Measurement madness

[Richie's Room]

What's with the variation in measurement units for racks and cabinets?

It seems to me that we have:
Width: measured in inches (with 19" being most common but 10" also being an option)
Height: measured in U increments
Depth: measured in millimetres (which seems to range from 200mm all the way up to 600mm)

What I'm looking for at the moment is just something to house a patch panel and a switch. So, in terms of width, I know that I want 19". And in terms of height, a 3U would probably suffice. But what should I be looking for in terms of depth? How much room should be allowed for cables at the back of each device?

I'd be curious to know what depth you good people have on your equipment.

Thanks.

 

[Rilot]

I usually use 450mm deep racks for comms gear.

 

[bremen1874]

If I only needed 3U of space I'd probably hang them vertically using a 3U wall bracket.

 

[Semple]

Switches/patch panels etc tend to be short on depth. You'd never fit a rack mount server in a comms cabinet though.

 

[WJA96]

How deep is your switch? That’s what’s going to determine how deep the cabinet needs to be.

 

[Armageus]

450mm is normally deep enough for the majority of switches (only data centre switches, or switches with redundant PSUs tend to be deeper).

 

[Richie's Room]

Thanks for all the feedback.

@bremen1874 - Yes, I have been considering something like that. Is dust an issue with ports pointing upwards? (although presumably, you could always put some sort of cover on them)

@WJA96 - I'm going with the TP-Link TL-SG1024 that you suggested to me in another thread This looks to be 18cm deep - allowing for a power cable does that mean that the 200mm items should be sufficient? (Sounds obvious when I write it out like that but just wanted to double-check!)

 

[Armageus]

This looks to be 18cm deep - allowing for a power cable does that mean that the 200mm items should be sufficient? (Sounds obvious when I write it out like that but just wanted to double-check!)

Not necessarily as it depends how far back the front rails are fitted to the cabinet.

You'd better off with a right angle power cable assuming it's a standard iec ("kettle lead"), as 2cm isn't much clearance for a standard power lead

You also need room to plug in patch cables etc, so 250mm deep is probably a safer option.

 

[WJA96]

As pointed out by @Armageus above, you need clearance for the lead at the back. If you are tight on space then I would probably go with @bremen1874 idea of a vertical hanging rack. Dust isn't generally an issue and you can get covers for the ports if the place you'll be siting the rack is quite dusty.

Kebinfen® 20 PCS Black Silicone Ethernet Hub Port RJ45 Anti Dust Cover Cap Protector Plug for RJ45 Female Port (20 PCS, Black) : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

 

[Richie's Room]

Thanks for the further feedback.

Space isn't really an issue - this is for a loft installation and there is very little else up there!

Given that a StarTech 4U vertical rack is £66 compared to their 6U wall mount rack at £46 I'm leaning towards the latter - cheaper and leaves me with some space should I wish to add anything later.

Is there anything else that I should be considering?

 

[bremen1874]

If you stick with your original 3U requirement you can buy a pair of vertical brackets for £15 delivered.

 

[Richie's Room]

If you stick with your original 3U requirement you can buy a pair of vertical brackets for £15 delivered.

Something like this? Thanks.

 

[bledd]

IKEA Lack table, then chop the legs so they are shorter.

I filled my legs with wood to make them super strong.

Google.. lack rack

 

[Richie's Room]

... IKEA Lack table ...

How very resourceful! Thank you.