Advice on Installing / Choosing Small Home Server Rack...

WetDaddy

So, I'm moving into my first home and, since we're replacing all the floors, I'm looking at getting structured CAT6 installed. I think I've settled on the termination location (utility room at the epi-centre of the house) and the plan is to have all the cabling terminate in a patch panel there.

Naturally, my switch, router, server(s), NAS, modem etc. will all be housed there too. However, I'm not sure where to start on choosing a rack! I am in posession of a full length 1U server, but I'm pretty sure that this won't comfortably fit in the utility room (the rack is to be mounted on the wall). So I'm open to going for a slightly shallower rack, if they're available. I reckon about 6U would comfortably do and allow for some growth as well.

Consequently, I reckon there's no point in going for a "full-depth" rack. I've seen a whole bunch of different U size racks around, but I'm not really sure what I should go for. Does anyone have any suggestions or caveats I should keep in mind? Should I be concerned about heat? I know people often keep their setups in their attics (surely heat is even *more* of a concern there). Also, is a rack overkill? Would a simple shelf suffice instead? Rack would certainly *look* nicer, I know that

I'll be using the infrastructure for basic network / internet traffic, streaming HD and more than likely some VOIP as well. I'm all ears for suggestions, so please fire ahead!

ttm

No you don't need a rack but one small advantage would be you can terminate on your patch panel in the rack and keep all the cables out of the way. For soho systems you might want a small wall mounted rack that will take your patch panel and the likes of broadband modem/router and a switch plus have room leftover for other small items. Then your server goes outside the on a shelf or on the floor.

Don't forget to patch all your phone lines to the same place then its up to you if you use the CAT5 for a phone or a computer. I always put room terminations is pairs both go back to the patch panel but then one is patched to the phone line (terminated at one end of the patch panel) and the other is patched to the switch so you have both phone an network options in each room, then if you don't need the phone but do want an extra wired computer connection just change it over at the patch panel. Don't worry if you get it wrong as the phone and network use differnt pairs of the cat5 cable so its fairly difficult to mess things up ;-)

check google images for wall mounted network cabinet and you'll get plenty of picks of what you might need I found http://www.wall-mounted-cabinets.com/ which is a chinese manufactures site and I've seem very similar cabinets for sale in Ireland.

FusionNet

Heya,

Did you get my mail the last day??

On your questions, heat is not a concern unless is serious heat. Otherwise its not an issue, networks are designed to perform in high heat. As for full depth or not that depends what your putting in there? A 600 x 400 would be fine. that'll take a full switch, patch panel, etc etc. If space is tight go for a soho cabinet. These are tiny but your limited with the types of switches you can put in...

I reckon go for a 6x4. My test for whether you put it in right or not is you should be able to do chin ups on it. Make sure if its going on a wall it has to be above 6 foot high and also try and get your sparks to put power near it..

As for version, in a home market its all about price. If its not I think dataracks are the best but they aint the cheapest nor the coolest looking.. Great lakes make black ones, they look nice but the cable management sucks A...!!!

WetDaddy

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to look into the 600x400 depth racks and do some re-measuring on the area I've lined up as the potential resting place. I've a standard depth 48-port Cisco switch which will definitely be going in, but as it stands I don't need anything deeper than that. Any home server I'll be putting in should be "findable" in a depth less than that... I'm not going to be

I already think it's going to be something of a tight squeeze, but it may do. What should I keep in mind in terms of clearing space around the rack? Getting kit in and out of it without taking the whole thing off the wall would be... Well... Something of a plus

ttm, thanks for the suggestions regarding the phone infrastructure. It'll be CAT6 all the way around the house (with a GigE switch and mostly GigE-capable hosts), so I'll be giving dedicated ports for phone traffic. However, I'm not totally up to speed on how to go about distributing the phone line around the house from the standard RJ11 ports to the RJ45 CAT6 ports... Is there something like a telephone line -> Ethernet switch that exists? Or how is it usually done?

FusionNet, glad to hear that heat shouldn't really be considered too much of a problem. I didn't think it would (especially after working in a hot aisle - cold aisle environment), but I just wanted to ensure I wasn't thinking of my house like a Data Centre and overlooking some fundamental aspects! Could you clarify why it needs to be above 6' off the ground? Is that a regulatory thing or just a "common sense" suggestion?

Finally, I may consider running HDMI over this infrastructure as well. That's getting ahead of myself at the moment, but if anyone thinks of any caveats I should keep in mind, please let me know!

Thanks again guys, much obliged for the input/

ttm

WetDaddy wrote: »

ttm, thanks for the suggestions regarding the phone infrastructure. It'll be CAT6 all the way around the house (with a GigE switch and mostly GigE-capable hosts), so I'll be giving dedicated ports for phone traffic. However, I'm not totally up to speed on how to go about distributing the phone line around the house from the standard RJ11 ports to the RJ45 CAT6 ports... Is there something like a telephone line -> Ethernet switch that exists? Or how is it usually done?

Its no big deal just run you CAT6 cable for the phones with CAT6 sockets, don't even think of it as a phone line just think of it as a data conection. Then any phone connection you require in a room uses the blue pair on pins 4 and 5 which your phone will conect to when you put a RJ11 plug into a RJ45 CAT6 socket. Horror gasp..... big deal you can damage the plug if you're an idiot and some RJ11 to RJ45 combinations don't connect very well (rarish) so some people like to make up RJ11 to RJ45 adaptor cables for the phones. On the patch panel end just punch a line from the master socket to as many connections as you need (pins 4 and 5) but thats only like pluggin in one of those 3 to 1 phone adaptor plugs, then use standard patch leads to patch out to the relevant room socket. Any fliters for broadband/phones can also be plugged into the phone ports you've created on the patch panel.

FusionNet

On Telco though be sure that if your using a DSL: line make sure all your extensuions are filtered. Otherwise you will get dodgey broadband and evern dodgier voice!! I agree with TTM except Id double his minimun.

Id run a MINIMUM of

1 x Phone
2 x Data
1 x TV/Media

Remember if you have a tv area you may want one for sky box, one for PS£ and one for media centre and possible IPTV. If your reipping a house put in too much not too little..

Also in Bedrooms if TV's are high run data high with them..

On the 6foot thing, its a reg and also its a bit of the old common sence. I like to mount my cabinets at 6.5-7 foot that way only freakishly tall people will clock themselves on em saving my public liability for another day!!

ttm

Can't argue with minimum of 4 runs to each main room, but on the cab mounting at 6 foot + if you do that just make sure you leave something convenient to stand on to get to the cabinet near by , number of times I've been balanceing on swivel chairs you wouldn't believe :rolleyes:.