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Monitored Conditions

Spook is designed to monitor any environmental condition a client wants. However, typical conditions that are monitored are;

       

> Power
Management and control of power is becoming more important. Knowing if you have a power outage or that your UPS and/or Generator have invoked can be critical. Spook also provides an array of power monitors and Power Strips that offer data for our clients to review and be alerted to abnormal conditions. Please review our Power Management section for more information.
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> Temperature
The ambient temperature of a computer room has a direct effect on components within IT equipment.

Service providers of IT hardware offer guidelines to recommended temperature levels for equipment. A server will usually fail or invoke automatic thermal shutdown once the temperature rises to a sufficient level. Once a thermal shutdown occurs or if the equipment fails it can not be used again until the temperature recedes and the server is re-booted. Not only could this could cause serious errors immediately or delayed over a given period but equipment may be damaged and alternative kit may need to be provided or ordered.

There is a worrying trend for manufacturers of IT equipment to query warranties and maintenance contracts for equipment by suggesting the operating environment is inappropriate. By using Spook clients can prove, via audit trail, the operating condition of the environment of their IT.

Spook continually monitors the temperature of a given area and forms a comprehensive database for each sensor. Each sensor is allocated an independent "high" and "low" setting to account for hot spots of a computer room. Any events that cause the temperature to exceed or recede past these settings will invoke a real-time alert.
^ Back to top

 

> Water
Water Ingress, whether it is in the computer room or in a general office area, has far reaching effect. If IT equipment is exposed to water through a leaking or burst pipe or a faulty air conditioning unit it is likely they will fail. Not only will this impact the uptime of a business, the drying out process can be at best, protracted or at worst, debilitating.

The drying out of water with fans and heaters is likely to increase humidity to a level where it is impossible or illegal to work within. It is not uncommon for areas that are being treated after a deluge to be uninhabitable for employees for a number of weeks until the general area has been made safe and humidity levels have dropped. There are strict health and safety guidelines for employers not to allow employees to work in areas of contamination.
^ Back to top

 

> Humidity
It is important to maintain humidity levels for IT equipment:

High Humidity causes galvanic actions to occur between some dissimilar metals. This eventually causes a high resistance between connections, leading to equipment failures. High humidity also has adverse effects on magnetic tape media and paper.

Low Humidity contributes to high levels of electrostatic charges. This increases the Electro Static Discharge (ESD) voltage potential. ESD can cause component damage. Also, paper feed problems on high speed printers are usually encountered in low humidity environments.
^ Back to top


> Smoke
Whether it is a smouldering cable or smoke particles in the air, Spook alerts clients to the event immediately.

Spook can be integrated with your existing smoke detection service or Spook can install its own series of smoke detection units. Spook uses an array of different smoke detection units and installs a pair of smoke heads, for Ionisation and for Photoelectric (optical) detection.

Ionisation
Ionisation Smoke Detectors detect the presence of smoke by means of a small ionisation chamber and a source of ionizing radiation.

When smoke enters the ionization chamber, it disrupts the electrical current field generated by the Alpha Particles and by measuring this change in electrical current an alarm condition can be generated at the required sensitivity.

The amount of radiation in an ionisation smoke detector is extremely small and is predominantly Alpha Radiation.  Alpha Radiation is very weak and is easily blocked by a sheet of paper or a few centimetres of air. Ionisation smoke detectors are therefore very safe to handle but should never be dismantled without the proper equipment.

Ionisation Smoke Detectors are generally better at detecting smaller smoke particles such as that produced by rapidly burning fires but are less sensitive to the larger smoke particles generated by smouldering fires etc.

Photoelectric (Optical)
Photoelectric Smoke Detectors detect the presence of smoke by means of a small light source and a separate photoelectric light sensitive cell housed within a sensing chamber. The sensing chamber is designed so that the light source and the photoelectric cell are mounted at acute angles to each other in separate sections of the chamber.

In normal circumstances light from the light source travels along the chamber in a straight line and does not enter the section where the photoelectric cell is. When smoke enters the chamber however the smoke particles scatter the light causing some to travel towards the photoelectric cell. By measuring the amount of light reaching the photoelectric cell an alarm condition can be generated at the required sensitivity.

Photoelectric Smoke Detectors are generally more sensitive to larger smoke particles such as that generated by dense smoke or smouldering fires but are less sensitive to small particles of smoke found in rapidly burning fires.

It is important to remember that Spook should not be used as a replacement or instead of a client's own building smoke detection service.
^ Back to top


> UPS Status
Many businesses invest in a UPS for the computer room to ensure equipment is powered in the event of a mains power outage. Spook connects to a pair of voltage free contacts to monitor when a UPS takes over the provision of power when there is a general power outage.
> Back to top


> Generator Status
Many businesses invest in a generator to provide long term power in the event of a mains power outage. These are usually set to automatically invoke. Spook connects to a pair of voltage free contacts to monitor when a generator takes over the provision of power when there is a general power outage.
^ Back to top


> IP Ping
An unlimited number of IP addresses can be monitored for the availability of devices on a client LAN/WAN.

Each IP address is assigned a friendly name. If an IP address can not be polled Spook sends an alarm of the incident. Spook checks for the IP address a number of times (defined by the client) prior to raising an alert in line with the alarm methods prescribed by the client.
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Server Room Monitoring

Server Room MonitoringInstalled in over 160 server rooms across the UK, Channel Islands, Gibraltar and continental Europe, Spook is fast becoming the IT professional’s choice in managed server room monitoring.

Many companies have disaster recovery plans, but if a business can manage incidents before they escalate into an event they need to recover from; they remain in control and their investment in IT is not compromised. In a recent survey the following is true;

  • 60% of our clients had some form of monitoring before moving to Spook
  • 65% of our clients have increased their service level during their contract term
  • 100% of our clients have renewed their service contracts

An area deemed critical for disaster recovery is monitoring the server room environment where anything adverse could clearly lead to a serious situation. By managing the environment of IT equipment a business can ensure the equipment they have invested in has longevity therefore maximising the return on their investment.

Spook provides two environmental monitoring solutions. Spook Console© - for businesses that need to monitor multiple server rooms and Spook Central© – for businesses that need to monitor a single server room.

Both services provide:

  • Real-time alarms 24/7
  • Automated contact via SMS, e-mail, pager, PDA
  • Spook Support contact 24/7 via landline for all critical alerts
  • Audit Reports every week
  • Incident Reports for every critical alarm
  • Installation plans for every room monitored
  • Unique mySpook client portal
  • Real-time and historical charting for all sensors

Go here for a detailed service overview.

Spook Console:
Spook Console is designed to be installed on the clients LAN/WAN and is protected by the client’s fire wall and IT security. Spook Console pushes information out via the internet and exchange server in real time for all alerts and at regular intervals for sending system heartbeats and CSV data to Spook.  Go here for a Spook Console Topology.

Spook Central:
Spook Central is an ADSL based service whereby Spook provides a dedicated CISCO router at the client site and connects to a secure VPN back to the Spook servers. The installation is a private network and does not reside on the clients LAN/WAN. Spook Central polls each installation every few seconds.  Go here for a Spook Central Topology.

Power Management

It’s not unusual for the cost of electricity and cooling in a computer room to exceed the cost of the equipment itself. With the cost of energy skyrocketing and at the same time, user demand for more performance increasing, IT managers are facing a power, space and cost crisis. 

Spook's array of Power Management products provides ways to analyse power consumption and remotely manage the supply of power to socket level of a PDU Strip.

The following products have been designed to interface with Spook’s environmental monitoring service.

3 Phase Draw
Monitor the real-time draw of each power phase. Spook installs a Transducer around each Red, Blue and Yellow phase and connects back to the Spook Node via a transformer. Clients can set High/Low values on each phase and easily identify the real-time the power consumption of each phase for load balancing.

Spook Power Node
A 1U industrial grade Node with 8 x C12 sockets. Each socket is individually monitored and can be securely switched on/off or rebooted remotely. Alarm thresholds can be set at socket level of global level. The Spook Power Node also comes with additional RJ12 connections for expansion to environmental monitoring whereby Spook can provide an industrial 16 ports splitter unit to increase the number of externally attached sensors. For a complete specification and cost breakdown please download the Spook Power Catalogue.

Spook Satellite PDU

A range of PDU’s in different sizes. Available in 1U or vertical mounted strips, 16 or 32 amp with 12, 20 or 24 sockets. Each PDU is Ethernet attached and integrates into the Spook environmental monitoring service. The PDU is able to monitor;

Volts, Amps, Real Power, Apparent Power, Power Factor, KWatt Hours

For a complete specification and cost breakdown please download the Spook Power Catalogue.

Spook Auto-Switch
Auto-switch from the primary to the secondary power source if the primary power source fails. Once the primary power source becomes available again, the auto-switch will revert back to the primary power feed. For a complete specification and cost breakdown please download the Spook Power Catalogue.

Spook in-line Power Monitor
Update existing power strips with Spook’s in-line power meter. By inserting the meter between the power distribution unit and the power source (wall plug) identification of amps, volts, watts and power factor are shown. The values are continually displayed in bright red LED numerals. The standard unit uses IEC C-13 and C-14 connectors. Using these connectors the device is rated at 10 amps.

For a complete specification and cost breakdown please download the Spook Power Catalogue.

Surveillance

SnapShot from Spook is a low cost secure internet based surveillance service.  View your installation securely via the internet on Spook’s servers. SnapShot provides a real-time view as well as capturing events triggered by motion detection. SnapShot is also configured to take an hourly picture.

All images are stored safely and securely on the Spook file servers for current and historical review. Statistics are posted onto your account and you can search images based on activity or date. 

Once your space allocation is full you can either choose to archive or to auto delete the oldest images or upgrade your allocated data storage space.

Thermal Imaging

To the naked eye everything may look absolutely fine within the server room environment; however there may well be a heat-related problem just waiting to surface.

Spook’s Thermal Imaging Survey Reports offer clients a valuable insight into how their IT equipment and environment looks from a temperature perspective. Associated infrastructure elements critical to the IT equipment are also included, e.g. Air Conditioning units and electrical PDU’s.

The surveys are intended to support existing preventative maintenance programmes and, in order to maximise their effectiveness, our inspections are conducted at regular intervals throughout the year. This enables Spook and the client to review the latest report and, importantly, easily compare its findings with earlier versions to identify any potential trend or issue.

All Spook Survey Reports include multiple images all presented in ‘dual format’ (Visible and Thermal) allowing for easy location identification.

For those hard to pin down intermittent problems Spook is able to set up a camera and capture Thermal and visible images over a time period (e.g. overnight). These images can be auto-triggered by a temperature value or by a preset time-lapse period.

Specialised Monitoring

Spook is able to monitor many different events.  Our service can be tailored to present a generic or ad-hoc solution.  Each of our services is designed to provide valuable early warning data together with trend analysis and real-time alarms. 

All Spook services are supported by Spook's own dedicated support team 24/7.

If you have an unusual requirement to monitor something why not Contact Us to see how we would provide a low cost solution for you.

Monitored Conditions

Spook is designed to monitor any environmental condition a client wants. However, typical conditions that are monitored are;

       

> Power
Management and control of power is becoming more important. Knowing if you have a power outage or that your UPS and/or Generator have invoked can be critical. Spook also provides an array of power monitors and Power Strips that offer data for our clients to review and be alerted to abnormal conditions. Please review our Power Management section for more information.
^ Back to top

 

> Temperature
The ambient temperature of a computer room has a direct effect on components within IT equipment.

Service providers of IT hardware offer guidelines to recommended temperature levels for equipment. A server will usually fail or invoke automatic thermal shutdown once the temperature rises to a sufficient level. Once a thermal shutdown occurs or if the equipment fails it can not be used again until the temperature recedes and the server is re-booted. Not only could this could cause serious errors immediately or delayed over a given period but equipment may be damaged and alternative kit may need to be provided or ordered.

There is a worrying trend for manufacturers of IT equipment to query warranties and maintenance contracts for equipment by suggesting the operating environment is inappropriate. By using Spook clients can prove, via audit trail, the operating condition of the environment of their IT.

Spook continually monitors the temperature of a given area and forms a comprehensive database for each sensor. Each sensor is allocated an independent "high" and "low" setting to account for hot spots of a computer room. Any events that cause the temperature to exceed or recede past these settings will invoke a real-time alert.
^ Back to top

 

> Water
Water Ingress, whether it is in the computer room or in a general office area, has far reaching effect. If IT equipment is exposed to water through a leaking or burst pipe or a faulty air conditioning unit it is likely they will fail. Not only will this impact the uptime of a business, the drying out process can be at best, protracted or at worst, debilitating.

The drying out of water with fans and heaters is likely to increase humidity to a level where it is impossible or illegal to work within. It is not uncommon for areas that are being treated after a deluge to be uninhabitable for employees for a number of weeks until the general area has been made safe and humidity levels have dropped. There are strict health and safety guidelines for employers not to allow employees to work in areas of contamination.
^ Back to top

 

> Humidity
It is important to maintain humidity levels for IT equipment:

High Humidity causes galvanic actions to occur between some dissimilar metals. This eventually causes a high resistance between connections, leading to equipment failures. High humidity also has adverse effects on magnetic tape media and paper.

Low Humidity contributes to high levels of electrostatic charges. This increases the Electro Static Discharge (ESD) voltage potential. ESD can cause component damage. Also, paper feed problems on high speed printers are usually encountered in low humidity environments.
^ Back to top


> Smoke
Whether it is a smouldering cable or smoke particles in the air, Spook alerts clients to the event immediately.

Spook can be integrated with your existing smoke detection service or Spook can install its own series of smoke detection units. Spook uses an array of different smoke detection units and installs a pair of smoke heads, for Ionisation and for Photoelectric (optical) detection.

Ionisation
Ionisation Smoke Detectors detect the presence of smoke by means of a small ionisation chamber and a source of ionizing radiation.

When smoke enters the ionization chamber, it disrupts the electrical current field generated by the Alpha Particles and by measuring this change in electrical current an alarm condition can be generated at the required sensitivity.

The amount of radiation in an ionisation smoke detector is extremely small and is predominantly Alpha Radiation.  Alpha Radiation is very weak and is easily blocked by a sheet of paper or a few centimetres of air. Ionisation smoke detectors are therefore very safe to handle but should never be dismantled without the proper equipment.

Ionisation Smoke Detectors are generally better at detecting smaller smoke particles such as that produced by rapidly burning fires but are less sensitive to the larger smoke particles generated by smouldering fires etc.

Photoelectric (Optical)
Photoelectric Smoke Detectors detect the presence of smoke by means of a small light source and a separate photoelectric light sensitive cell housed within a sensing chamber. The sensing chamber is designed so that the light source and the photoelectric cell are mounted at acute angles to each other in separate sections of the chamber.

In normal circumstances light from the light source travels along the chamber in a straight line and does not enter the section where the photoelectric cell is. When smoke enters the chamber however the smoke particles scatter the light causing some to travel towards the photoelectric cell. By measuring the amount of light reaching the photoelectric cell an alarm condition can be generated at the required sensitivity.

Photoelectric Smoke Detectors are generally more sensitive to larger smoke particles such as that generated by dense smoke or smouldering fires but are less sensitive to small particles of smoke found in rapidly burning fires.

It is important to remember that Spook should not be used as a replacement or instead of a client's own building smoke detection service.
^ Back to top


> UPS Status
Many businesses invest in a UPS for the computer room to ensure equipment is powered in the event of a mains power outage. Spook connects to a pair of voltage free contacts to monitor when a UPS takes over the provision of power when there is a general power outage.
> Back to top


> Generator Status
Many businesses invest in a generator to provide long term power in the event of a mains power outage. These are usually set to automatically invoke. Spook connects to a pair of voltage free contacts to monitor when a generator takes over the provision of power when there is a general power outage.
^ Back to top


> IP Ping
An unlimited number of IP addresses can be monitored for the availability of devices on a client LAN/WAN.

Each IP address is assigned a friendly name. If an IP address can not be polled Spook sends an alarm of the incident. Spook checks for the IP address a number of times (defined by the client) prior to raising an alert in line with the alarm methods prescribed by the client.
^ Back to top