[plug] server room visit

[Onno Benschop]

I find that racks create a cleaner and more organised environment if, and
only if, you keep up your maintenance. Having little "helpers" unplug and
re-plug and move patch leads takes about 30 seconds to shatter weeks of
planning.

What I'm trying to say is that no matter what solution you choose, it will
only work if there is a system to maintain the system. For me and my
clients, I colour-code patch leads, have velcro straps, and documentation to
match. Little "helpers" have their fingers removed verbally.

It's not perfect, it will never be perfect, but being able to see at a
glance what is going on in the case of a failure is worth Gold.

As for racked vs. rackless. as Chris says, it's all about managing the
cables. Racked reduces the trip hazard, but if you don't have standardised
19" hardware, you might spend a fortune in 19" shelves to store your
non-standard kit.

Personally, I'd suggest a large sturdy stand-alone shelving unit - think
Bunnings/OfficeWorks shop shelves. position it against a wall so you can
walk in front and behind it and you are most of the way there.

Bolting shelves to a wall is not my idea of a fun working environment.

My 5 cents.


Onno

On Wed, Aug 3, 2011 at 11:25 AM, Jon Miller <jlmiller at mmtnetworks.com.au>wrote:

> I find the racks creates a cleaner and professional looking computer room.
> The cables are neatly in order for easy tracking and access to the servers
> if setup right is great from both front and back.  I've designed quite a
> few
> server rooms from as large as the Navy to as small as a single rack and it
> is the only way to go.  I use MFB racks because of their standards.
>
> Jon L Miller
> MMT Networks Pty Ltd
> e: jlmiller at mmtnetworks.com.au
> p: +618 9375 6597
> m: +61 412 126 166
>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: plug-bounces at plug.org.au [mailto:plug-bounces at plug.org.au] On Behalf
> Of home at oranges.id.au
> Sent: Wednesday, 3 August 2011 10:09 AM
> To: plug at plug.org.au
> Subject: [plug] server room visit
>
> Hi everyone,
> Do any of you manage, or at least work nearby a server room which
> doesn't use equipment racks?
>
> I'm considering rearranging our server room, and have come to a
> crossroads. Amongst other decisions, I need to choose whether to
> continue with our simple shelving approach, or start using equipment
> racks. I have experience with the latter, but effectively none with
> the former, so I'm hoping someone out there can offer me a grand tour.
>
> Do any of you who've got one within 20km of Perth CBD, reckon you
> could give me a peek at your rackless - or only partially racked -
> server room? I'm not looking for the perfect example of such a setup,
> just another perspective, because ours has grown and evolved to a
> pretty poor state!
>
> Peace,
> Greg.
>
> --
> Gregory Orange
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-- 
Onno Benschop

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onno at itmaze.com.au
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