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Server rack shuffle

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by goal120 2 views

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I just received a 2U server from corporate. My server rack has two 1U spaces available... with six other servers between them. Looks like I'll have to take down all the servers including the local domain controller in order to shuffle things around.

Has anyone been adventurous (crazy) enough to try easing servers down a U or two while the servers are still on? Is it even physically possible to with the slide-out racks?

How about moving patch panels?

Seems either too risky or impossible to me, but is it? If you have tried it -- how did it go?

22 replies

by faradhi

However I had 3 people working with me.

We had two holding the server while the other two moved the rails. It was not easy and I would not recommend it unless absolutely necessary. The only reason we did it was because administration at the time would not allow any downtime even after we explained the risks.

by goal120

Not sure if I could get that many people to help. Or that we could squeeze into the available space!. It would be more tempting if it were only one server to move, but it is not worth the risk for six of them. Better to go with a planned shutdown.

I just got word that they are going to consolidate two of the servers into one, so that will free up space. The consolidation will take some work, but it will delay this issue for a few more months (and perhaps forever if the project requiring another application server is not approved). If there is anything I am good at, it is procrastination.

by stress junkie

It seems to me that you only have to move one server to consolidate the free space on the rack. Apparently you want to keep the placement order that the existing servers. Why? If you have servers A, B, C, and D placed as follows:

A
B
free shelf
C
free shelf
D

then you only have to move server C down or up to consolidate the free space. Even if you have something like this

A
free shelf
B
C
free shelf
D

you could still just move server D to the shelf between A and B or you could move server A to the shelf betwen C and D or you could move servers B and C down. That is still less work than moving all of them. Don't make it more difficult than it needs to be.

by dmambo

If it does get to the point where you have to move them, power down, take your time and do it right. If you do it on the fly, chances are that you'll knock a cable out somehow or cause someone to lose a connection or an unexpected shutdown or something. This is Murphy's Law waiting to happen.

Good luck with that procrastination thing. If you need any advice on that, let me know. :)

by goal120

I need to go look at the rack again to see if I missed anything. Most of the servers are '2U' height, so using your example, D wouldn't fit on the free shelf because it is twice as tall. Here's the layout:

2U monitor
2U tape machine
1U free
2U A
2U B
2U C
2U D
2U E
1U F
1U free
UPS

Hmmmm, you know what? Above the slide-out monitor is a cable manager for the fiber cables to hang in -- I just went to look at it again and it is 2U instead of 1U high as I had thought. I think the fiber would have enough room with only 1U of space. So then I could just move the monitor and the tape loader up so my free space above server A would be 2U tall.

Hey, thanks for tossing around some ideas and causing me to look harder at this.

by charliespencer

until the 2-into-1 consolidation you mentioned earlier, or some other time it is convenient to shut everything down.

My manager recently ordered a rack mount server, forgetting I didn't have a rack. (Cut him some slack, he's located at a different site in another state.) It's running quite happily on a table top until we get another server. Then we'll get a rack.

by cactus pete

You can move F up to just below the tape...

2U monitor
2U tape machine
1U F
2U A
2U B
2U C
2U D
2U E
1U free
1U free
UPS

by jellimonsta

Hopefully F is a server that can at least afford a little down time. I don't think his cables will stretch all the way to the top of the rack.

by goal120

You are so right about Murphy's Law. It's also a good reason to avoid getting others involved -- not that they would hurt anything, I just hate to have witnesses when I bump a cord. Hard to blame the mysterious server outage on an act of god then. :-)

by creckinger

That seems to be a very risky proposition. Even if you remove the sliders, the possiblity of hard drive damage is pretty great. One slip and you would be wishing you had waited for the weekend.

by goal120

...why didn't I see that? There must be a reason... ...Oh, I know why -- I basically had ruled it out early on because F is the local Domain Controller and I didn't want to touch it if possible. That's when I came up with the brilliant idea that shuffling might be easy if I could just learn the secret trick to it that others more experienced might know.

We are a 24/7 operation, but Sunday in the wee hours I could take that one down without too much pain to folks. Thanks again, everyone!

by rwpaver

What risks? The only thing you risk by moving the servers while their on is accidently powering them down, which is what your talking about doing anyway. I have moved equipment that is powered up hundreds of times and it is easy. Last week I relocated a 5u compaq prolient server to completely new rack without powering down. A few tips: make sure have slcak in all the cables. Have at least two people. Move one server at a time, i.e. drop one down u, then the next etc. Remeber rack mounted servers (especially 4-post racks) can support a lot more than their weight. When drop down one server set it on top of the server below the open U, then align the rails and tighten them down. I have seen a dell server racked with 6 additional servers just sitting on top of it with no problems. Anyway, I don't think the risks are that great and the task itself is relatively easy.

by jellimonsta

The difference is scheduled down time to 1 server, compared to possible unscheduled down time to any of the servers moved.
Needs to be weighed. IMHO.

by stress junkie

If the box(es) that you want to move have disk drives then there is the potential for causing mechanical damage to the disk drives. Disk drives can survive a small bump if they are turned off. They have no tolerance for bumps if the heads are over the platters.

by goal120

I am not saying I would take *much* risk with a server, but I have become cavalier with workstations. I have had computers fail in the pristine offices, yet many out in the plant have never had a problem. When opened up (to add memory for example) the plant ones often have a shocking amount of dust, dirt, and mystery goo inside, blocking all the air vents and gooping up the fans. But still running fine. Amazing.

by faradhi

Why is it, that it seem the more mystery goo is on the computer the longer it runs.

I am trying to figure out what is in the goo to market it. :)

by charliespencer

Mouse cheese is that stuff you scrape off the ball and rollers.

Turn your keyboard over and shake it. That stuff that falls out? Keyboard dandruff. Shampoo with DriveHead and Shoulders, or Selsun Big Blue

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