Need Help with Rack Mount Setup

[MDLarson]

Hi,

Here's my setup:
http://www.larsonsystems.com/rack/rack_1.jpg
http://www.larsonsystems.com/rack/rack_2.jpg

The item I am installing is a APC Smart-UPS 1U battery backup (on the floor in the 2nd picture). It's really heavy, so the installation requires 4 posts. I already have them on order.

My question is, what are the standard depths for rack mounted equipment? This APC is the deepest thing we have to install at 25.5" deep. I'm going to allow for around 30" for chords coming out the back.

Eventually we are going to be adding an XServe or other rack mount server. How much space would I need for that?

And finally, if you have any suggestions on how to organize our closet, I'm all ears! I want to follow industry standards for this kind of stuff.

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Hmmm... I've been looking all over for specs on a standard rack depth, but haven't found anything. It looks as though most rack mount components vary between 12" and 20" deep, and they vary widely. Some are 17 1/4" deep, some are an even 18" deep, and some are greater than 20" deep, like your UPS.

From the XServe Tech Doc (http://a192.g.akamai.net/7/192/51/0c5b0d0ef0f03b/www.apple.com/server/pdfs/L301323A_XserveG5_TO.pdf), the XServe G5 is 28" deep and 17.6" wide (mounts in a standard 19" rack).

If I had one suggestion for your closet, I'd say you had a pretty good start -- but I would recommend talking to someone who is proficient with cabling. It can be a nightmare. Ask them about the cords you've got and how to manage them -- plus, a cabler friend of mine believes that simply letting cords "hang" out of the ports, like on your switch there, is the worst thing you can do to the switch... he believes it degrades the ports over time and the ports aren't meant to bear that much weight. With shorter cords like yours, it shouldn't be a problem, but if you plan on adding longer cords later, I would suggest finding a place to tie them down or somehow alleviate some of the weight of the cord hanging from the port.