• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Need to create a rack setup... any recommendations?

R

RavinDJ

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Apr 9, 2002
Messages
4,577
I need to create a rack setup, as per the following:

"Can we please get a professional rack setup where all the servers are on one rack in one place. What I want is one key board/mouse and one screen and a KVM for switching between the severs for access. I prefer the non-tower servers that just slip into the rack. Redundancy and simplicity and organization is my dogma."

Any recommendations? Prices? Retailers? E-tailers? Manufacturers? Specific products?

I'll try to put something together later tonight to hopefully get some feedback from you guys and also any criticism. Thanks!!
 
sorry to say but that is extremely vague, do you want a networking rack, server rack, voip rack, all the above? budget? what all are you trying to establish for the business? do they currently have anything in place?

your question is kind of like going to a car dealership and saying i want a new car... what options/specs/addons would you like with it.. you can go from $500-$100,000+ for a setup...
 
From the look of it, I'm going to assume you're talking about a server rack with PDUs and a KVM and KMM unit. There's a lot of detail that goes into planning a "rack setup" though - like what is the end configuration going to look like? Are you just going to try and cram any server in there? What kind of power are you looking at (draw and supply)? Is the rack going to be located with other racks or by itself? Is the rack meant to be in an office environment or will it be in a server room or datacenter? Will the location be properly ventilated? How many servers - full 42U or half-height enclosure?

As for brand - I really love working with Dell racks but my close second favorite is APC yet it really depends on what you want and what the solution is supporting. If you are going with Dell Servers, it pretty much just makes sense to go with a Dell rack solution - even though both Dell and APC are square-hole standard racks.

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/us/segments/bsd/racks?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd
 
I'll try to answer your questions guys (but, yes - you are completely right - there are options from $500 to $500,000, I'm sure):

1. Yes, a networking rack only. Up to 3 or 4 servers at most. 1 to 2 switches. 1 shelf. 1 LCD. 1 KVM. 1 Keyboard. 1 Mouse.

2. Budget unknown for now, but it's seperate for the servers. What budget do I need for the rack only?

3. I'm trying to just streamline the things they have now and simplify it (as per comment: Redundancy and simplicity and organization.)

4. They have 3 tower servers right now with a 24 port switched attached to the wall.

5. Power will be probably around 1500 to 2000 watts (based on the current power supplies of the machines, plus switches, etc.) - which means 18 AMPS, based on P=I*V with V=110 Volts

6. Sole rack only - no other racks.

7. The rack will be in an office, but in a small, but very well ventilated, room (ie. a server closet). It'll be far enough from users where noise level will not bother anyone.

8. Yes, ventilation is already installed.

9. I was thinking 42U, but even half-height will suffice for them. They want ot be able to expand in the future and also be nice and neat.

Thanks for the link, Orinthical!!
 
i would go apc netshelter sx over dell, we have both and the netshelter sx is loads better (as long as its the wide version)

they both have 0u pdus but the dell only takes little ones, the apcs will take full high ones,
the apcs will take proper cable management
panels are much easier to remove, removable roof which has come on very handy with fibre.
 
Dell 24u or 42u rack
Console KVM with screen, I think we got a Dell one on ebay for like 450 brand new.
 
I'm in the same boat and not to shit on OP or derail, but instead of creating another thread I'll keep it in here.

I am looking at a Netshelter SX 42U 750mm x 1070mm Enclosure. I've never installed a server rack before - are they all universal or do I need to ensure that my servers will fit in the rack? This is just for servers as we have a smaller (more flimsy) rack for the switches, firewall, etc. Currently we have nothing in place - servers are stacked on a cart type thingy (which is the technical name :p). I have two 2U servers and two 1U servers. I plan on eventually putting a 5+U UPS in the rack, as well as a LTO-4 backup drive (we have a single one that sits on the shelf). I will also be purchasing another 2U server and at least one 1U server in the next year or so. Other than that I am not sure what else would go in there except a KVM. As for power, I'm not really sure about input/output just yet. Right now the servers were all put on their own consumer grade APC UPS devices and I'd like to unify it. This will be going in a server room that has its own cooling system. Within the next year, we will be moving offices and I will be designing my own server room in order to make it better than the current one.

As for the Netshelter SX 42U, I can get a great deal on it right now, which is why I am leaning towards it - but just need to make sure it is a good purchase for my needs and that my shit will fit in there.
HP ProLiant DL380 G3
IBM eServer xSeries 346
IBM eServer xSeries 306 (x2)

Thanks OP for starting the thread :p
 
yeah the 750mm netshelter sx's are the ones to go for.
your kit should fit if theve got standard rails

as for power, im really liking the smartups online for smaller stuff or symetras for bigger kit. one of my sites has truly awful power, it killed a smartups in under a year! justthink what this is doing to your kit connected to this, the realtime ups will filter it out, input voltage varies constantly ( reaching over 252 volts )
ups puts out 230.2v all day long.
 
dan__wright said:
yeah the 750mm netshelter sx's are the ones to go for.
your kit should fit if theve got standard rails

as for power, im really liking the smartups online for smaller stuff or symetras for bigger kit. one of my sites has truly awful power, it killed a smartups in under a year! justthink what this is doing to your kit connected to this, the realtime ups will filter it out, input voltage varies constantly ( reaching over 252 volts )
ups puts out 230.2v all day long.
Click to expand...

I have found two (although one may be incomplete in terms of parts) rail sets in the server room. I guess rail sets that came with the servers weren't something they expected to ever use.... :confused:

I'm assuming I can just get them on eBay or whatever if I need to.

What's the difference between the 600mm and the 750mm? If they both fit servers... one just has wider walls?
 
you get space each side of the rails, this means there is more room for pdus (otherwise then tend to get in the way a little bit on the 600's) and there is room for Verticale cable management, 0U data cableing etc.

best way is look on the apc site at both products and compare the options for them, you can get a lot of extras in the 750 but just pdus into the 600
 
I have always had a fond love for the black box racks, good quality hardware and a lot of it is made in the USA
 
So what do you guys think?

Will a rack fit into a TINY room with dimensions 48 inches by 58 inches by 108 inches?
 
RavinDJ said:
So what do you guys think?

Will a rack fit into a TINY room with dimensions 48 inches by 58 inches by 108 inches?
Click to expand...

4' X 5' and 9' tall?

I'm gonna say no, it may be physically possible, however you won't be able to work in there
 
RavinDJ said:
So what do you guys think?

Will a rack fit into a TINY room with dimensions 48 inches by 58 inches by 108 inches?
Click to expand...

If it does fit, have you thought out the cooling for everything? Seems to me like you may fry everything in there.
 
RavinDJ said:
Will a rack fit into a TINY room with dimensions 48 inches by 58 inches by 108 inches?
Click to expand...
The rack would physically fit there though it would be tight - no room to pull a server out to perform work on it, barely enough room to get behind it to cable everything. Does the door to this room open outward or inward? If inward, you're pretty much screwed. If outward, you might be able to get away with putting the rack in and having the front face the door - that way if you need to pull a server out, just open the door and go for it.

Budget for brand new and retail? I would say $2500. A good rack is an investment in the future but keep in mind that if the servers are going to be brand new as well, you may be able to work a deal to throw in a rack, KMM and KVM or at least get it much cheaper than retail. If your client is a Dell customer, contact and work with their account team representative; not only can they offer better pricing than on the website but they can also make sure you get the right type and number of PDUs you'll need.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top