
Ask HN: Best 19“ rack for home use? - nerdb0t
not the cheapest, but the best 19&quot; rack for home use, where &#x27;best&#x27; means easiest to maintain, access, and manage home servers.  something closed to keep the kids and pets out of it.  ideas?
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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...](https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/categories/racks-and-
accessories/racks-and-enclosures/netshelter-cx/N-1ks6cn2)

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...](https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/categories/racks-and-
accessories/racks-and-enclosures/netshelter-sx/N-2mkplc)

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!

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

------
k-ian
the ol' ikea "Lack Rack"
[https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack](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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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rman666
Good question! I want one, too.

