Modern society has entered the digital era, living in which implies the need for large data processors and storage. Data centers are set for this purpose. Server racks are used to set up IT infrastructures and ensure compact and ergonomic equipment allocation.
Depending on a served business, network systems can consist of hundreds or even thousands of components. These include servers, active equipment, accessories, and other supplements to fasten and support devices and guarantee their smooth functioning.
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When dealing with such a wide number of devices, it’s complicated to develop a server cabinet layout correctly. Many technicians make mistakes, such as poor space allocation, improper ergonomics, hard access to devices, etc. To succeed in this task, technicians have to have a clear plan of what steps to take to design the best layout.
Things to Consider Before Installation
Below, we’re going to delve into essential aspects of the pre-arrangement process. Our experts explain what factors require particular attention and consideration to design a high-quality data center rack layout.
Make sure to pay enough time and effort to each aspect listed below. If considered attentively, you’ll avoid many problems and enjoy a smoothly functioning network facility.
Room Attributes
Server rack layout best practice starts long before buying a rack or cabinet. First of all, find a suitable location. Make sure that the chosen premise is spacious enough to accommodate your system. Evaluate the room size and check its square meters.
Room security deserves particular attention. Assess what security measures are taken to prevent the penetration of unauthorized people. It’s better to use rooms without windows.
Rack Level Temperature Monitoring
An indoor climate is one of the vital aspects since IT hardware is very sensitive and any change in an indoor environment can result in failure or malfunction. Temperature surges affect network hardware negatively. Thus, when arranging a network cabinet layout, you need to evaluate what climatic devices need to be installed to create and maintain an optimal indoor climate.
The creation and maintenance of optimal environmental conditions directly affect the durability and smoothness of IT system performance. Thus, the installation of ventilation systems and climate monitoring sensors in premises is required.
Fire Suppression System
Next, before you get down to server rack planning, foresee emergency situations. Make sure to install a fire suppression system and sensors for swift detection of deviation from specified indicators. Average computing densities range between 3-5kW, with more high-power performance pushing up to 10-15kW. The production of a large amount of heat can lead to a fire hazard if there is a cooling system failure.
Server Furniture Location
Once the room is prepared, you can get down to furnishing. First of all, find the best place for server furniture. It’s better to place it in a cool space, far from heat vents and other heating devices, since hardware itself produces a lot of heat.
Server Rack Cooling
Both a room and each rack require its own cooling systems. It’s not enough to organize well cooling in the room and forget about cabinets. When planning the server rack equipment layout, you have to leave space for fans and other ventilation tools that will force air to circulate and direct the airflow in the right direction to remove extra heat from the rack body and prevent overheating.
The installation of modern high-tech sensors allows the staff to monitor environmental indicators remotely, adjust an in-body climate, and react promptly upon getting an alarm to a control board.
Server Rack Type
We’re moving closer to a network rack arrangement. To begin, you need to pick a suitable server furniture model. Here, you should answer several questions that will help you make the right choice:
- Where do you plan to install furniture?
- How many devices does your system consist of?
Depending on the location, you can select either an open-frame rack or an enclosed cabinet. Open racks are suitable for installation in closed premises, access to which is limited and controlled. Enclosed cabinets are perfect for mounting in crowded places, where it’s impossible to prevent contact with surrounding people.
The next stage of planning a server room rack layout is choosing the right size, based on your system size. Consider depth, height, and width to guarantee the perfect fitting of all devices.
PDU
When planning a server rack arrangement, you should find a powerful PDU that will be capable of feeding your system. Study the generated power to make sure that it’s powerful enough to supply energy to all units.
Labeling Cables
Different cable marking techniques are introduced to simplify and speed up maintenance. Labeling helps identify cords quickly, which is essential when wires stretch for meters.
Organizing Cables
Cords serve as veins for network systems; they connect devices and units, so their number can total thousands. When designing a network rack layout, the following approaches are used to keep cables neat and arranged:
- bundling them together using zip ties and cable management products;
- trimming cables so they aren’t significantly longer than needed;
- running them along the edges of the server rack whenever possible.
Security and Access Control
Security is conducted at both levels: rooms and racks. It’s important to provide sufficient protection to both racks and entire data centers. The following safety measures are taken:
- the use of biometrical passes, name entry cards, and lockers for rooms;
- equipping racks with metal side panels to prevent unauthorized penetration.
Designing a data center cabinet layout is a responsible and time-consuming duty. However, it directly affects the future performance of an entire IT infrastructure and its durability. The creation of a 3D visualization model helps increase the accuracy and visibility of a future layout and eliminates the risk of making mistakes.
