Home Rack - D.I.Y or cheap to buy?

I am getting a cracking home lab for a stupid price - worth 13U + whatever switch/firewall I can get my hands on.

Assuming I need 14U for now, cab anyone suggest a cheap cabinet (I am in the UK) or is it indeed cheaper to build?

Prices for holestrips seem to vary massively and building yourself isn't necessarily cheaper when you consider all the little bits and bops. And decent wood isn't cheap either (or metal for that matter).

The setup will be in the garage so I will likely need some dust protection, simply four poles won't cut it - I think.

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Comments

TBev0

Ikea Lack Rack is a nice cheep option. £10-£15 a table holds about 8U. The New Data Center Rack From ... IKEA? | Data Center Knowledge

evanderburg

I would check Craigslist. Shipping for a rack can be expensive so you can save by purchasing locally and the used cost will be significantly lower than new. A half rack might be best for your situation.

j23evan

I lucked out last year and bought a 48U rack on bestbuy.com for $400 with free shipping, next day shipping was an additional $10. The delivery man absolutely hated me that day. I ended up buying a second 48U rack from a friend that was moving, and he wanted me to make an offer. I said if he would deliver it I would give him $100 for it. Craigslist is a great place, provided you have a truck and someone else to help you move it, or check out ebay and search for local sellers that have a free pick up option. (Which is how I bought most of my servers, the shipping tends to cost more than the item).

jibbajabba

@TBev0

Oh nice ... Might be able to make something out of them .. Black ones are just £5 here ...

@evanderburg

I am in the UK / England / Europe mate

@j23evan

Nice .. I could get a free 48U one - but that thing is too massive

Annoyingly it is built in a weird way, making it impossible to cut in half ..

inscom.brigade

I have seen some creative mobile racks. Nice and strong looking, came from a music store I think. Music as in, to hold band gear, electronics. The guy had two of them and it looked like nearly an exact fit.

kj0

inscom is talking about Road Case Racks. They are pretty decent, but can cost more than a network cabinet.

I have a 42RU cabinet that I can't seem to get rid of, It is at my mum's house, but my wife won't let me have it. So it's for sale.

You're probably better just to buy one, when you account for time as well,

jibbajabba

42U is just too tall for my garage - Otherwise I could have one for free (well, for the cost of a van rental).

As for music racks - I would certainly prefer them, but yes, they are way too expensive and mostly not deep enough .. I think most of them are between 450 and 600mm deep and you need at least 800 for a server.

kj0

Depends on the server.

42 should be about 6' 4" approx. That's a very low ceiling if that's the case. I'm trying to find a decent MFB 12 - 18RU rack for next to my desk. I currently have a Lack Table under my desk that has two power rails on them. It then becomes just a table on top holding a large Cd case. it did hold a desktop that I had turned into a SAN with a switch underneath, but it was too messy.

jibbajabba

Sorry, meant 48U. 42U just fits if I am taking a ceiling tile out so 48U is a no go ...

inscom.brigade

My budget was very tight when I began, so I built one myself; with some help from my wife. I was lucky to get all of the aluminum channels free, and wheels. I had to buy some bolts, I had very sore fingers, but one weekends work and it was done.

Hypntick

I actually just went to pick up some Lack tables last night. Makes things look surprisingly neat, wish I had done this sooner actually.

jibbajabba

I presume only the top part of the legs are solid though?

jibbajabba

I think I'll skip the Lack ones. Thinking about it, you may as well just stack the servers on top of each other.

kj0

jibbajabba wrote: »

I presume only the top part of the legs are solid though?

That's what I found, so when I added my second PDU to the table, it didn't hold, so I had to glue it as well as screw it in. Glues come apart since... So it's kinda just hanging, but it works and is rarely touched. The Enterprise edition would be alright though.

jibbajabba

I think I just get some hole strips (£8 for 2 metre in music shop) and some timber.

SephStorm

I bought a multi level table thinger..

(shelving unit: Shop Style Selections 54-in H x 36-in W x 14-in D 4-Tier Steel Freestanding Shelving Unit at Lowes.com)