As an indispensable IT equipment, network rack or server rack has been playing a significant role in cable management. For efficiently and safely holding all the networking devices, network racks are quite necessary. Without network racks, the cabling would look cluttered and the health of the networking equipment stored inside would be impaired.
Basically, a network rack consists of two or four vertical mounting rails and the supporting framework required to keep the rails in place. The common width of a network rack is 19 inches-most of the racks are made to accommodate any equipment that can fit in to this space. Also the networking equipment have fixed heights that are mentioned in terms of Rack Units — 1Rack Unit (RU) = 1.7 inches / 4.4 cm. Generally, there are two types of network racks, rack mount and wall mount rack. What are they? And how to choose? This article would provide a satisfying answer for you.
Rack mount
Rack mount, also called floor standing network racks, which are used to house both network and server equipment. They are primarily used in data centers and other places with a large number of equipment. Their common size are 24U, 30U, 36U, 42U, and 45U. The whole front section generally comes with full length doors with hardened glass/lock. Some might even have rear doors. In addition, the floor standing racks offer specialized channels for electrical cabling, network, etc which ensure neat movement of cables in the rear end, along the height of the racks. These racks can house more equipment and can handle loads of around 450–500 kg. Rack mount can be further divided into another two types: open frame racks and rack enclosures.
Open frame network racks are just shaped as the name implies, they consist of mounting rails without sides or doors, shown as the below figure. They are open racks which have two or four mounting rails (called posts) and 2-post racks generally require less depth but support less weight than 4-post racks. This kind of rack is typically used for applications that do not need the rack to perform airflow control or provide physical security. An open-frame rack provides easy access and offers plenty of open space for cable management, making this solution ideal for network wiring closets and distribution frame applications with high-density cabling.
Rack enclosures, or rack cabinets, they have removable front and rear doors, removable side panels and four adjustable vertical mounting rails. With locking doors and side panels, enclosed server rack cabinets are ideal for applications requiring physical equipment security at the rack level (as supposed to the room level). Ventilated doors encourage ample airflow from front to back. Enclosure cabinets choose an enclosed server rack for hotter equipment and applications with higher wattages per rack. Server rack cabinets are popular choice for high density data centers and server rooms.
Wall Mount Rack
Wall mount rack is a kind of rack which can be attached to the wall. The biggest advantage is that it can save floor space and fit in areas where other racks cannot. They typically come in open frame or cabinet styles. Wall mounted network racks are useful for housing edge devices in individual departments with fewer networking equipment. Their common sizes: 6U, 9U, 12U and 15U. The front panel generally has a hardened glass door to view they equipment inside clearly and also has a lock to ensure physical security.
Rack Mount VS. Wall Mount
- Rack form — Rack mount refers to floor standing racks while wall mount rack intends to be attached to the wall. Compared to rack mount, wall mount rack more tends to be space-saving.
- Size — The common size of rack mount is 24U, 30U, 36U, 42U, and 45U while the wall mount is 6U, 9U, 12U and 15U. Thus, it is clear that the form factor of wall mount is much smaller than the rack mount.
- Category — Both the rack mount and wall mount have open frames and cabinet styles. You can choose your own style based on your need.
Summary
Rack mount and wall mount rack are two different cable managements, and they mainly differ in size and existential space. Wall mount rack focuses on space-saving while floor-standing rack mount prefers to save more IT equipment. You can choose an appropriate server rack according to your requirement.
