Wall cabinets are made for assembling mounting and server equipment. Traditionally, a wall-mount server cabinet is a 19-inch piece of furniture for mounting hardware into it. For the installation of heavy components, cabinets are made of durable metal, usually 1.5-2 mm thick. Cabinet doors are simple with perforation or with glass to monitor the devices stored there.
Advantages of Wall-mounted Models
The peculiarity of this type of rack cabinet lies in its compact dimensions, contributing to the creation of the most comfortable operating conditions. For the same purpose, the product has access from all four sides. A special anti-corrosion coating is applied to the surface of these cabinets to prevent corrosion.
Wall-mounted rack cabinet has such advantages as:
- Enclosed models protect hardware from unauthorized access.
- Compact placement. Such cabinets do not take place on the floor leaving more space for other furniture and providing ergonomic allocation.
- The server’s cabinet size and parameters (width, height, depth) are perfect for accommodating the required hardware.
- Ease of installation. The cabinet is mounted to the wall with special dowels and fasteners.
- Relatively low cost.
- Fire resistance.
Varieties of Wall Cabinets
All server cabinets are divided according to the type of construction. They distinguish:
- dismountable and welded,
- indoor and all-weather,
- vandal-proof models.
Such models are installed mainly to protect equipment from theft, damage. Their design is reinforced with stiffening ribs, and hinges are installed inside to reduce the risk of cutting. Thanks to the climate control devices and thermostats installed in them, they maintain the required temperature conditions and, thereby, protect the installed hardware from the unfavorable environment outside.
Dimensions of Furniture
The height of the cabinets is usually measured in units (44.45 mm or 1.75″). The standard heights of models offered on the market are from 4 to 18 units. The 4U wall cabinet is the smallest model. There are options of up to 22 units. A 19″ wall cabinet is designed to accommodate equipment of the same size in it. This size is the most popular.
Before picking the size of the model, decide on the equipment that you will place in it, after that you will understand which size and type of cabinet are right for you. Models differ from each other in terms of depth as well as width. The depth and height of the wall mount server rack are calculated depending on the maximum depth of the devices installed in the cabinet. As a rule, the depth varies between 310-650 mm, and the width ranges between 280-600 mm.
The dimensions of the furniture directly affect the amount of equipment that can fit inside the box, as well as the comfort of service. To make it comfortable to route cables and mount connectors, it is recommended to add 10-15 cm to the indicators obtained as a result of counting.
You can find the models of all dimensions on https://sysracks.com/catalog/wall-mount-rack-cabinets/. This company is an official distributor of server furniture. It provides high-quality durable products for server rooms of data centers.
What hardware can be Put in Wall-Mounted Models?
If compared to floor-standing cabinets, the regarded type of furniture is characterized by fewer loads. Manufacturers produce wall cabinets that can hold hardware with a total weight of 30-70 kg, and sometimes more. Thus, the main thing is to calculate the load of the devices to be accommodated in the cabinet. Still, all the general types of hardware can be stored there, namely:
- Cooling system. Hardware can generate a lot of heat (especially if it is a high-load server). To remove heat from the cabinet itself, blowing fans are designed, which are often located in the cabinet ceiling. A blowing unit is a panel in which several fans are located behind protective grilles.
- Supply system. Power is provided by a separate uninterruptible power supply unit (the same rack-mountable, that is, 19” wide). In addition, socket panels are installed (the same rack elements). The convenience of such panels is that they are installed at the back of the cabinet closer to the power outlets and switch all power cables into themselves.
- Server and network hardware. Active equipment is the most important thing in the wall mountable server rack. Servers (sizes of which are determined by units) can be small single-unit blade servers or large 4-unit ones. Additional items are, for example, network storage: storage arrays (designed for a large number of disks) and switching devices, routers, switches, multiplexers, etc.
- Passive hardware. Active equipment is usually connected with patch cords with so-called patch panels. They are divided into a double row or a single row (1U – 24 ports). Cable organizers are used for keeping the patch cord tidy.
- Management Console. This is a full-fledged workplace with a display, keyboard, and touchpad (sometimes a trackball). Everything is installed in the same rack in a 1U case so that an admin can always carry out urgent operations right on the spot.
- KVM switch. Allows managing the console more conveniently.
The Process of Mounting the Wall Rack
You only need a screwdriver to install the product. Usually, all mounting elements are already pressed into the cabinet. You should take the sidewall of the frame and easily insert it into the lower part. The other sidewall is similarly installed in the two mounting holes and bolted together. Next, you should screw on the top cover.
Before installing the door, you should mount rubber bands under latches. The door has already installed latches, which are just snapped off and simply slide into the grooves. After that, mount the rear wall by screwing 4 bolts around the perimeter. Fix the transverse profiles in the inner part of the server cabinet to attach the main mounting profile to it.
As you can see, the procedure is quite simple and not only a specialist, but also an ordinary person who knows how to use the screwdriver, can handle it.
What you Should Know when Picking the Product
First, decide for what tasks you select the cabinet, what type and size you need. Take a closer look at its assembly, the quality factor of the inputs and grounding, the presence of fasteners and other components. When choosing the best option, one needs to take into account the number of passive and active equipment that will need to be installed. It is advisable to reserve extra space for new hardware in the future. Before buying a cabinet, you need to know:
- type of construction.
- dimensions.
- construction height.
- type of doors: glass, metal, or perforated.
- ventilation and heat exchange systems.
To simplify the placement of network devices, the server rack can be supplemented with various accessories: rack rails, shelves, socket strips, and cable organizers.
To conclude, let’s note that to protect hardware and place it in accordance with all the required norms and rules, which will provide convenient and quick access to devices, the wall-mounted models of server cabinets are used. It is applied to any area: both in industry and in the office sector. It is a prefabricated frame structure that allows getting access to the placed equipment from different sides.
Sidewalls can be made removable with special latches. This will make the maintenance process more convenient. The door can be fitted with a glass window to monitor devices inside the cabinet. Such a wall-mounted switch cabinet is used to accommodate various types of fiber-optic hardware.
They distinguish dismountable models that have a frame type, doors with locks, removable side panels, and an additional place where fans are installed to maintain the normal temperature.
All the standard types of hardware can be placed in it but a carrying load is limited to 70-100 kg in most cases. The mounting process is not difficult and is within the power of an ordinary person.
