Rack Elevation & Layout Designer
Also known as Rack Layout Designer
Draw the front elevation of a rack, name each item and export the layout with its bill of materials.
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What it produces
Rack layout template: elevation and bill of materials
A rack elevation is the front view of a rack, showing the rack units each item takes. The Rack Layout Designer draws one for a 12U, 24U, 42U or 47U cabinet, numbered from U1 at the bottom. Each item fills whole rack units across the full width and carries a name and, if you like, a note such as its ports or power feed. An item that would overlap another or run past the top is refused.
From the layout it produces an A4 PDF with the elevation beside a bill of materials, a CSV of the same list for a spreadsheet and a JSON file of the whole layout. A saved rack can be duplicated as the template for a similar site. It does not model weight, power, depth or airflow.
Standards
- IEC 60297-3-100: rack unit (U) of 44.45 mm; positions are numbered from U1 at the bottom of the cabinet
Sample
Sample: a 12U cabinet at a small radio site
Six items placed in a 12U cabinet, each named and given a short note, as the CSV export lists them from the top down.
| U Start | U End | Units | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U12 | U12 | 1 | Patch panel 24-port | Ports 1 to 24 to the office |
| U10 | U10 | 1 | Network switch | Uplink to the router |
| U9 | U9 | 1 | Router | Site uplink |
| U5 | U6 | 2 | Radio repeater | Feeder through the roof |
| U3 | U3 | 1 | PDU | Fed from the UPS |
| U1 | U2 | 2 | UPS | Fed from the site mains |
Above the list the CSV gives the rack's name, its height and the totals: 8U used, 4U free and 6 items. The free units here are U4, U7, U8 and U11. The PDF puts the same list beside a drawing of the elevation.
What is a rack elevation?
A rack elevation is a drawing of the front of a rack that shows which rack units each item takes, so an installer can fit the equipment where the design puts it. Here the rack units are numbered from U1 at the bottom of the cabinet, and the drawing comes with a bill of materials listing each item's rack units, size, name and notes.
Does the tool model weight, power, depth or airflow?
No. It is a layout tool, not a structural, electrical or thermal calculator. For the heat load, ventilation and cooling of a cabinet, use the Rack Heat Load Designer.
Is there an equipment catalogue?
No. The tool assumes you already know the equipment going in the rack, so you type the name or part number of each item as you place it. The racks list holds your saved rack layouts, not equipment.
Does it cover the rear of the rack, cable management or rows of racks?
No. The tool draws the front elevation of a single rack. Rear mounted equipment, cable management and multiple rack rows are outside its scope.
Can I place half width or part height items?
No. Each item takes up whole rack units across the full width of the rack.
Where are my racks kept?
Each rack is a project that can be saved to your account and opened again from any device. You can also export a rack as a project file or JSON to share or back it up, and import a project file later. Without an account the tool still works, but nothing is saved when you leave and the exports ask for a free account.
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