From the Lab to the Data Center: 4 Tests that Validate AI-Ready Cabinets
The speedy adoption of generative AI and other data-intensive technologies has prompted a rush to build and expand data centers, creating tight timelines for deploying equipment. To ensure safe operations and avoid compromising expensive IT equipment or delaying project completion, data center operators should deploy equipment that has been thoroughly tested and certified.
With 24/7 demand for reliable uptime, data centers must be resilient, and building resilience starts before equipment even arrives at a facility. For instance, cabinets must be tested against the rigors of transportation and function as expected post-installation. Legrand data center cabinets undergo extensive testing to prevent damage when they are packaged for shipping, while in transit, and after deployment. We put our cabinets through four types of certification tests that, in some cases, exceed industry standards.
Let’s take a closer look at each test and its purpose:
Safety and Durability Certification
UL2416 Certification, which follows protocols set by the Underwriters Laboratory, is the most common certification for technology equipment enclosures. We use it to test our data center cabinets for safety, quality, and durability. We test for structural integrity by tilting a cabinet unit 10 degrees and holding it for a full minute to ensure it doesn't tip over with the stated UL weight load capacity. Cabinets are also checked for grounding and bonding to ensure electrical safety and prevent harmful effects of static or arcing on IT equipment.
Functional and Rolling Test
This in-house Legrand test goes beyond industry specifications to ensure cabinets roll to their final destination in the data center without damage from common floor conditions. It involves rolling fully loaded cabinets over ramps, inclines, and around obstacles for approximately one mile. This approach ensures that casters on the cabinets function as intended while the cabinets are rolled from a delivery truck to their location inside the data center, even when there is a considerable distance between the two.
Transportation Certification
The ISTA 3B test follows International Safe Transit Association protocols for safely transporting packaged products between multiple locations. The test follows the following sequence: tip test, rotational drop, incline impact, four-hour vibration, concentrated impact, forklift handling, a second rotational drop, and second incline impact test.
Some cabinets are shipped to an integrator before being deployed in a data center. These cabinets are treated like fragile cargo, arriving at the integrator inside shock packaging that has been tested for vibration and impact to prevent damage. The integrator populates the unit with all the necessary equipment and then places the loaded cabinet in the same shock packaging – complete with blanking and patch panels, power distribution units (PDUs), and cabling – for shipment to the data center.
Seismic Certification
The ASCE-7 test, designed by the American Society of Civil Engineers, follows protocols for anchoring cabinets to the floor by testing bolt strength and the thickness of the concrete on the floor. This certification is conducted by a third party that uses computer-based simulations to determine what bolts and reinforcements to use to keep the cabinets in place in case of an earthquake. It’s an important test for data centers in earthquake-prone California but also valid for other parts of the country where minor earthquakes can cause damage. The simulation tests for the effects of shock and vibration on cabinets after they’re deployed.
Improving Data Center Availability and Resilience
All of these certifications are designed to ensure that data center cabinets are safe and functional, no matter the route they take traveling from the factory to the data center aisle. These tests are especially critical with the rush to scale and add data center space. Not only do data center operators need equipment to arrive ready to install, but they also need it to continue functioning without issues once deployed to ensure availability and resilience. To learn more and explore cabinet solutions, visit the Legrand cabinet website.