Rack installation specifications for racks not purchased from IBM

This topic provides requirements and specifications for 19-inch racks. These requirements and specifications are provided as an aid to help you understand the requirements to install IBM systems into racks. It is your responsibility, working with your rack manufacturer, to ensure that the rack chosen meets the requirements and specifications listed here. Mechanical drawings of the rack, if available from the manufacturer, are recommended for comparison against the requirements and specifications.

IBM maintenance services and installation planning services do not cover verification of non-IBM racks for compliance to Power Systems rack specifications. IBM offers racks for IBM products that are tested and verified by IBM development labs to comply with applicable safety and regulatory requirements. These racks are also tested and verified to fit and function well with IBM products. The customer is responsible for verifying with their rack manufacturer that any non-IBM racks comply with IBM specifications.

Rack specifications

The general rack specifications are:

• The rack or cabinet must meet the EIA Standard EIA-310-D for 19-inch racks published August 24, 1992. The EIA-310-D standard specifies internal dimensions, for example, the width of the rack opening (width of the chassis), the width of the module mounting flanges, the mounting hole spacing, and the depth of the mounting flanges. The EIA-310-D standard does not control the overall external width of the rack. There are no restrictions on the location of side walls and corner posts relative to the internal mounting space.
• The front rack opening must be 451 mm wide + 0.75 mm (17.75 in. + 0.03 in.), and the rail-mounting holes must be 465 mm + 0.8 mm (18.3 in. + 0.03 in.) apart on center (horizontal width between vertical columns of holes on the two front-mounting flanges and on the two rear-mounting flanges).
  

  The vertical distance between mounting holes must consist of sets of three holes spaced (from bottom to top) 15.9 mm (0.625 in.), 15.9 mm (0.625 in.), and 12.67 mm (0.5 in.) on center (making each three hole set of vertical hole spacing 44.45 mm (1.75 in.) apart on center). The front and rear mounting flanges in the rack or cabinet must be 719 mm (28.3 in.) apart and the internal width bounded by the mounting flanges at least 494 mm (19.45 in.), for the IBM rails to fit in your rack or cabinet (see the following figure).

  
  

• A minimum rack opening width of 500 mm (19.69 in.) for a depth of 330 mm (12.99 in.) is needed behind the installed system for maintenance and service. The depth can extend beyond the rack rear door.

  

• The rack or cabinet must be capable of supporting an average load of 15.9 kg (35 lb) of product weight per EIA unit.

  For example, a four EIA drawer has a maximum drawer weight of 63.6 kg (140 lb).

  The following rack hole sizes are supported for racks where IBM hardware is mounted:

  • 7.1 mm plus or minus 0.1 mm
  • 9.2 mm plus or minus 0.1 mm
  • 12 mm plus or minus 0.1 mm

• All parts shipped with the Power Systems products must be installed.

• Only ac power drawers are supported in the rack or cabinet. It is strongly recommended to use a power distribution unit that meets the same specifications as IBM power distribution units to supply rack power (for example, feature code 7188). Rack or cabinet power distribution devices must meet the drawer voltage, amperage, and power requirements, as well as that of any additional products that will be connected to the same power distribution device.

  The rack or cabinet power receptacle (power distribution unit, uninterruptible power supply, or multi-outlet strip) must have a compatible plug type for your drawer or device.

• The rack or cabinet must be compatible with the drawer-mounting rails. The rail-mounting pins and screws should fit securely and snugly into the rack or cabinet rail-mounting holes. It is strongly recommended that the IBM mounting rails and mounting hardware that are included with the product be used to install it in the rack. The mounting rails and mounting hardware that are provided with IBM products have been designed and tested to safely support the product during operation and service activities as well as to safely support the weight of your drawer or device. The rails must facilitate service access by allowing the drawer to be safely extended, if necessary, forward, backward, or both. Some rails, with IBM features for non-IBM racks, provide drawer specific anti-tip brackets, rear lock-down brackets, and cable management guides that require clearance on the rear side of the rails.
  Note: If the rack or cabinet has square holes on the mounting flanges, a plug-in hole adapter might be required.

  If non-IBM rails are used, the rails must be product-safety certified for use with the IBM products. At a minimum, mounting rails must be able to support four times the maximum rated product weight in its worst-case position (fully-extended front and rear positions) for one full minute without catastrophic failure.

• The rack or cabinet must have stabilization feet or brackets installed both in the front and rear of the rack, or have another means of preventing the rack/cabinet from tipping while the drawer or device is pulled into its extreme front or rear service positions.
  Note: Examples of some acceptable alternatives: The rack or cabinet might be securely bolted to the floor, ceiling or walls, or to adjacent racks or cabinets in a long and heavy row of racks or cabinets.
• There must be adequate front and rear service clearances (in and around the rack or cabinet). The rack or cabinet must have sufficient horizontal width clearance in the front and rear to allow the drawer to be fully slid into the front and, if applicable, the rear service access positions (typically this requires 914.4 mm (36 in.) clearance in both the front and rear).
• If present, front and rear doors must be able to open far enough to provide unrestrained access for service or be easily removable. If doors must be removed for service, it is the customer's responsibility to remove them prior to service.
• The rack or cabinet must provide adequate clearance around the rack drawer.
• There must be adequate clearance around the drawer bezel so that it can be opened and closed, according to the product specifications.
• Front or rear doors must also maintain a minimum of 51 mm (2 in.) front, 203 mm (8 in.) rear, door to mounting flange clearance, and 494 mm (19.4 in.) front, 571 mm (22.5 in.) rear, side-to-side clearance for drawer bezels and cables.
• The rack or cabinet must provide adequate front-to-back ventilation.
  Note: For optimum ventilation, it is recommended the rack or cabinet not have a front door. If the rack or cabinet has doors, the doors must be fully perforated so that there is proper front-to-back airflow to maintain the required drawer ambient inlet temperature as specified in the server specifications. The perforations should yield at least 34 % minimum open area per square inch.

General safety requirements for IBM products installed in a non-IBM rack or cabinet

The general safety requirements for IBM products installed in non-IBM racks are:

• Any product or component that plugs into either an IBM power distribution unit or mains power (via a power cord), or uses any voltage over 42 V ac or 60 V dc (considered to be hazardous voltage) must be Safety Certified by a Nationally Recognized Test Laboratory (NRTL) for the country in which it will be installed.

  Some of the items that require safety certification might include: the rack or cabinet (if it contains electrical components integral to the rack or cabinet), fan trays, power distribution unit, uninterruptible power supplies, multi-outlet strips, or any other products installed in the rack or cabinet that connect to hazardous voltage.

  Examples of OSHA-approved NRTLs for the U.S.:

  • UL
  • ETL
  • CSA (with CSA NRTL or CSA US mark)

  Examples of approved NRTLs for Canada:

  • UL (Ulc mark)
  • ETL (ETLc mark)
  • CSA

  The European Union requires a CE mark and a Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity (DOC).

  Certified products should have the NRTL logos or marks somewhere on the product or product label. However, proof of certification must be made available to IBM upon request. Proof consists of such items as copies of the NRTL license or certificate, a CB Certificate, a Letter of Authorization to apply the NRTL mark, the first few pages of the NRTL certification report, Listing in an NRTL publication, or a copy of the UL Yellow Card. Proof should contain the manufacturers name, product type and model, standard to which it was certified, the NRTL name or logo, the NRTL file number or license number, and a list of any Conditions of Acceptance or Deviations. A Manufacturer's Declaration is not proof of certification by an NRTL.

• The rack or cabinet must meet all electrical and mechanical safety legal requirements for the country in which it is installed. The rack or cabinet must be free of exposed hazards (such as voltages over 60 V dc or 42 V ac, energy over 240 VA, sharp edges, mechanical pinch points, or hot surfaces).
• There must be an accessible and unambiguous disconnect device for each product in the rack, including any power distribution unit.

  A disconnect device might consist of either the plug on the power cord (if the power cord is no longer than 1.8 m (6 ft)), the appliance inlet receptacle (if the power cord is of a detachable type), or a power on/off switch, or an Emergency Power Off switch on the rack, provided all power is removed from the rack or product by the disconnect device.

  If the rack or cabinet has electrical components (such as fan trays or lights), the rack must have an accessible and unambiguous disconnect device.

• The rack or cabinet, power distribution unit and multi-outlet strips, and products installed in the rack or cabinet must all be properly grounded to the customer facility ground.

  There must be no more than 0.1 Ohms between the ground pin of the power distribution unit or rack plug and any touchable metal or conductive surface on the rack and on the products installed in the rack. Grounding method must comply with applicable country's electric code (such as NEC or CEC). Ground continuity can be verified by your IBM service personnel, after the installation is completed, and should be verified prior to the first service activity.

• The voltage rating of the power distribution unit and multi-outlet strips must be compatible with the products plugged into them.

  The power distribution unit or multi-outlet strips current and power ratings are rated at 80% of the building supply circuit (as required by the National Electrical Code and the Canadian Electrical Code). The total load connected to the power distribution unit must be less than the rating of the power distribution unit. For example, a power distribution unit with a 30 A connection will be rated for a total load of 24 A (30 A x 80 %). Therefore, the sum of all equipment connected to the power distribution unit in this example must be lower than the 24 A rating.

  If an uninterruptible power supply is installed, it must meet all the electrical safety requirements as described for a power distribution unit (including certification by an NRTL).

• The rack or cabinet, power distribution unit, uninterruptible power supply, multi-outlet strips and all products in the rack or cabinet must be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and in accordance with all national, state or province, and local codes and laws.

  The rack or cabinet, power distribution unit, uninterruptible power supply, multi-outlet strips and all products in the rack or cabinet must be used as intended by the manufacturer (per manufacturer's product documentation and marketing literature).

• All documentation for use and installation of the rack or cabinet, power distribution unit, uninterruptible power supply, and all products in the rack or cabinet, including safety information, must be available on-site.
• If there is more than one source of power in the rack cabinet, there must be clearly visible safety labels for Multiple Power Source (in the languages required for the country in which the product is installed).
• If the rack or cabinet or any products installed in the cabinet had safety or weight labels applied by the manufacturer, they must be intact and translated into the languages required for the country in which the product is installed.
• If the rack or cabinet has doors, the rack becomes a fire enclosure by definition and must meet the applicable flammability ratings (V-0 or better). Totally metal enclosures at least 1 mm (0.04 in.) thick are considered to comply.

  Nonenclosure (decorative) materials must have a flammability rating of V-1 or better. If glass is used (such as in rack doors) it must be safety glass. If wood shelves are used in the rack/cabinet, they must be treated with a UL Listed flame-retardant coating.

• The rack or cabinet configuration must comply with all IBM requirements for "safe to service" (contact your IBM Installation Planning Representative for assistance in determining if the environment is safe).

  There must be no unique maintenance procedures or tools required for service.

  Elevated service installations, where the products to be serviced are installed between 1.5 m and 3.7 m (5 ft and 12 ft) above the floor, require the availability of an OSHA- and CSA-approved nonconductive step ladder. If a ladder is required for service, the customer must supply the OSHA- and CSA- approved nonconductive step ladder (unless other arrangements have been made with the local IBM Service Branch Office). Products installed over 2.9 m (9 ft) above the floor require a Special Bid to be completed before they can be serviced by IBM service personnel.

  For products not intended for rack-mounting to be serviced by IBM, the products and parts that will be replaced as part of that service must not weigh over 11.4 kg (25 lb) Contact your Installation Planning Representative if in doubt.

  There must not be any special education or training required for safe servicing of any of the products installed in the racks. Contact your Installation Planning Representative if you are in doubt.