My wife and I are total houseplant nerds. We love having a jungle in the living room, but there’s a dark side: fungus gnats. These tiny little bugs seem to show up every time we repot something—probably thanks to contaminated soil.
But wait, it gets geekier. I’ve noticed that somehow these gnats manage to infiltrate my insect-proofed server rack, squeezing through the perforated door. And what’s their endgame? The alluring glow of server and switch LEDs. (Apparently, blinky lights are irresistible—not just for sysadmins.)
Now here’s the real sysadmin horror: I suspect that the fans in the servers are basically acting like bug vacuums, sucking those little nuisances right into the hardware and potentially leaving tiny gnat corpses all over my expensive gear.
LED Stickers to the Rescue?
In the true spirit of Amazonian problem-solving, I bought a cheap set of LED dimming stickers. Verdict? Mixed results. The stickers do a great job at toning down the glare, but there are still enough little cracks and vents for some light to escape. However, after a classic before-and-after comparison, I can confirm: the stickers are worth it!
“If you can’t fix it, at least make it less shiny!” – Ancient sysadmin proverb
Life Choices (and Rack Choices)
Honestly, it’s a little ridiculous that this is even a thing. I’d love to just leave the rack open for better airflow, but that just turns it into a 24/7 bug nightclub. In hindsight, I really should have bought a fully enclosed rack with decent active ventilation. Didn’t think that far ahead. Live and learn!
So: if you’re a fellow plant nerd and a home lab geek, learn from my mistakes. Protect your LEDs and consider your airflow!
Have you fought the gnat battle in your server room? Let me know your survival tips in the comments!
