Server Rack Spacing: Best Practices

Are you planning to organize a server or distribution room, a data center, or a room for placing the central equipment of technical security facilities? Nowadays, such solutions are applicable to any business. Before arranging data centers, you need to know the requirements for installing this type of network furniture.

As the definition states, a server rack is a multi-level furniture piece designed to accommodate telecommunication equipment, cross-countries, and termination points for transmission media. The cabinet is the transition point between the main and horizontal routes. Server furniture allows housing different types of computing hardware compactly and orderly.

The spacing between the racks has a direct influence on the cooling of the servers and depends on the type, size and power of the racks. To identify the right spacing, one has to consider the various categories of racks and how they are cooled.

Server Furniture Profile

They distinguish two types of products:

• open-frame racks;

• enclosed cabinets.

Each of them is designed for meeting different objectives and has its advantages. Open-frame models provide sufficient cooling due to free air circulation through operating devices but lack hardware protection. This product is good for installation on closed premises.

Products with metal enclosures have better security characteristics and are suitable for installation in public places, including stores and offices. However, they are lagging in terms of natural cooling; fans must be installed.

Dimensions

Although the size of server furniture is standardized, its dimensions may differ slightly. Thus, the width of a standard model can be 19 or 23 inches and depth ranges between 32, 36, 44 inches. The height is a variable dimension and measured in units (with 1U being 1.75 inches). The height of a server cabinet ranges from 2U to 48U.

2 VS 4 Post Racks

Open-frame models are subdivided into two types when regarding their constructions. There are models with 2 and 4 posts. 4-post racks provide more opportunities for hardware accommodation since shelves can be installed and devices of different weights can be placed, while 2-post frames are more compact and house less equipment.

Server Furniture Arrangement within Premises

Now, let’s consider server rack space requirements. The most crucial idea about the arrangement of data centers is that server cabinets require proper installation to avoid malfunction and overheating. The fact is that hot and cold air constantly circulates. Thus, it is important to analyze a climatic map to mount furniture correctly.

Another factor influencing the distance between cabinets is the ease of maintenance. System administrators should have enough space to move freely and maintain equipment.

Taking into account these factors, it was determined that a minimum distance between two cabinets must achieve 31.5 inches. This will be enough to ensure smooth system functioning without overheating and provide a comfortable workplace for the staff.

Should you leave space between servers in a rack?

Another important question is how to allocate hardware within the rack to provide its uninterruptible performance and secure datum storage. Users should understand how equipment arrangement in the cabinet influences system operation:

1. Too tight device housing will lead to overheating. Network hardware emits heat during functioning. To avoid heat exchange, which leads to overheating and damage, users must leave enough space between servers.

2. Ease of maintenance. It is easier to maintain loosely accommodated devices.

3. Cable routing. Data centers are characterized by a great number of cables and patch cords. Equipment is powered by power units, interconnected, connected to other cabinets, etc. This means that a huge amount of cables is routed inside the cabinet. Check our cable management solutions to optimize space.

How to connect 2 server racks?

The last crucial question is how to wire between 2 server racks. The technology stated that to connect server racks between each other, you must use high-voltage cables with protected housing to avoid damage during maintenance or operation. Note that wires must tightly fit and be fastened to the floor with couplers.

Note that arranging server cabinets on premises is a complicated task. System administrators must create hot-aisle and cold aisle maps and analyze them to protect hardware from overheating.