Things to watch for when buying a rack?

[bandboy]

Can anybody advise me things to watch for while i search for a good rack?
I am referring to aspects other than pricing. What all do i need to keep in mind before i order a rack?

 

[othellotech]

Can anybody advise me things to watch for while i search for a good rack?

That it's level, solid on it's feet, the doors are lockable and it's deep enough for your equipment

 

[bandboy]

lol, May be i need to make myself clear here.

I mean co-location facilities, which company to choose for having a rack with all your servers in?

 

[LeaseWeb]

a few pointers:

- safety and security of the DC
- network needs
- 24/7 access
- support

 

[expedio]

Private switches and IPs.

Also check if you can pool bandwidth across servers.

 

[eukvps]

Can anybody advise me things to watch for while i search for a good rack?
I am referring to aspects other than pricing. What all do i need to keep in mind before i order a rack?

1) 24/7/365 On Site Support
2) Security Focus
3) Network

 

[CrystalVPS]

What i'd check for:

Is your IP block on a private VLAN
How much are extra IPs
Cost of bandwidth
Are the racks lockable
Obviously 24/7 onsite support (and if there's an included free daily allowance).
Depending on the facility network may be of little relevance as if the one that comes with the rack is poor you can just bring another provider in.

 

[dougeth]

Can anybody advise me things to watch for while i search for a good rack?
I am referring to aspects other than pricing. What all do i need to keep in mind before i order a rack?

Bandboy,

This is a slightly difficult question to answer as everyone's needs are different. It is up to you to determine which aspects are important and then select your colocation provider accordingly. With that said, there are some standard items that most companies look for.

-Redundancy - Not only from a network perspective, but are the power and HVAC systems in an N+1 configuration

-Security - Man Traps? 24/7 on site staffing? Video cameras?

-Access - Does the facility offer 24/7 access to the rack or do you have to pay for escorted access?

-Power - What is their current load on the UPS? How much power do they have left. A datacenter is more likely to run out of power than physical space

-Support - When there is a problem, do you get a live person when you call?

There are many more categories and I could go on for hours as this is what I do all day, but for the most part, these are the top 5 items most groups look for.

 

[InfiniteTech]

1) Bandwidth, have anything less than 40 mbps, its not worth any price.

2) Data-Transfer allotment, have anything less than 1 Terabyte, next...

3) 1U or 2U, depends on your server size

4) APC, KVM, API - Remote control methods, it depends from DC to DC