A couple of years back I worked on head-end cable TV systems. Our video RAID systems were composed of up to 16 300GB Fibre Channel disks, and we used a *lot* of RAIDs. When disks failed they were returned to the mfrs for very detailed analysis (electron microscopes, the works) For me, one of the most surprising was failed bearings, caused by micro-pitting of the balls by electrostatic discharge.
Many years ago, I worked on Honeywell Bull mini-computers using large cartridge removeable disks. You know the sound when you take a load off a large curcular saw, when the blade "sings"? Well, we heard that one day in the computer room, nd sure enough, a very fine brown powder fell out the cartridge when we took it off the drive. *That* was a head crash.
I don't suppose you remember the noise that mothballed PC made when we took it out of storage, do you? It was like dropping a penny onto the spinning platen
I've heard quite a few of those in real life. Sends shivers down my spine!
ReplyDeleteFunny!
ReplyDeleteI've long been sensitive to the sounds of things, and what those sounds, or the changes in them, tell you about their condition.
A couple of years back I worked on head-end cable TV systems.
ReplyDeleteOur video RAID systems were composed of up to 16 300GB Fibre Channel disks, and we used a *lot* of RAIDs.
When disks failed they were returned to the mfrs for very detailed analysis (electron microscopes, the works)
For me, one of the most surprising was failed bearings, caused by micro-pitting of the balls by electrostatic discharge.
Many years ago, I worked on Honeywell Bull mini-computers using large cartridge removeable disks.
You know the sound when you take a load off a large curcular saw, when the blade "sings"?
Well, we heard that one day in the computer room, nd sure enough, a very fine brown powder fell out the cartridge when we took it off the drive.
*That* was a head crash.
I don't suppose you remember the noise that mothballed PC made when we took it out of storage, do you? It was like dropping a penny onto the spinning platen
ReplyDeleteOh no! The magic dust that makes it work!
ReplyDeleteLet's see your RAID recover data from that!
ReplyDeletehttp://hackaday.com/2010/01/27/hdd-actuated-acoustical-instrument/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/05/dread-clicks-and-whi.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29
ReplyDelete(Probably same link as above, I didn't check if there are new "sounds")
HackADay A Floppy Drive Orchestra
ReplyDeleteHard drive in slow motion
ReplyDelete