1u indicates the height of a rack-mountable piece of equipment, typically installed in a 19" or 23" wide equipment rack. One U is equal to 1.75 inches and the standard for measuring the height of rack-mounted devices (the number preceeding number would indicate the number of rack units - 1u, 2u, and so on).

The rack unit of measurement commonly employed in computing and IT applications where large amounts of equipment may need to be mounted and organized. The RU helps IT professionals plan the distribution of equipment across racks in their data center. A typical rack consists of 42U, or slightly more than 6 feet worth of equipment.

As IT planners map out rack mountable equipment, it may be necessary to allot some space per rack for remote telemetry devices, power switches, and other supplamental gear that doesn't contribute directly to the network's capabilities, but helps technicians maintain, repair, and optimize the network. The size, density, and capabilities of each supplemental device will help determine how much space must be used for alarm monitoring systems.

About Remote Telemetry Systems (RTUs)

Alarm monitoring systems help inform IT professionals when a problem has occurred within the network. While they might rather utilize all of their rack space on equipment that expands their network capabilities, alarm monitoring is essential to maximizing network uptime, informing technicians where problems occur and, in the event of a failure, helping professionals understand and repair the problem as quickly as possibly.

So, IT professionals must maximize the rack space that they have for network equipment without sacrificing alarm monitoring capabilities. As they search for the right alarm monitoring equipment, they will consider three things:

1. Size
2. Density - the alarms and analogs available
3. Capabilities - what the RTU

Most RTUs take 1u of space. However, depending on your needs, you can get half-rack RTUs. A half-rack - equipment that takes half the width of a 19" or 23" rack - allows a technician to cram more equipment on to a rack, placing 2 devices in the same 1u space. DPS Telecom's NetGuardian 216 and TempDefender are half-rack units that still manage to provide medium alarm density and the capabilities of a larger remote.

Because most RTUs take up one RU or less, capacity is the larger concern for most IT planners: how many devices can the monitor with their one RU? The NetGuardian 864A from DPS Telecom maximizes rack space by loading 64 discrete points, 8 analog inputs, and 8 control relays into 1u of space. However, depending on a user's monitoring needs, capacity will have to be flexible. Some users want an RTU with more control relays - the NetGuardian Voice comes with an option for 18 relays. Some IT planners might be after a unit with maximum analog sensor coverage. For them, the TempDefender taking up just 1u half-rack's worth of space, supporting 16 analog sensors, may be the solution, or even placing 2 TempDefenders next to each other, for 32 analog inputs in a 1u space.

The NetGuardian series remotes also offer 1u expansions for even greater capacity without installing another full RTU. The NetGuardians also have 66 blocks and pluggable termination options, to make installing alarms and running cables throughout the data center a breeze.

Capabilities to Make the Most of 1u Rack Space

There are other factors an IT professional must consider when looking for the best RTU to fill 1u rack space. The RTU must have an interface that technicians can take advantage of. The RTU could offer great capacity for its size, but if its interface utterly confounds any technician unfortunate enough to use it, the IT team may as well not have it. So it must be easy enough to facilitate use and operate.

NetGuardian series remotes from DPS Telecom utilize a simple web browser interface, accessed simply by entering the IP address of the RTU and then a user name and password. Offline editors for some NetGuardian RTUs are also available, allowing for easy databasing of multiple units, and the ability to save configuration files offline, backed up in case technicians restore the unit to its factory configuration or the unit fails.

The RTU must be able to communicate a master alarm station, so technicians can easily collect alarms. It doesn't necessarily have to connect to a master station directly, so long as a device somewhere in the network can mediate the RTU's protocol to your master alarm station, but the RTU cannot simply operate in its own protocol outside current monitoring systems.

1u rack-mount RTUs may fulfill other requirements as well - providing specialized notifications, alarming, and control functionality:

• The Remote Power Switch products from DPS Telecom, for example, are PDUs with remote telemetry functionality. They allow users to control power to equipment while still providing 16 discrete alarms, 4 controls, and 2 analog inputs.
• The NetGuardian Voice 16 provides voice notification and DTMF call-in features for 16 discrete alarms, 8 analog inputs, and 2 or 18 controls, so technicians can check up on a site or a rack as easily as making a phone call.
• NetGuardians are available with fiber or T1 inputs, and built-in switches, allowing the RTU to extend LAN access to equipment at your sites or on your racks without you having to install a separate switch. This effectively spares you rack space.

Ultimately, it's up to you to find the best way to utilize your rack space for alarm remotes. However, when you're looking for RTUs, look for the device that provides the most alarms and functionality per 1u rack space, to ensure that you don't waste space on other equipment now or in the future.

Mac Smith

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