Rack cabinet’s application
With the development of computer and network technologies, IT equipment such as servers and network communication equipment are developing in the direction of miniaturization, networking, and racking. The demand for cabinet management in the equipment room will increase. In the field of structured cabling, cabinets have also become an important part of their construction. The cabinet/rack will no longer be just a container for devices such as servers, it will not a low-value, subsidiary product in IT applications anymore.
cabinet more and more, to protect the storage of the equipment, shield the interference of electromagnetic waves, arrange the equipment neatly and orderly, and facilitate the maintenance of the equipment in the future. Cabinets are generally made of cold-rolled steel or alloy, which divided into server cabinets, network cabinets, and console cabinets. It is widely used in computer network equipment, wireless communication equipment, and electronic equipment stacking.
The concept of capacity "U"
The Unit "U" represents the height of equipment installation in a 19-inch standard cabinet, 1U = 44.45mm. "U" also refers to the effective use space inside the cabinet, that is, how many U's 19-inch standard equipment can be installed. The panel of the standard equipment using the 19-inch standard cabinet is generally manufactured according to the specifications of multiple U.
The difference between the network cabinet and server cabinet
Both of the network cabinet and server rack we talk about here are 19-inch standard cabinets, which use to install 19" standard equipment and non-19" standard equipment such as servers, monitors, and UPS. We need to pay attention in terms of depth, height, and load-bearing of the cabinet. The width is generally 600mm or 800mm, and the depth in 600mm, 800mm, and 1000mm. Due to a large amount of heat dissipation of the internal equipment, the front and rear doors provide ventilation holes.
The network cabinet mainly stores routers, switches, patch panels, other network equipment, and accessories. The depth is generally 450mm, 550mm, and 600mm, the width is 600mm. The front door is a transparent tempered glass door, which has low requirements on heat dissipation.
Difference between open frame and rack cabinet
They are all used to place 19-inch equipment, but the open frame is without any door to facilitate the installation and construction of equipment, but the dustproof is relatively poor. Comparing with the rack cabinet, it has a higher requirement on the external environment.4 post rack load capacity is greater than 2 post racks, 2 post open rack parts are cantilevering, with 2 points fixed. 4 post open rack parts installed in the same cabinet, with 4 points fixed. The racks cabinet is closed, which is beneficial to protect the interior device.
Purchasing Tips
1、Cabinet size
List all the equipment that plan to install in the cabinet and their complete measurement data: height, length, width, weight. Combining the volume and space occupied by these devices will ultimately determine how high the cabinet will be.
Of course, the higher cabinets can accommodate more equipment and save space. As a basic principle, the height of the cabinet should be 20% to 30% more for future system expansion.
2、Material
The standard cabinet should be made of high-quality cold-rolled steel. Some cabinets on the market are hot plates or even iron plates to decrease costs. They are easy to rust and deform, and the performance is also bad in use. This is what you should pay attention to when purchasing!
3、Loading Capacity
With the increased equipment placed in the cabinet, good load-bearing capacity is a basic requirement for a qualified cabinet product. Meanwhile to choose the well-structured, robust cabinet. Cheap cabinets may not be able to effectively protect the inner equipment, because of the poor quality of it. That may affect the entire system.
In addition, the weight and load-bearing of the cabinet are two common parameters, but the nominal load-bearing value for the cabinet is much larger than the actual number of servers that can be carried. In general, the cabinets have sufficient redundancy, but in special cases, there is a certain requirement for the total weight of the cabinet plus the server.
4、Thickness of material
The weight and stability that the cabinet can bear have a certain relationship with the thickness of the plate. The thicker of the plate, the better the loading capacity and stability, but the price will also higher. Please take notice that the thickness of the materials in different positions of the cabinet is different, and usually has different sizes such as 1.0mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm, and 2.0 mm. The material and surface finish of the cabinet will also affect its performance.
5、Painting
In order to prevent corrosion, rust or wear of the steel sheet, the surface will treat. This is similar to our common PC case, not only for conventional painting but also for special measures such as galvanizing and phosphating to isolate the steel plate from the air.
6、The number of accessories
Usually, the price of the cabinet will include some accessories. Before ordering, please confirm with the seller which accessories included in the quotation, as well as the number of accessories, and then ordering other optional accessories according to your needs.
7、Other functions
The cabinet with a lock is safer, and it can also control the number of people who can open the cabinet, ensuring that the others couldn't touch the equipment in the cabinet
Compared with the server cabinet, the wall cabinet is light and easy to repair, and the server cabinet is generally cumbersome. Choosing a cabinet with Vientiane casters and support feet will easy to move during maintenance.
8、Heat Dissipation
Generally speaking, a network cabinet with 2-4 fans can basically solve the heat dissipation problem. However, it's better to use the fan unit in a server cabinet of high-density devices. And an integrated heat dissipation solution is best. In addition, should choose a mesh door with better heat dissipation for the server cabinet.
9、After-sale services
The effective services provided by the enterprise, as well as the comprehensive equipment protection program provided, can bring great convenience to the installation and maintenance of users.
Due to the concentration of equipment inside the cabinet, we need some special "harsh" requirements on it. If we do not pay attention to it, the troubles to bring to the user may be enormous. Keep in mind the 9 principles to help you choose the right cabinet. And also could read my previous post as below:
A learning guide of the network cabinet that a green hand must read