HP A4500A - VMEbus Single Board Computer 744 Motherboard Hardware Manual page 49

Other Safety/Operation Standards
The following are some of the other environmental influences that may affect L Class servers.
Vibration
Continuous vibration can cause a slow degradation of mechanical parts and, when severe, can cause data
errors in disc drives. Mechanical connections such as printed circuit assembly (PCA) connectors, cable
connectors, and processor backplane wiring can also be affected by vibration.
Flammable Materials
Fundamental safeguards for computer systems should include a site well away from any sources of potential
damage. The system should not be installed or operated in an environment where there is a risk of fire or
explosion due to the existence of highly flammable gases, volatile liquids, or combustible dust.
Airborne Contaminants
Airborne contaminants and particles of a certain size and hardness can damage your computer system,
particularly disc drives. Corrosive gases and/or solvent vapors such as those from liquid spirit duplicating
equipment and wet-process photo copiers can also cause damage. Some of the most common contaminants are
dust, smoke, ash, eraser debris, food crumbs, and salty air.
Electrostatic Discharge
If there is an abnormally high level of static electricity at your computer system's location (15 KV or higher),
anyone can cause "sparking" upon contact with the equipment. Carpeting and/or low humidity is a major
source of static electricity, especially in dry and cold climates. Static electricity can often be significantly
reduced by using a humidifier.
NOTE Hewlett-Packard recommends a heat evaporating-type humidifier and strongly advises against
using a cold water atomizer type humidifier
Other ways to minimize electrostatic discharge are by using specially grounded mats in front of the computer
system or by treating carpeting with anti-static spray. If spray is used, apply it while the system is turned off.
Sprays are very temporary and must be reapplied frequently.
Anti-static spray is not recommended because it gets into the system intake filter and coats the
CAUTION
circuitry.
Chapter
Other Safety/Operation Standards
57