travel, it might be worth it. And you can certainly mount a 1, 2, 3, or 4u box. If you're willing to pay the price for this, be sure to include a UPS unit in it, there are several to be had that are rackmount-ready. Do this because you don't know the power situation ahead of time.
Solution 2:
What about data? According to this page, the TSA can take a copy of all your data for any reason without suspicion of wrongdoing when crossing the US border. The data may be shared with other agencies.
If you are shipping servers around, are you carrying commercially sensitive data that could harm your business if it got into the hands of your competitors?