Ask HN: Best 19“ rack for home use?

[nerdb0t]

not the cheapest, but the best 19" rack for home use, where 'best' means easiest to maintain, access, and manage home servers. something closed to keep the kids and pets out of it. ideas?

[techjuice]

If you are a previous server/network guy then you will probably just want the best of the best as anything else would just waste your time and be a pain to use.

I recommend the following if you need quiet https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/categories/racks-and-accessor...

If you have the space and height, might as well just put in a full rack that is also deep so you can put anything in it. https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/categories/racks-and-accessor...

This way you are not bending over to reach things that would be much easier to reach while standing and it looks very professional, and will align with what is used in the data centers. Security wise, it locks at the front and back, if you need to you can pop the sides off the rack and put them back with little to no effort. Best of all there is room to put a full PDU or PDUs. There are also variants that you can easily move so you only have to unplug the power and fiber uplink(s).

As the smaller 19 inch racks are normally not tall/deep enough to do an advanced home setup (e.g. UPS (2U) at the bottom, routers (2U each for the good ones), KVM (1U), KVM Switch (1U to 2U), switches (1U each) at the top, storage server (2U to 4U), couple of virtualization servers (1U to 4U), firewall (1U to 2U), backup server (2U to 4U)).

My 19 inch rack did not last very long and I decided to chuck it and upgrade to a full rack and never looked back. Small investment for the connivence and flexibility to use a more realistic setup, especially if you are a professional engineer.

If you are not able to get it through regular house doors you can get a split colo rack or rack that is split in two so you can move each piece in and do not have to have it at it's full height until it needs to be finally positioned.

[nerdb0t]

this is exactly the kind of advise i was hoping to get. thank you!

[up-n-atom]

I've got both a XRackPro 12U[1] and Hergo Mercury-Deskmate/ApxServer 12U[2].

They're nearly identical and possibly manufactured by the same company, but the build quality of the XRackPro is ever so slightly better. The front and back doors are studier with less flex and the side panel latches have better spring back.

The doors and panels are easily removed for full access.

The casters provide great moveability.

They both were fitted with noise reduction foam, which provides adequate noise levels for home use as well.

I purchased them from auctions so I can't judge them by their steep retail price.

I use the tops as extra storage to house a standard printer on one and a 3D printer on the other. I've even considered adding a little homely aesthetics with butcher block on the top.

At first I stored the vacuum near by to keep the cats away and they associated the server noise as a vacuum and haven't ventured towards any.

[1] http://www.xrackpro.com/v/vspfiles/xrackpro2a.htm [2] https://hergo.com/product/mercury-deskmate/ https://hergo.com/product/apxserver-12u/

[k-ian]

the ol' ikea "Lack Rack" https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack

[erric]

I miss the Netherlands! But I don’t miss IKEA there. Their delivery drivers couldn’t find their asses with both hands, a flashlight, and GPS.

[dylz]

Do they use their own delivery in NL? All the Ikea here refer out to third party drivers that just pick up at the actual store, and are not really related.

[nodesocket]

I actually did this back in 2008 with two (1u Dell servers). It actually worked pretty well.

[kasey_junk]

The more interesting dimension is depth. Full depth racks are fairly hard to fit in a place after the fact.

“Wall mount” racks won’t fit data center depth equipment.

[mindcrash]

I would go and look for a good quality 14/18U rack for small office use, like the CSE-RACK14U from Supermicro.

[rmattes]

If you're not looking for a full size rack, I like the Hammond Manufacturing RCH series. They come in several heights and depths, and you can add locking doors and casters.

[samstave]

List what you want to rack in it please

[nerdb0t]

data storage arrays, cpu servers, amps, that sort of thing.

[equalunique]

Try craigslist or ebay listings with local pickup. I got two used 37U OEM racks for $150 in the DC-metro area.

[nerdb0t]

i'm not really looking for a bargain. i'm looking for the state of the art in racks. i used to build/run data centers 15 years ago, and racks kind of sucked back then. i'm just thinking there's a "better way" nowadays and i'm hoping to get some tips from folks that are in that world today.

[erric]

Why not just a standard aluminum Chatsworth Rack?

[nerdb0t]

it looks like they aren't enclosed (which is something i'm looking for) and they basically look like the same kind of rack that i used in the 90s, which is fine, but i was thinking there is something better nowadays.

[rman666]

Good question! I want one, too.