Server and communication cabinet racks – types and characteristics

At INNOCOM, we understand that downtime can be costly and disruptive, so we only offer products that are proven to deliver uptime and reliability. Superior reliability. Our team of experts are always available for advice and support, helping you choose the right racks and accessories for your IT environment and ensuring your system runs smoothly and efficiently.

All about 19-inch communication (Rack) cabinets

19-inch standing  racks and communication cabinets, also known as racks, provide a durable, economical and efficient solution for arranging IT or other digital and related equipment in a single protected and compact space. Power distribution modules (PDUs) can be mounted on the front and back of the rack. Stand-alone 19-inch rack cabinets are ideal for high-performance data center environments, allowing for efficient communication cabling and high-throughput capabilities of devices. Also provides excellent accessibility and thermal efficiency. All these features are integrated using full-fledged modular attachments.

There are the following types of racks and cabinets:

(Free-Standing Racks) Free-Standing Racks – designed for safe and easy placement of devices. Including cables with maximum simplicity of communication nodes. It satisfies even the most demanding user because it is very flexible. There are universal types with welded or prefabricated construction. Also special racks for specific purposes (eg server racks, network racks, data storage racks)

Open Frames – Open frames offer safe and accessible space for equipment placement in closed rooms, server rooms and data centers. We offer 3 main series of open frames that can be used as stand alone or in rows using a vertical high density wire management system and other accessories from our portfolio.

Wall Mount Racks & SOHO Racks – Thanks to their compact size, these cabinets are suitable for small offices and homes.

Communication racks come in different sizes. Height, width, depth. What unites them all is a 19-inch-wide horizontal space for mounting devices.

The height of racks is measured in units (Unit), which means the height of one standard device, which by the accepted standard is 44.45 millimeters (4.4 cm).

The size of the rack units is based on the standard rack specification as defined in EIA-310. Eurocard defines a standard shelf unit as a height unit; It also defines a similar unit, horizontal height (HP), which is used to measure the width of rack-mounted equipment. The standard has been adopted worldwide as IEC 60297 Mechanical structures for electronic equipment – Dimensions of mechanical structures of the 482.6 mm (19 inch) series and specifies the dimensions of racks, sub-racks (rack-like chassis into which cards can be inserted). and the height of printed circuit boards/cards that provide physical compatibility of technological equipment, typically in telecommunications.

Although a rack unit is defined as 1+3⁄4 inches (44.45 mm), the front panel or filler panel in the rack is not an exact multiple of this height. To allow space between adjacent shelf-mounted components, the panel is 1⁄32 inch (0.03125 inch or 0.794 mm) taller than the full number of shelves implies. Thus, a 1U front panel height would be 123⁄32 inches (1.71875 inches or 43.66 mm). If n is the number of shelf units, the ideal panel height formula is h = (1.75n – 0.031) in inches and h = (44.45n – 0.794) in millimeters. Production allows for less accuracy of measurements.

The horizontal mounting spacing (as shown at right) differs for 19-inch racks and 23-inch racks: 19-inch racks use uneven spacing (as shown at right), while 23-inch racks use evenly spaced mounting holes. . Although it is called a 19-inch rack unit, the actual mounting dimensions of a 19-inch rack unit are 185⁄16 inches (18.3125 inches or 465.1 mm)[3] wide, center to center.

A typical full-height rack is 42U, which means it holds 6 feet (180 cm) of equipment, and a typical “half-height” rack is 18-22U, which is about 3 feet (91 cm) tall.

The sizes of the racks start from 2U (two units) to 42 units. Standard sizes are: 600×450, 600×600, 600×800 and 600×1000.

Half rack racks

Although there is no official specification for “half-rack,” the term “half-rack” can have different meanings: it can describe equipment that fits in a certain number of racks, but takes up only half of the 19-inch width. Rack (9.5 inches (241.30 mm)). This is typically used when equipment does not require the full width of the rack, but may require more than 1 U of height. In width and theoretically, two 4U half-rack decks can be installed side by side and occupy 4U of space. It can also describe a unit that is 1U in height and half the depth of a 4-post rack (such as a network switch, router, KVM switch or server), so that two units can be installed in 1U of space (one is installed at the front of the rack and one at the back ). When used to describe a rack enclosure, the term “half-rack” usually means a rack enclosure that is half the height (height 22 U). The “half rack width” size is also used in IT applications where the device fits in a width smaller than 9.5″, so these devices can be used in a chassis system that fits in a traditional 19″ rack space. , but allows these 8.4-inch-wide “half-rack width” devices to be inserted and removed easily without tools or the need to remove surrounding hardware. This “half-rack width” concept is popular in applications where IT equipment is used by the military, which cannot use traditional 1U full-depth IT equipment due to their large size.

Rack units are universally the same, but the thread type may vary from rack to rack. Mounting rails can be No. 10-32 tap (Unified Thread Standard), No. 12-24 tap, metric M6 screw or universal square holes. Universal square holes are becoming the most common because they allow you to insert a replacement cage nut for the required thread type.

All our stands and accessories are rigorously tested to ensure compliance with industry standards and are backed by a commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. We work closely with our customers to understand their unique requirements and deliver customized solutions that meet their specific needs.

Choose INNOCOM for your shelving and accessory needs and receive the highest level of quality, reliability and customer service.

David Sarishvili

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