Hi there,
Ever since I have upgraded the processor on my EX490 I have experienced heat problems (or at least I get the alarms via console) telling me to check drive X as it seems to be running hot. I am running an E6500 with the stock 2gb of RAM and it is ussually running at 40/50 degrees. FANs run around 1200s.
Any suggestions? I don't want to fry my hard drives (data)... I don't have the debug cable so this may be a good excuse to get one and tinker with the FAN speeds on the BIOs.
THanks,
Martin

I have an add-in (Home Server SMART) you can try. The first version and the current version have all been developed with an EX487 and EX490 as two of my primary test boxes. Home Server SMART is free to use too.

Home Server SMART Classic is for WHS v1 and Home Server SMART 2013 is for WHS 2011 and 2012 Essentials. It'll tell you what your drive temperatures are. You don't have too much reason to be concerned unless you find drive temperatures consistently running 55 degrees C or hotter.

You can get the add-ins here: http://www.dojonorthsoftware.net

Matt

_________________
Matt Sawyer
Owner, Dojo North Software, LLC

HP EX490, 4GB, E5300, 15TB - Server 2012 - Sharing and Streaming
HP EX487, 4GB, E5300, 13TB - Server 2012 Essentials - Backups

Hi Matt,
Thanks for your response. I believe it is you add-in telling me to check the drives. I have it installed for a while now and love it.
Thanks,
Martin

Well there are several options. But first you need to review a few items.
CPU temp,HD temp per drive.
Then review the temp specs for the drives.
I have found my system drive to run a little hot because it is a wd black and it is just above the cpu.
I also upgraded my cpu to a q9450s.
Which runs a little hotter than the stock cpu in my ex490.
First thing I did was adjust the temp alarm thresholds in smart. since they are set a little low by default per my drive specs.
You can do that at the whs console.
Select the settings link,scroll down to the smart settings ad you can tweak the temp settings for warm and hot.
But only do that if they are within the specs for the drive. You also want some gap in the settings so you are not within say a few degrees of too hot.
The next item is you may need to clean the dust out around the drives,vents and fans. Including the cpu area.

Then if all else fails buy the debug board to access the bios to change the fan speeds.
But it is a little confusing to figure out what to change. You will need to play with it a bit to find what works for you best ,temp or the sound of the fans. But while you have it apart to add the debug board and if your cpu is running a little hot also. It would be the best time to invest in some arctic silver paste and redo the heat sink on the cpu.

_________________
VGA/PS2 Keyboard/PS2 Mouse/Serial debug board
Popcorn C-200
Popcorn A-200
Dune HD Connect
Rasberry PI OSMC(KODI)
ReadyNAS RN316
Amazon FireStick
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AnyDvD
MyMovies

Thanks Ruben, I went ahead and adjusted the smart settings a few degrees up as per the hard drive specs (operating temperatures) I usually clean the dust around the drives a every few months. Just wondering does it make sense to replace the fans for more efficient ones (if there are any)?
Thanks again, Martin

Since the ex490 is end of life I would be leery of just taking the unit apart for just trying to replace a perfectly working fan.
Since you would need to completely tear it down to get to them.
Every time you open it up you run the risk of damaging say the backplane board.

Which I am not aware of a third party replacement.
PSU yes, but not the backplane.

Now if you determine that the fan or fans are faulty then you have no choice but to open it up.

But I still am not clear on what drive slot the problem drive is in.
The lower it is in the rack the more likely it will run hotter. And will be closer to the cpu temp

PS, It could simply be a bad drive where the motor is failing and overheating. Just that it has not developed other symptoms yet such as bad sectors.
But if you are contemplating on purchasing the debug board. I would do everything at once so you only tear it apart once.

_________________
VGA/PS2 Keyboard/PS2 Mouse/Serial debug board
Popcorn C-200
Popcorn A-200
Dune HD Connect
Rasberry PI OSMC(KODI)
ReadyNAS RN316
Amazon FireStick
Amazon ECHO
AnyDvD
MyMovies