Ask Rackmount Ranger: Are LAN Racks Dead?
Are LAN Racks Dead?
Before answering the question, let’s define some terms. A LAN rack is a series of surfaces with certain structural supports. The supports can be of varying styles like cantilever or four post, and the rack itself can be mobile or fixed in place. LAN racks can do double duty as work stations or tech benches while providing additional surfaces for the placement of servers and peripherals. In a LAN rack, most items are shelf mounted.
LAN racks are different from computer cabinets. Cabinets are usually fixed in position, and provide a frame which supports moveable rack rails. In a cabinet, most items are rack mounted.
Each type of structure has advantages and disadvantages.
Note that the two “hottest� issues for data center managers today are thermal management and remote management. The trend in data centers is to go with higher density, more power, and fewer people (and their work stations which take up space). The amount of heat being generated in a data center is extreme, and keeping all the servers cool is a major challenge. Cabinets are ideally suited to this environment as cold air can be supplied at the front of the cabinets (where most servers pull in the cooling air) while warm air is kept away from this area. Regrettably, LAN racks have no provision for ensuring cold air is available to provide optimal cooling of servers. In addition, LAN racks, while capable of hosting remote power and environmental monitoring, go against the trend of having fewer people at work in the data center. Data center managers want to remotely control and reboot servers, while remotely monitoring critical environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. This capability is not a LAN Rack strength.
So for data center applications, my assessment would be that LAN Racks are dead. However, for smaller applications where a more efficient use of space is important, and where thermal management is not such a challenge, today’s LAN Racks can fit in perfectly.
