Ethernet Switch Question

[milanlad]

I have a Netgear Gigabit rackmounted ethernet switch. It has 2x 40mm cooling fans in the rear. They are extremely noisy!!

If I disconnect them, will that have a detrimental effect on the operation of the unit if I'm only using the unit to say 20-30% of its 'potential load', as such?

Item is:

Netgear GS524T 24 Port 10/100/1000 Rack-mountable Gigabit Switch

[Paul Adams]

I would say it depends on the environment - what else is in rack directly above and below, what is the ambient temperature in the room.

A swtich mounted at the bottom of an empty rack in a server room would have no problems at all, but one wedged between servers in a fully-populated rack in a cupboard under the stairs could run into issues easily.

Also the unit should have operational specs to give an indication of the temperature range it is expected to work under, so if you were to disconnect the fans and use a sensor to find out the temperature you could determine if it's running as normal.

The functionality of a switch is basic enough that I would not expect it to have a problem, but it depends entirely on how it has been laid out inside by the manufacturers.

Is there the possibility to swap the fans out with silent running ones?

[milanlad]

I would say it depends on the environment - what else is in rack directly above and below, what is the ambient temperature in the room.

A swtich mounted at the bottom of an empty rack in a server room would have no problems at all, but one wedged between servers in a fully-populated rack in a cupboard under the stairs could run into issues easily.

Also the unit should have operational specs to give an indication of the temperature range it is expected to work under, so if you were to disconnect the fans and use a sensor to find out the temperature you could determine if it's running as normal.

The functionality of a switch is basic enough that I would not expect it to have a problem, but it depends entirely on how it has been laid out inside by the manufacturers.

Is there the possibility to swap the fans out with silent running ones?

Thanks for your reply.

There is nothing above or below the Switch so it has airflow around it, and in the cabinet there isn't anything else that is producing any heat.

The ambient room temperature is mostly cooler than the other rooms in the house.

I have thought about replacing with quieter fans, or reducing the speed of the existing fans so that will in turn decrease noise.