Open Rack is an
Open Compute Project
The Open Compute Project (OCP) is an organization that facilitates the sharing of data center product designs and industry best practices among companies. Founded in 2011, OCP has significantly influenced the design and operation of large-scale co ...
standard
for a new rack and power delivery architecture and an efficient, scalable alternative to the EIA-310
19-inch rack
A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple electronic equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide. The 19 inch dimension includes the edges or ''ears'' that protrude from each side of the ...
. It differs from the traditional EIA-310 rack in that it was designed specifically for large-scale
cloud
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...
deployments. There are four key features that make this rack design more efficient to deploy, support, and operate. The power to all of the compute, storage, or network devices is supplied by a pair of
bus bars located in the rear of the rack. The bus bars are supplied with 48 V DC by a shelf of
power supplies
A power supply is an electrical device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. The main purpose of a power supply is to convert electric current from a source to the correct voltage, current, and frequency to power the load. As a r ...
which provides efficient conversion from the local (usually three-phase) AC mains supply. The IT equipment that fits into Open Rack is wide. This is a 15% increase in frontal area that provides more airflow to the IT devices, enabling the data center to reduce cooling costs. The vertical spacing is also taller to accommodate better airflow and structurally better enclosures that do not sag and interfere with adjacent equipment. All of the cables and interconnects are made from the front of the rack and the IT equipment is
hot-pluggable and serviceable from the front of the rack. Service personnel no longer access the rear of the rack or need to work in the
hot aisle.
Specification
OpenU
Open Rack rack units are called OpenU or just OU. An Open Rack consists of three modular zones: power, equipment, and cable.
Physically, OU cabinets maintain the same external width as conventional server cabinets to maintain compatibility with existing server infrastructure. However, an OpenU is slightly taller, to improve airflow and cable management.
Power Zones
Equipment Bay
An Equipment Bay is {{convert, 21, in, 0, disp=or wide. An equipment bay rests on support shelves and blind-mates with the power supply through bus bars.
External links
Reference specifications and designs.Rack & Powersection of Open Compute Project website.
References
Computer enclosure
Server hardware
Mechanical standards