Filled with endless questions about server racks? You don’t have to wonder anymore. We have all of the answers to your most commonly asked server rack questions, and we promise we’ll make it easy.

How Are Server Racks Used?

Server racks are designed to hold all of the leading OEMs from HP, to IBM, to Dell servers and technology equipment. Storing your valuable server equipment in a server rack provides security, organization, and proper airflow. All of these elements are extremely important to life of your equipment. Most server racks are 19 inches in width to accommodate the average server. A 19-inch server cabinet is typical in the technology realm. However, we do have some racks that come with 23" mounting options more typical in the data center.

Standard depths range from 36" to 42" while some racks are offered with an adjustable depth in order to accommodate extra rackmount accessories that are taking up space. Additionally, server rack rails hold your servers in place inside the rack, and even some sliding rack rails allow you to move your server in and out of the rack for easy access and maintenance.

More Server Rack Sizing and Open vs. Enclosed Racks

There is a large variety of server rack sizes. Our open equipment racks and two-post telco racks range from 8u to 59u. Our enclosed server racks, or IT rack enclosures, range from 8u to 48u. A rack unit or size u is a unit of measurement for server racks. One u space is equal to 1.75 inches.

Open racks are great for cable management solutions. You can easily install a variety of cable managers into an open frame rack. In a server rack enclosure airflow is usually a primary issue. For this reason we do offer air-conditioned IT racks as well as rack fans and other airflow accessories. Additionally, smaller server racks are great for home applications (like home computer rack cabinets) or for under or on desktops. Large server racks are good in IT closets or data centers because they hold large amounts of server rack equipment.

Different Types of Specialty Server RacksThere are many different types of data racks built to serve different purposes. Air conditioned, NEMA, seismic, and co-location cabinets are just a few of the specialty computer server racks we sell at Rackmount Solutions. As mentioned earlier, air conditioned server racks help to maintain proper airflow for equipment that is enclosed. NEMA server cabinets are built tough to protect server equipment that is located in a harsh environment such as outside, unfinished warehouses, and dusty areas. Seismic racks are built for earthquake prone environments and are strong enough to protect equipment from earthquakes and other natural disasters. Co-location cabinets are server racks for co-location facilities that host data equipment for many different clients. Each type serves a different purpose, but they all provide a quality environment for your valuable IT equipment to live and work.

Server Rack Organization Tips

Organization of your rack is extremely important. Will proper rack organization you will be able to easily locate cables and provide easy access to critical equipment. One tip for organization of your server rack is to have everything facing the same way. This helps for your machines to pull fresh air from the same direction rather than suck hot air from the output of other machines. Any small devices that you have, such as cable modems and routers, should be kept on a mountable rackmount shelf.

Also, feel free to use every u space in your rack. Equipment can be mounted right above and below each other since most machines intake air at the front and exhaust it at the back. There is no need to leave spaces in your rack. Another good pro tip is to plan for future growth. If you have a growing business then chances are you are going to need more servers or server equipment. So, plan your racks around the idea that eventually you will need more space. Planning ahead will prevent issues when you expand your server rack collection in the future. Finally, cable management is an essential for an organized rack.

Need help finding a product, designing a custom solution, or figuring out how to use your equipment? Our team of professionals are just waiting to jump on your request. Contact us, use Live Chat, or visit us in Plano.