IT Baseline Protection Manual - The Information Warfare Site

Threats Catalogue - Force Majeure Remarks
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T 1.7 Inadmissible temperature and humidity
Every device has a temperature range within which its proper functioning is
ensured. If the room temperature exceeds that range in either direction, the
result may be a discontinuity of service and failure of devices.
In a server room, for instance, the devices accommodated there will consume
electric power and thus heat up the room. If ventilation is insufficient, the
admissible operating temperature of the devices may be exceeded. In case of
solar radiation, room temperatures of more than 50° C are not improbable.
The windows of a server room shouldn’t be frequently opened for ventilation.
In Spring or Autumn, for instance, this could cause large temperature
fluctuations leading to drastic cooling down and subsequent impermissible
rises in humidity.
Example:
In a Bonn-based agency, the entire control and evaluation electronics system
of a security facility was accommodated in a room whereby just enough space
to open the doors of the equipment lockers was left. For security reasons, both
the cabinets and the room were provided with massive, tight-fitting doors.
After completion of the installation in Autumn, the operation was free of
problems. The following summer, however, unaccountable malfunctions
emerged. These were soon followed by total system crashes, without any
discernible systematic causes in either case. Several days of searching for
faults, involving great expenditure in technical and staffing terms, and carried
out with the doors open, yielded no results. It was only by accident that the
cause of failure, an overheating of the facilities with outside temperatures of
more than 30° C, was finally found, and was remedied with the installation of
an air conditioning system.
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IT-Baseline Protection Manual: Otober 2000