Learnt lots of fascinating things about how servers are catalogued in data centres today.
I learnt that when racks are advertised as “24U”, for example, that “U” refers to “unit”. Saying a device is a 2U means it takes up two units of vertical space. Something taking up “half a rack” means that it’s half the width of a unit, and there’s space to mount two of them across.
I also learnt that when numbering rack units, you start from the bottom, give that unit the number 1, and literally/metaphorically go up from there.
Finally, I learnt that the above is pretty much the only thing that’s standard about cataloguing server locations. There’s no standard for numbering devices going across the rack, and apart from floor numbers, room numbers, and maybe aisle and rack numbers — assigned by the data centre itself — you’re on your own to come up with your own standard for the rest.
So there’s plenty of opportunities for those keen to set internal standards for the organisations they work in. 😄