Purpose: a commissioning plan is prepared before procurement; installation follows an approved site design; commissioning then verifies the installed system against written requirements before operational handoff. This guide is not a device-selection, financial-return, repair or hosting-sales guide. It supplies a go/no-go record for site authority, utility terms, safety, environment, security, acceptance and decommissioning.
Go / no-go worksheet
Authority and contracts
- Jurisdiction, applicable authority, permits, owner or landlord consent, insurer and utility contacts.
- Written service capacity, tariff components, demand terms, curtailment authority, deposits, change rights and termination obligations.
- Exact equipment revision, recognized approval or accepted evaluation path, documentation, warranty and qualified design authority.
- Title, possession, site access, contractor authority, records ownership and responsibilities at contract end.
Site feasibility
- Documented electrical, thermal, airflow, acoustic, fire, drainage, corrosion, structural and physical-security assessment.
- Network segmentation, credential ownership, approved destinations, telemetry retention, remote access and incident contacts.
- Maintenance access, spares, safe isolation, housekeeping, emergency response, shutdown, disposition and recovery responsibilities.
- Written acceptance method, instruments, permitted observations, exception authority, rejection path and handoff record.
Each line needs an owner, document or drawing reference, review date, expiry or change trigger and disposition. “Not applicable” requires a reason and accountable approval. A seller statement or generic installation photograph does not close a site-specific safety gate.
Evidence register
| Requirement | Evidence and owner | Acceptance or exception | Change trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authority and insurance | Written approvals, permit path, insurer position and accountable contacts | Record conditions, scope and expiry | Equipment, occupancy, site or policy change |
| Utility and tariff | Written service, metering, billing, demand and curtailment terms | Record assumptions and termination path | Load, tariff, contract or utility change |
| Electrical and fire | Exact equipment approval, drawings, protection, isolation and response plan | Authority and qualified-party acceptance | Equipment, wiring, protection or code change |
| Thermal, airflow and acoustic | Exact documentation, qualified assessment and site observation method | Site-specific acceptance record | Layout, enclosure, occupancy or seasonal change |
| Network and telemetry | Asset owner, access matrix, firmware source, retention and incident path | Test alert, access and recovery evidence | Firmware, endpoint, credential or provider change |
| Operations and exit | Maintenance, spares, shutdown, removal and disposition responsibilities | Signed handoff and unresolved-exception list | Operator, contract, equipment or site exit |
Controlled commissioning sequence
- Freeze the scope: identify the actual site, exact equipment revision, approved drawings, contracts, governing documents and acceptance criteria. Control later changes.
- Complete design review: qualified parties reconcile the proposed electrical, mechanical, fire, environmental, security and operational design with site conditions and authority requirements.
- Inspect de-energized: verify identity, approvals, physical condition, installation, protection, connections, airflow path, access, labels and isolation readiness without improvising work beyond authorized roles.
- Authorize the test: establish who may energize, who can stop, the safe state, observation method, instrument suitability, communications and incident response.
- Run controlled acceptance: follow the approved equipment and site procedure; record the window, configuration, observations, alarms, interruptions and deviations. Do not substitute generic performance numbers.
- Resolve exceptions: classify each deviation, assign an owner and deadline, record the authority for any conditional acceptance and retest where required.
- Hand off deliberately: transfer drawings, settings, credentials, logs, maintenance, emergency contacts, shutdown authority, warranty records and change-control duties to named owners.
Acceptance record and operational handoff
Record the exact model and hardware revision, serials, approval evidence, firmware source and version, configuration, inspection results, authorized electrical observations, wall-input measurement method, accepted-work observation window, environmental conditions, alarms, access ownership, alert test, backup or recovery evidence and unresolved exceptions. Preserve raw evidence and identify who witnessed or approved each step.
Commissioning evidence is not a permanent guarantee. Operating conditions, equipment, firmware, utilities, airflow and contractual responsibility can change. Define the monitoring and review trigger rather than claiming that a single test establishes future safety, uptime or output.
After handoff, use the preventive maintenance guide for scheduled care, the hardware-failure triage guide for symptom-led diagnosis, and the operational risk register for broader operational and cybersecurity ownership. When commissioning a third-party site, use the hosting due-diligence checklist to allocate evidence, control and exit responsibilities. These guides do not substitute for commissioning, authorized electrical work or an emergency procedure.
Security, telemetry and incidents
Before the production network is connected, assign the asset owner, credential owner, approved administrators, firmware authority, configuration baseline, allowed network destinations, remote-support rules, log retention and incident contacts. Change default credentials, segment management access and preserve firmware provenance. Test alert delivery and the recovery route without exposing live secrets.
An incident plan should define detection, safe shutdown authority, evidence preservation, notification, containment, recovery, return-to-service approval and lessons learned. NIST’s incident-response guidance supports integrating preparation, detection, response and recovery with broader risk management. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s supply-chain guidance supports managing technology risk throughout acquisition and operation.
Change control and decommissioning
A change to equipment revision, firmware, electrical supply, protection, layout, cooling, exhaust, occupancy, network access, utility contract or responsible operator can invalidate an earlier assumption. The change record should identify affected evidence, required reviewers, testing and approval before return to service.
Decommissioning needs safe authorized isolation, service and contract closure, access revocation, credential removal, inventory reconciliation, data and log handling, equipment disposition, waste or recycling records, landlord restoration and retained evidence. Allocate costs and authority before installation so a failed operator or contract does not strand unsafe or inaccessible equipment.
Sources and governing evidence
Sources reviewed 29 August 2026. Exact equipment documentation, the authority having jurisdiction, utility, owner, insurer and qualified professional requirements govern site decisions. Recheck current editions, scope and local adoption before relying on any general source.
- Standards Council of Canada: recognized Canadian electrical approval marks.
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: supply-chain risk management.
- NIST: Incident Response Recommendations and Considerations for Cybersecurity Risk Management.
- ASHRAE: data-centre reliability and energy-efficiency planning.
Frequently asked questions
Is ASIC site commissioning the same as installing a miner?
No. A commissioning plan is prepared before purchase, installation follows the exact approved design and equipment documentation, and commissioning verifies the installed system against written acceptance criteria before handoff. Qualified and authorized parties must perform work within their roles.
Who may approve electrical and fire-safety work?
The applicable authority, property owner, insurer, utility and qualified professionals determine the required approvals. Their roles depend on the jurisdiction and site. This guide does not replace local rules, permits, an accepted field evaluation or the exact equipment documentation.
What must be confirmed before purchase?
Confirm written site control, utility and tariff terms, landlord consent, permits, insurance, exact equipment revision, electrical approval path, cooling and airflow design, network controls, maintenance responsibilities, acceptance method and exit obligations before committing capital.
How should heat, airflow and noise be evaluated?
Use the exact equipment documentation and a qualified site assessment. Record the proposed intake and exhaust paths, heat rejection, environmental conditions, acoustic exposure, neighbouring receptors and acceptance method. Generic thresholds from another device or site are not evidence for this installation.
What evidence belongs in a commissioning record?
Keep approvals, drawings, exact model and revision, firmware provenance, inspection and acceptance records, authorized readings, test window, environmental observations, alarms, access ownership, incident contacts and every exception with its accountable owner and closure evidence.
What follows an alarm, security event or site change?
Use the documented safe-state and incident path, preserve relevant evidence, notify the accountable parties and reassess every affected assumption before return to service. A material equipment, firmware, electrical, airflow, occupancy or contract change may require renewed approval and acceptance.
