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https://motherboard.vice.com/read/a-loud-sound-just-shut-down-a-banks-data-center-for-10-hours
ING Bank's main data center in Bucharest, Romania, was severely damaged over the weekend during a fire extinguishing test. In what is a very rare but known phenomenon, it was the loud sound of inert gas being released that destroyed dozens of hard drives. The site is currently offline and the bank relies solely on its backup data center, located within a couple of miles' proximity.
"The drill went as designed, but we had collateral damage", ING's spokeswoman in Romania told me, confirming the inert gas issue. Local clients were unable to use debit cards and to perform online banking operations on Saturday between 1PM and 11PM because of the test. "Our team is investigating the incident," she said.
The purpose of the drill was to see how the data center's fire suppression system worked. Data centers typically rely on inert gas to protect the equipment in the event of a fire, as the substance does not chemically damage electronics, and the gas only slightly decreases the temperature within the data center.
(Score: 2) by weeds on Tuesday September 13 2016, @02:55PM
Well, my friend, you can doubt it all you want.
I spec'd the system, I selected the system, I purchased the system, I supervised the installation of the system, and I was in the room for the test.
Those cylinders that said HALON on them were connected and I had the pleasure of sounding like Michael Clarke Duncan for the few minutes we were in there.
As you may have deduced from my mention of the computers and drives, this was in the early 1980's.
As I recall, the percentage was something like 4% and once the meter (on the floor, since Halon is heavier than air) registered that, the doors were opened.
I can say for certain that no one exposed died during the test or within the next 5 years that I worked there.
And thank you tangomargarine for the details.
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