DIY Home Rack Build

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Affiliate Kit Link for items in this video kit.co/lawrencesystems/homelab-rack-build Monoprice Slimrun Cat6 Ethernet Patch Cables Compared 28/32 AWG kzbin.info/www/bejne/omfUfGOrhLCffJI Rack Stud Weight Test kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIuzk6xsm9B-rc0 Wall Fishing Tools & How To Use Them When Dealing With Fire Stops and Insulation kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGa7loOtdrRno5I Interview: Dan Barrera With Ideal Networks About TIA 42 Cabling Standards & Testing Processes kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX_EkHyam86pgdU

[@Legendary_UA]

Love the comment, "the cloud is still racked somewhere"!!!

[@me_doing_or_making_things4776]

lots of people does not understand that unfortunately... Lots of people thinks that data is really in the cloud (physically)... just stupid right...

[@andrewford80]

@@me_doing_or_making_things4776 Those same folk seem to think that paying someone to do all that cloud shit for you makes it cheaper too. While this is sometimes true, some workloads just make way more sense on prem, or in your own private cloud.

[@nzdefrag]

The Cloud is just someone else's computer

[@louielim8329]

@@me_doing_or_making_things4776 tj

[@jeremyr7958]

The modular keystones are highly recommended in a home lab (non-punch-down) because if you are truly ‘homelabbing’, you are changing things around and those make it very easy to rearrange cables in the back of the patch panel as needed.

[@olegurvingurigard8373]

Would love to see you test how much weight rack studs can hold!

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Sounds like a fun video, guess I will have to make it. ;)

[@lars7513]

Me too 🤣

[@marioskyriakou]

yehh do it

[@AgentLokVokun]

The Rack stud website has 2 different types and the sheer force is about 45 lbs per peg. Rack Studs extremely discourages their product use when transporting rack mounted items just a heads up.

[@LCCoxOfTexas]

I too would love to see the "real" shear point on the studs. I have some equipment that the traditional studs are OVERKILL but it is heavier than switches and such!

[@James_Knott]

One tip for mounting gear in a rack. Put a couple of screws in the rails just below where the bottom edge of the equipment will be. You can then rest the equipment on those screws, while driving in the first screws for the equipment. You'd be surprised how many people don't know this trick and I've seen two people trying to work together, one holding the equipment and the other driving in the screws. BTW, I have worked with some equipment (old mini computers and disk/tape drives), where mounting is a three person job, because it's so heavy. Two to hold the equipment and one to drive in the screws. Also re zip ties, I have seen some where they were so tight they damaged the cable. So, if you use them, they shouldn't be any more than snug, if that. Stick with velcro when possible.

[@EViL3666]

I've worked in IT for 20 years, managing data centres and large offices, I have a large home lab.... and TIL a patch panels are frikkin awesome!

[@robertb6276]

You've never seen a patch panel before, even after 20 years working in IT data centers and large offices?

[@whitewitchcraft412]

The adjustable rack shelf rails ❤❤. Didn't even know these were a thing. I'm new to home servers so there is that. Anywho, as soon as your video ended, click the links and bought a set. Thank you Lawrence 👍👍👍

[@h4X0r99221]

I swear, whenever I need an in depth video on a IT topic, I find it here! Thanks a lot Tom!

[@Sladeofdark]

This is my favorite technology channel.

[@thestig007]

Never knew they made an HDMI Keystone. Learned something new! Awesome.

[@craigbloomfield1598]

This is exactly what I have set up, including the same 25U StarTech rack! All my A/V equipment is set up on shelves, an A/V power filter, 4U ESXI server, 2U server, 16 port switch, Rackmount UPS for computers and a shallow shelf for cable modem, HomeAutomation hubs and Nvidia Sheild. Plus I added a drawer to store cables. I used similar rails, a Keystone patch panel that has Cat6, USB and HDMI in it. Only I did use Cagenuts for everything and don't have a pc of wood on the top, it would be a junk collector!

[@Builtbypete]

Great video, thanks. The threaded plastic inserts look useful. Saves all that fiddly reaching round the back!

[@CHITUS]

Thank you for showcasing how easy it is to keep racks organized. Every time I would walk into a client data center, I would cringe at everything from the "spaghetti curtains" to the pile of loose gear stacked on top of the racked servers. The MDF sheet is a spiff idea, especially if you don't have fans in the top of your cab.

[@2x3x7]

Thanks for taking the time to spread your knowledge, I learned so much from your channel!

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

My pleasure!

[@Devo_gx]

I’m just getting started looking into a Homelab setup and really liked how you explained everything here. Starting off with a NAS setup to replace an old Synology, but will likely expand further.

[@lilkiduno]

The USB keystone extentions are awesome, in my last job position I had a desktop underneath a uline workbench, I would have to get down on my knees to plug in a removal thumb drive if I had to do a quick transfer. The Workbenches had outlet provisions, so I bought outlet to keystone adapters and two USB 3 extensions so I plugged in the extensions into the front panel of my desktop and then I had USB ports on the front of the legs that I could easily access without neededing to get on my knees.

[@gravelfreeman]

Great video, learned so much, thank you!

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robertgoodall9015]

Great video as always inspired me get my home lab back up and running after having to move it and got some good ideas from the video!

[@martindill7589]

I'm not a punch down fan either, I use rj45 pass through keystones. It minimizes the types of cable connections I need to make and adds flexibility to the setup. I'd also love to see some stress testing of the RackStuds. Thanks.

[@shadowr2d2]

Thank you for posting this video 🎉. You have a new subscriber. Keep up the great 👍 work.

[@jacobsamdal9611]

I am really excited about this. I have been trying to research the best equiptment for rackmounting all my equiptment. Thanks so much! It was good to have a little bit of insight on this.

[@petersimmons7833]

I have that rack and I love it. Can’t recommend it enough

[@BDBD16]

Star tech makes a nice 1u shelf/rack for those, I have it in my top U and it gives nice deep spot to put a DS or small battery backups, and its adjustable to meet the rack depth. So its not like the shelves in the video.

[@DoubleRFarmsAL]

Those studs are super sweet I ordered the purple ones! Should be here tomorrow!

[@frederikjensen9177]

if you attach all your equipment with 4 screws in front just like your server shelf it will give your rack more stability. especially when it is on wheels and can be moved around.

[@ryanreich7635]

I bought rack studs because your weight test. Pretty neat!

[@TechySpeaking]

What is that USB dock thing mounted on the lower right side of your rack?

[@prashanthb6521]

This was a much needed essential basics video. Thanks.

[@shadow.banned]

I love those clear/purple ultrathink patch panel cables. Remind me of oldschool Gameboy. Also love how they have a light at the port. Don't know why they made these so difficult to find.

[@JimTaylorJr]

Always great videos and appreciate you sharing things with us all. Question concerning your equipment. Do you track all the changes that are made, in the configurations and why they were made?

[@longnamedude3947]

I agree with your question and woukd also like to know; Does Mr Lawrence track his equipment changes? If he does then, does he also track and log the reason why equipment was changed? (So that's if it was removed, swapped for the same, upgraded the existing hardware in some way (CPU, RAM, etc.), replaced with a different model, replaced with the same model (No difference in hardware or software), or replaced with a different piece of hardware.) Lastly, Does Tom keep track of all of his equipment, cables, USB devices, Networking Hubs, Routers, WiFi AP's, Networking Switches, PC Systems, Laptops, Individual System components, etc.? I personally don't currently track changes but it is something I have been meaning to implement, and I have been acquiring the various items required to keep a well documented record of all of my hardware and equipment, currently I am just trying to find suitable software that I can use for a database for everything, something that can tie into a custom defined "Item Identification" naming scheme that can make processing of all of the information much more seamless than just doing it manually by hand typing and modifying database entries.

[@bluebeeryale]

Thanks Tom. Love your videos. Will you please share some details on what looks to be a raspberry pi case mounted in your rack?

[@Ghostrunner55]

rofl the end was amazing, love your channel.

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Thanks!

[@Jimtac]

Ever since I got my setup.exe from PatchBox I’ll never go back to one-hand balancing rack installs, and they just came out with their rack stud solution, but they’re steel quick clips. I’ve just got my sample pack of them (1U) that I’m going to swap my switch and UTM over to to see how they fare, but they look promising since they mount from the back they keep things a bit more flush... that’s not to say I don’t love my Rack Studs, just an alternative.

[@testthisfordecficiencies]

Zip ties are just fine. There is just some key rules to using them. Mostly, so the cables are not stressed. Also, use flush cutters. Hey, who doesn't like reaching around to grab the rack! LOL zing!

[@adamb0mbz]

To stop your rack from, well... racking back and fourth, just cut some plywood spacers to the dimensions of the front and back of the rack, maybe 4-8 inches tall. Bolt them on and it will shore everything up.

[@ComsicQuestGG]

How am I just finding this channel?!

[@ydna]

a well presented video sir! learned a few new things mysefl

[@jordanketchum1526]

Step one: have a team to punch my cables… got it! 🤣 great video!!

[@lordcarnorjax8599]

Cage nut tool is very much part of my toolkit. Once you use one you wont want to not use one again.

[@Alenori]

As someone who has used both the Stud and Rack nut. The studs are awesome, and more useful than the rack nuts, but once you've got those rack nuts in... Well, they don't like coming out if you don't have the tool.

[@dputra]

I wish I can get those open rack easily here. They only have 2-legged racks that aren't good for servers or long units. Having a closed door rack for a home lab is kinda silly as my room is too small for the door opening and closing lol

[@zachicusmaximus5551]

I'm "that guy" with a 2x4 and plywood rack. Maybe one of these days I'll buy a nice one, but that day is not today, haha.

[@logikgr]

Made my first rack out of a pallet.

[@spaghettienforcer4896]

Same here. That was my thought when I saw the video title. Sweet, Tom is building his own rack. Oh wait nvm he bought one.

[@alexanderk.9046]

Can you make review on low noise rack cases? My DYI sound isolation isn't quite enough and also thermoisolate, so I have additional problems with heat.

[@nettyvoyager6336]

power strips can be hung off the back straight down you can get 12 socket power supply's a meter long all on one rack :)

[@tommytigerpants]

Great video, thank you Tom!

[@elir6178]

I build edit rooms and i can tell you we dont use punch downs anymore. AVP panels are King!

[@melberg9098]

Thx for the vid really helpful

[@ewingb32378]

How do you manage your power cables on the back of the rack? I have been looking to see if there is a standard way.

[@ColinDean1]

Lets break some rack studs! Load em up!

[@chrisgeorge3345]

would love to se a video on how strong those studs are!

[@benwilkinson7849]

btw i've found cage nuts are easy to put in side to side instead of top to bottom....not sure if that's a thing or not but yeah

[@TigerPlaysSoT]

dude, you assembled that startech 25u wrong, and that's why it's shifting. The top crossbars (the ones with the startech logos) should be behind your corner frame parts, there's a slot for them to slide into. (that's literally what that little gap you mentioned is for) Assembled correctly they don't shift at all. Mine doesn't, nor does any of the ones i've used over the years.

[@TallTexasGMan]

My frustration is most rack shelves do not fit nicely with close quarter equipment. The lip does not allow it to sit flush with switches for example skipping a U is usually necessary. Also, does the minimum length for Ethernet cables no longer apply? I see some of the sub 1 meter cables between the switches. I was under the school where you only use those between premise cable patch panel and switches (where premise makes up the rest of the length).

[@DuraiarasanSundaramoorthy]

Great help

[@Bazwalt]

Hi Lawrence, would you mind doing a video diving deeper into AV cabling for the home? IE: How far can DVI run in the home if I wanted to wire up a room on the other side of the house to my rack?

[@newmanspam]

I currently have my network wired through a Leviton panel (sorta like a patch panel). It's a mess of wires and I need to clean it up so even Grace Hopper would think it's 100% geeky cool. I'm thinking about bypassing the patch panel and wiring straight to 1 of the 2 Netgear GS316 switches. Thoughts?

[@nettyvoyager6336]

cat 6 a are 2 £ each off ebay get them then you dont have to upgrade when you want to hit the fast lane 10 gbs

[@AndreSouto1986]

Congrats for the video! Kudos for doing and very explanatory! Forgive me the silly question but I always had a doubt when doing patch cables using Cat6, I wanted to do those small cables (like 3 inches) but I wanted to know if I remove that plastic divider between the pairs if I will have any kind of interference or loss. Thank You! And keep up with the videos!

[@SBPlumlee]

As the owner it's your call if you don't want to punch down cables. 😉

[@solomonw6003]

Just a wish. Why can switch manufacturers spread the ports out across the whole switch face on rack mount equipment. This has always bugged me to no end. For example, If you have a 24 port switch just make it with 1 row across the face instead of 2 rows like the 48 port. Or if you have 16 port group them into groups of 4 and space them out across the face of the switch. That way when you put them in a rack (like they are intended to be) it looks neat and clean when you go from the patch panel to the switch with your patch cables.

[@jcnash02]

They make LC fiber keystones too.

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Yup

[@zachicusmaximus5551]

Love em. No idea what kind of db loss they introduce, but I'm only running maybe 20m on a 500m laser so I figure it'll be fine, haha.

[@milesfoster7579]

I have done both punch blocks and ones where i can plug the cable in and it does not bother me either way.

[@LenRamSa]

On min 4:19 what seems to be a Raspberry Pi can be seen mounted on the rack's right pilar. It seems to be using a small 1U mounting plate. Could you link to the particular mount, please?.

Only thing that bothers me the most is that I want/need a server at 250mm/9.8in depth and not being at 1U but at least 2U or 3U. This would be excellent fit for home servers.

[@hiddeninthewires2308]

what about intelligent or switched PDU (iPDU) versus the one you showed for controlling the outlet power? whats the cost difference seems very cumbersome to have to go to the switch rack to turn something on or off versus being to control remotely via the web

[@davidrussell8795]

What holds the servers up at the back of the server?is there a cross bar that supports the servers weight at the back? It can't be just the 4 screws at the front of the server!

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

The same cage nut style holes are in the back.

[@carlosalbertobrazfilho1620]

Whats the model of that keystone with 2 rj-45 ports? I also hate punching down cables, you are not the only one uheueheuheuheue

[@gabrielrosas2730]

Thanks for you great job!

[@bigbearnelson]

The rack should be more stable horizontally if you used all four screws in the switches and whatnot. It should tie the two vertical sides together like a cross bar. I emphasize the should because I don't want to be "that guy".

[@DanielWillen]

Why not a rack station instead of disk station?

[@fredmyers503]

Currently I have an Aurora R6 Alienware gaming PC. I want to move to a Rack mount for the home office. Can I move this to a 4U rack mount case? what do I have to be careful of? I am also thinking of getting a WiFi extender for the house including Camera support any video recomendations?

[@oooda231]

everything is rack mountable if you're willing to go and take it apart and make a rackmount for it... even modems

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

yup, everything can be mounted if you are brave enough.

[@oooda231]

@@LAWRENCESYSTEMS well i wouldnt say brave enough.. perhaps creative enough. im still trying to figure out how to rackmount this 4g range extender without killing the signal

[@georgelza]

any chance you can post a link to that patch panel... I can't find it here/locally so might have to look at ordering from the US.

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

kit.co/lawrencesystems/homelab-rack-build

[@tehsimo]

where can i find the port tap vidya?

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

It should be done later this week.

[@BansheeBunny]

Do you have issues with interference from the power distribution to the cable runs from the patch panel or do you use STP?

[@athomft]

how long is standard patch panel?

[@mikesudomier8288]

WoW you in Michigan! do you sell equipment in your store? I have been looking for something local but I have had a hard time finding or getting help with a small biz setup, THank you!

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

No, sorry we do services for business but no retail sales.

[@noamankhan76]

Appreciate great video. Wanted to ask about cooling a rack at home. Switches might not be that big of a deal but server running Esxi is a concern. Any tips/ ideas ?

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

No real tips, just keep it cool.

[@christiaanhauchecorne2271]

can this rack mount kit also hold heavy things?

[@atlasdm]

"Back in my day" we included octal cables for switch management lol

[@SKZEY]

Link to the raspberry pi rack mount pls? :)

[@eliaspizarro0015]

you should buy a rackeable kvm

[@ourawesomeworld5313]

It could have been cool if you took the camera closer. Thanks I've learned

[@jerrymiller8313]

how do rack studs affect grounding and bonding of the rack and equipment

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

most equipment has it's own ground.

[@paulstubbs7678]

He says 'use rack shelves', yet a full hight rack to his side has a few boxes shoved ontop of a switch?, and the added bit at the end about subscribing etc, phones on the same 'switch' - not a complaint, just an observation. (yes my staff did it........)

[@Rickety3263]

Could you vlog about networking with pfSense and LDAP with discrete local DNS and DHCP servers? I cant find documentation to get pfSense and FreeIPA to play nicely. Moving dns/dhcpd/ntp off the firewall seems easy, but it breaks the whole system. Easy for single lan... not so much for multi interfaces/vlans/vpn/dmz/iot. Do I create a separate VLAN for freeIPA to control access to/from hosts on all interfaces? (And turn off dns and dhcp) Would pfBlocker-ng still work?

[@Mtaalas]

Isn't rack gear loud as hell? So if you live in an apartment, this won't be really a good idea :D

[@linuxinstalled]

Depends on your neighbors. If you're looking to get back at them, it could be a great investment :D

[@Mtaalas]

@@linuxinstalled I'm not worried about the neighbors, but myself spending countless hours a day in 80dB whining fan noise... That's not fun :D

[@JohnHPixelMD]

Depends on what kind of gear you have racked. I only have 3 actual server chassis in my rack but I upgraded all the fans in them to much quieter Noctua fans and while they are still louder than a normal desktop they are MUCH quieter than the stock fans they came with. And depending on your networking needs you might be able to get away with fanless gear that makes no noise at all. It really depends on what need/want and where you are willing to compromise. I think what a lot people forget about is the heat that can be put out. My setup is pretty quiet but oh boy does it keep the room toasty warm.

[@TurboSpeedWiFi]

It doesn't have to be loud. If you do not put any 1U servers in the rack, it can be very quiet. There are even fanless switches you can buy if you can't deal with a little sound.

[@sitte24]

Definitely test the capabilities of rack studs. I really don't trust these by now

[@JasonLeaman]

Forward weight is different than downward weight.

[@DirkDeadeye_]

Those rack studs actually hold a bit of weight. You'd be surprised.

[@tablatronix]

umm what are those yellow cat cables with the metal strain reliefs! I saw some cat6 keystone jacks with pigtails the other day, now I cannot find them, anyone seen those?

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Here you go kit.co/lawrencesystems/lightweight-network-engineering-laptop-bag/monoprice-134671-cat

[@BatmanArkhamCity11]

Hi there, we’re do you purchase your materials?

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Amazon

[@princevantull7757]

Not sure if you you answer this but any particular reason why you went with a ubiquiti switch instead of cisco?

[@phendryx]

Ubiquiti hardware (outside of routers) is cheap (compared to Cisco), amazing and doesn't require nasty licenses.

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

They work great and not everything needs to be Cisco

[@tommajor2940]

Just my 2 cents. If you noticed the last device that Tom left hanging on the Rack in the video it is actually an Aruba 1930 series Instant On switch. In my opinion it is a much better home lab switch because all of the configuration is done locally on the switch itself and does not require the addition of a Ubiquiti controller that must be run on another PC or Server. It all depends on use case but for a simple home lab the Aruba 1930 is the way to go!

[@arrentosh]

Server builds please

[@Robert-ug5hx]

I am moving to my own server, depending on a corperate cloud dordnt make sense anymore

[@michaelreifenstein2114]

the cloud is just somebody else's computer.

[@theroc68155]

Cloud is not the future :) Just wait til you get the bill

[@Ikkerus]

Forget the plastic rackstuds, use /dev/mount - the next level cage nuts: patchbox.com/de_DE/dev/mount

[@neccros007]

To avoid scuffing, you can stick on thin adhesive felt sheets cut to size on those shelves and slide the server in and out w/o issue... The felt helps with sliding heavier servers in and out

[@philh98]

That's a good idea thanks!

[@richcky]

Enjoyed the video, but as a long time IT guy, I have to recommend torquing the bolts in your rack properly, and using at least 4 screws to mount a piece of hardware or shelf near the top, middle, and bottom of the rack. Your rack absolutely should not sway like that. These StarTech racks are solid as a rock when set up properly.

[@pkalles]

I think it would also help to use 4 screws/nuts on the equipment instead of only two bottom ones on each piece of hardware. Make the rack more stiff.