Space requirements

The floor area required for the equipment is determined by the specific servers to be installed, the location of columns, floor loading capacity, and provisions for future expansion.

See Floor construction and floor loading to review floor loading and weight distribution for your system. When the amount of space is determined, allow for the addition of furniture, carts, and storage cabinets. Additional space, not necessarily in the computer area, is required for air conditioning, electrical, security systems, and fire protection equipment as well as for the storage of tapes, forms, and other supplies. Additional space might be needed to access the server (for example, rack-door-opening clearance). Plan to store all combustible materials in properly designed and protected storage areas.

A computer room or area should be separated from adjacent areas to allow for air conditioning, fire protection, and security. The floor-to-ceiling height must be sufficient to allow server top covers to open for service and should be adequate to allow air circulation from the data processing machine. Recommended heights are 2.6 m to 2.9 m (8 ft 6 in. to 9 ft 6 in.) from the building floor or (if used) from the raised floor to ceiling, but higher ceilings are acceptable. In new construction or remodeling, the computer room area should have a minimum door width of 914 mm (36 in.). Because many machine frames are close to 914 mm (36 in.) in width, the use of a 1067 mm (42 in.) door width would be preferable. The door height should be a minimum of 2032 mm (80 in.) of unobstructed height (no threshold plate).