Re: Article about IBM racks

Thanks for the insights. Nice to know there is some truth to the saying "You get what you pay for".

John McKee


-----Original message-----
From: Jim Oberholtzer midrangel@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:12:23 -0500
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Article about IBM racks

Yes, two things.

First; STEEL. IBM racks are made to withstand most any abuse, stand
straight, and more importantly don't flex like other racks do. I was in
a data center about 6 months ago that had a row of OEM racks, and one
with all IBM racks. The OEM racks (about 7 of them) actually leaned to
the right (as you were looking at the front) nearly 1/2 inch. It was
enough to enable you to visibly detect it. This was due to the weight
distribution in them and the way the cables were run over the top. The
rails on the servers were useless since with the slight pitch, you could
not easily get a server in and out anyway. The IBM racks -- straight
as they day they were installed. Also, IBM racks come with a real man
tip plate that keeps the rack from coming over on top of you when
servers are rolled out. Other racks don't have them. Significant
safety feature.

Second and more important reason. The space allocated on the sides
allows for proper cable management and room for any of the systems (In
this case POWER) IBM builds. Cables are kept out of the way allowing
proper air flow. Plenty of space to mount 4 PDUs in the sides out of
the way, or if you like horizontally at the top or bottom.

Lastly, the real cost of the rack is not list. It's usually included in
the order (if needed) and discounted at the same percentages as the
balance of the equipment. If you buy OEM racks, the discount may not be
as good.

APC makes an excellent rack. IBM is actually working with them on
various cooling solutions and sells the APC racks as well. You'll see
them in many of the IBM customer centers.

Jim Oberholtzer
Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects


On 4/6/2011 8:24 AM, jmmckee wrote:

Saw this article about racks. It detailed the costs of IBM racks and mentioned another company's rack. I was wondering if the article glossed over any detail that might have justified the higher cost of an IBM rack.

http://www.itjungle.com/fhg/fhg040611-story03.html


John McKee

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