Why do rack switches have their ports on the front?

Question

I've ordered some rack hardware from Dell. A 42U rack, a 3U EqualLogic SAN, two 1U PowerConnect 5424 switches, three 1U PowerEdge servers, and some other stuff such as a tapedrive, firewall, UPS, etc.

Since I have little experience with racks I wonder why the switches have their ports on the front of the rack, while all the devices that connect to it (SAN, servers, tape, firewall) have their ethernet ports on the back.

My assumption is that is makes it easy to plug/unplug cables, and to watch the blinkenlights. It does make the cable management a bit more awkward though, since I'll have to feed all the cables from the back of the rack to the switch ports on the front, either via the side of the rack or by leaving some vertical space between the devices.

Why is this, and what is a good way to manage the cables?

Any tips or pics on how to layout a rack with such diverse hardware in it?

Answer 1

Because typically, networking gear goes into its own racks, and servers go into their own racks. The network rack will often have patch panels in it, also on the front, so that the cables all just go into cable management - on the side of the racks and/or across the front of the racks.

Answer 2

Switches need to be reverse mounted (ie, their ports should face the same way that the server ports do, toward the back of the rack).

Also, maybe you can get some use from this: http://www.standalone-sysadmin.com/blog/2008/06/howto-racks-and-rackmounting/

Answer 3

You would normally have your switches matched up with patch panels, so wherever your patch panels are, your switches will be near. When plugging in ports, it is useful to see the status LED as you plug it in to confirm connection. They also stick the serial management port in the front also for easy access. They stick the switch daisy chain connections (at least older ones always seem to do) and power/redundant power on the back as those do not get accessed often.

Easiest way to manage is to get the rack wire management plates and stick them between every switch or every other switch to help keep cables in order. A great example of this gone bad is the server fault error page. I remember I got to clean up a mess like that once at an old job. Took hours to install new cable and patch panel organization after years of neglect after each technician, but it was much easier to manage after that point.

Also, if you got a few bucks, buy lots of various lengths of cables to keep your cable management sanity. Using 10ft cables for every port that is 12 inches away to 9 ft away just turns into lots of extra cable hanging and filling up wire management space.

I am not endorsing belkin products, but these are good examples of some of the different styles available. http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:More%20Computer%20Accessories:3141-Accessory%20Type=Rack%20cable%20management%20kit%20%28horizontal%29:4168-Brand=Belkin

Answer 4

We place all of our switches and firewalls facing the back of the rack. It cuts down on the blinking lights up front, but makes cable management easier. I never really thought about why they are like this, but I would love to know why if anyone else can add some insight.