How do you install your stack into your cab?

[#1]

Just reading the "DS4243 ~ Installation and Service Guide" while creating my plan to install 3x DS42434 shelves into an empty 42U cab.  I have always built racks from the bottom up, centre of gravity, etc but the shelf guide talks about top down stacks.

{Yes I do think I will be adding more shelves in the future}

What do you do when placings stacks into cabs?

1).  Place the 'Top Shelf' in the bottom of the cab and add shelves to the 'bottom shelf' which is the physical top of the cab  {Oz style...}

2).  Start at the top of the cab and work your way down as described in the guide {Rack feet and cabs bolted together, why worry...}

3).  Do not plan to hot add and place the bottom shelf in the bottom of the cab and then just move all the shelves up when required.  (Does not happen often...)

4).  Same as 3). but leave a 5U gap for a possible future extra shelf

Thanks for the help.  Currently planning option 4 but thinking about 1...

Bren

[#2]

Hi Brendon,

When there isn't a filerhead, than we start at the bottom (the oz-style). It's about gravity but also you don't have problems with the cables (when you start at the top, some cables (fiber, power) of the upper cabinet will hang down and the change that you touch them is (a little bit higher)).

When there is a filerhead, than we place the controller(s) in the middle and start from there (up for one controller and down for the other one).

Greetings,

Reinoud

[#3]

Sorry I should have stated the filer is in the next cab with other

shelves.

Thanks for the feedback, 1 vote for Oz style!

Bren

[#4]

I always work top down, all our cabinets are bolted together and as youve seen theres a few on each row.

My reason for top down is that our cable entry is at the bottom, so if you install from the bottom up you will always have to run cables past an active shelf. If we start top down then we never disturb the existing.

As for the random loops of two shelves in the middle of cabinets, hindsight is a wonderfull thing!

[#5]

When our system were first inplemented the controller was in the middle and then shelf 1 directly below it and shelf 2 below that. This was fine but not 100% the most stable option. I now set them up with shelf 1 at  the very bottom of the rack and then 2 above it. I still keep my controller in the middle of the rack though.

See atached pic.

NetApp4_Visio_graphical_representation%5B1%5D.jpg ‏105 KB

[#6]

I have been here before and we started with top down for additional shelves in an existing loop, with new shelves for new loop in the bottom to balance the weight a little. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I wouldnt do the same again!. certaintly not top down.

In the end, we had a bit of number 3 and the cabling wasnt the best, so planned downtime and moved loops and shelves about, so we effectively started a new loop from the middle of the rack down and the middle of the rack up, giving us room for expansion later, and consolidated loops split across 2 racks (where possible) into one.

If there is no chance of a head/appliance going in the new rack, i would run with the middle up/or down depending on how many shelves you are wanting the in the loop.