1. Cable management: One of the prime uses of a rack is to organize and control cabling. Some essential accessories for cable management include,

1.1 Cable management trays: both vertical and horizontal designs will hold the bundles of cables in place.

1.2 Cable hoops: Used in a 19” configuration on the front of the rack, these hoops will keep the wire bundles together as they pass to the rack outlet.

1.3 Cable Arms: attach to the rear of installed equipment and allow the units to be moved in and out on telescopic shelves

1.4 Patch panels: mounted on the front of the rack in a 19” manner, they will have various cutouts for a range of connectors

2. Thermal Management: Heat dissipation is extremely important for any rack. As previously mentioned, the rack itself is the first consideration in this area.

2.1 Fan Trays: These come in various designs, but mostly are roof mounted or front mounted. The number of fans required is based on what is installed in the rack, and fan trays usually can be added after the rack has been assembled and running. This is a point to consider in the beginning, as some racks make the expansion of this accessory difficult, i.e. you may need to take off the roof to add a fan.

2.2 Doors: The proper selection of doors is critical to air flow. Many racks use glass or acrylic, which looks nice, but does not allow for any airflow. The perforation patterns for vented doors must allow the maximum amount of air to pass through the rack.

2.3 Blank panels: If your rack is fully assembled and not all the “U” space is occupied, it may be necessary to install blank or filler panels into those areas left open. This will then force the airflow to follow the path you want, usually controlled by fans. This technique is more important on the “chimney” method, where the air is forced up through the rack.

3. Accessibility and Others: The ability to reach installed components in a rack for maintenance or replacement is extremely important to the users overall satisfaction. If it is a constant struggle to reach wires, components etc, or worst yet, not be able to access them, the user will not want to use our products again. The main factor once again is the rack design itself. The vertical mounting rails must be adjustable, side panels must come off easily, doors must open wide enough, cable channels must be adequate for the job. Accessories can add to the basic design.

3.1 Shelves: Not all equipment is rack mountable, but still need to be in a rack. We can easily install shelves to support this equipment, and for even greater convenience, the use of telescopic or sliding shelves helps a great deal. Shelves will have different designs to support different loads. There are special shelves for keyboards, heavy duty, monitors and lightweight equipment.