Racks vs Custom Mounting/Shelving Solutions?

Tairan asks: "I work for a small company that has recently been growing. We are very short on space, but may be expanding in the next month or so. I just bought a couple new servers, and need a way to contain them. Right now, they are all stacked on my desk, around my office, and down the hall. I would like to have a central location where I can get to all the machines. I?ve been thinking about a rack unit. I hear many racks are extremely noisy , and quite bulky for the small amount of space they provide, so I am doubtful of that option. What I am considering, is building a custom cabinet/ shelving unit. Has anyone ever tried anything like this? What are some things I should keep in mind during my endeavor? If I do have to buy a commercial rack, are there any other considerations or recommendations from anyone?"

The way pair used to do it

[mistered]

My web provider, pair networks [pair.com] used to use standard PCs on shelves. They have a bunch of pics [pair.com] taken during their latest office move. There's a couple of the shelves they used in the old datacenter that might be useful. Note how messy everything is! They are using exclusively rack mount cases for future installations.

Only as noisy as you make them....

[Anonymous Coward]

A rack is typically a big box (or even just a bare frame) made out of metal. In and of themselves, they don't make a sound, because they really have no moving parts (though there are occasionally built-in fan trays on enclosed racks... but only occasionally).

It's all of the hardware collected in one place that makes all the noise in most racks. But if you already have all the systems you're going to rackmount together in one place, you've already got plenty of noise.

Rackmounting is definately my preferred way to store systems. It's a bit more expensive ($1000 for the rack, then $250 extra per system to get a real rackmount case), but it is VERY worth it. Systems are easy to get to (especially if you have them on sliding rails), cables are neat, and if you choose your systems carefully, you even end up with lots of blinky lights to look at.

You can skimp by and just use $50 rack trays to put your PCs in, rather than blow the extra money on rackmount PC cases, but I don't reccomend it -- Normal PC cases don't usually fit very well onto standard rack trays, and the end result is ugly as sin.

And no, don't even bother trying to build your own. I'm sure it can be done, but I seriously doubt that the savings would be worth the trouble.

Try a "Little Glass House"

[jhein]

I had a similar problem with equipment strewn about, and being "forced" to have my office in the server room! What I have requested (you know, companies will put off a decision as long as possible so it looks like they're trying to save money) is a "Little Glass House" [liebert.com] from Liebert. It is a totally sealed rack enclosure, insulated against noise, has an environmental control unit, backup cooling fan in case power goes out, online UPS system, and you can get an option to exhaust the hot air into the plenum space so that if your boss 'knows' the normal room A/C is enough you don't have to work in the Sahara. Also available are water/smoke/temp detectors, SNMP management, etc. Did I mention it's lockable? Now you can keep the windows people away! (You know, the "Maybe we should just reboot it and see if it helps" people) -Jim

Steel studs

[Anonymous Coward]

You could use steel studs to build your own rack. I've done it. Don't have any pictures, though. They're really cheap and very easy to work with. The only tools you need some screws and a pair of tin-snips. They're also light weight but strong, and very versitile. Looking at them end-on, they're sort of a U-shape. You just notch the sides to bend them and form corners, or cut the bottom out of the U about 2 inches into the stud and slide the sides on to another one to form cross pieces. Hard to explain without a picture. Just check your local building supply store, they'll point you to what you need.

Try a customized office cabinet...

[infojunkie]

I am just in the middle of putting up some pages describing a cabinet I have customized for this exact purpose.

The cabinet I bought from an office furniture auction house for $150. They had 20 of them, so I know they are quite common.
I bought a window mount dual fan from Home Depot for $50 and used a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade to do the mods. It tooks 3 hours from start to finish.

It's not up yet, but check back tuesday night. I should be done it by then.

The URL will be http://www.goldrick.net/cabinetsolution/ [goldrick.net]

Been there, done that

[LiNT_]

I've tried quite a few of these solutions.

Wanting to gain some experience with networking I decided to build a LAN in my room. It's not a small room, but it's not a large one either. My requirements were to keep the noise and heat down as well as have an aesthetic appeal to it.

I started by trying to build a desk with integrated rack mount cabinets on the side. It worked but it was huge and became a pain to work with. I eventually gave up on that design when I ran out of money to do the air conditioning and switch to a seperate power circuit. My cabinet/desk had a good design to it but in the end I decided it wasn't what I wanted. Too much money and even though I thought it would save money to build it myself, in the end I could have saved money going with rackmount retail products.

Next design....rackmount everything! I thought about this one for awhile and eventually this is what I would like to do. But for now it's not feasible. The cost for 3 cabinets, 10 cases, seperate power circuit, UPS's, etc, was something I couldn't afford. Besides, the majority of my computers were P2 233's or P133's. Why spend $250 on a case for a computer that was only worth $100-200 to begin with?

My current decision, wire racks. I've found these for around $300 for a 72" wide by 24" deep rack. They offer excellent cooling, they're sturdy (600lbs per shelf) and they're relativly cheap. I still have to bring in another power circuit as well as UPS's and Air condition the entire room, but in the long run, this is the only feasible option for me. The only problem is the noise. So far I'm not too worried about it, I've been putting up with a few computers sitting out in the open for awhile now. Lately I haven't even noticed. Besides sometimes it nice to have some computers humming while I sleep, it keeps me dreaming about my next hairbrained idea.

What I've learned from all of this:

1. If you build something custom it will cost 10 times what you planned on even if you plan on bieng 10 times over budget
2. It's more fun to dream about building it than to actually build it
3. Start off simple, then add all the cool things you have to have
4. I'll never be happy
5. Credit cards are hard to pay off

Just be prepared if you decide to do this yourself. It takes a long time and a lot of money.

LiNT

Buy Cheap Racks But Get Rack-Mountable Servers

[InitZero]

Lots of folks feel a need to spend hoards (think: $1,500) on enclosed racks with fans and fancy power taps and the like. Yes, they are nice but I don't think they are worth the extra cash.

What you need is a simple tapped, extruded aluminum rack. A 19"x84" rack runs $140-$200 at DataComm Warehouse [warehouse.com]. A 21" rack runs a bit more.

These aluminum racks don't have fans or electrical connections. Get a few tie-wraps and attach a power strip to the back and you will be living large. Since the rack is not enclosed, there is no need for additional fans.

Spend some money on rack-mount cases for your servers. I can't tell you how much easier this will make your life and how much more professional your data center will look. A rack mount case may add a couple hundred dollars to an order. It is worth it.

If your boss needs a justification to spend the extra money, ask him how much your office costs per square foot. With a rack, you should be able to stuff six to a dozen servers where one server once sat on the ground. Do the math for him. That alone should show him that building up is the way to go.

InitZero

If you want some choices...

[nstenz]

...check out www.blackbox.com [blackbox.com]. They have pretty much every bit of hardware you could ever want for a server... They aren't cheap, but maybe they could give you some ideas if you're just out looking, and you could find something similar somewhere else...? I know what it's like to not have a lot of money to work with... good luck.

Get a rack...

[mosch]

Having had worked with a variety of storage systems, I definitely recommend racking all your machines. The biggest issue, noise-wise, is just that you can fit so damned many computers near each other with a rack, that of course it's loud. Racks offer numerous advantages most of which are in the 'wow, suddenly it's easy to follow those cables' and the 'look at all the free space around here' category. Not to mention that it's harder for somebody to accidentally power down a machine that's in a rack with a locked door.
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Rolling Rack

[nonlinear]

I first saw this idea at the U of M [umich.edu] on their linux cluster in the Media Union.

They had all of their machines stacked in the original cases on three shelves that were on a rolling rack. It was a completely self contained unit. you can find these racks at www.globalindustrial.com [globalindustrial.com] This is what we are currently using for our clusters of PCs. Each cluster is mobile enough for moving since we're growing so fast. Don't get me wrong though, as soon as I can talk the higher ups into it we're going to sporting rack units, but for a $100 - $200 soultion per cluster, it's pretty nice (And they come in a variety of finishes black, chrome, stainless etc...)

Cheap racks

[Anonymous Coward]

I wanted a 19" rack mount system but too expensive. So I went to Sam's Club and bought a nice rack for around 80$ It supports 500lbs per shelf or 2000lbs for the whole unit, it has five adjustable shelves, with casters or feet(both included). The unit measures 36" wide, 18" deep and around 6ft tall. It's not the largest but it's cheap and strong. I posted a pic here [hammycorp.com]. Sorry for the bad pic, that's what a $50 digital camera gets you. Hope this helps Mike

Don't forget the KVM!

[sobiloff]

You can get by with a cheap wire rack -- I did, and I'm a bit of a snob about these kind of things. Sure, it would have been nice to have a real rackmount system, but since it was coming out of my pocket and the computers were owned by my (former) company, I wanted to spend as little as possible. I found a sturdy, cheap set of wire racks from Ikea that you could buy by individual piece (shelves and poles). It worked like a champ.

The only drawback was that I had a separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse for each machine and no money for a KVM. Check out the previous "Ask Slashdots" for KVM recommendations. They'll save a lot of space and cable hassle.

Re:Cheap racks

[CoderDevo]

The source for these shelves is Metro. http://www.metro.com/commercial/index.cfm

This is the company that invented the steel wire shelving that is copied by everyone else.

I bought mine at an Organized Living store. I got Metro shelving because it is customizable to my needs and it looks professional. With its black finish, it looks good in my home office too.

I wish I had a picture of my setup. It's shweet. It's holds my 2 tower cases, fax machine, laser printer, Sun SparcStation, 2 laptops, KVM switch, UPS, 60 CDs, DSL router, 2 hubs and lastly, 4 shelves of books (2 on each side). On the second shelf, there is room to add another tower to the KVM switch when a friend wants me to fix their computer. The top shelf hides random computer parts and cables.

To build it, I used four 6 foot posts, five 18"x48" shelves and four 4" lockable castors. I got a snap-on drop basket that holds the Sun and a laptop. The router and hubs are velcro'd to the side of the basket so I can see their lights. I also got 4 snap-on dividers to use as bookends. My office in-box and out-box hang off the side. A 60 CD holder hangs off the top shelf. Wires are managed with a few velcro strips.

Total cost: $440 plus tax (not on sale)

If you are going to put wheels on the shelves, get the heavy duty 4" Polymer wheels, not the cheap plastic 2.5" casters. The 2.5" casters max out at 100 pounds, whereas the 4" wheels handle 300 pounds.

Rackmounting is the best option

[yakfacts]

I've gone through this dilemma several times.

Rackmounting is the only way to go. Not only is everything at work in racks, but most of my equipment at home. I usually by used racks--you can get them for very little at many electronic or university surplus houses--and then pay a little more for a rackmount case.

Rackmount cases store more equiment in the least floor space. They also provide good cooling and solve most of the cabling issues.

Shelves are okay for little operations, but there is a reason every professional ISP and computer center has rackmount equipment.