Common Network Rack Problems and How to Cope with Them

Network racks are specialized pieces of furniture designed for server equipment accommodation and storage. Computing hardware is well-known to be very sensitive to any kind of changes and influences in the environment. At the same time, equipment is very expensive, and failure in performance can lead to significant money loss. That is why it is important to secure hardware and ensure its reliable fastenings inside racks.

It is necessary to not only timely solve problems but also identify, monitor, and report hazards in your facility. It is possible to eliminate and cope with many problems upon timely identification. Thus, the key to the smooth functioning of a server system is its timely monitoring and reporting.

5 Common Network Rack Problems and their Solutions

Now, let’s get down to the core of our article and consider server problems and solutions.

Temperature

Computing hardware requires creating optimal environmental conditions to work steadily and smoothly. The optimal level of the temperature inside server racks ranges between 68° to 72° F. Several techniques are used to ensure maintaining of this temperature:

• keeping cold and hot air separated. The air inside server rooms is divided into two major aisles. The allocation of server racks taking into account such air maps allows achieving a better cooling effect using natural airflow.
• the use of special server rack accessories. Blanking panels are used to keep unused slots closed. It is important to achieve a closed cycle of air circulation inside enclosed cabinets to maintain compliance with set conditions. Outside air can penetrate the rack body through open slots and holes for cables. If they are unused, system administrators tend to plug them with blanking panels.
• installation of rack-mount fans. Rack bodies have holes for fan installation. They help direct the airflow and maintain an optimal temperature inside cabinets. Here, at least 2 fans must be installed to force the air to correctly circulate.
• door perforation. The air can penetrate through perforated doors and cool down devices.

Maintaining the right temperature is an essential task for server rooms to protect hardware from overheating and ensure its durable and smooth operation.

Humidity

The rise or fall of humidity may result in circuit boards rusting, condensation, or corrosion. If the air in the room is too dry, static electricity tends to accumulate on boards. The most unwanted consequence is short-circuiting within hardware.

To prevent such problems, system administrators should maintain the humidity level between 45% and 55%. Special monitoring sensors are installed to control indicators of humidity. It is possible to set up alarms that will be sent to the managing computer.

Vibration

The constant influence of extra vibration from outside can lead to dislodging of critical system components and disturbing hard drives. For instance, large machinery at production facilities or overcrowded places can become sources of increased vibration.

Thus, it is important to approach the issue of picking appropriate locations for rack installation attentively. Give preference to uncrowded places and make sure that no large machinery is placed nearby.

Water

Computing equipment is sensitive to moisture. Water can significantly damage both active equipment and circuit boards, which will lead to system downtime. Thus, it is essential to prevent possible contact of network devices with water. The best solution in this case is to arrange server rooms on the premises without plumbing pipes. If pipes go through a room, there is a risk of pipe bursts and flooding.

Poor cable management

A server system can consist of hundreds or even a thousand components. These are servers, PCs, switches, etc. Passive and active hardware, accessories, and supplementary tools are used to interconnect components and make hundreds of devices perform as a single unit. They are connected to each other with the help of cables. So, imagine how many wires one system requires.

Thousands of cords run to and from server cabinets, as well as are hidden inside them. Thus, wire tangling is a common problem for large systems. Proper cable management is the best solution for this case.

System administrators use a number of techniques to ensure proper wire organization:

• labeling. Cords are labeled to simplify the process of maintenance. They can be labeled according to the type, purpose, or direction. For example, input wires are labeled with red stickers, while output cords are marked with green ones.
• using accessories and tools to organize wires. The industry offers special plastic or metal boxes for cable routing. Boxes are fastened along vertical uprights and cords are stretched through them. Ties and hooks help keep bundles of wires arranged.
• coloring. Wires of different colors are used to mark their belonging to different units of the system.

It is important to keep server systems in order to provide their smooth operation and easy maintenance. A great variety of server issues and solutions are used to guarantee datum security and proper running of all devices.

The main thing is to remember that network equipment is easily influenced by environmental factors. Thus, any data center requires the installation of sensors for environmental control both inside rooms and cabinets. After all, the stage of selecting a suitable room and type of cabinet is an important preparatory step that can influence the success of future system performance and its durability.