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I'm a Masters student doing a project on how to design and deploy networks in an industry environment.

Theoretically, I have 6 Netgear ProSafe fs750 switches and a Cisco 3750 24T-S switch and want to put them in a rack. Cost is a constraint because the lower the budget, the better grade I get( I'm lying, that's not got to do with anything! :) )

I have no idea what companies are out there for router rack space and at what prices. I just want to know what types of racking spaces are used in the industry and what is most often used in case I have to stack something that is 6 RUs... (I found a 12 RU rack online for $197, just want to know if that's the right choice)

Nitin Khanna
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  • Shopping or buying recommendation are not a good fit for this site. http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/ – Zoredache Sep 13 '11 at 21:10
  • If you're getting a 19 inch rack, and if it matters to your hardware, get one with really nice ventillation and a closed front, and perhaps air filters. This reduces dust (Now for switches, I'm not sure this matters much, but if you've got servers in there too, it's recommended). – U4iK_HaZe Sep 13 '11 at 21:13
  • @u4ik I'm generally opposed to closed-face racks for cooling reasons - you can't really get decent density because your gear can't draw in enough cold air. Less of an issue for networking gear, but heat is a big thing when you have 40 dual-socket quad-core boxes filling up a rack :) – voretaq7 Sep 13 '11 at 21:15
  • Well with that much horsepower, it's not likely you'll fit 40 servers in with some networking switches, and usually what I do is spread the servers apart to offer some more air in between. But some of the closed cases have powerful fans in them. – U4iK_HaZe Sep 13 '11 at 21:18
  • I'd like to point out to all those that closed my question that this is not a buying recommendation question. I am a Masters student at CU Boulder and am not really buying these devices. I am doing this for a project and thus need some guidance as to what is actually used in the industry. Maybe my question should have been - What type of racks are used in the industry for routers and switches? – Nitin Khanna Sep 13 '11 at 21:27
  • @Nitin See the answer below - 19 inch racks are the standard. Probably the most commonly used size is 42U. – Shane Madden Sep 13 '11 at 21:50
  • It depends what room you're installing into: Is this a single rack in a comms room or a dedicated air-conditioned room? If you're designing the physical space too, you want some physical barrier around the rack to limit airflow between front and rear: see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_center_environmental_control#Hot.2FCold_Aisle_Containment If it's just a box in a room, under-populate the rack to limit heat and focus on sound barriers (foam etc). Remember watts electricity in = watts heat out. – Emyr Sep 13 '11 at 23:12

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I recommend an industry-standard 19 inch rack. Preferably square-hole (you can buy cage nuts if necessary).
(I'm trying not to be facetious, but that's really the only answer, and likely the only kind of rack you will find at any datacenter/hosting company)

voretaq7
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    Could also use a telco style rack with those little switches... – Chris S Sep 13 '11 at 21:21
  • True - I kinda count two-post telco racks in the broader family of 19-inch racks, but they're really a second cousin once removed: They'd never hold a 65xx series switch or a good 6U server :) – voretaq7 Sep 13 '11 at 21:35