Never push the Big Red Button

Wed Sep 15 21:13:01 UTC 2021

The bigger thing to notice is the *lack* of noise as every server, switch and storage system spins down.

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Keith Stokes

On Sep 15, 2021, at 3:50 PM, Stephen Satchell <list at satchell.net<mailto:list at satchell.net>> wrote:

In the data centers I've worked in over the decades, those Big Red Buttons would activate a normally-closed contactor in a breaker panel. When pushed, the contactor would open, and turn off all the circults in said breaker panel.  Not affected are lights, convenience outlets, door locks, and other non-data loads.  Resetting the contactor to the working position was done after throwing all the breakers to the off position, and then turn on each breaker, one at a time.

The only noise that I have ever heard when the Big Red Button was pushed was the loud BANG as the contactor operated.  You hear a similar bang in movies in scenes where lights in a large area are turned on and off.

Nothing like the BANG of a 600-amp 3-phase breaker tripping -- experienced that at University of Illinois Center for Advanced Computation.  You immediately look for the person holding a gun.

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