Installing on raised or nonraised floors

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You can install your storage system on a raised or nonraised floor. Raised floors can provide even better cooling than nonraised floors.

Raised floor considerations

Installing your storage system on a raised floor provides the following benefits:

  • Improves operational efficiency and allows greater flexibility in the arrangement of equipment.
  • Increases air circulation for better cooling.
When you install a raised floor, consider the following factors:
  • The raised floor must be constructed of fire-resistant or noncombustible material.
  • The raised-floor height must be at least 30.5 cm (12 in.). Clearance must be adequate to accommodate interconnecting cables, Fibre Channel cable raceways, power distribution, and any piping that is present under the floor. Floors with greater raised-floor heights allow for better equipment cooling.
  • Fully configured, two-frame storage systems can weigh in excess of 1950 kg (4300 lbs). You must ensure that the raised floor on which the storage system is to be installed is able to support this weight. Contact the floor-tile manufacturer and a structural engineer to verify that the raised floor is safe to support the concentrated loads equal to one third of the total weight of one frame. Under certain circumstances such as relocation, it is possible that the concentrated loads can be as high as one half of the total weight of one frame per caster. When you install two adjacent frames, it is possible that two casters induce a total load as high as one third of the total weight of two adjacent frames.
  • Depending on the type of floor tile, more supports (pedestals) might be necessary to maintain the structural integrity of an uncut panel or to restore the integrity of a floor tile that is cut for cable entry or air supply. Contact the floor-tile manufacturer and a structural engineer to ensure that the floor tiles and pedestals can sustain the concentrated loads.
  • Pedestals must be firmly attached to the structural (concrete) floor by using an adhesive.
  • Seal raised-floor cable openings to prevent chilled air that is not used to directly cool the equipment from escaping.
  • Use noncombustible protective molding to eliminate sharp edges on all floor cutouts, to prevent damage to cables and hoses, and to prevent casters from rolling into the floor cutout.
  • Avoid the exposure of metal or highly conductive material to the walking surface when a metallic raised floor structure is used. Such exposure is considered an electrical safety hazard.
  • Concrete subfloors require treatment to prevent the release of dust.
  • The use of a protective covering (such as plywood, tempered masonite, or plyron) is required to prevent damage to floor tiles, carpeting, and tiles while equipment is being moved to or is relocated within the installation site. When the equipment is moved, the dynamic load on the casters is greater than when the equipment is stationary.

Nonraised floor considerations

For environments with nonraised floors, an optional overhead cabling feature is available.

Follow the special considerations and installation guidelines as described in the topics about overhead cable management.

When you install a storage system on a non-raised floor, consider the following factors:
  • The use of a protective covering (such as plywood, tempered masonite, or plyron) is required to prevent damage to floor and carpeting while equipment is being moved to or is relocated within the installation site.
  • Concrete floors require treatment to prevent the release of dust.