Grounding the Switch

Before you begin

  • Before you can ground the chassis, you must have a connection to the earth ground for the data center building. If you installed the switch chassis into a bonded rack (see the rack manufacturer’s instructions for more information) that now has a connection to the data center earth ground, you can ground the chassis by connecting its grounding pad to the rack. Otherwise, you must connect the chassis grounding pad directly to the data center ground.

  • To connect the switch chassis to the data center ground, you need the following tools and equipment:

    • Grounding lug—A two-holed standard barrel lug that supports up to 6 AWG wire. This lug is supplied with the accessory kit.

    • Grounding screws—Two M4 x 8 mm pan-head screws. These screws are shipped with the accessory kit.

    • Grounding wire—Not supplied with the accessory kit. This wire should be sized to meet local and national installation requirements. Depending on the power supply and system, a 12 AWG to 6 AWG copper conductor is required for U.S. installations. We recommend that you use commercially available 6 AWG wire. The length of the grounding wire depends on the proximity of the switch to proper grounding facilities.

    • Number 1 Phillips head torque screwdriver.

    • Crimping tool to crimp the grounding wire to the grounding lug.

    • Wire stripping tool to remove the insulation from the grounding wire.

About this task

The switch is grounded when you connect the chassis and the power supplies to the earth ground in the following ways:

  • You connect the chassis (at its grounding pad) to either the data center ground or to a fully bonded and grounded rack.

    Note:

    The chassis ground connection is active even when the AC power cables are not connected to the system.

  • You connect an AC power supply to the earth ground automatically when you connect the power supply to an AC power source.

To ground the switch, perform the following steps:

Procedure

  1. Use a wire stripping tool to remove approximately 0.75 inch (19 mm) of the covering from the end of the grounding wire.
  2. Insert the stripped end of the grounding wire into the open end of the grounding lug and use a crimping tool to crimp the lug to the wire. Verify that the ground wire is securely attached to the grounding lug by attempting to pull the wire out of the crimped lug.
  3. Secure the grounding lug to the chassis grounding pad with two M4 screws and tighten each screw to 11.5 to 15 in-lb (1.3 to 1.7 N·m) of torque.
  4. Prepare the other end of the grounding wire and connect it to an appropriate grounding point in your site to ensure an adequate earth ground for the switch. If the rack is fully bonded and grounded, connect the grounding wire as explained in the documentation provided by the vendor for the rack.