Racks

[ribitch]

I am wiring my parents new house and I would like to have their network clean and organized. I am installing 2 24 port switches and a 48 port patch panel. I need a rack to mount these into. My Dad manages machine shop that does prototype machining. Since he has access to the equipment and raw materials, we will probably make our own. We will probably build a 2 post 12 U rack and mount it someplace in the basement.

I am looking for standard dimension for the posts. I need to know what size and guage angle iron is typically used, thread dimensions and hole spacings. Once we have it built, I am going to have my uncle powder coat it. He owns a company that specializes in that stuff, so it will have a nice professional appearance.

I am totally geeked about their network.

[Airencracken]

Y'know what I thought this thread was about.... (I didn't notice it was in the Hardware forum). :dodgy:

[GilbertsGrape]

Y'know what I thought this thread was about.... (I didn't notice it was in the Hardware forum). :dodgy:


was it the kind of rack you put your automobile on you where thinking of?

[Tommy Boomfiger]

heres (http://www.ocmojo.com/guides/rack_cabinet/rackmount_cabinet.asp)some step by step directions for building a small rack. you could probably scale it to your needs

[ribitch]

cool, i will give it a read tonight. Thanks

[spigidygak]

Y'know what I thought this thread was about.... (I didn't notice it was in the Hardware forum). :dodgy:

Yeah really this ain't no babe's thread.

[g222leav]

was it the kind of rack you put your automobile on you where thinking of?
gunrack?

[Merlin]

Y'know what I thought this thread was about.... (I didn't notice it was in the Hardware forum). :dodgy:
:stupid: I'm still getting used to the new layout.

[Burzhui]

dude, what do your parents have that they need 2 24 port swirches for?

[GilbertsGrape]

dude, what do your parents have that they need 2 24 port swirches for?
from the sonds of it i bet they bought a new house and had all the telcom and internet connections wired in with cat5. with a patch paned. and i bet tehy dont use all 24 ports all the time just have the jacks already hooked up so if tehy want to move firanture around alot or if they have a laptop they can plug in if they are on teh twolit or if they are in the kitchen or living room

oh yea why would anyone want to wire their entire house any more with so many cheap wireless solutions. that use to be all the rage wiring your house with cat 5

[Showtime]

Got|Wireless?

Even though I still prefer hard wired, wireless is the way of the future.

-jel:halo:

[ribitch]

dude, what do your parents have that they need 2 24 port swirches for?

their new house is approximately 6000 square feet. All rooms will have ports, some walls will have multiple ports. The house is new, so its easier to wire now than later. A well designed well wired network will help the homes resale value. I will also install 1 or 2 WAP's. I am still unsure about these, but these will be installed in accesible areas to allow easy upgrades.

The home will have a walkout basement, so one large wall will be wired. I have 42 ports planned thus far. I want them to be able to plugin any networked device in any room with ease. Things are becoming more and more network friendly each and every day. Nobody ever imagined your TV would have an internet connection, now with ReplayTV it does.

Wireless is great, but it does have its limitations. With the wiring job i will have, there will be more than enough locations to allow me to expand my # of WAP's.

I have been told several times that this house will be wired better than most businesses, and thats totally the point. You CAN run a business off this network.

[DaFunkyUnit]

just be sure to have proper ground connections on the rack, as well as room for proper wire management. Also, be sure to get rails that lock, in case of an earthquake (if you have any of those where you're at ;) )

but wow, thats pretty neat to have a house totally networked like that. will they have a T1 or T3 line coming in?

[ribitch]

just be sure to have proper ground connections on the rack, as well as room for proper wire management. Also, be sure to get rails that lock, in case of an earthquake (if you have any of those where you're at ;) )

but wow, thats pretty neat to have a house totally networked like that. will they have a T1 or T3 line coming in?

we're in detroit, so we have little if any earthquake risks. THe last time we had one was years and years ago. You could barely feel it.

already have the grounding and cable management planned.

They will be using comcast for their connection. Fractional T1's are way too expensive for their needs.

[Kevster]

Were you going to wall mount this rack? You can get some nice specs from Homaco or Chatsworth on their swing-gate wall-mount racks. They practically give you the specs for machining your own on their websites if you look for the rack cut-sheets. They publish the cut-sheets because people have to include the rack specifications when they do their product submittals for most private and all public projects.

Homaco Racks:
http://www.homaco.com/equipwallracks/swingez.htm
http://www.homaco.com/equipwallracks/hdswingez.htm

Chatsworth Racks and Wall-mount Brackets:
http://www.chatsworth.com/main.asp?id=92

I hope this helps you out.

[Showtime]

6000 sq feet? No wonder your a mac guy. You can afford it. ;)

-jel:halo:

[Grumpy]

600sq ft is a big house. Thats also lots of wires going through the house. Hope everything you planned goes accordingly. Best wishes to you when you start wiring. :)