Welcome to part three of Tech Service Today's technical buyer's guide series - Size Matters - Especially When Choosing A Network Rack - in which we explain why IT professionals must evaluate every dimension of a cabinet or rack before purchasing one. Far too often product choices are made based on only one or two rack dimensions, and the repercussions of such carelessness can be costly.
In part 1 we offered tips for calculating your real Internal Height requirements for a new rack or enclosure, while part 2 emphasized the importance of comparing the height of your building's pathways to the External Height of a cabinet or rack before making a final purchasing decision.
In this segment, we discuss the least worrisome, but no less important, dimension of rack-mount enclosures that IT professionals must review diligently: Internal Width
Part 3 - INTERNAL WIDTH
If you are a technology industry old-timer like me, then you remember the days when network equipment racks and server cabinets came in different heights (as they still do) and in a variety of rail-widths too. Just as the music industry changed formats from vinyl to cassette to CD to digital files, the Information Technology, Networking and Telecom industries went through a number of rack-width formats before finally standardizing on 19-inches as the preferred rail width for rack-mounting equipment.
Just as many music fans still have closets full of old albums and tapes - many of which they still use - lots of IT professionals are still using old, legacy IT, networking and telecom equipment. In many cases because they live by the philosophy: “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”
While most racks and cabinets feature rails are 19" wide (per the EIA-310-D standard) - with hole-to-hole centers measuring 18.3" - there are still cabinets/racks out there with 23" & 24" W rails. While these extra-wide racks were often 2-post racks and were primarily designed to hold legacy devices like older telephone systems, as the telecom industry has migrated from the old PBX telephone systems to the new VoIP technologies, the need for the extra wide racks has dwindled significantly.
If you are an IT manager for a large company with lots of locations, it is dangerous to assume that your company no longer has any of the old, extra-wide equipment in use. Especially if you are purchasing a new equipment rack for remote offices you have never visited.
If you do not have a detailed IT equipment inventory that encompasses every office, then you do not possess the information necessary to order a new rack or cabinet for one of those offices. Fortunately, the number of extra-wide rack-mount Telco devices that were once so common in the 1990's are now far fewer, with their numbers decreasing steadily with each passing year.
As such, today’s advice concerning the importance of choosing the right Internal Width of a rack or cabinet is relatively simple.
Tech Tip #3 - Internal Width
Make a list of all the equipment you want to rack-mount in your new rack or enclosure, and make sure your list includes dimensions of each device. If you don’t own any extra-wide, legacy telco equipment that requires 23” or 24” wide rails, then you can focus on any rack with the EIA-310-D industry standard 19-inch mounting rails.
Check back tomorrow for our third segment of this series that focuses on the External Width of rack enclosures and cabinets, and the considerations you must weigh before choosing one.
If you need help installing a new rack or cabinet in your facility, or mounting all of your equipment in it, then contact Tech Service Today for assistance. We can deliver a skilled Technician to your facility whenever you need help - anywhere in North America.
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Need help installing, troubleshooting, testing, documenting, or replacing your network cabling? Call Tech Service Today for on-site technical services anywhere in North America - often in 4-hours or less.
Just call (800) 973-2022 (option 1), or Email us at Service@TechServiceToday.com