What is Overhead & Under-Floor Cable Tray Installation?

Overhead Installation

In an overhead installation, structured cabling and electrical conduits are typically routed above the info Center's false or suspended ceiling then terminated directly above the room's server rows. Cooling is channeled above the false ceiling also , then directed to the server environment below by way of adjustable vents.

The primary advantage of detecting infrastructure overhead is that it enables you to forego a raised floor system for your server environment. Overhead installation is therefore less costly , occupies less floor space, and fits more conveniently in shorter building spaces. Cable trays, ladder racks, and raceways are less costly than an entire raised floor system, contributing to the value savings. Less floor space is required for an overhead installation because there's no entrance ramp, which—depending upon the peak of the ground and the way steeply the ramp is angled—can have a footprint of quite 200 square feet (18.6 square meters). This also provides some cost savings. Because likely there already has got to be a pocket of space above the info Center's suspended ceiling to accommodate wiring for the overhead lights and piping for sprinklers, any electrical and data cabling needed for the info Center are often included within the overhead area also .

Be aware that installing infrastructure overhead and forgoing a raised floor does present a greater challenge for circulating air within the info Center. Raised floor server environments are typically cooled by summoning warm air away through overhead ducted returns while blowing cold air under the ground . This process grasps the natural behavior of hot air to rise. It is significantly harder to chill a server environment by pushing cold air downward. Other effects of routing infrastructure overhead are jumbled. Patching power cords and data cabling atop cabinet locations instead of below reduces the probabilities of somebody snagging or damaging the cords as he or she walks by, with or without a pallet jack or kit in tow. Data Center users must climb a stepladder to connect to the room's infrastructure, however, which is potentially unstable and arguably more likely to trigger an accidental disconnect.

There is also an opportunity of an influenced cable or patch cord coming unplugged thanks to gravity and therefore the weight of the cord. If you choose to use an overhead system, mitigate this risk by using twist-lock power receptacles on your electrical outlets and corresponding plugs on your server cabinet power strips. Twist-lock electrical components require you to insert then rotate an incoming power plug clockwise to lock it into position within the receptacle. Once in situ the plug cannot be pulled directly outward. It must first be rotated counter-clockwise. Likewise, confirm that the patch cords utilized in your server environment have unbroken tabs and, preferably, some sort of support ladder to reduce the strain on their connectors. The patch cords should click firmly into place when slid in an infrastructure port or server. This makes accidental disconnects less likely to take place.

Under-Floor Installation

In an under-floor installation, a system of horizontal and vertical bars is mounted on the info Center's true floor, creating an elevated grid during which flat panels are placed. This creates a raised floor surface, under which structured cabling, electrical conduits, and cooled air could even be routed. Sprinkler piping and leak detection infrastructure could be located here also.

Structured cabling and electrical infrastructure typically terminate in the subfloor below each server cabinet location in multimedia data boxes and power receptacles that are either free-standing or incorporated into raceways under the Data Center server rows. Alternatively, infrastructure is often routed through premade openings within the raised floor and terminated into patch panels and power receptacles that are installed within the info Center cabinets. Cooling is directed into the server environment above by the location of solid and perforated floor tiles.

Many Data Centers are built with a raised floor system. Despite the subsidiary cost, a raised floor provides several benefits for a server environment:

The raised floor creates a fanatical space to channel cooled air through. By strategically placing perforated or grated floor tiles, you focus and direct this cooling wherever it's required during a server environment. There is no equivalent mechanism to supervise airflow in an overhead system. While it's possible to put in multiple air vents overhead and adjust how far they're open or shut, they can not direct air within the same pinpoint manner that floor tiles can.

Routing infrastructure under a raised floor keeps hundreds or thousands of associated patch cords and power cables out of sight, which makes them less susceptible to destruction or being unplugged accidentally. The absence of cabling or raceways within the Data Center's common area also gives the space a more professional and less cluttered appearance.

Although infrastructure is out of sight, it remains easily accessible under the ground , far more so than when located above Data Center server cabinets.

If the info Center is little, In round numbers, generally but 1000 square feet (100 square meters)—or is being constructed during a building that has limited space from floor to ceiling, I design it with overhead infrastructure. The ramp needed for a raised floor and therefore the height it occupies simply take up an excessive amount of space in such a little room.

If the Data Center is larger, design it with a raised floor and place its various infrastructure down below. I find the raised floor system crucial for controlling airflow and neatly routing infrastructure. I've also learned that it's much simpler to lift a floor tile and connect to or disconnect from infrastructure components than to climb a stepladder and stretch above a server cabinet to make connections.

Components of Overhead And Under-Floor Installation

Overhead Installation
There are several components involved in an overhead infrastructure system. Structured cabling and electrical conduits are typically installed above a knowledge Center ceiling, supported and routed by

ladder cable trays.

Cable tray

may be a shallow basket made from crossed metal bars. Ladder rack may be a narrow ladder frame that's also made from metal and installed horizontally. Both items are secured by brackets to the info Center's true ceiling and configured along whatever paths you would like your infrastructure to follow.

Electrical conduits and data cabling are then settled atop them. Cable trays and ladder racks have space between their metal bars, enabling air to flow through wherever cords and cables aren't gathered together to limit it.

The data ports and power receptacles that the infrastructure terminates into are normally housed in metal raceways that are fixed to the ceiling and suspended overhead. The

raceways cable trays

help assemble the infrastructure, enabling it to be clustered above each server cabinet location. An alternate approach is to secure vertical posts through the ceiling above each cabinet location and individual power outlets and data faceplates mounted directly to those. This practice is more commonly wiped out in lab environments.

Under-Floor Installation

If you choose to use a raised floor system in your Data Center, there are various sections that you must specify as part of its design. These include:

Floor height

Mechanisms for bringing in equipment

Weight-bearing capacity

Types and numbers of floor tiles

Instructions for terminating infrastructure

Other subfloor details

An overhead installation is less expensive and takes up less space than an under-floor one. Patch cables and power cords all link above your Data Center server cabinets when infrastructure is inserted overhead. This makes them unlikely to be snagged in passing.If you install power and data overhead, use twist-lock plugs and receptacles and patch cords with sturdy connector tabs to reduce the risk of accidental unplugs. Hutaib Electricals are Pune based Manufacturers, Exporters and Suppliers of outstanding variety of Cable Trays, Raceways WireMesh & industrial fabrications. To learn more about the Overhead And Underfloor Installation please visit our website.