Maybe in the first day's they survive it, but the flakes are 99% from the fans/bearings, that's why you test servers at max load for at least 1 week and HD's for 2-4 weeks.

But i don't think they made even a initial load-/stresstest.

Unpack it, trow it into the rack, no checking of internal plug's just nothing...pretty sure about that.

Metal chips is squarely in the long tail of failure modes that you can't really anticipate (but of course really easy to be smug about in hindsight). It is also extremely unlikely the bearings, most likely these are from chassis frames assy not cleaned up properly.

I had some metaldust and it was from bearings, but op said something flakes and then microscopic particles. Particles = bearings, flakes = chassis or even stickers, but anyway just because of transport you dont trow a server into production without testing and inspection.

I am beeing smug about not testing your hardware as you do it with software....shitty testing is shitty testing, counts for software hardware firmware and everything between. Even for your diesel generator ;-)

I heard tale of a banking centre that had a diesel generator installed by a local company.

Load and simulated power failure tests all passed.

Then some time later there was a total power cut and that's when they realised the generator had an electric start wired to the mains supply.

And there is also the true story when "someone" forgot to fill the tank after 5 years of regular monthly tests, then the real thing happened.

> had an electric start wired to the mains supply.

But that's a good one, humans being humans...but it worked every time before today ;))