How to Prepare Your Server for Colocation in a Data Center

Most colocation delays have nothing to do with the facility — they happen because the hardware arrived without rails or in the wrong chassis.

Chassis requirements

Equipment must be in a chassis designed for mounting in a standard 19-inch rack. The number of units is taken from the manufacturer’s spec sheet, and that is what colocation is billed on. For non-standard chassis, dimensions are determined from the spec sheet or certificate.

What to bring

• Rails (slide kits) and mounting hardware — supplied by the equipment owner.
• Power cables of the right length.
• Patch cords, if you plan a non-standard connection.
• Media converters, if your equipment has no standard RJ-45 port.

A server without rails is not mounted in the rack and is not placed on top of other equipment — this is a safety requirement, not a formality.

Power

The data center supplies uninterruptible 220 V, 50 Hz power. If your equipment needs different parameters, the owner provides the converters. Calculate the total power of your power supplies in advance — the monthly fee depends on it.

How acceptance works

Before mounting, our staff visually inspect the server for hazardous or malicious components. After inspection, the equipment is sealed in your presence and installed in the rack. The handover is documented with an acceptance certificate — the equipment remains your property.

What to set up beforehand

Configure remote access before shipping: IPMI or an equivalent management interface, network settings and accounts. Make sure the server boots without a monitor and keyboard and doesn’t stop at a BIOS prompt.