Temperature and Humidity Guidelines
B-2 Environmental Guidelines
Airflow Concerns for Closed Racks
When placing Enterasys switches into enclosed racks, rack exhaust fans must be considered if the
rack does not contain adequate inlet and exit venting. These fans may be needed to help exhaust
hot air from the rack. They must be sized properly to exhaust the collective volumetric flow from
all equipment within the rack.
Figure B-1 illustrates the ideal configuration for a fully vented closed rack. All panels are vented,
and side-to-side cooled sub-systems are flowing in the same direction.
Cool air ingress through the bottom of the rack must be carefully allowed to enhance overall
system airflow and prevent stagnant air recirculation. This may need to be confirmed through
thermal testing at the installation site.
Figure B-1 Closed Rack Ideal Configuration
Figure Key
Blue arrows indicate cool air ingress
Red arrows indicate hot air egress
White arrows indicate airflow through the
system