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Open Compute Project Publishes Final Open Rack Spec
Nerval's Lobster writes "The Open Compute Project has published the final specification of the Open Rack Specification, which widens the traditional server rack to more than 23 inches. Specifically, the rack is 600 mm wide (versus the 482.6 mm of a 19-inch rack), with the chassis guidelines calling for a width of 537 mm. All told, that's slightly wider than the 580 mm used by the Western Electric or ETSI rack. The Open Compute Project said that changes in the new 1.0 specification include a new focus on a single-column rack design. The new dimensions now accommodate hotter inlet temperatures of between 18 to 35 degrees Celsius and up to 90 percent humidity, which reflects other Open Compute designs and real-world data center temperatures, according to project documents. Facebook has led the implementation of the Open Compute Project, which publicly shares the designs it uses in data centers, including its Prineville, Ore. facility. As the spec clearly shows, however, the new designs deviate from the traditional configurations and specifications, which means data center operators will need to find and then source racks from third-party vendors (or, in the case of Facebook, design their own)."
the new designs deviate from the traditional configurations and specifications, which means data center operators will need to find and then source racks from third-party vendors (or, in the case of Facebook, design their own).
Other stuff goes in racks too. Power distribution, cable mis-management, fiber trays, all that stuff needs to be redesigned.
Looks like a mighty painful transition.
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It reminds me of the push to high voltage DC electricity. Yes, the current standards are not as efficient as they should be, but it would cost a pretty penny to rip our racks out, and either adapt or buy new hardware.
We have enough standards already -- a lot of data centers have both 19" racks and 22" racks. It would be like asking that the power company went to 360 Hz for the AC power -- it would be better, but since so much is used to the standard, it likely won't happen.
If you go to the first link, it says "The Open Rack is the first rack design to diverge from the existing 19" rack standard, "
Well, no. There's a 23" standard (sometimes called the ETSI rack, and which the summary even mentions), for which adapters (some including cable management) are readily available to allow installing equipment designed for 19" racks.
The summary, well, sucks. It bounces between the widths of the actual racks (which isn't really defined for 19" racks), widths of the installed equipment, and the width across the flanges for 19" racked equipment. Apples and oranges.
It gives temperature specs, but that's not so much a function of the rack, but of the equipment placed in the rack, and the type of HVAC provided. Despite pretending to give thermal specs, it doesn't bother to define airflow - front to back? Right to left?
This seems to be a solution looking for a problem.
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Spacers are much cheaper than shelves, and more secure.
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Google's already Intel's fifth biggest customer, the other big web\cloud players probably aren't that far behind so if enough of them insist on Open Rack designs it won't matter what the rest of us want, they WILL be produced. With the way people move between those large players it's likely that will happen.
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