Server racks come in many different sizes. Some are as short as a 4U Desktop Rack and might only be 9″ tall. Others found in data centers may be as tall as 8 or 9 feet and allow for as much as 55U of equipment space. In many data center environments, rack space becomes important, as the need to rack more equipment such as servers, storage devices, network switches and PDUs is part of the daily challenge. In many instances, limited square footage can present a problem. So what do you do when you run out of floor space for additional server racks? You could go vertical. Why not consider replacing traditional size, server racks with taller server racks that accommodate more equipment without the need for additional floor space? The most common rack heights found in data centers are typically around the 42U to 44U range. By the way, one “U” or “RU” space is 1.75″ tall. So, by replacing a 42U with a 55U, you gain 13U (22.75″), or 30% more rack space. In cases where hundreds of racks or more are in use, that translates into lots of extra equipment space.

50U Open Frame Racks may be bayed together with two, 55U Racks, for example. All four server racks may be equipped with top Air dams, and the rack on each end also may have a side Air Dam installed. Air Dams act like an eave on top of the rack, sticking out 5″ – 10″. The side dams also protrude out 5″ – 10″.  Air Dams are used in tandem with floor grates to improve air containment. These racks may also have optional, side panels for enclosing the two ends of the bay of racks.

On the flip side

The front of a server rack loaded with equipment looks cool, but the back of the rack is where things can get a little hairy, and organization is key to keeping your sanity. That’s why it’s important that a rack have vertical cable bar options, a place to mount vertical PDUs and in some cases, LAN and Power assemblies for network switch ports, etc.

See Open Frame, 55U Racks for sale.

Wall Mount Racks typically come in Open Frame or Cabinet styles.  The Open Frame, Wall Mount Rack is an effective, less expensive, racking option, but it won’t necessarily keep your equipment secure. To discourage equipment tampering, add panels to the top, bottom and sides, as well as a front cover. Because it’s an “Open Frame” rack, equipment installation, wiring and cable management tend to be easier than with an enclosed cabinet, and air flow is not an issue.

What height do I need?

Wall Mount Racks are available in many sizes for use with several applications. Open Frame, Wall Mount Racks are configured by height and depth selections. Heights may range from 12U to 21U, for example. When selecting the height, you determine how much rack U space you need. A “U space” measures 1.75″. A Wall Mount Rack may let you mount up to 21U (36.75″) of equipment in the front rack space, for example. If you don’t require that much U space, you might consider a 15U or 12U height instead.

What depth do I need?

The depth of the Wall Mount Rack is measured in inches (or mm) since it’s important to know how much room is required to mount a piece of equipment in the rack. Before choosing a Wall Mount Rack depth, measure the depth of your equipment to make sure it will fit in the rack, and be sure to allow for a minimum of 3 inches in the back for cabling. Therefore, if you select a rack that is 10.5″ deep, your equipment should ideally be no more than 7.5″ deep.

Also, consider whether you anticipate adding equipment in the future. The size of the equipment you plan to add later, may help determine the size of the rack you need.

Note: The Wall Mount Rack shown below has additional U space on the top and bottom that may be used for equipment such as patch panels or power strips.

Mounting a Wall Mount Rack

The best thing about the Wall Mount Rack is that it can be mounted on a wall (or almost any flat surface), which means it takes up less space and stays out of your way. Depending on the size you select, a Wall Mount Rack may support 300 – 400 lbs of equipment. I recommend you review the installation instructions prior to purchasing a Wall Mount Rack to make sure they correspond to your preferred mounting configuration and location. Typically, the Wall Mount Rack will come with assembly, mounting and rack mount hardware, but I suggest you review the product documentation to be certain.

What kind of equipment can I put in a Wall Mount Rack?

Wall Mount Racks are primarily used for racking network equipment such as switches or patch panels, but servers may also be mounted vertically in a Wall Mount Rack. Notice in the photo below how the power strip is mounted on the top of the rack.

This 12U x 4U Wall Rack has four, 1U servers mounted vertically.

Tool-less Filler Panels may be used to enclose the open spaces in the Wall Mount Rack. In the photos below, a 3U filler panel was added to mostly enclose the 4U top of the rack, but 1U of space was intentionally left open.

See Open Frame, Wall Mount Racks for sale online.

What height is best for me?
Desktop Racks come in several sizes and may be used with a number of appliances. Open Frame, Desktop Server Racks are put together with height and depth frames. For example, heights may range from 4U to 9U. When choosing the height, you decide how much RU space is needed. An “RU space” equals 1.75″. Therefore, a 4U Desktop Rack has 7″ of space in front.

What depth should I choose?
Before choosing a Desktop Rack depth, measure your equipment to ensure it will fit in the rack. You may also want to leave at least 3 inches in the rear for cabling. If not, your cables may extend past the rear of the rack frame posts. Also, if you plan to add equipment to the rack later on, you may want to account for it ahead of time so you’ll have room when the time comes. Most servers today are designed to mount to rack posts approximately 29″ deep.

Note: The Desktop Rack shown below has additional U space on the top that may be used for equipment such as patch panels or power strips.

See Open Frame, Desktop Racks for sale online.

Where can I put a Desktop Rack?
The best thing about the Desktop Rack is that it takes up less space than traditional, 4Post racks and stays out of your way. Position it on a desktop, tabletop, counter top or any flat surface (including the floor) that will support the weight of your equipment. The size rack you select, and the equipment you choose to mount will determine the weight of the rack. You should go over the installation manual before buying a Desktop Rack to ensure it aligns with your plans for use. Normally, Desktop Racks ship with all the required hardware for assembly, but I suggest you review the product documentation to be certain.

What kind of equipment can I put in a Desktop Rack?

Desktop Racks are primarily used for servers, but switches, patch panels and power strips may also be mounted in a Desktop Rack.

Example of a 12U x 4U rack with three, 1U servers and a
power strip mounted.

The main benefits of open frame racks are:

• low cost
• easy access to cabling
• unrestricted airflow optimizes cooling
• ease of installation
• shipping costs are less

The main disadvantages to open frame racks are:

• lack of security
• cosmetic – enclosed racks have a cleaner look

Open frame racks can be coupled together with a simple, inexpensive, baying kit, making them ideal for data centers. The cable management on an open frame, equipment rack is very simple. A vertical, cable management bar is typically included and provides an innovative and simple means of routing any type of cables.

Open frame racks typically have a fixed mounting depth. The most common depth is 29″ which is compatible with modern equipment from all OEMs. The equipment racks usually have square mounting holes and use cage nuts.

Open frame racks come in several sizes:

Most recently, a 55U open frame rack has become available.

Here’s an example of what the rear of an open frame rack, filled with servers and equipment, might look like.
This one is shown coupled together with a second open frame rack.

Here’s a great example of three open frame racks bayed together in a server room.

Links to More Information:

• List of Rack Types
• Why all racks are not created equal
• What is a 19″ rack

The rack on the far right has all the networking equipment as well as the phone system.  Using a 4Post rack works ok for this type of equipment, but the large amount of cabling can be managed more efficiently using a 2post rack, P/N: RELAY-RACK.  A product that is not as apparent in the photo but is another indispensable piece of equipment are the sliding shelves, P/N: 1USHL-115.  The 115 line of shelves was designed for larger pieces of equipment. However, in our racks we use it for the smaller, peripheral equipment.  Notice in the top of the rack on the right.  There are numerous, small, peripheral types of equipment all mounted on a sliding shelf.  There is also a sliding shelf installed in the center rack that is used just as a pull-out work space.

Another product that is used extensively in our racks but not very apparent in this photo is the tool-less fixed rail, P/N: 2UKIT-109-QR.  These rails take longer to get out of the box than they do to install in the rack.  They will mount any type of rackmount server.  These rails allow the server to be quickly installed or removed from the rack.  They are not slide rails. Therefore, the server must be supported when removing the rails from the rack.  There are numerous advantages to using this type of rail; it will mount your legacy servers that don’t have rails.  It will mount your current servers without your having to purchase the expensive OEM rails.  It will mount the next servers that you upgrade to without your having to ever buy another set of rails.  If you consider that OEM rails can cost upwards of $250-$300 a set and in this small 3 rack installation there are 17 pieces of equipment that require rail kits,  the cost savings just for rails could be over $4,000 for a single hardware refresh.  If this cost savings is projected over several generations of servers, the economics of using a generic type of mounting system is significant.

Shown below are 3 Open Frame Racks bayed together.

See Open Frame Racks for sale.

Rack drawers and boxes are available in several sizes and configurations.  The drawers and boxes are 14 1/4″ in depth.  This allows them to be mounted back to back in a 29″ deep rack.  This maximizes the usable space and provides the versatility to choose what option works best for a given installation.  The drawers and the boxes with lids are lockable to secure expensive equipment such as laptops or test equipment in the rack.

Rack drawers and boxes will make a difference to reduce the clutter and increase the organization in your rack.  The photo shows the internal racks here at RackSolutions and you can see that we “Eat our own dog food” utilizing drawers on the front and rear of our racks.

Order Rackmount Drawers and Boxes ]]> http://www.server-racks.com/rackmount-drawers-and-boxes.html/feed 0 http://www.server-racks.com/dell-t300.html http://www.server-racks.com/dell-t300.html#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:10:34 +0000 will http://www.server-racks.com/dell-t300.html

The Dell PE T300 is one of Dell’s new Tower Server’s.  Technically the T300 is not a Rackmountable Server but that does not stop people from attempting to install it in a Server Rack.

The T300 has a physical height of 17.94″ which would neccessite the server being installed in the tower conifguration.  It would be nice to lay the T300 on it’s side but it would not fit through the 17.7″ opening of the Server Rack.

In the tower configuration the T300 requires over 10 Rack Units of space, not including the shelf the T300 sits on.  This might be acceptible if there was an abundance of rack space but if the T300 was installed on it’s side it would only occupy 5 rack units of space.

The T300 has 4 pedestal feet on the bottom of the server.  If these are removed then the overall height is reduced to 17.5″.  Laying on it’s side it will easily fit through the 17.7″ opening of a 19″ Standard Server Rack.  The perfect product to do this is a Medium Duty Sliding Shelf.

The following installation shows a large number of PE1950s installed in an APC 3100 NetShelter Server Rack.  There are so many cables that the APC powerstrip is buried and cannot be seen.  The client was unable to plug the power cords in due to the large number of cables and the PE1950  CMAs that were causing an obstruction.

This photo shows how the installer attempted to resolve the issue by spacing the PE1950s apart.  Notice here how the CMA is approximately 1″ from the receptacle.  A standard NEMA 5-15P will not physically fit into that space.  What is needed is a Low Profile Power Cord.

The Low Profile Power Cords are less than 1″ in height and can be used to resolve installations where the CMA, Cables, or other device is causing an obstruction with the power receptacles.  These cords can be custom ordered with numerous different types of NEMA as well as IEC connectors.  Custom lengths are also available.

 The Apple Xserve is a well engineered server.  The rail kit used to install the Xserve is a remarkably simple design.  The current rail kit designs from other manufacturer’s like: Dell, HP, & IBM are more complicated and offer full slide rail features that the Xserve rail kit does not have.  The biggest feature that the Xserve rail kit is lacking is Cable Management.

The Xserve rail kit is very similar to some of the Dell static rail kits.  There is an inner track that is riveted onto the chassis of the server.  The outer track slides over the inner track and is locked together by a safety latch.  This design allows the Xserve to slide partially out of the Server Rack before it has to be removed.

The outer track of the Xserve rail kit is a very simple design.  The outer track comes with two different length mounting brackets that give the rail kit an installation depth range from: 24″ to 36″.  The shorter bracket provides an installation depth range of: 24″ to 29″.  The longer bracket provides an installation depth range of: 29″ to 36″.

The Xserve rail kit is designed to mount on the inside surface of the Server Rack uprights or posts.  Although this rail kit has a very simple design it could potentially have some obstruction issues with Server Racks that don’t have an unobstructed pathway from the front to the rear upright.  A Server Rack that has a “C” channel upright will present an obstruction with this rail kit, as well as a host of other rail kits.

Installing the Xserve rail kit is relatively quick.  This kit is not a tool-less installation, it requires the rails to be screwed to the Server Rack.  The lack of Cable Management could cause some issues where numerous servers are installed.  Overall the Apple Xserve rail kit is a versatile product that will install into most Server Racks without any major issues.

Answer: The Dell 4210 Server Rack is set at the Dell Standard Depth of 28 7/8″.  The depth of the Dell 4210 Server Rack is adjustable in 1″ increments.  All four of the Server Rack uprights can be adjusted to meet most rackmount equipment requirements.