Server cabinets does anyone use them in there homes??
- Thread starter blake
- Start date
nayr
IPCT Contributor
Ive got two full size cabinets, one for network/computer gear and the other for radio equipment.. with two dedicated 30A 110v circuits and two 3000VA UPS.
Its horribly flexible to have all the wiring in one spot.. its also nice having my house nice and quiet with all the gear locked far away.
Its horribly flexible to have all the wiring in one spot.. its also nice having my house nice and quiet with all the gear locked far away.
nayr
IPCT Contributor
physical security is a big benefit of doing a wiring closet, basements are usually easy to pull wire from throughout the house too.. Mine's in a purpose built lil room behind lock and key, quiet and secure.. almost never need to go down there, I can manage everything from my office.
most rackmount equipment is not made to be silent by any means; putting it some place you can isolate the noise is a great idea in a residential setting.. Dont know if you've ever heard the noise a 1U multi-cpu server can make, the fans run at like 18k RPM and make a great amount of rukus.
I dont need density, I have ample rack space so I buy 4U server cases and put desktop quiet fans in them so I can avoid that.. but the switches and routers, rack fans and other network gear stil makes a decent amount of noise.. Its all high frequency noise luckily, so a few layers of 5/8" sheetrock, fiberglass insulation and a solid core door can be enough to silence it... as long as your prepared to provide ample airflow for cooling behind a closed door.
I got my racks used off craigslist for $100 for the pair, if your willing to pick them up onsite you can get used ones for very little because they cost so much to haul off.
most rackmount equipment is not made to be silent by any means; putting it some place you can isolate the noise is a great idea in a residential setting.. Dont know if you've ever heard the noise a 1U multi-cpu server can make, the fans run at like 18k RPM and make a great amount of rukus.
I dont need density, I have ample rack space so I buy 4U server cases and put desktop quiet fans in them so I can avoid that.. but the switches and routers, rack fans and other network gear stil makes a decent amount of noise.. Its all high frequency noise luckily, so a few layers of 5/8" sheetrock, fiberglass insulation and a solid core door can be enough to silence it... as long as your prepared to provide ample airflow for cooling behind a closed door.
I got my racks used off craigslist for $100 for the pair, if your willing to pick them up onsite you can get used ones for very little because they cost so much to haul off.
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nayr
IPCT Contributor
they make them in all sizes, 42U is a full size cabinet, which is the most common and the easiest to obtain used.
if its going in a basement I'd get a tall one, this way you can leave the bottom few feet of cabinet empty and get all the gear high off the ground incase of flooding.
If its going to be open in a room get a fully enclosed cabinet with front and rear doors so you can lock it up, consider bolting it down so it cant be tipped over.
If your putting it or building a closet for it you can use a 2 post rack, just secure it so it wont tip over.. they are much cheaper and you can get shelves that will hold two tower computers side by side.. Switches/Patch Panels and other gear will mount to a two post fine.. 2 posts wont work well however if you want to mount deep and heavy gear like big servers, battery backups and monitors.
if its going in a basement I'd get a tall one, this way you can leave the bottom few feet of cabinet empty and get all the gear high off the ground incase of flooding.
If its going to be open in a room get a fully enclosed cabinet with front and rear doors so you can lock it up, consider bolting it down so it cant be tipped over.
If your putting it or building a closet for it you can use a 2 post rack, just secure it so it wont tip over.. they are much cheaper and you can get shelves that will hold two tower computers side by side.. Switches/Patch Panels and other gear will mount to a two post fine.. 2 posts wont work well however if you want to mount deep and heavy gear like big servers, battery backups and monitors.
I got a 9u cabinet and mounted it high in a closet. Ran a 3 inch pvc pipe through the ceiling for all the wires. It holds my nvr, Poe switch, 24 port non Poe, UPS, outlet bank, HDMI splitter, wifi router, cable modem and a keystone panel with cat6, rg6 and HDMI in it. I also wired an outlet in the wall behind it to power it all.
Great ideas all, I'm currently considering installing a 12U cabinet under the staircase to house a couple of ethernet switches, patch panel, UPS, any power supplies and alarm panel rather than having it sitting up on top of one corner of the walk in robe in the master bedroom. The idea of keeping it out of sight and out of mind is really appealing and might make the other half much happier.
nayr
IPCT Contributor
Mike should come post pictures of his closet he has been sharing with me, he is using an Inline Hydroponic fan and speed controller to vent his closet into the attic.
Check out Monoprice for Rack gear, patch/keystone panels, shelves, cases, chassis, etc.. all good prices and quality. You will choke when you see a rackmount shelf from most places is like $60+
http://www.monoprice.com/Search/Index?keyword=rack+mount
Also consider if you can feasibly put your entire home theatre system in your rack mount, you can make your living/family room so much quieter when all the gaming consoles, surround sound system, cable boxes, etc are in the other room.. can really clean things up if you have alot of AV gear and it keeps all that expensive equipment behind a lock and key.
Check out Monoprice for Rack gear, patch/keystone panels, shelves, cases, chassis, etc.. all good prices and quality. You will choke when you see a rackmount shelf from most places is like $60+
http://www.monoprice.com/Search/Index?keyword=rack+mount
Also consider if you can feasibly put your entire home theatre system in your rack mount, you can make your living/family room so much quieter when all the gaming consoles, surround sound system, cable boxes, etc are in the other room.. can really clean things up if you have alot of AV gear and it keeps all that expensive equipment behind a lock and key.