Whether data center managers are loading a 12U portable server rack or standard 19″ rack, the industry is entering an era in which server rack organization could be a critical consideration, TechTarget reported.
According to the report, servers are increasingly built with more hardware, making them heavier and more difficult to mount in server racks.
The report explained that many companies used to put as many as eight or nine computers in a standard server rack without any trouble. However, those computers left plenty of space for air flow.
New servers are more efficient, and, the report said, they are typically packed with much more hardware that takes up less space. Therefore, a 1U or 2U machine may be much heavier than a larger machine from a few years ago. This is especially the case with blade servers. As a result, many racks are getting so heavy that the floors cannot support them, and new organization tactics need to be taken into account.
Blade servers are among the key culprits in terms of adding weight to the server rack, but they often do so while simplifying connections. A recent Register report said most blade servers feature built-in systems to interact with other hardware and therefore only need a KVM unit to be managed.