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Server Cabinet Selection Guide

2019-11-13 16:18:59

       For small-scale enterprises, when setting up an information platform, instead of spending a fixed cost of hosting each year, it is better to open up a certain space to deploy IT equipment. At present, there are many popular cabinet products on the market with good quality and cheap prices, which can fully meet this demand. Just look at the product design in addition to the price when buying. The environment of an office building is not as good as that of a computer room. Therefore, the ventilation and heat dissipation of the cabinet and its robustness must be carefully considered. This time we chose a cabinet product that is more suitable for small-scale deployments. Users who want to buy can consider it.


Server cabinet types and grades


       Although the cabinets look almost the same, there are still several types of subdivisions according to their uses. The common ones are the cabinets for wiring and the cabinets for the server. The cabinets for wiring are generally used to place There are multiple terminal switches, so there will be a lot of network cables to be connected. The cabinet is not convenient to get a door, so this cabinet looks more like a rack. Some manufacturers also call this product a wiring rack; The cabinet in which the server is placed must have doors and locks. Because of the need to protect the valuable equipment inside, the more expensive routers and firewalls are generally placed in such cabinets.


Ordinary server cabinet


       Ordinary server cabinets, glass doors, and server cabinets have four cooling fans. They are installed on the top of the cabinet and are mainly used for ventilation and heat dissipation. They provide a good constant temperature environment for the interior of the cabinet. The bottom of the cabinet is hollow for ventilation and heat dissipation. The server at the top of this cabinet has very good heat dissipation, but the server in the middle and lower part is not ideal.


Advanced server cabinet


       The above cabinet is a relatively high-end server cabinet. Ventilation and heat dissipation are provided through dense air holes on the front and rear doors. Therefore, the air conditioner in the equipment room can be well distributed around each server in the cabinet. In addition, this kind of cabinet is exquisite in materials, and has strong anti-corrosion and anti-rust performance.


Server Cabinet Price Factor


       Price is always a key consideration, but important features cannot be sacrificed because of it. You need to choose the best cost-effective cabinet. Servers and peripherals change quickly, but good cabinets take a long time. To compare the advantages and disadvantages of cabinets, the key is to compare several recognized technical indicators. Pay attention to the word "addition" in the performance indicators, which means that expansion is allowed at any time. Many manufacturers only show you the unit price of the cabinet, not including the price of the equipment that should be installed in the cabinet, and these equipment will make your expenses quickly increase, so you have to consider the price of the cabinet plus a full set of equipment, so you will not be on those Manufacturer's pawn.


  Server cabinet size


       What we usually call a server's "U" is a unit representing the external dimensions of the server. It is an acronym for Unit and is determined by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA), an industry group. The server is sized to keep the server sized properly for placement on an iron or aluminum rack.


       The specified dimensions are the server's width (48.26cm = 19 inches) and height (a multiple of 4.445cm). Because it is 19 inches wide, a rack that meets this requirement is also referred to as a "19-inch rack," which is the width of a rack server.


  Space considerations when choosing a server cabinet


       Plan and list all equipment installed in the cabinet and their complete measurement data: height, length, width, weight. Combining the volume and space footprint of these devices will ultimately determine how high a cabinet you will choose. Obviously, tall cabinets can hold more equipment and save more space.


       It is not the only consideration to use the height of the cabinet as much as possible. There is also a large area at the rear of the cabinet to use. This is why the depth of the cabinet is measured. Choose a deeper cabinet, you can install two sets of equipment back to back, thereby installing more equipment.


       After calculating the cabinet space (in "U" or 1.75 inches), consider the size of the cabinet. No one would like to see that some equipment will be installed soon after the cabinet is full. Therefore, as a basic principle, the cabinet height should be 20% to 30% more for system expansion. These spaces also improve the ventilation of the equipment.


  Selecting a server cabinet also requires attention to bracket issues


       Stand-mounted equipment does not need to consider the width because it is designed to the width of the cabinet. Because the total weight of the equipment is often not light, the load bearing index of the cabinet to be selected must be considered, that is, a cabinet with a good load-bearing structure must be selected. In addition, the total weight of the cabinet and equipment is also related to the floor strength in the equipment room.


       Inside the cabinet, the weight of the equipment determines whether the selected sliding rack is standard or heavy, and also determines the choice of other accessories. Choose a cabinet that is compatible with all servers, and it must meet or exceed the third-class bracket standards of all OEMs. If you want to install a tower or desktop device, both a sliding rack and mounting accessories are required.


       Because the installation includes network cables, telecommunications cables, and power cables, you need to buy hook-and-loop straps or toothed straps to effectively secure the cables in an orderly manner inside the cabinet. It would be better if the cabinet had a cable management module that allows the cables to be fixed directly in the vertical mounting rails. In any case, there should be enough fixing rings (to protect the cables) on the upper and side walls of the cabinet. You can also lift the cabinet floor to allow the cables to run below.


  Various aspects to pay attention to when selecting a server cabinet


       With the development of data centers toward overall availability, the demand for cabinet management in computer rooms is increasing. Users should consider the following factors when purchasing a cabinet:


       Load bearing guarantee-As the density of products placed in the cabinet increases, a good load bearing capacity is the basic requirement for a qualified cabinet product. A cabinet that does not meet the specifications cannot effectively protect the equipment in the cabinet and may even affect the entire system.


       Temperature control system-There is a good temperature control system inside the cabinet, which can prevent the products in the cabinet from overheating or cooling, and ensure the efficient operation of the equipment. The cabinet can choose the full ventilation series, which can be equipped with a fan (the fan has a life guarantee). An independent air conditioning system can be installed in a hot environment, and an independent heating and insulation system can be installed in a severe cold environment.


       Anti-interference ability-A fully functional cabinet should provide various types of door locks and other functions, such as dust-proof, waterproof, or electronic shielding. It should also provide suitable accessories and installation accessories to support wiring. , While being easy to manage, saving time and effort.


       Cable management-what to do if there is a problem with the cable? In a huge computer room, it is still difficult to walk through the cabinets, let alone quickly find and repair the faulty line. From the perspective of the cables inside the cabinet, today's data center cabinets have higher density and more IT equipment. They use redundant accessories (such as redundant power supplies, storage arrays, etc.), and the equipment configuration in the cabinet changes frequently. Data lines and cables increase or decrease at any time. Therefore, the cabinet must provide sufficient cable channels to enter and exit the cables from the top and bottom of the cabinet. Inside the cabinet, the cables must be laid in a convenient and orderly manner, close to the cable interface of the device to shorten the wiring distance, reduce the space occupied by the cable, and ensure that the heat dissipation airflow is not blocked by the cable. Quickly locate equipment wiring in case of failure.


       Power distribution system-With the increasing trend of high-density IT installations in cabinets, power distribution systems have become a key link in the ability of a cabinet to exert its effective energy. Reasonable power distribution is directly related to the availability of the entire IT system, and this is a problem that was overlooked by many computer room managers in the past. Due to the increasing miniaturization of IT equipment and the increasing density of equipment installation in cabinets, this poses a severe challenge to the power distribution system in cabinets. At the same time, the increase in input and output ports also places high requirements on the reliability of power distribution system installation. Taking into account the current dual power supply requirements of most servers, the power distribution in the cabinet is becoming more and more complicated.


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