[AusNOG] Switch installation in data centre racks - front facing, or rear facing?

[James Cunningham]

Hi Guys,

This is an age old discussion that I have had with many people over the
years, but am keen to find out what other people think about installing
switches into data centre racks.

Say for example you have 4 network switches to install into a rack
(standard 600mm rack), along with 20-30 1RU and 2RU servers.

Would you install the switches facing forwards, or install the switches
facing backwards?

The way I see it, there are various pros and cons of each approach:

*FORWARD FACING *
PROS
Easy to install and remove the switch from the front of the rack, as power
cords are not in the way
Most switches expect this installation for air flow, but some switches do
have reversible fans.

CONS
You must route the cables from the front of the rack, to the back of the
rack where the server network ports are, leading to cable clutter within
the rack.

*REAR FACING*
PROS
Cable distance and cable mess going from the switches to the servers is
alot less.

CONS
When it comes to removing the switch, it's very difficult with a fully
loaded rack, as the power cables tend to get in the way from the vertical
PDUs at the back.

Has anyone else had some detailed thoughts about the best way to rack mount
data centre network switches?

Thanks in advance.

James
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