Server height - unit U or RU?

A question for sys admins.

Throughout my career, I've always expressed the height or a server in a rack mount as U (e.g. 2U or 3U, etc). And yes, I know each U is 1.75".

At work today, the new guy says it's not U, it's RU.

I've done the exams for Server+ and Network+. I've also installed and maintained rackmounted equipment before myself. Never have I heard rackmounted equipment referred to as 2RU or 3RU, etc.

Is this dude right? He thinks he's a bit of a hot-shot of all things IT, so I didn't argue with him.

Is this a correct way of referring to the equipment's height?

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Comments

royal

I've always heard 1U, 2U, 3U, 4U, etc.. Never heard RU.

Darthn3ss

I"ve always heard it called U.. 4u, 1u, etc.

GT-Rob

Its the same thing as U. He puts the R on referring to 'Rack', as in Rack Units. 99% of the world goes by just U though, so you are right to correct him.

JDMurray

GT-Rob wrote:

He puts the R on referring to 'Rack', as in Rack Units.

Racks are definitely measured in "cup size" and not "U's."

ladiesman217

funny cup size. lols

Slowhand

JDMurray wrote:

Racks are definitely measured in "cup size" and not "U's."

And here I was about to make a crack about my 36U ex-girlfriend. (She was a geek, too.)

APA

Aussie over here.... and always referred to it as RU... (Rack Unit) as previously mentioned.....

either or either..........(that saying just doesn't quite sum it up on a forum though or in text format for that matter

)

but then again my job title really isn't systems related.......maybe it's network techs that refer to it as RU???

hehehe

dtlokee

Slowhand wrote:

JDMurray wrote:

Racks are definitely measured in "cup size" and not "U's."

And here I was about to make a crack about my 36U ex-girlfriend. (She was a geek, too.)

next up - 36W

plettner

JDMurray wrote:

GT-Rob wrote:

He puts the R on referring to 'Rack', as in Rack Units.

Racks are definitely measured in "cup size" and not "U's."

plettner

All the the study material, vendor brochures and so forth all mention U.

The thing that got me was he said I was totally wrong! I had written a document talking about server racks using the "U".

He straight out said, "no - that's wrong. It's RU. Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

He was dead-set serious too.

This guy is a bit of a loud-mouth and thinks he's the bomb when it comes computers.

ladiesman217

plettner wrote:

All the the study material, vendor brochures and so forth all mention U.

The thing that got me was he said I was totally wrong! I had written a document talking about server racks using the "U".

He straight out said, "no - that's wrong. It's RU. Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

He was dead-set serious too.

This guy is a bit of a loud-mouth and thinks he's the bomb when it comes computers.

so just tell him "RU NUTS?"

j/k

iowatech

This guy is a bit of a loud-mouth and thinks he's the bomb when it comes computers.

Not quite sure why this happens in the IT field all the time but it seems like we have a our fair share of these types. Almost anyone that I do not personally know in IT around my area has come off to me this way the first time I meet them. It's rather troubling to get put down and talked down to the first time you meet someone, while you're setting there knowing they are wrong and realizing how far out of reality they are.

Have fun with this guy!

BeaverC32

The thing that got me was he said I was totally wrong! I had written a document talking about server racks using the "U".

He straight out said, "no - that's wrong. It's RU. Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

Send him the URL to this thread and see what he has to say

plettner

BeaverC32 wrote:

The thing that got me was he said I was totally wrong! I had written a document talking about server racks using the "U".

He straight out said, "no - that's wrong. It's RU. Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

Send him the URL to this thread and see what he has to say

He's the type that would then say we're all wrong

plettner

iowatech wrote:

This guy is a bit of a loud-mouth and thinks he's the bomb when it comes computers.

Not quite sure why this happens in the IT field all the time but it seems like we have a our fair share of these types. Almost anyone that I do not personally know in IT around my area has come off to me this way the first time I meet them. It's rather troubling to get put down and talked down to the first time you meet someone, while you're setting there knowing they are wrong and realizing how far out of reality they are.

Have fun with this guy!

The thing was he pointed it straight out from my documentation and said that's wrong and I said I don't think so. He sort of grabbed the document out of my hands and started reading it.

He started a couple of months ago and in the organisaition I'm a support specialist - a higher rank than he is. I think he has an issue that I'm a couple of years younger than he is and on a better pay-scale and I have my own office. I think he has the mentatility that he's been around the traps longer than I have and I don't deserve the position I have.

I've been with the organisaiton about 7 months now.

plettner

Oh yeah, number of certs he has - umm, none.

iowatech

That's just down right rude, as time goes on though I'm sure your supervisor will notice this though assuming she/he is sane. Sounds like it's one of those things that he can't "hide" from someone being so blatent like that.

Oh yeah, number of certs he has - umm, none.

Checkmate.

dynamik

I'm sorry you have to work with that guy. Some people like to make an issue out of things for no reason. U and RU are synonymous: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_unit

I don't see RU that often. I even checked the first the time I came across it to make sure that it did indeed mean, "rack unit."

wikipedia wrote:

Coincidentally, a rack unit is equal to a vershok, which is an obsolete Russian length unit.

You should start referring to them as vershoks then tell him he doesn't know jack.

plettner

dynamik wrote:

I'm sorry you have to work with that guy. Some people like to make an issue out of things for no reason. U and RU are synonymous: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_unit

I don't see RU that often. I even checked the first the time I came across it to make sure that it did indeed mean, "rack unit."

wikipedia wrote:

Coincidentally, a rack unit is equal to a vershok, which is an obsolete Russian length unit.

You should start referring to them as vershoks then tell him he doesn't know jack.

Thanks for the link dynamik. Vershoks it is!

The next Proliant we get will be a 2 Vershok!

I thought he did have some validity in his term RU which is why I didn't argue his view, but for him to say I was plain wrong is just arrogant.

Schluep

If he wants to say 2SHIRU for Server Height In Rack Unit's let him go. As long as you can figure out what he is talking about it isn't that big of a deal even if he insists you are wrong. If Joe Isright came up to me and insisted my hair was genetically orange and only appears to be black because of the lighting when I know that is not the case. It wouldn't be worth my time to try and argue that my hair is really black. If he wants to think of it as orange he is welcome to do so as far as I am concerned.

Pash

Always refered to as U for me and everyone I work with, although rack unit would make equal sense to all the engineers I know, but it's just an extra word for what we design our rack layouts in

Sie

Always used U myself but then its it just as bad as him picking up on 4 Gig and 4 Gigabytes??

I wouldnt waste my breath.

snadam

just to further solidify your answer, Ive only heard it as U also

Plantwiz

GT-Rob wrote:

Its the same thing as U. He puts the R on referring to 'Rack', as in Rack Units. 99% of the world goes by just U though, so you are right to correct him.

Yes. R = Rack Unit. Some vendors I'm seeing this more frequently, but not with any consistency. Mostly and more commonly 1U, 2U; 4U & 5U.

I wouldn't beat the guy up over it, not a big deal, though you should mention it him for his own sake.

paintb4707

plettner wrote:

Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

You make it sound like its difficult. Kind of making me nervous considering were ordering 2 or 3 rack servers and I'm the one installing em.

Plantwiz

paintb4707 wrote:

plettner wrote:

Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

You make it sound like its difficult. Kind of making me nervous considering were ordering 2 or 3 rack servers and I'm the one installing em.

Shouldn't be difficult. Make sure you know if you are installing into Square hole or Round hole racks....hopefully you have the correct/matching rails and screws...should be simple.

paintb4707

Plantwiz wrote:

paintb4707 wrote:

plettner wrote:

Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

You make it sound like its difficult. Kind of making me nervous considering were ordering 2 or 3 rack servers and I'm the one installing em.

Shouldn't be difficult. Make sure you know if you are installing into Square hole or Round hole racks....hopefully you have the correct/matching rails and screws...should be simple.

And sorry for going slightly off topic but I assume I have to hook up a monitor and keyboard as well? The OS install out of box (for Dell servers) isn't unattended is it?

Plantwiz

Well, if you can....get something like this:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/KVM_Over_IP/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A0610392

You WILL LOVE IT and it is worth the cost. (IMHO).

***

Did you order your servers with an NOS or without? I'm not following what your question is...If you ordered NOS installed, you'll need to set up a few things but that happens with any PC or Server out-of-the-box unless you have 100% custom made....and not many places will do that....there are always things that you'll need to handle onsite.

Pash

paintb4707 wrote:

plettner wrote:

Trust me, I've installed my fair-share of rack equipment."

You make it sound like its difficult. Kind of making me nervous considering were ordering 2 or 3 rack servers and I'm the one installing em.

If they are heavier servers I hope your gonna have some help, some of the heavier beefier servers need two people to get them safely mounted, guiding the server onto the rails can be hard if you are by yourself....I know I would struggle for many of the servers I have put in.

paintb4707

Plantwiz wrote:

Well, if you can....get something like this:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/KVM_Over_IP/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A0610392

You WILL LOVE IT and it is worth the cost. (IMHO).

***

Did you order your servers with an NOS or without? I'm not following what your question is...If you ordered NOS installed, you'll need to set up a few things but that happens with any PC or Server out-of-the-box unless you have 100% custom made....and not many places will do that....there are always things that you'll need to handle onsite.

I guess that was a dumb question because now that I think of it, they come with the OS installed. But I always wondered if you were to ever reinstall an OS on a rack server you can't do it remotely, so I was curious if it was unattended or you would have to lug a monitor and keyboard over to the rack.