Rackmount Ranger is so famous he even inspired a carton about his geek saving adventures!

Strutting his “Stuff” in front of hundreds of excited bikers, RMR shows he’s in the game with his prized Recumbent Bike.

You have to see it to believe it!!!

RMR with his trusted associate Cage-Nut! (Actually Brandon Frank, an ISC Account Manager)

RMR Profile shot of “Form and Function”

RMR Leads the Pack in a Photo Finish!

Ask Rackmount Ranger: What kind of mounting rails are available on the ERK cabinet?

Zakir Davis

Dear Zakir:

The ERK cabinet comes standard with a front set of vertical mounting rails. The rails are tapped to accept 10-32 rack screws. Unfortunately, due to the width of the ERK series cabinets, there are no rails available with square untapped holes. Cabinets that are, or can be, equipped with square hole rails are:

· Alert-A-Rack

· Anywhere Rack

· East Coast Cabinet

· Four-post Adjustable Rack

· Premium Server Cabinet

· West Coast Cabinet

· WRK Cabinet

· Low Profile Cabinets

Rackmount Ranger

Question: If I already own a slim5 cabinet, can I buy the pieces necessary to turn it into an AXS?

Answer: The AXS is a slide out system in a host enclosure. The portion that slides in and out is similar to a slim5, but not identical. The parts that are common are the vertical rails only. The remaining parts of the AXS could be purchased separately, but the cost would probably exceed that of just buying the complete AXS system. In addition, the AXS is factory assembled, so trying to retrofit a slim5 into an AXS requires a lot of time and effort.

It is probably not worth the time or the money to attempt to turn a regular slim5 into and AXS system. However, it could be done.

Thanks, The Ranger

Can you engrave a blank aluminum panel with a black finish in order to end up with silver letters on a black background?

Brad Laverne II, Toyota Motor Sales USA

Brad:

You definitely can engrave the BL/HBL series panels. The black anodized finish on the aluminum is the best choice for this application. The BL series is the flanged panel made of 16 gauge aluminum, while the HBL series is the flat panel made from 11 gauge aluminum. Both have the same anodized finish.

Example of panels that will work can be found here:

http://www.iscdfw.com/onlinecatalog/racks/rack_accy/panels/bl.htm

http://www.iscdfw.com/onlinecatalog/racks/rack_accy/panels/hbl.htm

The Ranger

I recently graduated from Texas A&M and am working in the IT department of a large company. My co-workers keep telling me about an Aggie cabinet, but I am not sure what they are talking about. Are they just joking with me?

JT in IT

JT:

What is actually happening is they are making two jokes. The Middle Atlantic cabinets like the WRK, MRK, and ERK all come with a rear door as a standard. For the WRK and MRK especially, the cabinet frame comes open on both sides and in the front, with only a rear door. Sides and front doors are optional. However, since the rear door is standard, these cabinets have sometimes been called Aggie cabinets. An Aggie cabinet is open on three sides with a locking rear door, just to keep the honest people out.

So you see they are making an Aggie joke, but are also poking fun at the Middle Atlantic philosophy of always including a rear door, whether it is needed or not.

To be fair to Middle Atlantic, they do offer LRD versions (Less Rear Door) for full height WRK cabinets (44U), MRK cabinets (44U and some 40U), and all ERK cabinets.

I have an old rackmount cabinet, and I need to get new vertical mounting rails for it. Can I purchase as set of WRK or ERK rails for this application?

We frequently get questions like this, with clients inheriting or purchasing a used cabinet, and then being confronted with the problem of making it work. The short answer is that vertical mounting rails are specific to their particular cabinets. For example ERK rails only work in an ERK cabinet. Even though the WRK cabinet is made by the same manufacturer (Middle Atlantic), the rails are not universal. The difference is the various widths of the different cabinets.

In order to have the correct lateral spacing for a 19�? rackmount the vertical mounting rails must be a specific width, and fit into a specific cabinet. This is the only way to ensure a correct fit.

Having said that, if the “mystery�? cabinet can be measured to determine the interior width at the point the vertical rack rails are to be mounted, then we can compare that dimension with that of our “control�? cabinets. If the dimensions are very close, then rails from the “control�? might work in the unknown cabinet. Some washers might have to be used to “shim�? the rails in order to get the 19�? racking width correct.

In summary, the best solution is to get the manufacturer’s product to retrofit one of their cabinets. If all else fails, compatible rails might be available

We were looking for some tarps or covers for our server racks. Are there any made specifically for server racks?

Stephanie Earley

To my knowledge, there are no tarps or covers specifically made for server racks. Any tarp should work, but there is a trade-off involved. Keeping water out of the racks will probably prevent cooling air from entering as well. So your servers won’t get damaged by water, but instead will overheat and burn up. Neither option would seem to be viable.

Water resistant cabinets (call 800-458-6255 for details) will prevent sprayed water from penetrating a cabinet. This will protect critical components should the sprinklers in the data center accidentally turn on. However, this protection is only to allow you time to turn everything off. Once everything has been powered down, should water makes its way to any electronics, they should not be destroyed. There might have to be some careful drying out and inspection, but nothing should be irreparably damaged.

This is a good question. Here is what happened:

1. In 2006, our manufacturer came out with a new version of the digital current display. This unit displayed four different parameters (Amps, Volts, Watts, and Power Factor) in a rotating/scrolling format.
2. Since the new display was intended to replace the older display, no changes were made to the part numbers of those units containing the display.
3. Many clients preferred the old display, and prevailed on the manufacturer to offer it as well.
4. The manufacturer agreed and is now offering the old display which gave a steady display of Amps only.
5. Since all the part numbers were now being used to note the inclusion of the new scrolling display, the manufacturer created new part numbers for those units with the old style display.

Now that you are thoroughly confused, here is a summary of the situation. The old part numbers are for the new scrolling display (four parameters). The new part numbers are for the old style display. If you want the scrolling display, the part number has a C in it. If you want the older current display (Amps), the part number has an A in it.

What is the difference between the WRK-SA series and the regular WRK? Are they compatible?

The WRK-SA is a Stand Alone cabinet (hence the SA). The defining property of a stand alone cabinet is that the side panels cannot be removed. In the case of the WRK-SA, the side panels are welded on.

In contrast, the regular WRK series is a “gangable�? cabinet. Gangable cabinets can be connected to adjacent cabinets which are open internally. There are no panels or dividers separating the individual cabinets in a row. This is advantageous for running cables or power between the cabinets. The WRK (without side panels) frame is the same width as the WRK-SA cabinet. However, when the locking removable side panels are added to the frame, the width increases by 1.5 inches.

Read the rest of this entry »