Nucleus One lifespan

[Marco_Brivio]

Just got Nucleus One, happy with it.
I have a question about suggested usage by Roon technical support: in terms of lifespan is it better to turn it off when not in use or can it easily be kept on 24 hours a day?

[Jim_F]

On 24/7/365

[Rugby (aka Daniel or Big Dan)]

Related to but not answering your question directly…

1. The PC is running a database server which holds the database in RAM. Any sudden loss of power can result in Database corruption. So, backup often as if this happens you will want to restore the last backup, even if everything “seems” okay.
   To this end, I, in addition to resilient backup plan, put my servers/computers on a UPS so if the power goes out I can turn them off correctly.
   This sadly is harder to implement than on a standard OS, because the Nucleus’ RoonOS lacks the ability to interface with a UPS for automated shutdown in the event of a power loss.

2. Power surges. Even if you decide to rely on backups and forgo a UPS; you should have it plugged to a surge protector to protect the hardware from surges. Especially if you are running the server 24/7 and it is on when you are not at the house to turn things off.

3. As mentioned, it is running a database server. These usually do maintenance in the off hours. If you decide to turn on the server when you are going to use it, it will go through maintenance and re-check your entire library. Depending on library size this could be a long time. So, maybe factor in some coffee-time when turning the server on in the morning.

Directly answering your question…

@Marco_Brivio

in terms of lifespan is it better to turn it off when not in use or can it easily be kept on 24 hours a day?

If a computer is well built with quality parts then leaving it on 24/7 will not lessen lifespan, imho. I have a NUC running ROCK since 2017 that has been running 24/7. Now, I made sure I used the high quality RAM (Corsair) and Operating System drive (Samsung Pro NVMe); but, they are still chugging along.

The discussion about leaving computers ON 24/7 has been around for years. Some believe the act of starting a computer lessens its lifespan, others believe the opposite.