DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
Server rack size depends on the type of the server rack. There are a lot of types of server racks out there. However, we will talk about the most common ones here. For instance, there are 3 types of server racks that are used frequently which are Open Frame Rack, Wall-Mount Rack, and Rack Enclosure. Depending on the type, the size also differs.
Size of and Type Server Rack
So, let’s dive a little deep to know more…
Sizes of Open Frame Racks:
From the name, you can guess that this type of server racks come with no side panels or doors. These are open from all sides. Because of this design, this type of server racks is cheap and easy to move around. It is also very easy to do cable management using the open frame rack.
Usually, the most common size of the open frame rack is 45 U. Here the ‘U’ denotes the height or the depth of the rack. For your information, one ‘U’ is equal to 1.75 inches of space.
Sizes of Wall Mount Racks:
If you want to save space on your data center or server room, then the Wall mount racks are the best. These type of server racks come in relatively smaller in size than the other type of server racks.
The usual sizes of the wall mount racks are 6U, 9U, 12 U, and 18 U. So, if you want to build a home server with a few components, then this type of server racks will be perfect for you. Also, you have several sizes to choose from.
Sizes of Rack Enclosure:
The rack enclosure aka server rack cabinet is one of the most popular server rack types. It is used fervently on bigger data centers. The most common sizes of this type of server racks are 40 U, 42 U, 45 U, and even 48 U. Normally, this type of server racks come with removable doors and side panels. These are best if you want to accommodate a lot of components on your server at once.
Which size is best for you?
First off, you will need to consider the components that you are going to accommodate in your server. If there are multiple big size components then you will need to get one big-sized server rack. Otherwise, there won’t be enough space in the server rack and it will be problematic if you want to add new devices in the future.
Also, you have to take the air-circulation into consideration. So, if you have 15 2U servers to accommodate, you should get at least a 32 U server rack.
Here’s how to calculate:
We know, 2U= 2 x 1.75= 3.5 inches. So, 15 2U servers would need — 3.5 x 15= 52.5 inches at least, which is 52.5/1.75= 30 U.
So, we would recommend getting a server rack which is at least 2 U bigger in size than your required space. The more the merrier, of course. However, you also need to think about the space you have in your room. Your server shouldn’t be so big that you can’t move it from place to place or through doors. That will be a problem in case there are any emergencies.
Before we go:
You have to remember that server racks are very hard to customize. Mostly, they are not scalable. So, it is very important to look before you leap. Otherwise, you can’t add additional resources to your server if you don’t plan carefully from the beginning. Therefore, it is always better to calculate the size and shapes of the equipment on your server, and then going for a slightly bigger server rack than you actually need.
