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Old 12-29-2007, 09:02 PM
Zitibake Zitibake is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 113
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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.
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