IT Rack Impresses with its Simple Effectiveness

By Clive Partridge, Rittal Technical Manager, IT Infrastructure If I was to highlight what I believe to be the key attributes of an ideal IT rack, then (in no particular order) I would suggest it would need to be: easy to order; meet current standards provide a safe environment for servers and other equipment; be modifiable at no great cost; and have an optimum price/performance ratio. The Rittal TS IT Rack and its accessory options ticks all these boxes. Its intelligent modular design will save you time and money and, at the same time, will enable future investment because it will allow you to adapt your data centre to include the latest innovations. What’s more, the TS IT also offers largely tool-less assembly saving you both time and money. The standard version includes two fully adjustable 19" mounting levels and a multi-piece roof plate with optimised side-cable entry via brush strips in the roof as well as the option of fan integration. Accessories can be added or modified without tools. This enables versatile expansion and supports customer-specific configurations. Optimum access Today's data centres need to protect and adapt to cutting-edge technology, so racks have to be adaptable to accommodate the innovation cycles of servers and storage systems. The easy, tool-less adjustments of the 19" mounting levels and space-saving integration of the relevant accessories ensure the rack delivers this benefit. The vertically divided rear door, which is fitted as standard on all racks over 24U together with 180° hinges, gives the administrator direct access to all the equipment. It all combines to make optimum use of the space available, ensuring that escape routes are narrow, but still meeting access requirements in the event of an emergency. Addition of RFID The rack can be readily adapted through an add-on system such as automatic RFID-based asset management for recording the technical features of all installed components and tracking their locations using RFID tags. What's more, customers can retrofit this system at any time while the rack is in operation. The new mounting angles provide a range of further options. For example, the rack can accommodate both cable routing aids and the space-saving integration of the Rittal power distribution units PDU-i at the rear. These can be fitted directly in the Zero U space between the side panel and rear mounting levels. An angle for all enclosures The way the 19” posts are fitted into that 800w version of the rack allows for the fitting of different mounting practices 19" to 24" and asymmetric expansion, furthermore these posts can carry a mechanical load of up to 1,500 kilograms as standard. The right climate control concept Powerful IT equipment obviously generates a lot of heat that must be dissipated safely. So, it's important to have highly energy-efficient, load-adaptive cooling systems for the safe operation of the installed technology. We have therefore made the decision to identify future rack generations on their climate control requirements, not their application. Rittal enclosures are now only differentiated by their climate control technology or the rack and/or row climate controls. The TS IT rack has been designed with climate control in mind, including IT-specific liquid-based cooling systems. All this has been confirmed by accredited testing laboratories. Flexible basis The TS IT rack also comes with the option of a Flex Block base or plinth, which can be fitted without tools thanks to quick-assembly technology. All this makes the new TS IT rack a flexible solution for the future and a cost-effective way to respond to the changing requirements of the IT environment. For more information visit www.rittal.co.uk, www.friedhelm-loh-group.com, or on twitter @rittal_ltd. Rittal is exhibiting its TS IT rack on Stand D610 at Data Centre World, 11-12 March 2020, at the Excel, London.

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