Server Cabinet Sizing Up

There are numerous things to consider whenever choosing your server cupboard. The height, width and depth from the cabinet you choose may have serious implications for the technology you are able to fit within it. This is a buyers’ guide to help you produce the right decision.

Elevation

The height of information cabinets and server racks are usually measured in increments associated with size called ‘u’ increments. 1 ‘u’ is 44.45mm higher. In most cases the 24 port patch panel or switch is going to be 1u high.

It is important to think about the equipment you need to use inside your server stand. Not all equipment is actually rack mountable, and if you wish to use equipment that isn’t you should include how big it in your dimensions and divide the elevation by 44.45 to provide an approximate ‘u’ worth. Once you have a concept of the space it’ll occupy, you will then have to mount a special ledge to hold this device.

It is always a good idea to purchase a server rack which includes at least 10-15% space for future expansion. Should you suddenly decide to expand about the equipment in your server stand, you will have saved considerable time and potential headaches by planning well ahead of time. Otherwise you will face additional costs related to moving your equipment out of your existing server rack right into a new one – with respect to the purpose of your server, these could be considerable.

Because the ‘u’ value describes the internal space from the server cabinet, it can provide you only a rough concept of the external dimensions from the rack itself. Server cabinets can differ considerably in size and factors to consider noting down both internal AND external dimensions before you buy to help you ensure there will be space inside your office or data center.

Width

Most server racks come in 1 of 2 widths; 600mm or 800mm. Whatever the width you choose, the 19″ mounting perspectives for rack mounted equipment will more often than not be the same. So why might you’ll need a wider server rack? The primary difference between 600mm and 800mm may be the space inside for cable television management. If you have the complex server arrangement and you aren’t extremely short on living area, we recommend you pick the wider rack as this can make organizing your cables easier.

Depth

The depth of server racks has become increasingly important as manufacturers start to favor shorter, deeper develops over taller, shallower types. As a rule of thumb the particular working space within your cabinet is going to be around 150mm less compared to measurement quoted for level. In a server stand of 1000mm depth, you will discover much closer to 850mm practical space. Make sure that when you’re calculating the depth of the server (and whether it will fit right into a certain rack) you take into account this difference or you may end up getting an unpleasant surprise.