I don't think it is a very good idea to hide your cabling, either power or data. Raised floor just becomes a place to hide things and collect dust, and makes it much harder to make changes. I've seen shallow raised floor which could not be re-seated after it was pulled because of the volume of cable underneath. I've also seen a raised floor environment that became a hazard when the Loma Prieta earthquake popped up every fifth tile or so.
I believe the idea of hiding cable came from early IBM promotional photos that showed a beautiful sea of white tile with an IBM-logoed monolithic rectangular solid standing there in all of its phallic glory. The purchasers, who were not the operators, came to see this as a natural way to install and manage hardware. In my high school days I saw a Sperry Univac 1107 that was not only mounted on raised floor, but actually had components installed in decorative columns that matched the building deco, kind of like a light switch would be in an office -- the whole room became the computer.
Cabinets also make little sense. Why make it hard to connect, disconnect, mount or dismount your hardware? The telcos have been using open racks since the beginning of time -- a much more efficient way to handle hardware that changes or must be inspected frequently.
Power and data should run in separate ladder/tray overhead, where it can be seen and pulled, inspected or added to easily. 20A or 30A power outlets installed in the tray (or overhead duct dropped from the ceiling where electrical codes require) make it easy to attach your cabinet (or better, relay rack) power distribution.
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I don't think it is a very good idea to hide your cabling, either power or data. Raised floor just becomes a place to hide things and collect dust, and makes it much harder to make changes. I've seen shallow raised floor which could not be re-seated after it was pulled because of the volume of cable underneath. I've also seen a raised floor environment that became a hazard when the Loma Prieta earthquake popped up every fifth tile or so.
I believe the idea of hiding cable came from early IBM promotional photos that showed a beautiful sea of white tile with an IBM-logoed monolithic rectangular solid standing there in all of its phallic glory. The purchasers, who were not the operators, came to see this as a natural way to install and manage hardware. In my high school days I saw a Sperry Univac 1107 that was not only mounted on raised floor, but actually had components installed in decorative columns that matched the building deco, kind of like a light switch would be in an office -- the whole room became the computer.
Cabinets also make little sense. Why make it hard to connect, disconnect, mount or dismount your hardware? The telcos have been using open racks since the beginning of time -- a much more efficient way to handle hardware that changes or must be inspected frequently.
Power and data should run in separate ladder/tray overhead, where it can be seen and pulled, inspected or added to easily. 20A or 30A power outlets installed in the tray (or overhead duct dropped from the ceiling where electrical codes require) make it easy to attach your cabinet (or better, relay rack) power distribution.