When you are looking at the configuration of your server space, there are a lot of factors you need to consider. One of the most important is the data rack frame. Here are some things you need to do to make sure you get what you need.
- Decide what size of rack cabinet enclosure you will need. There are a two variables that will impact this. The amount and size of equipment that you will house in the server cabinet. The more planning you do for your IT rack, the better the chances are that you will end up with exactly what you need. You should take the space you are using now and expand it to accommodate any new equipment and accessories that you may need in the near future. Do not forget to factor in any remote power management or battery back up. You should consider space in the front and the back.
- Look at the internal dimensions. When you are looking at your internal data rack cabinet, you need to look at the internal dimensions to ascertain how much equipment you will be able to fit and what its size can be. When you go to measure the internal height or vertical dimension, you look at the highest point on the side rail and go all the way to the bottom chassis. When want to measure the internal depth, you need to measure from the interior of the front and the back doors. The internal width needs to be measured from one side to the other. You need to get all of these measurements of your current data rack enclosure when you start looking at new ones.
- Think about the external measurements. When you buy a new data rack cabinet, you need to have the external measurements to be able to determine where you physically keep it in your business. If you have a dedicated room for this, you may have some wiggle room but it will still need to get into your space. That means you need to be able to get it through the door. Basically, it needs to physically get into your your business for it to be of any use to you. Too often, people focus so much on what their equipment needs without considering how they will get the data rack into the building.
- Measure the space where your data rack enclosure will be housed. This is just as important a factor as the size of the doors. You need to make sure your cabinet will fit in the room where you plan to store it. Consider the ceiling height. The ceiling height is often overlooked when companies are buying their data rack enclosures. Data cabinets come in a wide array of sizes so you should be able to get one that can fit all that you need while being able to fit in the space that you have set aside for it.
- Calculate how many rack units you will need. One rack unit or “U” equals 1.75 inches. You want to calculate your needs based on what you find to be your ideal rack unit usage. You need to consider the space needed for all of your servers and then factor in the panels and the power accessories.
- Consider what you will need tomorrow. You know what you need today but the server rack enclosure that works for you now may not work in the near future. Do you have an expectation that you are going to be expanding? If you are, you may want to build in what you think your needs will be in the near future and not just get the data rack cabinet that you need today.
Creating a safe and secure space for your servers is incredibly important to the safety and security of your data. This is not rocket science, however, and you need to work through this to make sure you have the right data rack frame.
