A systems administrator is performing a physical inspection in a data center and detects a strong, acrid burning smell coming from a server. Moments later, the server abruptly powers off. No alerts were posted in the monitoring software before the shutdown. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
The correct answer is a failing power supply unit (PSU). A strong, acrid, or burning electronic smell, often followed by a sudden system shutdown, is a classic symptom of a failing PSU. This is typically caused by overheating components or exploding capacitors within the unit. An overheating CPU would usually trigger thermal throttling and high fan speeds, and while it can cause a shutdown, the distinct acrid smell is more characteristic of a PSU failure. A mechanical hard drive failure typically presents with auditory cues like clicking or grinding sounds, not a burning smell. A corrupted operating system kernel is a software issue that would cause a system crash (e.g., a blue screen or kernel panic) but would not produce a physical smell.
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What causes a power supply unit (PSU) to fail?
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Why do failed PSUs produce a strong, acrid burning smell?
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How can you prevent PSU failures in a server environment?