4 Things You Must Consider When Buying Server Racks

Any organization’s infrastructure is incomplete without the proper equipment and hierarchical division of labor to operate them. Compared with the requirements of the past, contemporary infrastructure requirements are much more evolved and diverse. Needless to say, you need to have a clear idea of all the tech you’ll need before you can be sure operations running smoothly.

Firstly, you have to identify key areas of your operations that need investment. Seeing as how establishing secure and reliable networks is essential to the integrity of operations, it’s only fair to use top-notch equipment. Not only is it going to be the data center hosting all your important data, but it’ll also be responsible for determining how well the overall communication of the organization flows.

Since everyone will need instant access to data, you can’t compromise on the quality of the network. Similarly, you can’t let there be any risks of data interception, interference, or theft.

To accomplish this, you need ideal servers that are set in an organized and efficient manner. Once you decide to order all the equipment from server rack suppliers in the UAE, you should consider the following:

Rack Cabinet Enclosure Size:

You need to know for certain these two things:

• The type of equipment you’ll require for rack mount capabilities
• Amount of equipment that requires rack enclosure space.

Server rack enclosures require accurate measurements before they can be designed and once done, it’s not going to change. Therefore, you should have everything right before you order your rack units. Your servers will require additional equipment such as environmental monitoring, battery checking, and back-up, remote power management systems, etc.

For these, you’ll also require additional space. Thus, try to plan accordingly because once you order in your racks with the specified dimensions, it’s hard to move them and impossible to redesign or adjust them.

The Internal and External Enclosure Dimensions

\As discussed above, there is no chance of changing these things once they’ve been made. That is why you need to be very accurate when assessing the type, size, and quantity of the equipment that you’ll need. It’s best to consider future requirements and consider space for them now because moving everything is not going to be an easy task.

When you’re measuring, think of the internal enclosure dimensions. These include:

• Internal Height: the vertical length between the top point of the side rails to the bottom chassis.
• Internal Depth: the space you have between the front and back ends of the enclosure
• Internal Width: the space that extends from one side panel of the enclosure to the other

The internal enclosure dimensions will also incorporate any additional equipment that you need along with your servers. Like we mentioned above, environment monitors and other security and safety equipment that can be fixed on the side of the servers should have ample space. That’s why you’ll need to add them to your assessment.

Coming over to the external dimensions of the enclosure, these are crucial and often overlooked. This leads to problems such as server racks not fitting in through doors and obstructions that are in the way of the data center. You need to consider the way leading up to the data center location along with the space in the location itself.

The Metrics of Server Racks

Server racks are measured in units or “U”. You might have seen or heard people talk about 44U in terms of rack units. This ‘U’ serves as the standard allowance unit that is used to measure the rack-mount equipment. Its value equals 1.75” of internal height. So, a 44U rack enclosure is going to have 77” of internal height which means that’s the space you can fit your equipment in.

Types of Rails

There are different rails that come with server racks. Based on the equipment you’ll be putting in your racks, you can have the following variations of rail types to choose from:

• Universal Mounting Rails: These are the type to support 19” EIA width rack mounts
• EIA Standard Mounting Rails: These are your standard mounting rails that can carry the same width rack mounts along with networking equipment.

However, it’s best that you have a professional surveyor figure out what you’ll need. After all, having smart infrastructure solutions will require professional assessments. Therefore, you should plan ahead accordingly.