Tray registers as the answer to the limitations of classic panels?

 

In the world of data centers, efficiency and organization play a crucial role. The way in which hardware components are managed and stored can have a significant impact on performance, availability and operating costs. In this context, tray registers are becoming increasingly important. But what makes these systems so special and can they really replace traditional panels?

Advantages of modern tray registers

Tray registers offer a number of advantages that go beyond the mere storage of hardware. They enable compact, accessible and secure storage of servers, network devices, cables and accessories. But their importance extends far beyond mere organization. Modern tray registers make a decisive contribution to cooling, stability, availability, maintenance and energy savings in data centers. This is because tray registers can be integrated more flexibly and modularly, allow smaller areas in racks to be utilized and significantly improve accessibility to cables and devices.

 

Increased flexibility, stability and availability

The biggest advantage between tray registers, especially with a modular design, and conventional panels lies in their flexibility and scalability. With the pay-as-you-grow approach, companies can scale their hardware as their business grows. This is where plug-in systems come into their own thanks to their modular design.

Centralized cabling

Traditional panels often require individual cabling for each panel, which leads to increased space requirements for cable management and routing. In contrast, tray registers offer centralized cabling, which significantly reduces the space required for cables.

Modular design

Expanding or modifying the server infrastructure in traditional panels is time-consuming and inflexible due to the need to individually adapt physical connections for each component. Thanks to their modular design, tray registers offer greater scalability, as additional modules can be easily added without having to reconfigure the entire cabling.

Fewer physical connections

By reducing the number of physical connections, tray registers minimize potential sources of error.

Increased scalability

Furthermore, the integration of additional devices often requires the conversion of an entire rack. The modular design of tray registers enables flexible adaptation to changing technology landscapes and operating requirements, thereby increasing the efficiency of resource utilization.  For example, many systems offer scalability to 1U, 2U, 3U and 4U. Even more flexible are solutions such as VersaTray, which also enable 1/3 scaling until any n-height is reached in the rack, which is particularly important for AI applications.

 

Easier handling and accessibility

Tray registers also show their strengths when it comes to installation, maintenance and accessibility. Modern solutions offer ease of use, improved accessibility and enable faster installation and troubleshooting. The possibility of accessibility from all sides improves efficiency and significantly reduces maintenance work.

Conclusion

The benefits of tray registers make them an attractive alternative to traditional panels, especially in environments where modular scaling and efficient cable management are critical. Companies that use tray registers benefit from improved business continuity, longer equipment life and significant cost savings.

In conclusion, tray registers are not only an answer to the limitations of traditional panels, but also make an important contribution to the efficiency, stability and availability of data centers. Their flexibility and scalability make them an indispensable component in modern IT infrastructures. Modular and highly scalable solutions are becoming increasingly important, especially against the backdrop of growing AI applications and the associated high number of fibers.

 

Author:
Luis Brücher, Product Manager Data Center

His main focus is on the ongoing development of the product portfolio. He draws on 20 years of market experience in the areas of hyperscaler, telecom, broadband, fiber-to-the-home and passive distributed antennas (DAS), which he has gained in Europe, America and the Asia-Pacific region.