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Backgrounder
Rittal GmbH & Co. KG
The planning and installation of IT environments
The path to the most suitable IT rack
What should project engineers and technicians pay
attention to nowadays when planning and installing
IT infrastructures? After all, they have to give equal
consideration to the electrical, climate control and
security requirements. Rittal provides answers to the
questions most often asked when the appropriate IT
rack is being selected.
What will the IT rack be used for?
Both server and network technology can be housed in an
IT rack. The use of the rack determines its dimensions.
In a network rack, individual components are laterally
cabled in a comprehensive way, which explains the width
of 800 mm; the depth may be up to 1,000 mm. A width of
600 mm is sufficient for a “pure” server rack because the
power cables are at the rear and do not require any
space at the sides. The rack is 1,000 to 1,200 mm deep.
In the case of mixed configuration with server and
network technology within a single rack, the width must
be 800 mm, the depth 1,000 to 1,200 mm. This means
that network distributors, patch panels and PDUs for
power supply can be comfortably installed, as can larger
numbers of cables.
The suitable respective heights are determined from the
height units (U) required. A rack with 42 U is around two
metres high, and this represents the most common
height these days.
Where is the rack located, and how should it be
protected?
Corporate Communications
Kerstin Ginsberg
Phone: +49 2772 505-1328
E-mail: [email protected]
Hans-Robert Koch
Phone: +49 2772 505-2693
E-mail: [email protected]
Rittal GmbH & Co. KG
Auf dem Stützelberg
35745 Herborn, Germany
www.rittal.com
Backgrounder
Rittal GmbH & Co. KG
IT racks not only operate in data centres but also in
ordinary offices, for example. The location of the IT rack
also defines the protection requirements and safety
class, which is expressed in the international IP
(“International Protection”) standard. If the IT rack is in an
office environment, access protection as per IP 20 (with
a lockable door) is sufficient. A rack in a production
building needs to be lockable. With IP 55 protection, it
also needs to be safeguarded against dust and jets of
water. IP 20 protection is sufficient in a closed data
centre. It is not necessary for the individual racks to be
lockable, as only authorised persons have access.
Access to individual racks is regulated through an
electronic lock, a card reader, or a transponder.
Personalised access control via a transponder card or a
uniquely assigned numeric code makes it clear who had
access to the server rack – and when. Above and
beyond these methods, a dual control, counter-checking
system (“four-eye-principle”) is also feasible, where two
people have to provide identification at the same time.
How is heat dissipation performed?
The technology inside the rack produces waste heat,
which has to be dissipated to protect the sensitive
electronic components and increase their service life. If a
single rack is to be cooled, a climate control unit is
installed: This blows the cooled air directly in front of the
server level. The rack must have a closed (glass) door,
so that the air cannot escape into the room. Perforated
doors with a cooling concept for bayed racks and rooms
are required – it must be possible to extract the cool air
from the room and/or cold aisle.
How does power supply and distribution work?
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) unit filters out the
voltage fluctuations that are harmful to IT components. In
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Backgrounder
Rittal GmbH & Co. KG
addition, the power supply can take over temporarily
during a power failure, thanks to its battery mode. Power
distribution units (PDUs) distribute the power within the
rack.
How are access to facility management and
integration into building management systems
achieved?
Facility management mainly has to take over the
monitoring of external parameters. These factors include
the temperature of the cooling water supplied from
outside to the air/water heat exchangers for cooling the
IT racks. If the climate control unit for cooling the racks is
an active version, monitoring of the humidity will be
necessary. Surveillance at the IT rack, e.g. the
monitoring of temperature, smoke, power consumption
and vandalism, must also be integrated into the building
management system. It is vital that the monitoring
solution support standard protocols such as SNMP
(simple network management protocol for the connection
to DCIM (data centre infrastructure management)
software, or OPC UA (object linking and embedding for
process control unified architecture for linking to building
control).
Practical tip: Use the manufacturers’ selection
guides
Rittal offers a selector www.rittal.com/02tsit that makes it
easier to choose a suitable IT rack. It helps the user to
decide from more than 100 options, and provides clear
explanations.
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Images
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Backgrounder
Rittal GmbH & Co. KG
fri150412900.jpg: When selecting the suitable IT rack, project
engineers and technicians need to meet the requirements for
electrical, climate control technology and security in equal measure.
Rittal offers more than 100 options of the TS IT server and network
rack to meet every need.
fri150415800.jpg: Both server and network technology can be housed
in an IT rack. The use of the rack determines its dimensions.
fri152018500.jpg: Climate control devices are attached if individual
racks need to be cooled: They blow the cooled air directly in front of
the server level. A closed (glass) door prevents the air from escaping
into the room.
fri152018600.jpg: Rittal offers a selector at www.rittal.com/02tsit ,
which customers can use to preconfigure an rack according to their
own needs. They can also use it to choose the door and the
protection class, in addition to the dimensions.
May be reproduced free of charge. Please name Rittal GmbH & Co.
KG as the source.
About Rittal
Rittal, headquartered in Herborn, Hesse, Germany, is a leading global
provider of solutions for industrial racks, power distribution, climate
control and IT infrastructure, as well as software and services.
Systems made by Rittal are deployed across a variety of industrial
and IT applications, including vertical sectors such as the transport
industry, power generation, mechanical and plant engineering, IT and
telecommunications. Rittal is active worldwide with 10,000 employees
and 58 subsidiaries.
Its broad product range includes infrastructure solutions for modular
and energy-efficient data centres with innovative concepts for the
security of physical data and systems. Leading software providers
Eplan and Cideon complement the value chain, providing
interdisciplinary engineering solutions, while Kiesling
Maschinentechnik offers automation systems for switchgear
construction.
Founded in Herborn in 1961 and still run by its owner, Rittal is the
largest company in the Friedhelm Loh Group, The Friedhelm Loh
Group operates worldwide with 18 production sites and 78
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Backgrounder
Rittal GmbH & Co. KG
international subsidiaries. The entire group employs more than
11,500 people and generated revenues of around €2.2 billion in 2014.
For the seventh time in succession, the family business has won the
accolade “Top German Employer” in 2015.
Further information can be found at www.rittal.com and
www.friedhelm-loh-group.com.
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