ᐅ Planning the Network Cabinet and Its Contents

Created on: 8 Mar 2018 07:57
K
KingSong
Hello,

I am currently planning our network cabinet. How large should it be? What size do you use? 6U or better 12U? Or smaller or even bigger?

I need to fit in:

- 24-port patch panel
- 24-port switch
- Power strip
- 2 network-attached storage devices
- Router
- 2 shelves
- Fibaro Home Center 2

Have I forgotten anything important that should definitely go in? I also imagine it would be really fiddly to connect the 20 network cables to the patch panel once the cabinet is already mounted on the wall...

How did you handle this?

Thanks in advance,

Ecko
KingSong8 Mar 2018 08:29
What does the UPS have to do with the fuse box? A UPS protects against the following:

  • Power outages
  • Undervoltage
  • Overvoltage
  • Frequency fluctuations
  • Harmonic distortions
Your fuse box definitely can’t do that....
A
Alex124
8 Mar 2018 08:30
Egon12 schrieb:
A small UPS? For what.. my patch panel is mounted above the breaker panel, the router box sits on top of it .. next to it the electricians installed a double socket for me. I think it looks like this in 95% of all new houses

What others do doesn’t really matter, but here’s a tip – if you want to do it properly – use a small UPS. It absorbs power surges and protects the hardware behind it.
In some new builds, the entire home automation system is connected to a UPS.
Not entirely unreasonable, but it’s not essential. If we’re discussing this, I’d say the 24-port patch panel is already overkill for most people.
But this is a forum about “how to do it best” after all.
KingSong8 Mar 2018 08:34
Exactly, we do need a 24-port patch panel since 20 connections are installed throughout the house. However, my main concern remains the size of the cabinet and any potential issues I might still be overlooking.....
A
Alex124
8 Mar 2018 08:41
If you have enough space in the room, just go for a few more HE units; the price difference is really minimal, and that way you'll be on the safe side.
J
JansEigenheim
8 Mar 2018 09:02
KingSong schrieb:
I don’t need a UPS in the network cabinet; my E3/DC battery system seamlessly takes over in case of emergency... Is there anything else that’s often forgotten? Thanks for the tip about 1m....

However, "seamlessly" isn’t entirely accurate. The E3/DC battery system has an emergency power function but is not a UPS, so it takes a few seconds to take over power supply in the house. During that time, the power is off. A UPS could bridge that gap, preventing devices like the modem, router, switch, server, home automation system, etc., from needing to restart or reboot and potentially ending up in the wrong state.

But honestly, that’s nitpicking. An emergency power function is definitely a nice feature to have in case of need. Neither is a game changer, and I would consider both simply nice-to-have extras.
D
Domski
8 Mar 2018 09:24
For the equipment, I would choose 12-15 rack units (HE), only smaller in exceptional cases (if the room doesn’t allow it).
Otherwise, everything has been said. You have enough space behind the panel for proper cable management, and you can easily store excess length. Of course, don’t use 3-meter (10-foot) loops per cable.

Other than that, you’re good. Shelves, switch, possibly PoE injectors, router, UPS.
For your network drives, you need to check their height and make sure they can be easily removed if needed. If a hard drive fails, you want to be able to replace it without having to take everything apart.