Major headache caused by rack mount brackets

[watdee]

We have very tight space in our server rack so it's difficult to remove our switches.  They're in the back of the server rack and as you can imagine, so are power strips and wire ducts.  In the past, it was not a problem as we could just pull the switch out a bit, remove the rack mount bracket and pull it out the rest of the way.

The brackets on all the Meraki switches don't seem to be removable so now our switches are boxed in.  Has anyone else ran into this issue?

[PhilipDAth]

Respectfully; it sounds like you need better cable management so you can more easily add and remove things from the racks.

That that you have a choice now, but I quite like the wider 800mm racks for networking kit.  That gives space on the left and right for vertical cable management.

You might find a liberal dash of velcro or cable ties around existing cabling might also help.

[watdee]

I'll definitely take a look at an 800mm rack for future projects but for now I'm stuck with a 600mm wide rack. In the back on the inside of the rack it has a PDU on one side and cable management on the other.  Because the MS-320 Meraki switch is so deep, it makes it nearly impossible to get out.  This is not a problem with other devices as the mounting brackets can be removed making allowing them to fit through.

I'm not sure what you mean by better cable management, the only thing that would help is to move the cable management to the outside of the rack.  I'm working with a fully enclosed rack in this case so I don't think it's designed for that.  This one to be precise https://www.tripplite.com/42u-smartrack-deep-rack-enclosure-cabinet-doors-side-panels~SR42UBDP/

[PhilipDAth]

Check out some of these "before and after" pictures.  It should be possible to run the cables so you can remove kit without it being a major issue.

https://community.meraki.com/t5/Off-the-Stack/Before-and-After-Pictures/m-p/4650/highlight/true#M87

[watdee]

---

@PhilipDAthwrote:

Check out some of these "before and after" pictures.  It should be possible to run the cables so you can remove kit without it being a major issue.

https://community.meraki.com/t5/Off-the-Stack/Before-and-After-Pictures/m-p/4650/highlight/true#M87

---

They don't help too much because we have an enclosed rack with PDU's running up one side and a wire duct running up the other.  Those are the two things that make it too narrow to pull the switch straight out.  If it wasn't as deep, I could probably tilt it or if the brackets were removable like all our other equipment, I could just remove one or two which would then allow it to slide out the rest of the way.

[MRCUR]

How often are you removing switches from the rack? 

[BlakeRichardson]

+1 on 800mm rack, having excess cable tucked away on the cable mgmt is less confusing and looks a million times better.