System acclimation
Server and storage equipment (frames) should be gradually acclimated to the surrounding environment before being powered on.
When server and storage equipment is shipped in a climate where the outside temperature is below the dew point of the destination indoor location, condensation and frost will naturally form on the cooler inside and outside surfaces of the equipment when brought indoors. All IBM® products are tested and verified to withstand these phenomena produced under these circumstances. As long as sufficient time is provided to allow the hardware to gradually acclimate to the indoor environment before attaching it to electrical power, there should be no issues with long term reliability of the product.
General recommendations
- DO NOT attach power to the product before the recommended acclimation time. Attaching power may cause some features to enter into a stand-by mode even before the product has been formally switched on.
- Product must be acclimated before attaching to power to avoid shorts and other damage due to wet or moist components. Use of vapor barrier bags and/or desiccant does not negate the need for acclimation.
- If the install/staging area environment allows it, DO leave the product in the full package, or at least the inner plastic bag, for the recommended time as shown in the following tables. This helps minimize condensation directly on or within the product.
- Acclimate the product away from perforated tiles or other direct sources of forced air convection to minimize excessive condensation on or within the equipment. DO NOT blow room air at the product to acclimate it faster as this can increase moisture accumulation within the product and may also cause dust from the room to adhere to moist surfaces.
- If possible, try to acclimate the system in environments where the temperature is greater than 15oC (59oF), the relative humidity is less than 60%, and the dewpoint is less than 27oC (80oF) to minimize the acclimation time. Cold, humid environments will lead to greater acclimation times.
- There are certain situations where some or all coolant water shipped in blue containers can freeze. Freezing of the coolant does not affect the container integrity or the anti-corrosive chemical-water solution. However, the blue container must be completely thawed, back to liquid state, and allowed to come to room temperature, before beginning the Fill Drain tool process.
Determining system acclimation time
Note: Use the following information to determine the system acclimation time, unless otherwise
stated by product specific install instructions.
- Determine the shipping condition and lowest temperature the product was exposed to in the 48
hours prior to it being moved to the staging area or final installation area. Work with your
representative if you don’t have this information.
- Use Table 1 if the minimum temperature was between -40oC (-40oF) and -20oC (-4oF). Shipments conducted in cold weather or in cold climates and which were not conveyed in climate-controlled trucking will need to use this table.
- Use Table 2 if the minimum temperature was between -20oC (-4oF) and 0oC (32oF). Shipments conducted in cold weather or in cold climates and which were not conveyed in climate-controlled trucking will need to use this table.
- Use Table 3 if the minimum temperature was between 0oC (32oF) and 15oC (59oF). Shipments conducted in chilly to mild weather and which were not conveyed in climate-controlled trucking may use this table. Air shipments followed by transport in warmer conditions may also use this table. If air shipment was followed by non-climate controlled transport in very cold or cold conditions, then use Table 1 and Table 2, respectively.
- Use Table 4 if the minimum temperature was greater than 15oC (59oF). Shipments conducted in warm/hot weather or in climate controlled conditions may use this table. If shipments were transported by air less than 48 hours prior to delivery, this table may not be used. Refer to Table 1, Table 2, or Table 3 instead.
- Once the appropriate acclimation table has been identified, determine the acclimation zone (AA-D) for your environment. Determine the minimum temperature and maximum relative humidity of the room where the product will be acclimated. If the temperature falls between two tabulated values, use the lower tabulated temperature. If the relative humidity falls between two tabulated values, use the higher tabulated relative humidity.
- Once the acclimation zone has been determined, use Table 5 to determine the acclimation requirements for the system. For example, if the acclimation zone was determined to be C, then you will need to acclimate the system in its packaging (or bag) for 24 hours, then remove the packaging, and then acclimate for an additional 24 hours for a total of 48 hours.
- Once the system has been acclimated as recommended, verify that both the outer surface of the frame and components of the system are free of moisture. A system may appear dry on the outside but may still be wet inside. If moisture is present, continue to acclimate the system without the packaging for an additional 12 hours before reverifying that it is dry. Continue acclimating and reverifying in 12 hour intervals while moisture persists. If moisture is still found to be present after a week, please contact an IBM representative for assistance and to troubleshoot the environment in which the system is acclimating.
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