[WEB4LIB] Re: Powering down PCs

[Dan Lester]

Wednesday, August 30, 2000, 1:49:01 PM, you wrote:
Wnro> Much as I hate to disagree with Dan, I'm going to.

No you don't, Walt.  You love to.  And that's fine.  I knew when I
sent that message that it would get a discussion going.  First, I'll
say that I know this issue is almost a religious issue with many.  It
isn't with me, though I obviously have an opinion, which I've stated.
For those whom it isn't a religious issue, it is at least a "Ford vs.
Toyota" issue...and of course that may be a religious issue to some.

Wnro> <Soapbox>
Wnro> To the best of my knowledge (and I've been following this stuff for 15+
Wnro> years now)

Same here.  Since Apple ][ days, and my own PCs since 83.

Wnro>  there is NO credible evidence that powering down PCs (when
Wnro> they'll be out of use for periods of more than an hour or two) will shorten
Wnro> their life in any real-world sense.

I think there are points on both sides, but don't have time to do the
research now.  I'll accept that for the moment.

Wnro> No body of statistical evidence supports such claims.

That of course is the problem....so many things can go wrong with PCs
that it is almost impossible to narrow it down to a specific cause.
That goes for dust bunnies, too.

Wnro> Powering down unused PCs saves power (absolutely). That may not be a reason
Wnro> in areas of unlimited free power generation, but it's a reason everywhere
Wnro> else, in terms of both direct and indirect costs.

I don't know where all the power is free.  It is less expensive in
Idaho than in many places, but it sure isn't free (q.v. my home
electric bill last month of $110.00, mostly air conditioning due to
the heat).

Wnro>  Each idling PC may only
Wnro> use 20-40 watts, but that adds up real fast. (A display without EnergySaver
Wnro> settings enabled is an entirely different and much more serious matter:
Wnro> you're talking about a *lot* of energy use for no benefit.)

Our monitors are "green".  They power down.  The time the energy is
being "wasted" is during minimal load hours.  Use of the energy then
doesn't hurt the power grid, cause you a brownout, etc.  The
electrical energy we use is produced 90 percent hydroelectric (and
most of that goes to California)

All that being said, there are other reasons that we leave the public
computers on all the time.

First, our computers have no power switches (well, they do, but
they're shorted across as part of security).  To reboot or turn
off you have to crawl under the carrel to the powerstrip and turn
it off.  The strips are also semi-concealed, at least unless you
crawl under the carrel.

Second, with some fifty computers to deal with, staff would spend an
inordinate amount of time powering off and on, at times when no one
wants to come in much before opening, or leave much after closing.
Further, though many of the computers are in the reference area, there
are also some on each of the other three floors of the building,
increasing the hassle factor.  We also do not turn off the LaserJet
5si or 8000 printers in public areas.  Most staff choose to turn their
computers off, but some don't.  We don't have a rigid policy on that.

Third, the time they'd be off would be between 1 and 7 am, a small
portion of the day, and a time when the powergrid impact is minimal,
either locally or nationally.

Do I think this will convince Walt or Robert (or others)?  Probably
not. I'm not saying I have the one right answer.  It works well for
us, and is worth consideration by others without being discarded out
of hand.

cheers

dan, now through tilting on this topic


-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com  www.postcard.org  www.gailndan.com