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Clean floor

Keep floor free of trash and debris (including your Crocs) to eliminate tripping hazards.
Hot tip: Carpet absorbs heat—use raised floor tiles to increase ventilation and decrease heat absorption.

Extra batteries & storage

Batteries should be ordered when needed, not stored for long periods. When extras are on-hand, keep them in secure storage and never stacked on top of each other.

Fire extinguisher & sprinkler system

While fire safety is of great importance, it’s also important to keep the fire extinguisher and ceiling sprinkler system away from sensitive electronics.

Cabling

Not only will you sleep better at night knowing where each connection leads, a clean, clearly labeled rack reduces clutter and accidental disconnections.
Hot tip: Cleaning up that mess of dangling cables improves airflow and helps eliminate overheating in the rack, resulting in longer equipment lifespan and reduced downtime!

Cable management

Take the edge of upgrades and maintenance by keeping cables organized from the get-go! Cable trays and ladders provide efficient and safe organization while increasing airflow within the rack.

UPS placement

Start with the heaviest equipment at the bottom—that means your UPS! Work your way up and place less power-intensive equipment (with less heat draw) toward the top.

Redundant power

Redundant power is reliable power—use an automatic transfer switch (ATS) to power devices from two sources should one source fail—meaning no interruption to connected equipment.

Daisy chaining power & surge strips

There’s no need to plug a surge protector into a UPS, in fact it may cause improper load balancing and cause an overload to the UPS circuit.
Extremely hot tip: Never, ever plug a space heater into a surge protector! Space heaters draw a significant amount of power and can easily overload the circuit, leading to electrical hazards and fire!

Rack storage & security

Make a plan when populating racks, including placing heavier equipment at the bottom and leaving space for future growth. (Not pictured: secure your equipment with locking rack doors!)

Windows

You might like a view from your workstation, but your servers do not. Avoiding windows in your server room helps eliminate security risks and prohibits light and heat from damaging equipment.

Door security

Your equipment deserves an on-site security guard, but a closed, locking door will have to suffice. Key-free biometric locks provide easy, secure access and peace of mind.

Sensitive information

Even if you are the only person managing the server room, it’s imperative that you do not leave sensitive information and peripherals in the open.

Cooling

It takes much more than a floor fan to keep power hungry devices cool! In-row cooling provides primary, close-coupled cooling with remote management capabilities, eliminating the need for on-site monitoring.
Hot tip: Add an environmental sensor to monitor temperature, humidity and contact-closure inputs, including smoke detectors, fire alarms and security systems!

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Server room nightmares

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Server room nightmares

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