Do you leave your lab on?????

Hi guys,

Was just wondering who leaves tehre labs switched on all the time or just turn it on when needed? I got 3 routers 2 switches and access server and they do add to the heat in my room!

Advice please?

Thanks

Kevin

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billscott92787

Kevin,

I would say that as long as you actually save your configurations, then there wouldn't be any reason really to "leave" the lab running all the time. Plus, I'm sure it will add to your electric bill as well lol. If you turn the routers and switches off, just plan a few extra minutes when you wanted to lab, to wait for them to boot up, and converge if you have a routing protocol configured.

thenjduke

I never leave my lab on.

Xenz

heat prevents me from leaving much of anything on. Laptops/switches raise the temp in this room by 10+ degrees so I either save and shut everything down, or shut everything down and reconfigure from scratch. I've converted all my other boxes that I test with into VM's to cut down on electric bills and heat. The only thing I'm considering running besides my desktop is a box running pfsense.

jamesleecoleman

I used to leave my lab on until my dad told me that I had to turn them off.
Now I only turn them on when I play around.

keenon

nope, i haven't since purchasing my first router.

jason_lunde

If you get the right ups you can turn it off/on remotely...if you want to play while you are away (like at the office)!

jamesleecoleman

jason_lunde wrote: »

If you get the right ups you can turn it off/on remotely...if you want to play while you are away (like at the office)!

What ups would it be?

kryolla

I Leave mine on all the time the temp gets to around mid 80s with 6-8 routers and 2 switches

/usr

Unless you're going to work in your lab remotely and just don't want to go through the hassle of turning it on when you may use it, there really is no reason to leave it running constantly as it just heats up the room and costs you more money in electricity.

dynamik

Only when I'm using it or think I'll be accessing it remotely.

seraphus

No.
But if this is something you would like to do, you might consider:

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msteinhilber

None of my equipment in my router lab is on unless I'm using it. Since my schedule varies and I often times have free time away from home, I invested in a couple remote power switches so I have 10 ports of power I can turn off/on anywhere I'm at. A great investment if you work away from home often, or even if you are like me and work at home a lot but have your router lab in your basement where it can make all the noise it wants when it's on.

drew2000

I turn mine off unless using it!

Drew

SrAtechie

I turn all of my equipment off. I left it on for a month just to see how much it would add to my electric bill and it added about $100 to it. So I decided that it's worth saving the money to wait the 5-10 minutes to get my lab up and running. Turning equipment off also teaches you the great lesson of saving your configs. I've had to redo many a lab because I forgot to wr before I powered stuff off.

tiersten

My networking lab is usually off unless I need it. My VMware one is always on since I actually use it for other things.

snadam

leaving my lab on turns my already 85 degree room to a 90+ degree room in the summer. However, its an excellent source of heat during the wintertime

it stays off unless im using it. Which can be a PITA, but im saving $$ on multiple fronts.

wbosher

I turn mine off too. As well as the heat, it would make one hell of a noise when my wife and I are trying to sleep in the next room.

I don't usually save my configs, I find it good starting from scratch each time. Having to do something over and over helps me remember it...my memory's not what it used to be.

Turgon

kevin31 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Was just wondering who leaves tehre labs switched on all the time or just turn it on when needed? I got 3 routers 2 switches and access server and they do add to the heat in my room!

Advice please?

Thanks

Kevin

My gear is only on when Im using it. Leaving a rack of equipment buzzing when Im out of the house is wasteful in terms of energy and a potential fire hazard!

beef1218

Not to mention the heat, I can't stand the noise.

TBellamy

No. Too much heat and noise. Not to mention the waste of money and energy.

mikej412

The boot time on the slowest booting routers and switches isn't that much longer than the time it takes to get a cup coffee.....

The only time it might be worth leaving on is when you have a small lab and time at work to use the lab remotely -- and no money to buy a remote power switch. But at some point the money spent powering the lab while not being used would pay for a remote power switch.

msteinhilber

mikej412 wrote: »

The only time it might be worth leaving on is when you have a small lab and time at work to use the lab remotely -- and no money to buy a remote power switch. But at some point the money spent powering the lab while not being used would pay for a remote power switch.

For anybody interested in an inexpensive option for remote power, keep an eye out on ebay for a WTI RPB+. The 5 port switches I've picked up for around $20-25 each shipped. They are not IP enabled though, so you have to connect them via serial and terminal into them to switch devices on and off but they are cheap. Use caution when buying though, they make them in 115v AC and 48v DC as well and they look identical from the front.

Forsaken_GA

I usually have 4 switches and a pair of routers powered on, running my home network, and they're on all the time, essentially mimicking a small scale enterprise network. My other gear only gets turned on when I need it. I do this, especially when studying new concepts that I'm implementing, because it gives me some idea of how things perform in a production environment, and how it will effect the end user (everyone in the house goes through my network, so it effects more than just myself when I'm playing).

That gives me the imperative to make sure what I'm trying to do, I'm doing right, otherwise people visit me and ask why the network is broken. When I do break something, I learn what the symptoms are, and how to properly fix them.

msteinhilber

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I usually have 4 switches and a pair of routers powered on, running my home network, and they're on all the time, essentially mimicking a small scale enterprise network. My other gear only gets turned on when I need it. I do this, especially when studying new concepts that I'm implementing, because it gives me some idea of how things perform in a production environment, and how it will effect the end user (everyone in the house goes through my network, so it effects more than just myself when I'm playing).

That gives me the imperative to make sure what I'm trying to do, I'm doing right, otherwise people visit me and ask why the network is broken. When I do break something, I learn what the symptoms are, and how to properly fix them.

I used to do the same when I was studying with my lab early 2008. My wife storming downstairs after I would botch something up on accident could easily equate to a dozen or so "typical" upset users.

sides14

I leave my equipment powered off until I need to us it.

kevin31

Thanks guys! Seems the gernal thing is to turn it off!

kryolla

its really up to you. Do you leave your computer on all the time even though your not using it. If you dont mind the extra heat or paying more for your electric bill then go for it. The routers wont break by leaving it on 24/7 thats what they're meant to do albeit in a controlled environment as long as you stay within the operating range.

ajmatson

I have my main servers connected to the lab and the DSL router. When I turn off my lab the traffic uses the DSL router to serve up my sites until I turn back on the lab and then it routes the traffic.

captobvious

+1 power it down