Dealing with a server rack cabinet is not an easy case. This furniture type is designed to house high-precious computing equipment, which means that the slightest external influence can affect the performance of hardware and the entire system. Still, no one is protected from all sorts of hazards. In such cases, timely hazard identification, monitoring, and reporting are crucial for your facility.
If you have already bought server cabinets and are searching for the best place to install them, consider the following points thoroughly. If you haven’t still acquired furniture, you can find a wide assortment of racks on https://sysracks.com/.
Below, let’s find out the main enemies of server rooms and consider how to prevent devices from their negative impact.
5 Common Network Rack Problems and Ways Out to Cope with them
- Temperature
Most often, the server room is located either in the basement or in the attic. In most cases, premises for data centers are enclosed rooms without a properly designed ventilation system. This is due to the fact that the server room is not always provided at the moment of company creation. When building a new office, this type of premises is usually thought of last.
Yet, it is highly important to maintain the optimal environmental conditions to ensure stable and efficient system functioning. The temperature level is one of such factors. The most appropriate air temperature ranges between 68°-72° F (20°-24°C). Higher temperatures lead to shorter equipment life and damage to devices.
How to create an optimal microclimate? Solutions are the following:
- The most common cooling option is the use of a fan (split system) that operates continuously regardless of the season. In this case, it is imperative to ensure the reliability of the cooling system and prevent its failure.
- Install at least two air conditioners while the capacity of each of them must be sufficient to maintain the permissible microclimate in the data center. To ensure the same operating time, it is recommended to use the air conditioners one by one.
- Doors of each network rack should be perforated to ensure sufficient air circulation. Air must flow freely through the cabinet. If you have blind or glass doors, it is recommended to completely remove them.
- To control the microclimate parameters, a monitoring system, equipped with humidity and temperature sensors, is required.
- It is crucial to keep cold and hot airflows separated. Blanking panels and rank-mounted fans can help direct and contain airflow.
- Humidity
Low or high humidity is also a risk factor in data centers. Low humidity leads to aging of wire insulation, accumulation of static electricity, as well as discharges and short circuits of electrical circuits, while high humidity threatens damage to electrical boards.
Thus, the optimal humidity level in server rooms is set at 45-55%. Too high RH levels lead to water condensation. As a result, rust, corrosion, and short-circuiting within the functioning apparatus appear. You should monitor the humidity level.
The datum is that a very small percentage of modern air conditioners can normalize humidity to the required level. So, it is necessary to additionally install dehumidifiers or humidifiers.
- Vibration
Vibration can dislodge components that are critical to a setup and disturb hard drives. A solution to this problem is to keep your system away from large machinery and out of reach from other people.
- Water
Water will immediately harm all equipment disabling computers, devices, and other accessories. However, flooding data centers is a common case. Leakages of plumbing systems occur frequently.
The way out is to avoid putting server rooms close to areas with plumbing, such as basements or attics.
- Poor cable management
Disorganized cables can cause hardware interference and obstruct maintenance work. This problem is solved by proper cable management. When routing cables, it is advisable to keep them in order by using special markers or tools that bend groups of wires.
The security of a data center cabinet depends not only on its locks and limited access. The environment can cause even more damage to equipment. Thus, it is important to protect server hardware from moisture and overheating by maintaining optimal temperature and humidity conditions, choosing the right room for placing devices, and managing cables properly.
