OVHcloud cuts power to two Strasbourg data centres after battery room smoke

What happened

Smoke was detected on a Friday evening in a battery room at OVHcloud's site in Strasbourg, eastern France, the company said. The company described the battery room as unconnected, and it cut off power to two data centres. Two security personnel affected by the smoke were examined by medical professionals as a precaution. OVHcloud said the situation was under control and that it was adapting its operations. The smoke incident came days after a fire at OVHcloud earlier in March 2021 knocked out government portals, banks, shops, news websites and part of the .FR web space, according to internet monitors. The source does not give the cause of the smoke or how long the power cut lasted.

Contributing factors

The source does not state the cause of the smoke in the battery room. It does not say why power was cut to the two data centres, or whether the battery room supplied them, and it does not give the restoration time.

Lessons learned

1. Battery rooms in data centres need smoke detection that can trigger a controlled shutdown of affected power systems before a fire develops.
2. Operators should plan for precautionary power isolation of data centres, including how customers' services are maintained or transferred during it.
3. Staff working near battery rooms should be trained in smoke response and given prompt medical checks after exposure, as a precaution.

More lessons on detection and monitoring, electrical protection and isolation, emergency response and public communication, from every incident on the register.

Source

telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com