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Rackmounting at Home?
gnurd asks: "I am toying with the idea of buying a Rackable system for home use. However I'm sure I dont need a 72" cabinet, but i would like a small safe enclosure for a couple of systems. I have had a hard time finding a small (12U) cabinet for home use. anybody try setting up a small racked center at home? Your experience would be appreciated." Would any of the solutions from
this past Ask Slashdot discussion help in this case? And has anyone successfully used racks intended for rackable musical instruments to hold servers instead?
They are about 5 feet high and are designed for 19" rack equipment. They even have doors on the front and back, holes for volt/amp meters and a speaker! You can get them at hamfests sometimes for free.
(Unfortunately, Newark's online catalog is poorly organized, the print version is much easier to follow, IMO).
"Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
"I can see my house from here!" - ST:
Thanks. Now I want one of them. You don't realise what you've done, do you?
Now I need to get the Financial Manager (read:Wife) to approve purchase of one of these. This means proving that I am indeed a worthwhile investment (read: clean out the basement, cook, cut lawn etc.) and that we really do need one (see cleaning basement above). I will then have to show ROI for a while to come after installation (Hon, I know we're broke, but can I buy this dress? You got that silly LAN rack or whatever a couple of months ago...). Like I said, thanks.
;-)
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
Check local surplus houses. Mendelson Electronics (www.meci.com) is near enough to me that I can swing down in an afternoon, and pick up rack of almost any size for less than $100-150. Some of these are nice, half-sized racks with glass doors. They say things like "Compaq" on them.
Buy a road case from someone like Anvil, Starcase, or SKB. They're durable. You can take them with you to a LAN party. And your equipment will be safe in transit, or as luggage on a 747, or whatever.
Alternatively, build a rack. Parts for serious road cases and other racks (aluminum extrusions, hasps, heavy steel corners, plywood with colorful vacuum-laminated fiberglass, pre-tapped rails, etc) can be found at TCH (the URL escapes me). They seem to be the same to road cases as Black Box is to networking gear.
Rails are also available at Parts Express (www.partsexpress.com), for cheap.
Whatever you do, be sure to compare the depth of the equipment to the depth of the rack. It might not be a big deal if the back of your server hangs out of the cabinet a few inches, unless it bothers you to look at. But it would be somewhat troublesome if the back cover for your new road case doesn't fit once it's loaded with equipment.
Companies like Starcase and Anvil are completely willing to build custom projects, so if you -really- want something special...
Kid-proof tablet..
The standard 19" rack width is used accross computer, music, and broadcasting industries. You just want to make sure you are dealing with 19" rack equipment.
The place we buy from is Pacific Radio in Los Angeles. More detailed info located here on modular racks.
The main considerations will be heat disapation and cabling. Just make sure you have adequate airflow and are setting things up where you have cables running all over the place.
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nuclear iraq bioweapon encryption cocaine korea terrorist
-jhp
/. -- the Free Republic of technology.
There are several non-standard things to be aware of when rack mounting computer equipment.
First off is where the holes are drilled in the equipment. You may think that you can buy a 12U rack and stick 3 4U computers in it. But if you try it with different models of case or computer, you will likely find that the computers don't line up with each other correctly, meaning you may need more than 12U.
I've rack mounted a LOT of computers, audio and video equipment and run into this constantly. The A/V equipment always fits right, but the computers are all over the place!
Second thing is the depth. Many computer cases are deep enough that they need to be supported in the back. You'll find that there are multiple standards for how far back the back rail is supposed to be. To circumvent this, I usually forget about installing back rails (unless I have a perfectly homogenous installation), and just install side supports, either wood or metal, and bolt the computers to those.
I highly recommend that you use slide rails. Try to get ball bearing rails rather than friction rails, becuase the friction rails frequently do not work well.
Also if you are building your own rack out of wood, consider using the fancy ball bearing drawer slides from the kitchen dept. at Home Depot. You won't need expensive rack rails, and they can slide all the way out to let you remove the entire machine for service. The only drawback is that you'll probably have to drill your own holes to match up with the holes in the computer's chassis.
When drilling those holes, watch out and don't get any metal shavings in the ball track!
Good luck
-Loopy
Data and music people use 19" racks with a channel design and uneven hole spacing. Data and music people usually put mounting flanges on the front of the equipment, so that the face of the device is flush with the face of the rack, more or less, when all is said and done. This creates a lot of force on the screws due to leverage, particularly for thin (1U or 2U) units.
Telco people use 23" racks, with a different flange design and regular 1" hole spacing. Telco equipment has the mounting flanges in the middle of the equipment, so the only force on the screws is shear. There's very little twisting, because the weight of the equipment is centered in the rack. Almost all carrier-class equipment is designed for 23" racks and mid-mounting.
They make adapter plates to mount 19" equipment with EIA-spaced holes into a 23" rack with WECO-spaced holes. There are also adapter brackets to move flush-mount equipment forward so it's even with mid-mount equipment.
As the large telcos know, it's easier to put adapters in a 23" rack than it is to stretch a 19" rack.
I'll help you push it out the door. Everything else is up to you.
I'm serious.
Because it isn't a big commodity product, so they can't spread the costs out by selling quanity. Also most racks are used in real data or telco centers and they have to meet seimic certification standards. That a lot of cost for testing and liability, but that is why all rack equipment is expensive. With all the dot-comedy crashes out there, the're lots of hardware auctions and deals to be had.
At least one of the reasons on pre-drilled racks is at pre-drilling rails is very expensive. To drill and tap a 7' rail with high precision takes expensive gear, and a lot of time. This is why racks with pop in nuts and the like are so much cheaper, but if you've ever worked with them you know they are a huge pain.
Here's a question for you:
Why are racks so damn expensive?
They're just hunks of metal, and yet the ones I always see cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Even those seem unfinished (barbs and sharp bits everywhere); to get a *nice* rack you have to spend even more.
What's the deal? Is the market so small that they can charge this much, or is there some secret process in the manufacturing that makes it so expensive?
What consenting adults do behind closed doors is their own business.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Why the hell is a question which has been asked many many times on the front page, while the story about the BSA that would actually interest most of us is hidden off in Ask Slashdot?
Hmm, take a look at the top of your screen. See that ad for cheap rack units? VA Linux has tons and tons of rack mounted hardware they have to get rid of, and they're obviously trying to drum up interest in people buying this stuff up for home use.
ok then your [sic] infringing on my copyright! Could you as [sic] me next time before STEALING my comments for your own?
Here is a URL for a story on this topic from back in January. http://linuxtoday.com/stories/15158.html
I've been having so much trouble trucking my 10 disk RAID array to LAN parties!
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You can always just put the rack into your wall like I did. [url]http://www.atheosonline.com/niles/rack.jpg[/u rl]
You should make sure that you have adequate ventilation though (add a fan or five if necessary) - these are generally meant to be enclosed, and I've seen LCD displays (the small type on audio gear) go bad just from the heat generated by the equipment.
Also - check the depth on the rack before you buy... most audio equipment isn't as long as some of the computer gear you might mount.
Or, make your own. Watch the weight though!
If you live near Seattle, then the best source for used racks of all sizes is Boeing Surplus. They have singles, doubles, and triples and lots of hardware. Halfs are rare. Most are $50-100.
Most are in good shape and blue. I have a single in my garage and run everything remote.
The following addresses may be of use for anyone wishing to buy individual rackmountable cases:
;)
Digital Networks UK Ltd
www.dnuk.com
Pro Computers & Industrial Case Ltd
www.pcicase.co.uk
Sight Systems Ltd
www.sightsystems.mcmail.com
VASCO:
www.tmc-uk.com/
Personally, I bought an ATX case, and separate drive case from Sight Systems, cost under 500ukp, and you can even choose the colour!
Personally, I went for the rather nifty black ones, though if you are so inclined pantone-414C is still available. That's beige to you and me.
The quality was excellent, far in advance of standard pc cases including vibration dampening, and not a sharp edge anywhere to be seen!
The cabinet an (18u including acrylic door) made by proel and purchaced through a high-street music store was 220ukp (including VAT and delivery).