ML350 Maximum Thermal Temperatures

[Keven Tipping_6]

Greetings to all.

I've got a ML350 G5 I recently bought that I'd like to setup under my office desk, and I'm curious to as how the '350 handles thermal shutdown and what exactly the "Caution" and "Critical" values mean under iLO2.

I've installed the system under my desk where it will likely live for the foreseeable future. The system is fairly upgraded- 2xE5410's, 10GB of FBDIMM RAM, 6x160GB SATA drives, and a PCI-X card cage.

The temperatures in the system vary as follows:
Memory: 55-60CC
CPU's 1-4: 33-45C
Internal I/O Board: 40-47C (PCI-X Cage)
Ambient: 22C

Now, I can get most of those (except ambient) up a bit more if I stress the system- but the system fans stay at 35% (and relatively quiet).

Since the system is installed under my desk, it does get a /little/ bit warmer then it does sitting in the middle of the room.

So, I'm wondering...

1) Assuming all temperatures are under the Caution thresholds specified in iLO2, is the system technically "happy" and in good health? Ie, do I have to worry about the PCI-X cage running at 45C when Caution is 63C and Critical is 68C? Or does the fact that it's a *long* ways away from Caution mean that I don't have to worry about it at all?

2) When do the fans throttle up? They always seem to stay at 35% and never budge. The temperatures vary as per above, but the system seems extremely stable otherwise. Do the fans throttle up when the temperatures begin to approach Caution *in an effort to prevent the temperatures from reaching Caution thresholds*? Or is there some sort of temperature/fan power curve that controls the fan speeds that I just haven't hit (since I haven't been able to get the temperature up high enough)?

3) What happens if the PCI-X card cage hits Caution/Critical? I noticed the fan on the card cage runs at 100% all the time (it's not a PWM fan like the rest of the system fans). Will the system fans rev up in an attempt to keep the PCI-X cage cool?

3) What's the worst case scenario for this system, if let's say the room AC cut out? Would the fans eventually throttle to 100% to try and keep the system cool- and once that's proved insufficient and temperatures hit Critical, *will the system shut down*?

I'm only asking because this system was /extremely/ expensive and I want to know what it should be running at to keep the system in good health. I doubt very much the system would ever be redlined, but the AC did cut out once in this room so I'm curious to as how the ML350 will react.

Cheers.
-KT

[Shiraj Fernando]

Hi,

The Technical Specifications on the QuickSpecs for ML350 G5 will be of help.

http://h18006.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12475_div/12475_div.HTML#Technical%20Specifications

Regards,
Shiraj Fernando.

[Keven Tipping_6]

Found specifications on the thermal throttling elsewhere.