DELL or HP or IBM racks?

[juandc]

Hi,

We are planning to buy more racks on our datacenter, we are using dell's rack now. What are other racks do you use? Do you normally use closed or open rack for servers?

[KenB]

Here's one data point. In our data center, we've recently switched from Dell to APC for slightly better cabling space and much better flexibility. APC's variety of snap-in accessories allows us to customize an inexpensive basic rack in various ways for different equipment. We use closed-sided racks for air control with lockable perf doors for security. A recent problem we've encountered is the increasing amount of cabling to be managed within each rack, so we're experimenting with APC's 1200mm deep racks for dense setups. This shrinks our hot aisles, but the alternative is to go to wider racks and we'd like to retain a consistent 24" wide footprint, which matches our raised floor grid, subfloor power outlets and overhead cableways.

Ken

[cernst]

I have a majority of Rittal TS-8 racks. They are affordable and insanely flexible. The accessories book is inches thick.

i've only had experience with Dell and HP/Compaq racks. I do not hold either with much regard. The only benifit I've seen to the HP racks would be that the front door has a rounded door giving the front of the server/appliance a bit more cabling room, if needed.

[chayes]

I just switched from Dell (which are actually Rittal) to APC and so far we a re very happy with them.

[Zitibake]

I have one Dell; it's fairly limited in configuration options. The rails screw to the sides, so you have your choice of two depths at each end of the cabinet, rather than allowing you to set the rails exactly as deep as you want them. I also moved the rails one position, and the metal around the holes at the old position is now exposed and sharp. However, the Dell did seem heavy, solid and secure. The top is a solid panel, which can be good if you're worried about the possibility of water damage.

APC is pretty straightforward to use. The sheet metal is thinner than some, and the keyed lock cores come all the same, are easy to pick and are nearly impossible to re-pin (so anyone who has an APC rack key can probably open yours). Also, the cable routing holes in the top are big enough to reach a hand through, so these are not for top security use in unescorted/unmonitored cages.

However, you can make most configuration changes with a light touch and only a screwdriver: rail depth, locking multiple cabinets together, bolting cabinets to the floor, etc. The side panels come off with only a key (no tools), which can be nice. The doors come on/off quickly without tools. Bifold rear doors are very nice, since the open door doesn't block-off access to the hot aisle.

I'm not sure why, but I have received very few damaged APC cabinets; the pallets seem to do a good job protecting them. The integrated casters let you wheel the cabinets around buildings without a dolly, getting through low cage doorways, etc. You can extend the feet down with a screwdriver, to lift the cabinet off the casters, then bolt down if desired (this does leave a big gap underneath).

I've also used the 30" wide Netshelter to house zone distribution areas, and APC has some nice 8-inch deep (?) D-rings for the side, able to hold lots of patch cords. Unfortunately, they only have 5 (?) places to mount them on each side, so it's not nearly enough vertical cable management in the side channels. There are also limited options for vertical management of fiber (e.g. spools on the sides). They're pretty focused on servers.

[sparky]

we use custom made arpanet racks with doors on both sides as well as holes.

[barry]

We use Dell racks are they came in at the most reasonable costing TBH, however they host Dell, HP, Nokia and IBM equipment

[Blast]

I like Dell. I find others just do not suit our needs for service and support.

[Rmgill]

I have the following racks in various locations:

Emcor 10 Series racks: Very heavy, some very broad options for parts, not easy to reconfigure at all or un-gang with hardware installed. Generally optimized for broadcast functions. Not cheap. Can hold 2 tons of hardware (far higher than most floors are designed for).

Pepco custom racks: Good general purpose racks, very inexpensive for our purposes. We had custom options made for them and they've worked well. Cannot be un-ganged while servers are installed.

IBM Racks: Nice racks for servers. Can be un-ganged while hardware is present. Limited on custom options. Mounting of 1 U power strips in side pockets can be accomplished but accessing the backs of those PDU's is nearly impossible once hardware is installed. not so cheap. Wider than 1 floor tile so your widths get adjusted.

Panduit Net-Access racks. Cadillacs for options and very nicely setup. Can be reconfigured for doors, side panels, ganging, PDU mounting (even mount wheels while fully loaded). For high density server deployments I like these a lot. Side mounts of 1 U PDU's is very flexible, access between cabinets is easy and options include vent panels for re-directing cisco 6500 series switch exhaust to the hot aisle. Wider that 1 floor tile so you will be adjusting the rack spacing. Not an inexpensive rack.

These observations are entirely my own and not that of my company.

[Maverick]

Dell racks are the ones most commonly used, they tend to be better priced, although HP racks are also good.

[Anantha]

We mainly use HP racks as most of our equipment are HP. But they serve the purpose as far as space for cabling and room for server goes.

[JaguarpcNick]

I would have to say in a personal note, I prefer the APC over Dell of Compaq way better airflow and space saving vs some of the counterparts we have used.

[HHSS]

I would recommend the Rittal TS8 rack. It's the worlds largest rack producer, and produces more than 80% of all racks world wide. They also produce all HP, IBM, Dell, Sun etc racks, so if your are used to either of these, that you should also be comfortable with a Rittal TS8 rack.
In addition, as one mentioned earlier , there are no limitations when it comes to a TS8 rack, as the options catalouge is huge. Furthermore, you can convert a TS8 rack into an open frame, a standard rack, or a "closed" rack, should you require rack-cooling. For this Rittal has standard products that allows for over 40kW redundant cooling capacity inside a single rack.

[maikj]

We use APC Racks (the extra wide ones). They are so easy to adjust, have nice space for wiring, and the craftsmanship is great.