Server Cabinets 101?

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NismoTuned

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Hello all hardforum members, I'm new here.

Recently we've been remodeling a portion of our basement and I've been very interested in wiring it for ethernet. The main question I've had is Should I be getting a server cabinet? I don't really have any prior knowledge of server cabinets, but I figure it would be nice to have one cabinet with all of my networking gear inside. What is everything I need to know about server cabinets?

Also assuming I do purchase one what would everything I absolutely need be? A patch panel, some shelves, some sort of power distribution unit or power strip? I won't be building a home server quite yet.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Racks/cabinets make sense when you:

Have enough equipment to fill at least half a rack
Have all rack-mountable stuff
Want a lockable door on it so people can't touch it

Get something with square holes instead of pre-drilled racks.

Otherwise, have you thought about just getting shelves or bread racks?
 
Depends how much rackmount stuff you have. If it's just a switch and patch panel, you could easily get away with a Wall-Mount Bracket such as : http://www.amazon.com/Hinged-Mount-Bracket-Depth-Units/dp/B003UWW2A6

I've been an admin for years, and take some pride in my work, but at home I have a 4U wall bracket, and just strapped the rest of my gear to a piece of plywood I put over the studs in the utility room. Saves space, and I have a reinforced Lack-Rack in my office (that normally is just a table) for anything else I have to temporarily house.
 
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Racks are great for rack-mountable equipment. For general things, though, if you have an open wall space, mounting plywood works VERY well -- most network equipment can be flush mounted, patch panels go right on, you can have a few shelves for things that don't get mounted, if you're extra-enthusiastic about it looking neat you can make cable pathways with clips and hooks, and it's more versatile than a rack.
 
Remember to account for cooling and noise. If you are blind mounting equipment (No access to the rear) make sure you have a method to:
Power Cycle (most enterprise class switches do not have power switches)
Remove Heat
Mitigate noise
Remove/Repair servers, UPS, and other bulky/heavy equipment.
Route existing and future cable.
 
Reason I figure a cabinet would be better for my personal use is because I'd like something that looks better and more organized than everything hard mounted on the wall and I would also liked it all locked up. I'm looking for something that looks decent, will fit my needs PLUS some upgrade room. I just need to find an appropriate solution for my price range. I don't want to spend a whole lot on it ($200 max)

Here is the space it will be going in. This is going to be redone as a hallway, but the ceiling height is about 86.5-87" and to the bottom of that window is 70". Disregard the mismatched walls and exposed ceiling. We will be doing finishing it.

DSCN0858_zpsd482ef1f.jpg
 
Won't fit a full-depth server or UPS, should be fine for most switches and all patch panels. Check the weight limit and mounting method to make sure it will work.
 
RocketTech said:
Won't fit a full-depth server or UPS, should be fine for most switches and all patch panels. Check the weight limit and mounting method to make sure it will work.
Click to expand...

Could put a small ups in there, and a half depth home built server.. OP didn't say if he needed full depth or not.. and his Budget won't get him a tall & full depth.. Unless he finds one on craigslist or something..
 
Get a nice 42U and you can slowly convert your stuff over to rack mount. Better density with rack than shelves and towers.
 
I haven't really seen any nice 42u racks within my price range. Plus aren't 42u racks like 7ft tall? The ceiling is only about 7ft 4in Not only that but I don't want to spend outrageous amounts of money on freight shipping.
 
Yeah watch out for height. Look at a 4 post so you can get it shipped in a flat box (MUCH cheaper). I managed to get mine for a few hundred bucks shipped. Can't recall if it was NC IX or Tiger direct. Mine is exactly 7 feet tall so there's a bit of clearance. 36U is another option too. Way I see it is you probably wont use the vertical space on top, so may as well fill it as much as you can. Room for growth. Ex: cisco lab stuff, vmware lab stuff etc.
 
I can't seem to find much for 36u server rack on ebay, maybe I'm not searching for the right criteria. What about that small one from craigslist I posted earlier today?
 
That actually is pretty nice... I'd just be scared to know what the shipping on that would be. :eek: Worth getting the seller to get a quote though.
 
If the ceiling height is really close you might be able to fit it by taking off the doors, sides and wheels.
With everything but the frame off I was able to get my 42u rack vertical and then I could attach everything again. Less than an inch of space between the top of it and the ceiling. :D
 
NismoTuned said:
Honestly I was expecting to be purchasing a used unit anyways. I'm gonna need a Patch panel (probably 24 port, are these 1u or 2u?)
a power strip/pdu, switch, a shelf for modem and router, and maybe room for a server case in the future. Would a 9u cabinet be big enough?

I found this on craigslist.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bfs/3691632604.html
Click to expand...

Actually have that exact cabinet at one of our branches. The base model we ordered didn't come with rear rails, or a power stip - those were add-ons (that our vendor didn't list as not included).

Once the rear rail went in, it was all good. The one we have it on 3" high casters with a laminate work-top that's actually quite a nice place to throw a monitor/keyboard.
 
42U is nominally just over 6 feet of rack space (42*1.75=73.5"), bottom and top panels usually add a couple inches to that. 45U is the one I usually find tight- 6' 6-3/4" nominally with ~6+ inches of top and bottom panels pushes it past 7 feet. Code for ceilings is at least 7' clearance. Casters add height, usually more height the heavier the rating.
I agree a 4-post rack is ideal, a cabinet rack would be awesome. Racks take up ALOT of floor space, especially if you provide clearance to the sides and rear. If you don't provide clearance, get casters.
Also, since your picture indicates a basement, make sure all equipment and connections are at least 6" off the ground to prevent possible liquid incursion.
 
I highly recommend checking craiglist for server racks. Because freight on them is very high, and in many cases restricted to only delivering to sites with a loading dock.

Course you will most likely need to rent a truck if you do not own one to pick it up. Even if you own a truck I would recommend renting one with a lift gate. 42U racks are not light even once you remove everything.

Now if you can fit a 42U and get it to the location you want with out much trouble, I recommend that route since they are much easier to find on craiglist than any other size. I personally wanted a 24-26U rack because I knew getting a 42U into my basement would have been near impossible, heck the 26U was no picnic. The issue I ran into even in the Northern VA area was very few "half-racks" show up on craiglists, but many 42U do. And the smaller racks tend to be almost as much as the 42U ones (used).
 
Tips for buying used racks.
-Make sure they have the keys
-Check all rails are straight and holes are square.
-Ask if they have the bag of nuts, most racks come with a bag of nuts and it is nice to not have to buy them if you do not have too. Also that bag may even have the little tool that will save your thumb nail ;).
-Check that all latches still work correctly, sucks not being able to close a door or a side panel wont stay on.
 
TheToE! said:
I would say most people don't need a full rack at the house. This would prolly work great for you. We use them in outer offices here at work. I like them. Small footprint..
Click to expand...

Just don't mount them that way- Dust settles into the ports and connections.
 
I have one of these at home. I had a 42u but got rid of all the old servers and scsi stuff and condensed to one server.
HP 14U rack.
HPS10614A.jpg
 
RocketTech said:
Just don't mount them that way- Dust settles into the ports and connections.
Click to expand...

You know they make plugs that go into the ports... or you could just put something over it...
 
That's what I've done in the past. 90 deg mount on the wall. You can get them all over the place. Either a cover sheet of plastic bolted between the mount and the wall and draped over the wiring trimmed just below the top edge of the devices. That or RJ45 plugs crimped w/o wire. cheap and covered. Not the greatest setup, but for home use, plenty.
 
Okay so I should be fine with that $100 rack from craigslist? It is not located too far from here. If 1u is 1.75" then I suppose that cabinet is... 18u? 38" / 1.75" = ~ 21.7"

Have any suggestions for patch panels and switches? I want to use Cat6 wiring in the walls. What brand of cat6 i don't know yet...

How about this power strip?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PD-915R-Mid..._Power_Distribution_Units&hash=item3ccf16f5c9
 
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If you plan on getting a rack mount UPS it makes the power strip pretty redundant. I also would look into getting a used PDU instead of a power strip.
 
Franko said:
If you plan on getting a rack mount UPS it makes the power strip pretty redundant. I also would look into getting a used PDU instead of a power strip.
Click to expand...

I'm not exactly sure what to do, honestly. What would be the best cheap solution for now?
 
Best cheap solution would be to get a plain vanilla consumer grade UPS and a $5 power strip and just sit it on the bottom of the rack. Cut a plywood sheet to fit the lowest rung of the rack if you don't want the UPS and power strip to sit on the floor.
 
Okay, sounds good.

Could I get some recommendations for keystones, tools, and cat6 wire itself? I think I only need about 450 ft but I'd need to remeasure.
 
Monoprice has the cheapest crap readily available. Google search for other chinese made crap you may want. Leviton makes (arguably) the best keystones and keystone systems (QuickPort or M.O.S. if you want to get fancy) and I seriously doubt Monoprice sells them. Deduce from that what you will.
ICC and CalRad are quality sources as well, but not readily available in the retail channel. Amazon carries it all, but pricing, selection, and availability are all over the map. e-Bay is another choice, or look up a decent-sized electrical distributor in your area and ask if they'll make small cash sales (Trust me, yours will be a small sale, and cash is the only terms they'll grant.)
 
Not that I have anything against monoprice (infact I have multiple monoprice hdmi cables and ethernet cables) I just want the best quality for my budget. I recently found a company by the name of FireFold recently, are they any good? Otherwise I could just go with monoprice. Also is it okay to be running cat6 parallel with my AC wall power?

Could somebody give me some options for Cat6 patch panels and switches?
 
The monoprice jacks are fine for home use. You put them in and don't touch them in a house environment. I use all monoprice for network wiring in my house. At work I use all Leviton.
 
itsparks said:
Could put a small ups in there, and a half depth home built server.. OP didn't say if he needed full depth or not.. and his Budget won't get him a tall & full depth.. Unless he finds one on craigslist or something..
Click to expand...

I have a wall mount cabinet that is 20.5" depth. An APC 1500 fits in there exactly (once you cut the mounting brackets)

Something like Kendall Howard # 3140-3-001-12 is about $250 shipped.

http://www.kendallhoward.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=3140-3-001-12
http://www.cablesandkits.com/linier-12u-wall-mount-cabinet-with-glass-door-p-4579.html
 
Alright I've emailed the guy about that $100 cabinet on craigslist and awaiting a reply.

How does this look for everything I need to install my in wall ethernet? I did leave out the wall plates, and the hardware for those, I'm not too sure about that patch panel, and I could probably get the nylon cable ties and tester for cheaper on fleabay...
dg010.jpg
 
Even if you save $10, is it worth the risk of an unknown seller and/or the inconvenience of 2 orders? That setup should be workable for the most part. I didn't see wall plates for the jacks on there. Just make sure you adjust the number of jacks and/or wallplates before you pull the trigger
 
Keep in mind Monoprice rapes you on shipping and customs, so if you order from there make it worthwhile and order $300+ of stuff. Maybe get like 20 or so different keystones that you think you may need at some point, perhaps another spool of wire you think you may need at some point, audio cables, etc. You can also get the wall plates there too, though often I just get them at Home Depot on a as needed basis. May as well at least get the ones you need for this specific project though.
 
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