-: Environmental sensors, in this lesson, 2 2
we're going to talk about environmental sensors 3 3
that help us monitor our physical environments 4 4
where our network devices are operating, 5 5
such as our data centers, our telecommunication closets, 6 6
and our main distribution frames. 7 7
These sensors are going to be used to monitor 8 8
our environmental conditions. 9 9
Things like our temperature and humidity, 10 10
as well as the electrical power status and whether or not, 11 11
we may be experiencing flooding. 12 12
After all, all of these routers and switches 13 13
are sitting in a telecommunication closet somewhere, 14 14
and nobody's sitting in there with them 15 15
looking at them every day. 16 16
So, how am I going to keep track of all of them? 17 17
How do I know the power is still on? 18 18
How do I know there's enough cooling there? 19 19
How do I know they haven't gotten covered in water 20 20
from a leaking pipe? 21 21
Well, this is where environmental monitoring 22 22
becomes extremely important. 23 23
Environmental monitoring relies on different types 24 24
of sensors that can be configured 25 25
to report back periodically, 26 26
or can be pulled from a central monitoring station 27 27
repeatedly, to maintain the status of those areas. 28 28
Our network devices need to operate in a cool and dry place. 29 29
To maintain the proper temperature and humidity, 30 30
we can have sensors that communicate with our HVAC system. 31 31
If the temperature begins to get too hot, 32 32
the HVAC system can increase the airflow 33 33
and cool the telecommunication closets more. 34 34
If the area gets too cold, it can reduce the airflow 35 35
and bring the temperature back to the right range. 36 36
Most network devices want to be operating 37 37
between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. 38 38
So, using an automated HVAC system with sensors, 39 39
can help ensure that occurs. 40 40
Additionally, we need to ensure this area 41 41
maintains the right humidity levels. 42 42
If there's too much humidity, 43 43
this can cause condensation in the equipment, 44 44
and that leads to water on our circuit boards, 45 45
which will destroy our network devices. 46 46
Conversely, if we have humidity that's too low, 47 47
static electricity can build up 48 48
and it can short out our equipment. 49 49
Therefore, we always want to make sure our humidity range 50 50
is between 40 and 60%. 51 51
Again, by having proper humidity sensors 52 52
connected to our HVAC systems, 53 53
we can increase or decrease the humidity 54 54
to keep it in that perfect 40 to 60% range. 55 55
Next, we need to ensure all our devices have power. 56 56
We can install sensors on our power lines, 57 57
or use our power distribution centers 58 58
to track the power levels 59 59
going into our pieces of networking equipment. 60 60
This allows to know if there's a surge, a spike, 61 61
a brown out or a blackout, or simply dirty power. 62 62
All of this can be remotely monitored 63 63
by our central monitoring systems 64 64
by using internet of things devices like power sensors. 65 65
Finally, we need to ensure devices 66 66
are not subject to flooding. 67 67
Again, we can place sensors in our telecommunication closets 68 68
and other non-human occupied spaces, 69 69
to detect if there's any water on the floor 70 70
due to a burst pipe or other sources of flooding. 71 71
These sensors can detect the change from dry to wet, 72 72
and when they become wet, they sound an alarm 73 73
or send a signal back to our central monitoring panel. 74 74
Remember, when it comes to our network equipment 75 75
and data centers, our devices need to be cool, 76 76
at the right humidity and receive clean powers and input, 77 77
and then, they need to stay dry from flooding 78 78
in order to continue doing their operations 79 79
day after day without any interruption. 80 80
(ethereal music)