Steel or glass, perforated or not? How to choose the right door for your rack

The International Data Corporation estimates for every INR 100 spent on new data center hardware, an additional INR 50 is spent on power and cooling. It tells you just how important it is to keep operating costs down. Server rack strategy, therefore, needs to be top of mind. And rack cabinet doors are integral to that blueprint.

There are three key points to keep in mind when choosing the right kind of server rack cabinet door.

The importance of the right server rack cabinet door

Overheating in a data center can damage servers, and therefore to improve airflow it is wise to choose server racks with a mesh front door or a perforated rear door.

1. Ventilation:

What if there is an emergency in the server room? Server racks with removable doors allow for quick and easy release of hot air in these situations.

2. Accessibility:

If security is the top priority, server cabinets with lockable glass doors are a good choice.

3. Security:

Front doors are available in many different sizes and ventilation options. Locking mechanisms too are available on most doors.

What are the doors available?

Among steel doors, for instance, you have different types such as solid, perforated or louvered.

While all types of doors protect, adding a ventilated front and rear door will assist with air circulation by creating a front to backflow pattern.

For example, Hardy Racks’ P-Series Server Racks come with perforated front and back doors, with a total perforation of 86%. This helps dissipate over 3.5 kW of heat from the rack while allowing the free inflow of cool air.

Whether metal, plastic, or plexiglas, choosing the right door helps to prevent hot exhaust air from re-circulating.

As the adage goes, never judge a book by its cover. On the surface, a lot of server racks and cabinets look alike. But small adjustments or variations, like for instance, the right door can make a world of difference. It can make the server cooler, quieter, or more space-saving.

Choose a door that suits the functionality of the cabinet

Server rack cabinets come in a wide array of heights, widths, and depths for rack-mount compatibility. These cabinets house servers, switches, monitors, power distribution units, and other such accessories. For these cabinets, choosing perforated front and rear doors for ventilation with fans in the top to maintain a suitable environment for the heat-generating equipment inside is a good idea.

On the other hand, if you take a network cabinet, which is what is used when you have a large number of cables, choosing a glass/Plexiglass front door instead of a perforated one is better. Network cabinets are mainly used to store routers, switches, patch panels, and other types of networking equipment and have less depth than a standard server. So thermal requirements aren’t typically an issue with the equipment stored in the network cabinet, which is why glass doors are suggested.

Hardy Racks offers different types of server racks. The P-Series Server Racks, for instance, designed for data centers, equipment rooms, and network or telecommunication closets, are sturdy, cost-saving, and space-efficient. Get in touch with us today for guidance in choosing the right racks, fitted with the optimal server rack doors.

Choose wisely, because the right door is a window to cost-saving!