no longer is the humble 19-inch rack or cabinet a trivial commodity of little real consequence, it is a critical component in the function of every data centre and the wrong choice could seriously affect data centre operation and running costs says rack and cabinet guru matt goulding, managing director of cannon technologies.

when i first came into the it rack and cabinet business, the requirement was for little more than a set of steel uprights into which to bolt a combination of 19-inch equipment together with shelves for the many conventional tower servers and other electronic items.  around these, to make things aesthetically pleasing and add security we fitted side panels and front/rear doors.

power dissipation from the equipment was so low back then that no special provisions were needed. natural convection took the heat out of the rack into the surrounding room and fan trays were added if needed.

fast forward to 2011 and the ‘cabinets and racks landscape has changed out of all recognition with a number of new and key vectors now very much part of the functionality of the cabinet.

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