[AuckLUG] [OT] Server Racks?

[Richard Wade]

On Tue, July 3, 2007 10:56, Justin Cook wrote:
> That's pretty reasonable compared to the other prices I had.
>
> What features do you look for in a rack? Is cooling a major concern?

It depends what the application is, to be honest. If it's a datacentre
rack that is to be quite heavily loaded and used, with the likelihood of
seeing quite a few changes over its life, that's one thing. If it's more
light use, in that it won't be heavily loaded, probably won't see too many
changes of equipment, that's another.

If you're after a datacentre rack, I would consider:

- what's going in it: if it's servers, will they all be rack mountable, or
may they require shelves. If so, can you get good shelves for the rack

- if you need to make the most of the space available, does the layout of
the mounting rails permit easy access to fit rack nuts, i.e. is there
enough room behind the rail to get your hand in, are the rails sturdy etc.

- does the rack include a good cable/fibre guide system to keep your
cables all tidy

- can you get the sides off the rack if required: this can be useful to
aid cooling in certain situations, or to provide easy cable routing
between two associated racks

- if you're operating on a raised floor in a datacentre with good
airconditioning, then does the rack permit the cold air to flow up from
beneath the floor, through the rack, and out the top, effectively. Also,
does it permit the cables to be easily routed in to the rack from beneath
the raised floor, up through the rack's cable routing system, and to the
equipment you've fitted. Or, if you're using overhead cable routing, can
the cabling come in from the top easily?

- does it have glass doors, metal doors, or mesh doors. These questions
are important when it comes to heating. Generally, mesh doors provide
better airflow than solid items as the rising hot air from the equipment
will circulate air from the door as well as from below the rack through
the raised floor

- how secure is the rack: lockable with a good key/lock system? is the
door secure once locked (i.e. can you just lift it off its hinges)? is the
rack able to be securely fitted to the floor if required? is the rack able
to be fitted on a floating base for quake protection? There are some
security standards for rack systems which you may wish to investigate if
you'll be hosting equipment for organisations which will require
compliance (e.g. financial organisations)

- and generally, how well built does it feel? when empty, is it all
flexible and bendy, or does it sit solidly. Are the corners of the metal
rounded, or will engineers strip their knuckles when working on the rack?
Does the rack allow mounting rail systems to be fitted so that servers can
slide in and out without being unracked? Will the front/rear mounting
rails stand up to a few years of rack nuts being fitted and removed?
--
rik