IBM DS8000 manual Installing on raised or nonraised floors, Meeting floor load requirements

Important: Any expansion units within the storage unit must be attached to the base model on the right side (as you face the front of the units).

Installing on raised or nonraised floors

You can install your DS8000 storage units on a raised or nonraised floor.

However, installing the models on a raised floor provides the following benefits:

￿Improves operational efficiency and allows greater flexibility in the arrangement of equipment.

￿Increases air circulation for better cooling.

￿Protects the interconnecting cables and power receptacles.

￿Prevents tripping hazards because cables can be routed underneath the raised floor.

￿Aesthetically more appealing.

Meeting floor load requirements

Use the following steps to ensure that your location meets the floor load requirements and to determine the weight distribution area required for the floor load:

1.Find the concrete sub-floor load rating in the location where you plan to install the storage units. Refer to Chapter 4, “Meeting DS8000 delivery and installation requirements” in the IBM TotalStorage DS8000 Introduction and Planning Guide, GC35-0495.

Important: If you do not know or are not certain about the floor load rating of the installation site, be sure to check with the building engineer or another appropriate person. A structural engineer may be needed to assist in this evaluation.

2.Determine whether the floor load rating of the location meets the following requirements:

–The design target used by IBM is 342 kg per m2 (70 lb per ft2).

–When you install a storage unit, which includes both base models and expansion models, the minimum floor load rating is 361 kg per m2 (74 lb per ft2). At 342 kg per m2 (70 lb per ft2), the side dimension for the weight distribution area exceeds the 76.2 cm (30 in.) allowed maximum, as defined in IBM Corporate Standards.

–The per caster transferred weight to a raised floor panel is 450 kg (1000 lb).

Calculating space requirements

When you are planning the installation location, you must first calculate the total amount of space that is needed for the storage units.

Use the following steps to calculate enough space for your storage units:

1.Determine the dimensions of each model configuration in your storage units. Table 8-2 on page 147 provides the dimensions of the DS8000 models.

146DS8000 Series: Concepts and Architecture