Hi Guys, This is an age old discussion that I have had with many people over the years, but am keen to find out what other people think about installing switches into data centre racks.
Say for example you have 4 network switches to install into a rack (standard 600mm rack), along with 20-30 1RU and 2RU servers. Would you install the switches facing forwards, or install the switches facing backwards? The way I see it, there are various pros and cons of each approach: *FORWARD FACING * PROS Easy to install and remove the switch from the front of the rack, as power cords are not in the way Most switches expect this installation for air flow, but some switches do have reversible fans. CONS You must route the cables from the front of the rack, to the back of the rack where the server network ports are, leading to cable clutter within the rack. *REAR FACING* PROS Cable distance and cable mess going from the switches to the servers is alot less. CONS When it comes to removing the switch, it's very difficult with a fully loaded rack, as the power cables tend to get in the way from the vertical PDUs at the back. Has anyone else had some detailed thoughts about the best way to rack mount data centre network switches? Thanks in advance. James
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