rackmounted

Rackmounted refers to equipment designed to be installed in a standard equipment rack. The most common format is the 19-inch wide rack, with components mounted on front rails. Heights are measured in rack units (U), where 1U equals 1.75 inches; devices typically range from 1U to several tens of U tall, with servers and network gear often occupying 1–4U or more. The depth of a rack and its rails varies by model, but many installations use depths of about 24–40 inches to accommodate cabling and cooling.

Mounting and standards are organized around front-mount equipment that attaches to rails anchored to rack posts. The arrangement is standardized by the EIA-310 specification, ensuring interoperability across manufacturers. Racks come in 2-post and 4-post configurations; equipment may be fixed, sliding, or tilt-out for access. Mounting ears or square holes allow screws or bolts to secure devices at standard locations.

Applications cover a wide range of industries. Rack-mounted gear is common in data centers, server rooms, telecom closets, and broadcast studios. IT equipment includes servers, switches, storage arrays, and patch panels, as well as electrical gear like power distribution units and uninterruptible power supplies. In audio and video, rackmount units include mixers, processors, preamps, and field recorders, allowing compact, organized installations with scalable capacity.

Considerations include weight handling, cooling and airflow, and cable management to avoid obstructing vents. Proper power distribution, grounding, and surge protection are important, as are anti-tip measures and security. Some equipment supports hot-swapping for maintenance without powering down the entire rack.