On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 5:20 PM, Richard McClary <richard.mccl...@aspca.org> wrote: >> For a single-company datacenter where all people are trusted, you >> can save big money by going with 4-post open-frame racks. These are >> basically just the frame, with no doors or panels. > > I do not believe open post would be an option because of cooling and air > flow, would it?
As usual, "it depends", but in the general case, I would say it's not a problem, unless you're getting really super precise with your cooling design (hot/cold aisles with close containment, etc.). Most equipment sucks in the front and blows out the back, with nothing on the sides. If you fill an open frame rack with such equipment, it's functionally identical to a closed cabinet. Some stuff sucks or blows sideways. For those, open frame can be better or worse. Better if you don't demand strict airflow control, as now there are no cabinet side panels in the way. Worse if you're counting on the cabinet to let you turn a side vent into a front/back vent. Some stuff sucks from the bottom and blows out the top. That doesn't care either way, so long as the top and bottom are open. You can run into trouble with the really precise room cooling designs, because the open sides/fronts can allow air to recirculate or cross thermal zones. Closed cabinets let you create baffles. OTOH, in some cases, open racks are better for cooling, because you've got more open space. Any potential space or side is a ventilation area. Our equipment rooms are small. 1 to 3 racks. Cooling air direction is not precise. So by having the rack open, air can circulate from any side. -- Ben ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
