Eaton 9SX1000 User Guide

White Paper

Markets Served

Network Closets

By Jeff Kennedy
Business Value Marketing
Manager, Eaton

Getting the most out of
the network closet

Executive summary

While network closets take on all shapes
and sizes, they are essentially an arm of the
data center and as an important component
of all mission-critical environments, must
be organized, protected, and managed
efficiently and effectively. IT professionals
are charged with keeping the technology
infrastructure functioning, even in the face
of constrained resources and increasing
complexity. By selecting the correct rack and
power infrastructure, paired with management
hardware and software, organizations can keep
their businesses up and running. In this white
paper, we go beyond simple how-to advice for
keeping IT equipment operational, and discuss
how efficiently managing, organizing, and
operating network closets saves time, saves
money, and avoids risk utilizing the existing
space and equipment.

Network Closet Rack

The network closet: Same components,
different purpose

Whether at a small company, a mid-market organization or a
large enterprise, the components that make up a typical network
closet are usually the same. Essentially, a network closet
includes four primary elements; network switches, servers,
storage and the associated virtualization and management
software. The fifth is an integrated rack and power distribution
element.

What differentiates one network closet from another is its
fundamental purpose. For smaller organizations, a network
closet serves as a computing hub, containing all the networking,
storage and computing power needed to run the business.
For larger organizations, a network closet – often operates in
conjunction with others – provides a connection to a centralized
computing hub in the form of a server room or data center. In
effect, larger organizations rely on network closets to provide a
gateway to a centralized server room and then route information
to a data center for storage.

When building out a new network closet or assessing an
existing closet, it is best to think in terms of three essential
purposes: organization, protection and management.

Organization

Given the tight confines of a network closet, proper organization
of equipment is essential for efficient operation and ongoing
maintenance. Organizational equipment that can add order
to a network closet includes open-air racks (two- or four-post
models), accessory racks, wall cabinets for cable equipment,
strain relief bars, and cable management options for organization
and airflow management purposes. Equipment racks with a two­post open-frame design are most common in network closets,
but for deeper and heavier equipment, consideration should
be given to using a four-post adjustable depth equipment rack.
Standard racks are typically 84" tall, but if space is at a premium,
larger (96") racks might be a consideration for maximum space
utilization. It is important to use racks that are compliant with the
EIA/ECA 310E standard for 19" or 23" rack mounting to ensure
uniformity and ease of installation. In addition, racks that include
rack mount unit (RMU) markings permanently embossed on
the rack rails make the equipment installation faster and more
efficient. Last but not least in importance is the weight capacity
of the equipment rack. It’s recommended that the equipment
rack carry at least a 1,000-lb (454kg) static weight capacity to
ensure a stable support environment for expensive datacom
servers, network switches, etc.

While rack design is important, when outfitting a network
closet it is critical to keep servers, switches, and storage
equipment safe and secure. To aid maintenance efforts as well
as streamline troubleshooting, the rack area should be kept clear
of cluttered data, power and network cables. For this reason,
cable management is critical. A vertical cable manager should
be placed on the end of each rack. One horizontal (1 RMU) cable
manager is recommended for every 24 patch cables and one
(2 RMU) horizontal cable manager for every 48 patch cables
in a rack. Proper cable support is vital to ensure maximum
performance and facilitate efficient modifications, additions or
changes to network cabling systems.

Protection

Reliability, continuous uptime and efficiency are critical with
network closets, which is why protecting equipment will save
time, save money and avoid common risks. Solutions that
provide protection include an uninterruptible power system
(UPS) to provide emergency power in the event of a utility
failure, a rack power distribution unit (PDU), and hot-swap
maintenance bypass units that enable power to be switched
directly to equipment to perform maintenance or replace a UPS.
If redundancy is a requirement, automatic transfer switches
(ATSs) that automatically transfer power from a primary power
source to a secondary source in the event of a power anomaly
should be provided. Protection can be further enhanced by the
use of intelligent rack PDUs that protect equipment within a rack
by monitoring and managing power at outlet level. Integration
of UPSs and intelligent rack PDUs with management software
allows IT professionals to view and control the environment from
any computer connected to the network server. If extended
runtime is a requirement, additional battery modules can be
added to the UPS.

Management

Organizing a network closet and protecting the equipment
delivers efficiency and reliability up to a point, but to truly
optimize a network closet, organizations require effective
management capability. Through the use of the proper hardware
and software management products, IT staff can effectively
manage the network environment. Management software can
provide remote proactive management capabilities at both the
UPS and PDU level, for intelligent PDUs up to the outlet level.
Management hardware includes outlet-level current and power
meters as well as temperature and humidity probes. These
meters and probes enable environmental monitoring and notify
IT staff when power or temperature fluctuations fall outside of
the generally accepted tolerance.

Effective management

Even though the purpose of a network closet varies depending
on the size of an organization, the need to efficiently and
effectively manage the assets in a closet is universal. For a small
organization, all the computing capacity is contained within a
closet; for larger organizations, access to the enterprise network
and mission-critical applications can be compromised should
any problems with the network closet occur. In both scenarios,
an efficiently managed network closet is critical to ongoing
operations.

One of the foundations to learning how to manage a network
closet effectively is monitoring and managing the equipment
on a granular level. UPS-level monitoring and management
can enable network administrators to keep close tabs on
power supply and consumption throughout the rack. For larger
organizations with multiple network closets, remote monitoring
and management capabilities provide a comprehensive view
of the networking environment. Intelligently managing power
with software can help administrators respond effectively and
efficiently in the event of power disruptions. Intelligent rack
PDUs allow IT professionals to monitor and control outlet-level
current and power metering – both necessary to ensure efficient
operations. Also necessary is the ability to gauge environmental
conditions through remote temperature and humidity monitoring.

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EATON White Paper Network Closets