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A-3
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Hardware Installation Guide
OL-15902-01
Appendix A Cabinet and Rack Installation
Cable Management Guidelines

Requirements Specific to Solid-Walled Cabinets

A solid-walled cabinet is defined here as a cabinet with solid front and rear doors and solid side walls.
In addition to the requirements listed in the “General Requirements for Cabinets and Racks” section on
page A-1, solid-walled cabinets must meet the following requirements:
• A roof-mounted fan tray and an air cooling scheme in which the fan tray pulls air in at the bottom
of the cabinet and exhausts it out the top, with a minimum of 500 cubic feet per minute of airflow
exiting the cabinet roof through the fan tray.
• Nonperforated (solid and sealed) front and back doors and side panels so that air travels predictably
from bottom to top.
• A recommended cabinet depth of 36 to 42 inches (91.4 to 106.7 cm) to allow the doors to close and
for adequate airflow.
• A minimum of 150 sq. inches (968 sq. cm) of open area at the floor air intake of the cabinet.
• The lowest piece of equipment should be installed a minimum of 1.75 inches (4.4 cm) above the
floor openings to prevent blocking the floor intake.

Requirements Specific to Standard Open Racks

In addition to the requirements listed in the “General Requirements for Cabinets and Racks” section on
page A-1, if mounting the chassis in an open rack (no side panels or doors), ensure that the rack meets
the following requirements:
• The minimum vertical rack space per chassis must be two RU (rack unit), equal to 3.47 inches (8.8
cm).
• The horizontal distance between the chassis and any adjacent chassis should be 6 inches(15.2 cm),
and the distance between the chassis air vents and any walls should be 2.5 inches (6.4 cm).
Cable Management Guidelines
To help with cable management, you might want to allow additional space in the rack above and below
the chassis to make it easier to route as many as 56 fiber or copper cables through the rack.