The undervalued rack

In working with the SMB market I find customer data centers in all sorts of conditions. In one case the customer called me and told me how there had been water dripping on to the server so they put a plastic bag over it. The amazing thing was that the server kept running. Of course we eventually moved it to a data rack, but when we finally took it out of service a few years later, it was full of rust on the inside. I guess that is a testament to the quality of HP servers. The other scenario that comes to mind is when my engineer had to sit on the toilet to work on the server which was positioned in the bathtub. Crazy? yes. Is it still there? I don't know. I sold that client with my company. I've seen so many servers balancing on tables, underneath desks being kicked over and over, used as a dust bunny collector. The funny part is that a lot of people just expect their servers to take a licking and keep on ticking. Literally. So this blog is a tribute to the under appreciated data rack. Coming in at anywhere from $500.00-$1700 for a single rack, the price usually causes sticker shock. Why use that when we've got this perfectly good table I inherited from my grandma. Well today's racks come with a whole host of features your servers love:

1. Built in power distribution and remote control


2. Built in cooling


3. Cost effective, expandable Power conditioning and backup

and the always popular:

1. Optimal use of space


2. Security from physical theft or vandalism


3. Security from individuals who want to access systems directly


4. Cable routing (So you don't get lost in a spider web mess of cables)


5. Improved air flow (hot servers get mad and like to shut down)


6. Stability (when secured to the ground will not fall over, servers don't like that either)

My recommendation is to get your servers to a rack as soon as it is cost effective. Recently we were able to get a shipment of used racks. They went for about $200.00 and they went fast. That is a great way to go too. Even better, if you are planning on growing start with a rack in mind. Just put it in your budget. Once you've adapted your data center to a rack environment you'll sleep better at night knowing your servers are safe, sound and ......... dry.

Thanks for reading ~pz