Dense, Safe, Serviceable — With Evidence
Racks & PDUs are the skeleton and bloodstream of your data center and edge sites.
SolveForce designs rack rows, cabinets, and power delivery that are cooling-aware, A/B redundant, and easy to service—with DCIM telemetry and auditable artifacts (photos, torque logs, labeling maps) so you can prove readiness and capacity.
Related pages:
🏢 On-Prem DCs → /on-prem-data-centers • 🧭 Edge DCs → /edge-data-centers
🧵 Structured Cabling → /structured-cabling • 🖧 Fabric → /networks-and-data-centers
📊 Evidence/Automation → /siem-soar • 💾 Continuity → /cloud-backup • /backup-immutability
🎯 Outcomes (Why SolveForce for Racks & PDUs)
- High density, low drama — predictable cooling and power for mixed or GPU racks.
- A/B resilience — dual power paths, color-coded and balanced, with spare capacity.
- Serviceability — clean cable management, labeled and documented for fast MTTR.
- Safety & compliance — grounded, bonded, derated properly, with evidence.
- Observability — per-outlet metering, environmental sensors, alarms to NOC/SIEM.
🧭 Scope (What We Design & Operate)
- Cabinets & rails: 42–52U, 600/800 mm widths, 1070–1200 mm depths; adjustable rails, square holes, tool-less accessories.
- Power distribution: busway or whip feeds; A/B PDUs (metered or switched, per-outlet); locking IEC; branch-circuit protection.
- Cooling interface: hot/cold aisle, containment readiness, rear-door heat exchangers (RDHx) or liquid distribution plates where needed.
- Cable management: vertical managers, horizontal trays, ladder rack tie-in; brush grommets, blanking panels. → /structured-cabling
- Grounding & bonding: rack bonding busbar (RBB), main bonding ring, equipotential bonding.
- Environmental & DCIM: temp/humidity/DP sensors, door/tilt, leak, per-outlet kWh; SNMP/Modbus/IPMI to DCIM and SIEM/SOAR. → /siem-soar
- Labeling & documentation: rack elevation maps (RU/RU), A/B feed maps, circuit directories, load sheets, torque logs, photo sets.
- Access & safety: keyed/combination doors, swing handles, cage design, seismic kits, LOTO procedures, arc-flash labeling.
🧱 Building Blocks (Spelled Out)
- Power train & derating
- Size PDUs and branch circuits to 80% continuous load; balance across A/B; color-code red/blue.
- Use locking C13/C19 cords; verify breaker curves vs inrush; maintain ≥ 20% headroom per feed.
- Meter inlet + outlet where possible; per-outlet switching for remote recovery.
- Thermal & airflow
- Hot/cold aisle alignment; blanking panels; brush grommets; rear cable managers that don’t block exhaust.
- GPU/high-kW racks: RDHx or liquid-to-chip, aisle containment, CFD/thermal survey where density > 20–30 kW/rack.
- Mechanical & layout
- Weight ratings incl. concentrated loads (UPS, batteries, storage); seismic bracing as required (IBC/OSHPD).
- 2/3/4-post choices for network vs compute; maintain front & rear service clearances.
- Cable discipline
- Right-length cords, velcro (no zip ties on copper pairs), port labeling that matches elevation maps; A/B power cords never share a PDU.
- Fiber: radius control, slack trays, MPO/MTP trunks; copper: Cat6A with pathway fill limits.
- Security & OOB
- Door sensors, cam locks, smart handles with audit trail; out-of-band (OOB) network for lights-out control and PDU/IPMI access.
🧰 Reference Designs (Choose Your Fit)
A) Enterprise Mixed-Density Row
- 800 mm racks with vertical power/cable managers, A/B 30A 3-phase PDUs, cold-aisle containment, 10–15 kW/rack.
B) GPU / AI Pod (Liquid-Ready)
- 800×1200 mm cabinets, RDHx or liquid distribution manifold, high-amp PDUs, dual busway feeds, leak detection, 20–60+ kW/rack. → /bare-metal-gpu
C) Edge Micro-Rack
- 24–42U ruggedized enclosure, filtered intake, short-depth gear, compact metered PDUs, cellular OOB, wall/curb mount. → /edge-data-centers
D) Colo Cage Build-Out
- Cage walls/doors, seismic anchors, ladder tray integration, busway drops, RDHx option, DCIM integration; audit photos and circuit letters. → /colocation
E) Lab/Network Rack
- 2/4-post with front service, top-of-rack patch fields, shallow gear shelves, high-density cable managers, switched PDU per outlet.
📐 SLO Guardrails (Targets You Can Measure)
| KPI / SLO | Target (Recommended) |
|---|---|
| PDU load headroom per feed | ≥ 20% sustained |
| Rack inlet temp (p95) | 18–27 °C (ASHRAE A1/A2 envelope) |
| ΔT (supply→exhaust) | ≤ 12–15 °C typical |
| Humidity (RH) | 40–60% (within site envelope) |
| Per-outlet metering coverage | = 100% in high-density/remote sites |
| Labeling accuracy (spot audit) | = 100% (ports, circuits, RU) |
| Breaker trip incidents (quarterly) | 0 (outside planned tests) |
| Evidence completeness (installs/changes) | = 100% (photos, torque, maps, logs) |
SLO breaches open tickets and trigger SOAR actions (shed load, rebalance circuits, adjust airflow, dispatch). → /siem-soar
🧯 Safety & Compliance
- Electrical: NEC/NFPA-70, local code, UL/CE listed gear, proper derating, arc-flash labeling, LOTO procedures.
- Thermal: ASHRAE TC 9.9 guidelines for IT equipment classes.
- Seismic: IBC/OSHPD anchoring where required.
- Security: ISO 27001 physical controls; visitor logs; camera coverage and retention.
📊 Observability & Evidence
- DCIM telemetry: per-rack inlet temps, RH, door status, PDU inlet/outlet kW, breaker state; leak/tamper.
- Dashboards: headroom by rack/row, hot-spot map, per-circuit utilization, trend to capacity breach.
- Artifacts: rack elevations, circuit directories, torque logs, photo albums, commissioning checklists exported to SIEM/SOAR (WORM optional). → /siem-soar
🛠️ Implementation Blueprint (No-Surprise Rollout)
1) Survey & goals — density targets (kW/rack), GPU plans, seismic code, containment approach.
2) Layout & pathways — row spacing, tray/ladder layout, busway vs whip, aisle containment design.
3) Power plan — A/B feeds, breaker sizing, PDU types (metered/switched), locking IEC cords, color coding.
4) Cooling plan — containment, RDHx/liquid options, sensor placement; CFD or thermal walk as needed.
5) Grounding/bonding — RBB install, main bonding, continuity tests.
6) Cabling — vertical/horizontal managers, patch fields, slack management; elevation labels. → /structured-cabling
7) DCIM & OOB — sensors, PDU SNMP, IPMI/LAN, OOB switch, DCIM dashboards and alerts.
8) Commissioning — torque & insulation tests, breaker trip verify, load/burn-in, thermal step, photo evidence.
9) Operate — monthly capacity & thermal reviews, quarterly audit of labels/circuits, yearly preventive maintenance.
✅ Pre-Engagement Checklist
- 🔌 Target density (kW/rack), number of racks, growth horizon.
- 🧊 Cooling strategy (containment, RDHx, liquid), site envelopes.
- ⚡ Busway vs whip, feed amperage/phase, PDU types, locking cord preference.
- 🧷 Seismic & anchoring requirements; roof/floor loading.
- 🧵 Cabling standards, patch panel plan, tray/ladder routes.
- 🔐 Access control, door handles, camera coverage, OOB.
- 📈 DCIM integrations, alert thresholds, SIEM export.
- 📸 Evidence format: elevation maps, circuit letters, torque logs, photos.
- 🧰 Spares kit (PDUs, cords, rails, fasteners) & maintenance windows.
🔄 Where Racks & PDUs Fit (Recursive View)
1) Grammar — mechanical & power rails in /networks-and-data-centers.
2) Syntax — composed with /structured-cabling, containment, and cooling.
3) Semantics — /cybersecurity + access controls preserve physical truth; /siem-soar proves it.
4) Pragmatics — /solveforce-ai predicts thermal/power risk and suggests safe changes.