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Re: Grounding help

 
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Grounding help

We bought new server cabinet and two HP DL380 G6 servers, so with 2 old xseries IBM and one NAS I saw that there is no grounding done. I've never done it in my life. Is there any scheme for grounding? For now there is no at least you cannot see/hear static discharge in server room. But I would be calmer if that is done.

Any help is appreciated , and thanks !
4 REPLIES 4
Jens Ey
Frequent Advisor
Solution

Re: Grounding help

Hi Alexa,

you do not need to ground the servers itself.
But you MUST have a proper grounding for the cabinet. The problem is not static discharge which might damage a server but safety for yourself and others. The cabinet has uninsulated metal parts and some of them may be sharp enough to cut through the insulation of a power cord.

If you never have done a proper grounding before it is very likely that you are not an electrician. In that case: get one to do the job.

Greetings,

Jens

Re: Grounding help

Thanks I will hire someone to do that it is better.
Mike Rother
Advisor

Re: Grounding help

Hi Alexa,

the servers get their grounding through the ground line in the power cables.
So Jens was absolutely right.

With regards to grounding of the rack(s):
The preferred way is to have them connected with at least (true for Germany) a 20 q├В┬▓mm cable to the grounding bar in the fuse compartment.
To say it simple, the cable used for the grounding should always have a bigger diameter than the one providing power.
Connection should be permanent and non-pluggable and if you have metal doors on your rack it is important to have a ground cable between rack body and doors - because a cable may get caught between door and rack.

kind regards
Mike
BillyP
New Member

Re: Grounding help

Per the TIA607B document, grounding should be taken to the electronic units inside of the Cabinet/rack.  The requirements of the new standard are basicly stating that I should have no more than 0.1 ohms resistance for the telecommunications ground.  The standard electrical ground is at 25 ohms resistance.  So the telecommunications ground needs to be more robust than the electrical ground to handle ESD and surges.  Other manufacturers are agreeing that third prong ground are inefficienct to handle the ESD and surges inside the cabinet.

 

Competitive electronic manufactures are including ground lugs on the chassis to provide protection to the units, and TIA has told us that by grounding just the cabinet/rack may be insufficient. 

 

THEIR FIX:  They recommend that we ground the rack, by using a Dremel type of tool to take away any paint or finish that is applied to the cabinet/rack/rail. Use No-ox to reduce the amount of oxidation that happens at the lug termination point, attach a lug, and remove excess No-ox.  then on the rails that you are going to attach to, use your Dremel to remove the paint or varnish from the rails and the ears of the electronics that you are mounting.  Again use No-ox , mount the equipment and remove any excess no-ox.

 

Because your units do not include ground lug point, are you requiring us to use the second method to ground HP elrctronics inside our Cabinets/racks?  I am working at a university that experiences surges and we would like to make sure that we are doing this properly and to HP requirements.