noise damping for rackmount servers on-the-cheap [closed]

If you are able to monitor temperatures inside your systems accurately (via ipmi for example) then you can do some experimenting. Try disconnecting some fans in the case and see how that affects cpu and hard drive temperature. Obviously this is a little risky but could be one way to reduce the noise.

One thing I've always wanted to try is carefully segmenting the airflow between the front and the back of the rack (with handmade cardboard cutouts and gaff tape). Then, rig up air ducts with larger diameter fans pushing air into the front of the rack and pulling it out of the back.

My suspicion is you could combine these two approaches to dramatically improve airflow with reduced fan noise.

The problem with 1u servers is they typically have tiny fans that have to spin at 9 billion rpm in order to move enough air to keep the thunderingly hot CPUs cool.

I have a couple of rackable systems that I don't use because they make way too much noise. They've got something like 9 fans, all of them the little tiny noisy kind. I've reused some of the kit by moving the motherboards to another case with larger fans.

That wouldn't be possible with your setup because the HP 1u servers have custom motherboards that wouldn't fit into anything else.

There are products like this that are designed to keep things in the rack quiet. I see such things on craigslist from time to time, usually from failed musician/geeks who wanted to run a home recording studio. You can't put much into these because you'll overwhelm their cooling capacity.

In short, there is a reason these things are cheap.

Not a physical method but do make sure you have the latest firmware and updates for every part of your server and ensure that you've exhaustively looked into the available power-saving options in the BIOS and OS. In many cases these choices can significantly reduce noise by generating less fan-requiring heat. HP in particular have made some major gains on the last 18 months in this area.

Most of the noise generated by servers tape drive units and the like are normally fan related of course, however this vibration is normally amplified through the cabinet the units are attached too. I'd use rubber washers or line the doors with sound proofing if its really a big problem. Its not going to dramatically reduce the noise level but a little goes a long way. Limit the travel of vibrations and your halfway there.