Installing the Airflow Baffles
For rack cabinet installations of high-powered servers and associated fabric
equipment, it is critical for proper cooling of the equipment that air recirculation from
the air outlet side of the equipment to the inlet side of the equipment be minimized.
Following are some general requirements:
•
All equipment in a given cabinet must be configured to the same flow pattern
•
All unused 'U' increments must have some type of closeout installed
•
Cabinet side spaces must be closed off
•
Any front-to-back cable pass-through paths must be configured with flexible fillers
allowing for the cable to pass through-but not air. This is also true for patch
panels.
•
Top-of-rack and bottom-of-rack transitions must be closed out
The Intel
®
Omni-Path Edge switch is generally shorter than the associated servers
installed in the same cabinet. Therefore, the following additional considerations should
be considered:
•
The mounting rails supplied with the edge switch are adequate for closing off the
left-and-right side spaces on the cabinet from the 'U' increment the edge switch
occupies. If full-depth servers are installed directly above and below the edge
switch this will generally suffice to close off the space, minimizing recirculation.
However, if the space above and/or below the Edge switch is empty-or occupied by
racks that are not full depth-then the Air Baffle Kit that is available for the edge
product needs to be installed. This kit closes out the space between the fan grill
end of the switch and the front of the cabinet. The condition requiring the air
baffle may also exist in top-of-rack or bottom-of-rack installations, depending on
the cabinet geometry in these regions.
•
The Edge Air Baffle Kit mounts to the mounting rails supplied with the switch and
is adjustable for various cabinet depths.
2.3.3
Installation—Intel
®
Omni-Path Fabric
Intel
®
Omni-Path Fabric Switches Hardware
June 2019
Installation Guide
Doc. No.: H76456, Rev.: 10.0
37
