Can a server room have a sliding door...

[Ken Taylor]

I've seen a few tidy and well managed server rooms - and others better described as a disgrace with cables all over the place and through the doorway preventing closure, desks, open cabinets, additional electrical appliances, piles of papers and technical manuals on the floor, etc, etc. In my experience, IT people are probably some of the most untidy people around - second only to arts and entertainments staff. On the few occasions that I've been involved in the design of buildings with such rooms, 30min fire doors have been the norm.

Sliding doors have never been that popular with me. They're often installed because of lack of space for a normal door or to replace one - so inevitably you're looking at potential congestion and a door permanently wedged open, non-operational or off-track. Whilst OK 'in the text book' I prefer to plan for how people tend to use buildings. 'Playing safe' I suppose.

[Midland Retty]

If the server room is situated directly off a dead end corridor then I would suggest you might look at the need for an FD 30s (30 minute fire door with seals and strips etc) but only if people would need to pass it to escape.

As many posters have already stated its probably not required in a medium or normal risk office environment and would only be considered beneficial from a property protection point of view.

The fact is server rooms can and do catch fire occassionally and you are definately right to look into this deeper. Some form of supression system might be worth looking at too (but again this more from a building / business continuity persepctive)

I normally agree with a lot of what PhilB says on these forums but on this occassion have to admit that paper and electrics together can be very scary in certain circumstances. Perhaps more of concern would be the nasty products of combustion given off by the ammount of plastics used in computer housing and other equipment.

If for instance the server room was in a large hotel directly off a corridor which also had bedrooms leading from it then I might look at an FD 30s


Hope this helps and I realsie its really just a repeat of what other people said already.

[PhilB]

I think we all saying the same thing Retty. As you correctly point out paper and electrics may be scarey in certain circumstances. Not I would suggest in an open plan office where everyone can turn their back on what would be a slow developing fire and walk to a place of safety.

There may of course be a need to protect the server room for buisiness continuity reasons. I just think we should make sure we understand why we are asking for these things.

[Midland Retty]

I think we all saying the same thing Retty. As you correctly point out paper and electrics may be scarey in certain circumstances. Not I would suggest in an open plan office where everyone can turn their back on what would be a slow developing fire and walk to a place of safety.

There may of course be a need to protect the server room for buisiness continuity reasons. I just think we should make sure we understand why we are asking for these things.

Absolutely PhilB...couldn't agree more... by the way on a slightly different subject are you still doing the rounds as PC Tony Stamp's stunt double in The Bill? :p

[PhilB]

Sierra oscar 95 receiving.........

[Ken Taylor]

Useful for protecting the servers and all the other back-ups, manuals and the like;

may  help to protect the MoE if persons need to pass when exiting (perhaps even from beyond the open-plan office); and

also useful to delay fire and combustion products from spreading beyond the server room.

Whilst getting people out is the primary objective, there's always a lot in favour of keeping the workplace and the jobs that go with it.

[Midland Retty]

Sierra oscar 95 receiving.........

you even know his correct call sign.... im just in awe of you!