What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110: http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me. There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them? Nick
On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 2:34 AM, Nick Hilliard <nick@foobar.org> wrote:
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days?
Telecommuting, in my case. had to say it! :0
I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110:
http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html
These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me.
There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them?
Nick
-- Dave Täht endo is a terrible disease: http://www.gofundme.com/SummerVsEndo
I used molded 15dB earplug from ACS that I also use for other environments (music, etc). They are way much more comfortable (like, you forget them) but also more expensive. BTW I'm looking for a place to get new ones in Europe, if anyone has got adresses. Will van Gulik On 23 Sep 2015, at 11:42, Dave Taht <dave.taht@gmail.com> wrote:
On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 2:34 AM, Nick Hilliard <nick@foobar.org> wrote:
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days?
Telecommuting, in my case.
had to say it! :0
I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110:
http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html
These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me.
There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them?
Nick
-- Dave Täht endo is a terrible disease: http://www.gofundme.com/SummerVsEndo
On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 2:34 AM, Nick Hilliard <nick@foobar.org> wrote:
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days?
Telecommuting, in my case.
had to say it! :0
I carry these around in my pocket all the time: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W2CPCC Not just for datacenter use. I find myself pulling them out every few months when I happen to be somewhere uncomfortably noisy. Not the same (or as much dB reduction) as some of the other foam ones, but they seem nearly indestructible and washable as well. I also have some of these around, because they fold up really nicely. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000U439KO About the same dB reduction (21) as the above. You can of course use both of these products together for a much higher degree of noise reduction but I rarely find myself needing that. ... JG -- Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net "We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN) With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.
Why not just build a Datacenter that is quiet? On Sep 23, 2015 05:34, Nick Hilliard <nick@foobar.org> wrote: What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110: http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me. There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them? Nick
Maybe I've always listened to my music to loud and spend the bulk of time via ssh, but I've never felt a need for hearing protection in a DC, is this generally an issue for people? On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 8:08 AM, Alex Rubenstein <alex@corp.nac.net> wrote:
Why not just build a Datacenter that is quiet?
On Sep 23, 2015 05:34, Nick Hilliard <nick@foobar.org> wrote: What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110:
http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html
These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me.
There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them?
Nick
Maybe I've always listened to my music to loud and spend the bulk of time via ssh, but I've never felt a need for hearing protection in a DC, is this generally an issue for people?
Depends on how long and how noisy. As I've gotten older, I find loud noise in general is less tolerable, so I've taken to always keeping a pair of earplugs with me. It makes being around loud music, etc., much more enjoyable. Long term exposure to noise is widely considered to be a hazard, but walking into an average data center for an hour once a month is probably not that risky. ... JG -- Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net "We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN) With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.
On 9/23/15, 7:53 AM, "NANOG on behalf of Joe Greco" <nanog-bounces@nanog.org on behalf of jgreco@ns.sol.net> wrote:
Maybe I've always listened to my music to loud and spend the bulk of time via ssh, but I've never felt a need for hearing protection in a DC, is this generally an issue for people?
Depends on how long and how noisy.
As I've gotten older, I find loud noise in general is less tolerable, so I've taken to always keeping a pair of earplugs with me. It makes being around loud music, etc., much more enjoyable.
Long term exposure to noise is widely considered to be a hazard, but walking into an average data center for an hour once a month is probably not that risky.
... JG
Depends on the type of "noise" too. Datacenters generate (more or less) white noise, which is particularly harmful long-term to the cilia in your ears because it excites all of them all of the time. A loud datacenter is much worse than a loud rock band, IMO. I personally use Bose noise-canceling headphones.
Since I’m in our colo facility this morning, I decided to put some numbers on it in my little isolated corner with lots of blowers running. According to my iPhone SPL meter, average SPL is 81 - 82 dB with peaks 88 - 89 dB. According to the OSHA hearing protection chart, 90 dB is the maximum level for 8-hour daily exposure. See https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9735 Etymotic, a manufacturer of high performance ear buds/ear phones says 85 dB is acceptable 8 hours per day, 5 days per week. See http://www.etymotic.com/downloads/dl/file/id/15/product/82/guide_to_safe_lis... There is some argument to the point of what type of noise but ~10 dB is still pretty good headroom using the OSHA limits and 4 dB is certainly usable for the Etymotic figure. In the general area the levels are 6 - 9 dB lower. My thought is if you’re listening to music many hours per day you’re may be exceeding these levels already. On Sep 23, 2015, at 8:48 AM, Bryan Holloway <bholloway@pavlovmedia.com<mailto:bholloway@pavlovmedia.com>> wrote: On 9/23/15, 7:53 AM, "NANOG on behalf of Joe Greco" <nanog-bounces@nanog.org<mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org> on behalf of jgreco@ns.sol.net<mailto:jgreco@ns.sol.net>> wrote: Maybe I've always listened to my music to loud and spend the bulk of time via ssh, but I've never felt a need for hearing protection in a DC, is this generally an issue for people? Depends on how long and how noisy. As I've gotten older, I find loud noise in general is less tolerable, so I've taken to always keeping a pair of earplugs with me. It makes being around loud music, etc., much more enjoyable. Long term exposure to noise is widely considered to be a hazard, but walking into an average data center for an hour once a month is probably not that risky. ... JG Depends on the type of "noise" too. Datacenters generate (more or less) white noise, which is particularly harmful long-term to the cilia in your ears because it excites all of them all of the time. A loud datacenter is much worse than a loud rock band, IMO. I personally use Bose noise-canceling headphones. --- Keith Stokes
On 09/23/2015 10:09 AM, Keith Stokes wrote:
Since I’m in our colo facility this morning, I decided to put some numbers on it in my little isolated corner with lots of blowers running.
According to my iPhone SPL meter, average SPL is 81 - 82 dB with peaks 88 - 89 dB.
With SPL that close to the recommended maximum, the accuracy of the SPL measurement is rather critical. I would not trust my smartphone's mic to have sufficient accuracy to protect my hearing unless it is calibrated to a known source SPL using pink noise of a particular weight. The calibration SLM should be a 'real' SLM, such as a Bruel & Kjaer Type 2250 or similar with proper transducers. (Yes, I know, a B&K 2250 will set you back nearly $4K, but, just what is your hearing worth? A pair of hearing aids will set you (or your insurance company at least) back $4K too....). I used a vintage B&K transducer with a custom-built SLM-rated spec-an years ago at a local manufacturer's sound testing lab; the manufacturer makes ballasts and luminaires for HID lighting, and measuring ballast noise is a big deal. But reasonably accurate SLM's are available for less than $500 (some are available for less than $100, but you get what you pay for....). The particular whine of high-speed fans is a known risky noise source, particularly white noise, due to the high frequency content (140dB SPL at 45Hz is not as harmful as 140dB at 3kHz or 15kHz due to the outer ears' acting as waveguide-beyond-cutoff attenuators (and cavity resonators, too, for that matter). Spinning drives are no better, particularly 15k RPM drives. If it's at all uncomfortable, wear the earplugs. You're already having to shout to be heard anyway.
These block out the loud noise but allow you to still talk. Surefire Sonic Defender EP3, Ep4, EP5, EP7 They all are great! http://www.amazon.com/Surefire-Sonic-Defender-Plugs-1-Pair/dp/B007FKY8SI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1443029640&sr=8-8&keywords=surefire+ep3+ep4 -----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Lamar Owen Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 11:13 AM To: NANOG <nanog@nanog.org> Subject: Re: Ear protection On 09/23/2015 10:09 AM, Keith Stokes wrote:
Since I’m in our colo facility this morning, I decided to put some numbers on it in my little isolated corner with lots of blowers running.
According to my iPhone SPL meter, average SPL is 81 - 82 dB with peaks 88 - 89 dB.
With SPL that close to the recommended maximum, the accuracy of the SPL measurement is rather critical. I would not trust my smartphone's mic to have sufficient accuracy to protect my hearing unless it is calibrated to a known source SPL using pink noise of a particular weight. The calibration SLM should be a 'real' SLM, such as a Bruel & Kjaer Type 2250 or similar with proper transducers. (Yes, I know, a B&K 2250 will set you back nearly $4K, but, just what is your hearing worth? A pair of hearing aids will set you (or your insurance company at least) back $4K too....). I used a vintage B&K transducer with a custom-built SLM-rated spec-an years ago at a local manufacturer's sound testing lab; the manufacturer makes ballasts and luminaires for HID lighting, and measuring ballast noise is a big deal. But reasonably accurate SLM's are available for less than $500 (some are available for less than $100, but you get what you pay for....). The particular whine of high-speed fans is a known risky noise source, particularly white noise, due to the high frequency content (140dB SPL at 45Hz is not as harmful as 140dB at 3kHz or 15kHz due to the outer ears' acting as waveguide-beyond-cutoff attenuators (and cavity resonators, too, for that matter). Spinning drives are no better, particularly 15k RPM drives. If it's at all uncomfortable, wear the earplugs. You're already having to shout to be heard anyway. ________________________________ CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail transmission, and any documents, files or previous e-mail messages attached to it may contain confidential information that is legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this transmission is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this transmission in error please notify the sender immediately by replying to this e-mail. You must destroy the original transmission and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner. Thank you.
So I intended to provide a few short comments on this but got on a roll. The below may be of more or less use to you but this is the way I look at things. Listening to music isn't all that bad a means of dealing with noise for shorter periods such as the odd onsite engineers have to do because either you're out of techs or it's a really complicated or delecate job and it requires more care than the average datacenter tech or (heaven forbid) remote hands can provide (because they don't normally do that stuff), especially if you're either using ear buds or full cup over the hear headphones because the mere fact of wearing these will probably cut 5-10db off the ambient. (I have a pair I use for mixing and production use that do much better than that even.) Second, the presence of music, as long as it ain't overly loud itself, tends to also not merely cover but it gets the ear doing different things so it's no longer focusing on the particular frequency set of the fans. If you're a datacenter or field tech, noise canceling headphones are basically a must. If that's not your bag and you don't need to be on the phone (I strongly advocate electronic means of communication such as google chat, SMS, irc, or otherwise just because it's more certain and doesn't require you to shout or listen to very loud background noise), then go with foam ear plugs. Carry a small package of them in your bag. They also tend to irritate your ears less than platic ear plugs and ear buds because the form to the ear, not force tissue around. On noise standards, accuracy of the meter isn't really important (as long as it isn't useless) because it's more of a "I should be thinking about it" threshold. But make absolutely sure you are measuring the A weighted noise curve, not the C weighted or your not measuring the noise that will most impact your hearing. You should also not rely on your employer providing ear protection. You should take it on yourself to guard against tinitis. (No fun. I have a touch of it in my left ear but not from music or concerts. From randomness. Overly loud music or sharp noises can set it off and it'll annoy me for at least a couple of hours until it drops back down to easily ignorable levels.) I just had to do 6 hours of wiring and cable management in some racks I've been helping assemble, meaning my head and hands were not in the middle of the aisle, but right behind the machines. It was only when I stepped away from the racks after the first hour or so to get supplies that I realized, "MAN, that's loud!" So if you're routinely in that environment, make ear protection a habit. You can buy a better set of headphones. You can't buy a better set of ears. Note also that in the last 15 years, fan speeds and drive speeds have increased as equipment has gotten more and more dense and as a result manufacturers have had to up the air velocity in order to cool the gear and that has generally meant small, steeply pitched, very fast fans. (This is especially true of servers built to be densely rack mounted and yet provide capacilities to house lots and lots of drives in that small footprint. Look at your average 1U crammed with these small drives. Have to get air through there somehow.) This has caused a shift in frequency as well as an increase in intensity. So the characteristics of the noise has changed. That's important because the current noise is closer to the center of our range of hearing and don't forget the harmonics. So not only has the noise gotten louder, it is now in a range where our ears are more sensitive to it and therefore it is more important to take measures to guard against. I happen to have a measurement mic and a decent spectrum analyzer plugin. I may take some measurements just to illustrate the makeup at various points. May even be worth a paper if I can get some equipment and colo vendors to cooperate and feed me data. -Wayne On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 12:13:08PM -0400, Lamar Owen wrote:
On 09/23/2015 10:09 AM, Keith Stokes wrote:
Since I???m in our colo facility this morning, I decided to put some numbers on it in my little isolated corner with lots of blowers running.
According to my iPhone SPL meter, average SPL is 81 - 82 dB with peaks 88 - 89 dB.
With SPL that close to the recommended maximum, the accuracy of the SPL measurement is rather critical. I would not trust my smartphone's mic to have sufficient accuracy to protect my hearing unless it is calibrated to a known source SPL using pink noise of a particular weight. The calibration SLM should be a 'real' SLM, such as a Bruel & Kjaer Type 2250 or similar with proper transducers. (Yes, I know, a B&K 2250 will set you back nearly $4K, but, just what is your hearing worth? A pair of hearing aids will set you (or your insurance company at least) back $4K too....). I used a vintage B&K transducer with a custom-built SLM-rated spec-an years ago at a local manufacturer's sound testing lab; the manufacturer makes ballasts and luminaires for HID lighting, and measuring ballast noise is a big deal. But reasonably accurate SLM's are available for less than $500 (some are available for less than $100, but you get what you pay for....).
The particular whine of high-speed fans is a known risky noise source, particularly white noise, due to the high frequency content (140dB SPL at 45Hz is not as harmful as 140dB at 3kHz or 15kHz due to the outer ears' acting as waveguide-beyond-cutoff attenuators (and cavity resonators, too, for that matter). Spinning drives are no better, particularly 15k RPM drives.
If it's at all uncomfortable, wear the earplugs. You're already having to shout to be heard anyway.
--- Wayne Bouchard web@typo.org Network Dude http://www.typo.org/~web/
On Wed, 2015-09-23 at 13:48 +0000, Bryan Holloway wrote:
Depends on the type of "noise" too.
Obviously seek competent medical advice, but my understanding is that this is a myth. The energy of sound is what causes damage. Bach played at 120dB will do just the same damage as a jet engine at 120dB. By reducing the "alarm" factor - by being more predictable, basically - loud sounds like music are often easier to tolerate and are often perceived as less loud, but energy is energy, and energy is damage. The other factor is time - the longer the sound continues at a given level, the more damage it does to the hearing. Here in Australia, 84dB for 8 hours is the highest "dose" that is legally allowed in the workplace without hearing protection. For sounds over about 95dB hearing protection is required even for short exposures. Regards, K. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karl Auer (kauer@biplane.com.au) http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer http://twitter.com/kauer389 GPG fingerprint: 3C41 82BE A9E7 99A1 B931 5AE7 7638 0147 2C3C 2AC4 Old fingerprint: EC67 61E2 C2F6 EB55 884B E129 072B 0AF0 72AA 9882
I use earphones for the phone and alerts function, and because they are noise cancelling, they lower the db of noise. I use Shure SE215. Eric Rogers PDS Connect www.pdsconnect.me (317) 831-3000 x200 -----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Bryan Holloway Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 9:48 AM To: Joe Greco; jim deleskie Cc: Alex Rubenstein; NANOG Subject: Re: Ear protection On 9/23/15, 7:53 AM, "NANOG on behalf of Joe Greco" <nanog-bounces@nanog.org on behalf of jgreco@ns.sol.net> wrote:
Maybe I've always listened to my music to loud and spend the bulk of time via ssh, but I've never felt a need for hearing protection in a DC, is this generally an issue for people?
Depends on how long and how noisy.
As I've gotten older, I find loud noise in general is less tolerable, so I've taken to always keeping a pair of earplugs with me. It makes being around loud music, etc., much more enjoyable.
Long term exposure to noise is widely considered to be a hazard, but walking into an average data center for an hour once a month is probably not that risky.
... JG
Depends on the type of "noise" too. Datacenters generate (more or less) white noise, which is particularly harmful long-term to the cilia in your ears because it excites all of them all of the time. A loud datacenter is much worse than a loud rock band, IMO. I personally use Bose noise-canceling headphones.
Seconded. I wear my Shure 425s with foam plugs most of my waking hours, they are excellent at blocking outside noise and sound pretty good to boot. On 9/23/2015 11:02 AM, Eric Rogers wrote:
I use earphones for the phone and alerts function, and because they are noise cancelling, they lower the db of noise. I use Shure SE215.
Eric Rogers PDS Connect www.pdsconnect.me (317) 831-3000 x200
-----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Bryan Holloway Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 9:48 AM To: Joe Greco; jim deleskie Cc: Alex Rubenstein; NANOG Subject: Re: Ear protection
On 9/23/15, 7:53 AM, "NANOG on behalf of Joe Greco" <nanog-bounces@nanog.org on behalf of jgreco@ns.sol.net> wrote:
Maybe I've always listened to my music to loud and spend the bulk of time via ssh, but I've never felt a need for hearing protection in a DC, is this generally an issue for people? Depends on how long and how noisy.
As I've gotten older, I find loud noise in general is less tolerable, so I've taken to always keeping a pair of earplugs with me. It makes being around loud music, etc., much more enjoyable.
Long term exposure to noise is widely considered to be a hazard, but walking into an average data center for an hour once a month is probably not that risky.
... JG
Depends on the type of "noise" too.
Datacenters generate (more or less) white noise, which is particularly harmful long-term to the cilia in your ears because it excites all of them all of the time. A loud datacenter is much worse than a loud rock band, IMO.
I personally use Bose noise-canceling headphones.
I normally have a set of Sennheiser HD-380's or HD-280's with my laptop. They have pretty good isolation and seem to make a pretty good difference, also I can either hear my phone or play music with them. When I mow the yard I use a pair of Koss headphones that isolate almost as good as a set of shooting muffs that I have. On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 7:18 PM, Don Nightingale <donnightin@gmail.com> wrote:
Seconded. I wear my Shure 425s with foam plugs most of my waking hours, they are excellent at blocking outside noise and sound pretty good to boot.
On 9/23/2015 11:02 AM, Eric Rogers wrote:
I use earphones for the phone and alerts function, and because they are noise cancelling, they lower the db of noise. I use Shure SE215.
Eric Rogers PDS Connect www.pdsconnect.me (317) 831-3000 x200
-----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Bryan Holloway Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 9:48 AM To: Joe Greco; jim deleskie Cc: Alex Rubenstein; NANOG Subject: Re: Ear protection
On 9/23/15, 7:53 AM, "NANOG on behalf of Joe Greco" <nanog-bounces@nanog.org on behalf of jgreco@ns.sol.net> wrote:
Maybe I've always listened to my music to loud and spend the bulk of
time via ssh, but I've never felt a need for hearing protection in a DC, is this generally an issue for people?
Depends on how long and how noisy.
As I've gotten older, I find loud noise in general is less tolerable, so I've taken to always keeping a pair of earplugs with me. It makes being around loud music, etc., much more enjoyable.
Long term exposure to noise is widely considered to be a hazard, but walking into an average data center for an hour once a month is probably not that risky.
... JG
Depends on the type of "noise" too.
Datacenters generate (more or less) white noise, which is particularly harmful long-term to the cilia in your ears because it excites all of them all of the time. A loud datacenter is much worse than a loud rock band, IMO.
I personally use Bose noise-canceling headphones.
-- Brian Christopher Raaen Network Architect Zcorum
Why not just build a Datacenter that is quiet?
Because the cost differential to do so is a lot greater than the $10 to get some hearing protection? Passive cooling typically translates to lower performance but also can be more expensive. ... JG -- Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net "We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN) With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.
On Thu, Sep 24, 2015 at 09:51:07AM -0500, Chris Boyd wrote:
On Sep 23, 2015, at 7:33 AM, Joe Greco <jgreco@ns.sol.net> wrote:
Passive cooling typically translates to lower performance but also can be more expensive.
$DAYJOB uses an immersion cooling system so it’s higher performance and much quieter.
And at what price differential over active air cooling and over passive cooling? -- Mike Andrews, W5EGO mikea@mikea.ath.cx Tired old sysadmin
On Sep 23, 2015, at 7:33 AM, Joe Greco <jgreco@ns.sol.net> wrote: =20 Passive cooling typically translates to lower performance but also can be more expensive.
$DAYJOB uses an immersion cooling system so it=E2=80=99s higher = performance and much quieter.
That's not typical passive cooling. And it's going to be much more expensive and complicated to implement than "air based" passive cooling, or active air cooling, etc. As an example, many mobile devices are underclocked so that their components dissipate less heat, and may actually vary the clock based in part on current temperature. This allows the device to more easily dissipate heat without active cooling measures, but you get the lowered performance of a slower part. It's totally possible to build quieter gear - we do that kind of work here, as some of you know - but it is a matter of tradeoffs. I can show you a Xeon E3 system that consumes a peak of 100 watts. SSDs for storage, fanless oversized PSU to reduce heat, massive CPU heatsink, and 120MM fans in a 4U chassis. Very quiet running, has a higher tolerance to heat as well. But most people don't want their hypervisors to take 4U of space for a mere 32GB of RAM and 12GHz of CPU. They'd rather stick 300 watts of E5's into a 1U and let it scream away. ... JG -- Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net "We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN) With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.
On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 8:50 AM, <Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu> wrote:
When buying a compute cluster, if there's a budget choice between 15 more teraflops, or 15 less decibels, the teraflops *always* win.
Loudly sounds like a flop to me.... puns fully intended -- Brian Christopher Raaen Network Architect Zcorum
I use these http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Faders-Tuned-Earplugs-Electro/dp/B007RRTO2Y/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1443014097&sr=8-9&keywords=er+20+ear+plugs in the equipment room, You can still hear, just brings the level down to a manageable level. Looks like a pair of headphones.
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110:
http://www.moldex.com/hearing-protection/foam-earplugs/pura-fit.php This are cheap, but that's sort of the point - you can put a bin, or several bins, filled with them on the wall outside a noisy room, and they're always available. This is working on the principle that the cheap ear plugs that always get used are better than the high-end ear protection that keeps getting forgotten in the office or left out of bags because it's bulky. My workplace has many constantly noisy areas, other than the datacenter, so this may be a somewhat different scenario than yours. Also, a spare pair helped me survive a Panic! At The Disco concert last week, so I'm all for 'em.
I use these normally. http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/laser-lite I am surprised some datacenters don't have a requirement for ear protection when entering their facilitiy. Most large construction sites I have been to required me to have ear plugs at least in a pocket and I have been to a few factories that required them on at all times. Many times these sites are quieter than the usual DC. -----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Nick Hilliard Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 3:34 AM To: nanog@nanog.org Subject: Ear protection What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110: http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me. There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them? Nick
I wear one of two things: 1) The 3M Peltor 105 ear muffs which offer 30db reduction. I keep them in my car because I also use them for the gun range, they fit snug but not annoying. They're only $18 on amazon: http://tinyurl.com/peltor105 There's also a behind the head bar if you don't like the over the top kind. 2) A lot more expensive, but with a side benefit; I have a custom set of ear plugs that I use for go kart racing so I can have radio communication. You can get them online or at most race tracks on a race day. Someone, or DIY at home, will use a big syringe to squirt the mold liquid in your ear, it sits for 60 seconds, then they pull it out and send it off to have the ear plugs made. They're very good at eliminating noise but have the side benefit of a headphone plug so you can still use your phone, ipod, etc. while you're in the data center. :-) David
-----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Nick Hilliard Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 5:34 AM To: nanog@nanog.org Subject: Ear protection
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110:
http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation- 1110.html
These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me.
There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them?
Nick
I use Etymotic earplugs on my motorcycle as well as in other loud environments, because they attenuate "without loss of clarity": http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B00... -- Harald
Being a musician in a band, as well as very frequent concert goer, I use those same ones. I like them the best for all around use. I have used many different kinds, and I prefer these. Thank you, Jordan Medlen Network Engineer Bisk Education, Inc. -----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Harald Koch Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 10:45 AM To: David Hubbard <dhubbard@dino.hostasaurus.com> Cc: NANOG list <nanog@nanog.org> Subject: Re: Ear protection I use Etymotic earplugs on my motorcycle as well as in other loud environments, because they attenuate "without loss of clarity": http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B00... -- Harald
If you go the "molded to my ear" route, do not forget that your ears will tend to change over time and these must be replaced periodically or they'll become uncomfortable and less effective. (I forget what the recommendation is but I think every 1-2 years at the outside.) On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 10:29:25AM -0400, David Hubbard wrote:
I wear one of two things:
1) The 3M Peltor 105 ear muffs which offer 30db reduction. I keep them in my car because I also use them for the gun range, they fit snug but not annoying. They're only $18 on amazon: http://tinyurl.com/peltor105 There's also a behind the head bar if you don't like the over the top kind.
2) A lot more expensive, but with a side benefit; I have a custom set of ear plugs that I use for go kart racing so I can have radio communication. You can get them online or at most race tracks on a race day. Someone, or DIY at home, will use a big syringe to squirt the mold liquid in your ear, it sits for 60 seconds, then they pull it out and send it off to have the ear plugs made. They're very good at eliminating noise but have the side benefit of a headphone plug so you can still use your phone, ipod, etc. while you're in the data center. :-)
David
-----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Nick Hilliard Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 5:34 AM To: nanog@nanog.org Subject: Ear protection
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110:
http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation- 1110.html
These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me.
There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them?
Nick
--- Wayne Bouchard web@typo.org Network Dude http://www.typo.org/~web/
On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 1:34 AM, Nick Hilliard <nick@foobar.org> wrote:
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days?
For me, it depends on the use case. If I need to monitor for other sounds, or listen to music: Bose QuietComfort 15 - discontinued, but still at Costco.com for $240. Their closest current model is the 25: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1NEUKK, $300). On one AAA battery (I use rechargeables), they last ~30 hours of continuous active use. The sound cancelling is excellent, and voice ranges come through well. The ear cups are almost unnoticeable - I can wear them for 8 hours, with glasses on, without discomfort. They come with a semi-rigid carrying case, and detachable cords with controls for either Samsung or iPhone. Always in my daily-carry bag. If I need pure focus, but will need to take them on and off a lot: The discontinued Howard Leight Thunder 29. (The current Howard Leight equivalent appears to be the Thunder T3, NRR30.) Full muff with headband, passive, 29dB, no frills. New old stock is still available. I have three - one at home, one at the data center, and one at the office. If you enjoy having your Cow Orkers tease you about the 747 you're about to guide in, these are great. :) The ear cups are a little more rigid -- wearing for 8 hours with glasses is noticeable, but tolerable. For reusable portability: The Etymotics mentioned elsewhere in the thread. http://www.amazon.com//dp/B0044DEESS. Long-term durable; I've had them for years, but only use them on the go. If you're actively having to talk to people in the data center, these are great, but if you're going to work alone, I recommend more NRR just to keep the average down over time. Also good for mowing the lawn, so you can hear if someone is yelling at you. I don't have any SilentEar (silentear.com, NRR32), but they look promising, and I'll be trying them. Disposable / backup / utility plugs: Flents "Quiet Please" - rolling foam, NRR29. Good for handing out to friends at concerts, and good for hotel sleeping -- good NRR, and no irritating external components. They come in packs of 25 pairs. And according to my wife, they take the edge off of my snoring. :) I'm not affiliated, but I've had good luck with earplugstore.com over the years. Their site is informative, and very NRR-aware - they list NRR in product title, and let you sort search results by NRR. Royce
I use the 3M E-A-R plugs at home and love them. Since my tragus doesn't fold over, I am unable to use traditional Apple earbuds or other things that just fall out of my ear. 3M E-A-R plugs are like memory foam and fit snugly, providing excellent noise reduction. I use ComplyFoam on in-ear headphones for the same reason, because those thin rubber ear bud covers are useless. http://www.amazon.com/3M-E-A-R-Classic-earplugs-Pair/dp/B007GBUC7M matthew black california state university, long beach -----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Nick Hilliard Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 2:34 AM To: nanog@nanog.org Subject: Ear protection What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110: http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me. There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them? Nick
For years we have used the Peltor/3M Bluetooth headsets in the datacenter. Proper hearing protection and noise cancelling mic, with the added bonus of protecting my head a bit when I am up on the ladder in the DC and can easily bang into potentially sharp things. http://goo.gl/ShTCEF They are about $375-$450ish retail, we picked some up on ebay in around $200 brand new. We have about 6 pairs that so far have lasted 8-9+ years with no problems. The only major suggestion if you are going to use them on a regular basis is to get the gel earcup replacements. These seem to be about $60ish. Sk. -----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org] On Behalf Of Nick Hilliard Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 5:34 AM To: nanog@nanog.org Subject: Ear protection What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days? I'm down to my last couple of corded 3M 1110: http://www.shop3m.com/3m-corded-earplugs-hearing-conservation-1110.html These work reasonably well in practice, with a rated nominal noise reduction rate of 29dB. Some people find them uncomfortable, but they work well for me. There are other ear plugs with rated NRR of up to 32-33dB. Anyone have any opinions on what brands work well for them? Nick
On 23/09/2015 10:34, Nick Hilliard wrote:
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days?
Summarising, people seem to use a wide variety of kit: Ear muffs: - 3M Peltor Shotgunner Hearing Protector - 3M Peltor Optime Acoustic headsets: - 3M Peltor WS100 - Howard Leight Thunder 29 - Sennheiser HD-380 / HD-380 Noise cancellation headsets: - "Bose noise-cancellation headsets" - Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic ear plugs: - Shure SE215 / Shure 425 (isolating earphones) - V-MODA Faders VIP Tuned Metal Earplugs - Westone Custom ES10 non-foam ear plugs: - 3M Peltor Combat / Arms Earplugs - Sonic Defender EP3, EP4, EP5, EP7 - Westone DefendEar - Etymotic Research ER20 Earplugs foam ear plugs: - Moldex pura-fit - Howard Leight Laser Lite - Flents "Quiet Please" - 3M E-A-R Classic earplugs thanks to all those who contributed + particularly for the discussion on acoustic measurement and analysis. Nick
Great summary of the thread No-one using remote control robots with video feed etc for working in these environments then? Plans to? ;) alan
participants (28)
-
Alan Buxey -
Alex Rubenstein -
Brian Christopher Raaen -
Bryan Holloway -
Chris Boyd -
Dave Taht -
David Hubbard -
Don Nightingale -
Eric Rogers -
Erik Sundberg -
Harald Koch -
Jameson, Daniel -
jim deleskie -
Joe Greco -
Jordan Medlen -
Justin Sherrill -
Karl Auer -
Keith Stokes -
Lamar Owen -
Matthew Black -
mikea -
Nick Hilliard -
Royce Williams -
Sameer Khosla -
Steve Mikulasik -
Valdis.Kletnieks＠vt.edu -
Wayne E Bouchard -
Will van Gulik