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February 20, 2009
• Vol.31 Issue 8
Page(s) 22 in print issue
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Tips For Taming Cabinet Chaos
Server Cabinet Organization Is Essential For An Efficient Data Center
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If your server cabinets make a dense Peruvian jungle look neat and tidy, you’re not alone. Mired within the constant loop of adding and removing components, many data centers eventually grow careless with cabinet organization, in turn creating environments that are frightfully unfavorable for their equipment. If this situation describes your data center, these tips can get you back on track.
 Know How To Stack Your Rack
Although it’s possible to neatly organize server cabinets regardless of what goes in them, there exists a precise science to how the equipment should be situated in the cabinet. According to Richard McCormack, senior vice president of marketing at Fujitsu (www.computers.us.fujitsu.com), hot, heavy equipment such as UPSes, power supplies, and powerful and heavy servers should be placed on the bottom of cabinets.
"The basic rule of thumb is for servers larger than 4U to be put at the bottom of racks, followed by 2U servers, with 1U servers on top,” McCormack says. “Next, be sure to account for application loadings in racks, too—put highly loaded servers and storage at the bottom, lightly loaded systems on top. Then, network gear should sit either in the middle—for optimal cable management and shorter cable lengths—or at the top of a rack for top-down data centers.”
McCormack adds that KVM switches should be situated in the middle for easy access and ergonomics, while power strips and network gear should be in “cubbies” on the sides of the cabinets to reduce cable management problems. Further, rack dummy panels should be installed to avoid hot-aisle/cold-aisle contamination and ensure good internal rack ventilation and airflow. David Layton, senior vice president of colocation operations for Terremark’s (www.terremark.com) west region, agrees, noting that dummy or blanking panels can be created by simply cutting black poster board to fit. Such panels are affordable, look like metal, are easy to adjust as devices are installed and removed, and can provide big temperature drops in the cold aisles.
Identify With Labels
Jason Hernandez, a product specialist with CableOrganizer.com, explains that the easiest way to keep cabinets organized is to do it right the first time. This includes labeling everything so that the installer or next administrator can easily identify components.
“This can be done by color-coding wires or using clearly identifiable labels. If there is shorthand used on labels or color-coding, then a legend must be easily accessible in the server room, either on an outside panel or on an opposite wall if the server is to be kept totally clean,” Hernandez says.
He adds that temporary labeling can be useful for new equipment when there’s not a permanent spot for it from the start. When time and space permits for proper movement and installation in the future, these temporary labels can provide efficient direction.
Don’t Restart From Scratch
As cabinets grow more unruly over time, data center personnel might be tempted to perform complete cabinet reorganizations to get things back on track. But experts recommend avoiding that tactic, as it could cause far more problems than it could potentially solve.
“Cabinet strategy should not occur randomly and in a vacuum,” says Tom Deaderick, director of business development for OnePartner (www.onepartner.com). “Cabinets are one of many components that make up the data center environment. Affecting any one component introduces the risk of impact to others, or even the entire environment. All facets of the data center, including cabinets, should be incorporated into the design and only modified if a technology shift makes that action unavoidable.”
Instead, Terremark’s Layton recommends regularly going through aisles and ensuring any changes have not impacted equipment, searching for gaps and closing any that are found, and checking airflow and supply temperatures and relocating or adjusting devices and supply air diffusers as needed.
“Environments where there is a steady churn of equipment—engineering, test and development, QA, etc.—will take care of their own reorganization, or lack thereof, automatically. It pays to remember that change is not conducive to establishing and maintaining a 24/7 production environment, and all changes, such as replacing equipment or adding new gear, have to be planned to mitigate downtime exposures within the existing infrastructure,” McCormack says.
Save Reshuffling For A More Practical Time
According to Hernandez, the installation of new equipment doesn’t often occur when it is practical to reshuffle half a cabinet’s worth of equipment up or down or over to a new rack, particularly when the new equipment needs to be implemented quickly.
“Save the restructure for a holiday weekend, when things can be done right and with extra equipment like patch cords or possibly an extra panel or switch,” he says. “Something always seems to go wrong when things get moved around. Without a proper backup and parts, a simple task can turn into a nightmare.”
Hernandez also warns against “Frankenstein”-style additions, which occur when someone inserts a patch panel or switch into an open spot on a rack in a place that doesn’t make sense. This can happen more than once as growth occurs, and it can force wires to be run from one cabinet to another in a haphazard manner.  by Christian Perry
Bonus Tips
Don’t skimp; don’t rush. Jason Hernandez, product specialist with CableOrganizer.com, warns that if cabinet organization is rushed or if insufficient funds are spent on necessary supplies, data centers will pay the price later. “Paying a bit more up front will save time and money in the long run when something has to be reworked for no good reason other than lazy or cheap installations. Also, don’t rush in. Have an installation plan, and if time and space permits, have a plan for future growth,” he says. Create guidelines. According to Tom Deaderick, director of business development for OnePartner (www.onepartner.com), it's a good idea to create guidelines that data center personnel can follow when it's time to integrate new cabinet equipment. He recommends that managers cover multiple areas in the guidelines, including a schedule for deployment and decommissioning, quality-assurance planning, staging and acclamation areas, a prework checklist, electrical considerations, thermal dynamic impact, and access for maintenance and servicing. |
Best Time-Saver:
Keep WiresUnder Control
Wire management is crucial to cabinet organization, and there are plenty of philosophies for handling wires. Jason Hernandez, product specialist with CableOrganizer.com, recommends tailoring wire management to the particular cabinet infrastructure. “There are lots of big, hulking vertical cable managers that look really great when fully loaded but can cost nearly as much as the rack it’s mounted on. If the rack is being used as a patch panel and switch point primarily, then these types of vertical managers may be helpful with wire bundles in the upper 100s,” Hernandez says. “For combo server/switch/patch applications where the wire bundle load is less, loops or cable ties could be used since they won’t have the massive weight and bulk of that many cables. Horizontal management running between patch panels and switches helps keep the front of the rack looking neat and keeps those patch cords untangled and easy to trace back from point to point.” |
Best Return On Investment:
Treat Cables With Care
By their very nature, cables are prone to suffering punctures and other damage that can not only ruin the cables themselves, but also negatively impact the servers and other components to which they’re connected. But that damage can be avoided. “Avoid dressing cabling tightly over sharp edges of railings or panels,” advises Richard McCormack, senior vice president of marketing at Fujitsu (www.computers.us.fujitsu.com). “Take care not to pinch cables between components and avoid bending them as much as possible. Cables should never be bent tight enough to cause a crease in their sheaths. Fiber cables must not violate their minimum bend radius. When securing cables inside the rack with cable ties or the new, less-abrasive Velcro-based alternatives, we recommend dressing the bundles in such a way as to avoid interference with installed components or rack-side panels or rails.” |
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