Many contractors and installers
aren’t aware of this, but it’s possible to improve the performance of open racks if certain installation practices are considered.
Whether installing a Two- or Four-Post Rack, some key components
must be taken into consideration for superior performance of the telecommunications
room or premise network system.
Here are five inside tips from Chatsworth Products’ (CPI)
specialists:
Cable Management: You can choose between a good cable
management system that will just get the job done, or a finer system such as
CPI Evolution® Cable Managers, that manages cables like no other.
CPI Evolution Cable Management provides an engineered
solution for managing high-density cabling applications on open Two- and Four-Post
Racks, delivering increased performance to match the demands of data center
applications.
Featuring
snap-on doors, Evolution Cable Management provides innovative interior
features to help maximize the capacity and utility of vertical and horizontal cable
management. (Pro tip: Always match
the horizontal cable manager with the vertical one,
so they align and valuable space is not lost.)
Accessories: Not all equipment that is going to be installed is
rack mountable, so it’s important to consider what type of shelves to install,
especially the dimensions. CPI racks support
19-inch EIA wide shelves. Mounting positions are marked and numbered, making it
easy to position and install equipment or shelves.
Elevation Kits: Whether using CPI’s Ladder
Rack or Cable Pathway,
make sure Elevation Kits
are used to provide a clean path for cables. They allow installation of the radius drop, which supports proper bend radius.
Power: Reliable
power is a must-have component to a successful open rack system. CPI provides
vertical or horizontal power strips, or
eConnect®, CPI’s intelligent power distribution units (PDUs), which support
high heat loads and feature PDU linking for IP consolidation of up to 20 PDUs.
Grounding and
Bonding: A common item that’s missed by installers and contractors, grounding and bonding on CPI open racks are simple. Our Two-Post Racks come with
integrated grounding and bonding—top angles, base angles and side channels are
electrically bonded by assembly hardware, and a masked mounting location for
grounding is provided inside the side channel, near the top and bottom of the
rack. (Pro tip: Use Grounding Jumper
as a rack-bonding conductor).
For more information on CPI Racks, go here.
Raissa Carey, eContent Specialist