The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) is a department of the Queensland Government established in April 2009. TMR exists to move and connect people, places and goods & services across Queensland supported by over 250 service centres state-wide.
Recent upgrades to TMR’s technology unfortunately rendered their existing wall cabinets unsuitable to accommodate new equipment depths.
Real estate gains were immediately recognised and we envisage system uptime improvements as the equipment is now working within specification.
The combination of POE switches, routers and UPS including batteries, called for a brand new data rack. Without a place to safely run the upgraded technology, it remained unusable while TMR continued to run their legacy system. Space constraints and security concerns meant the department had to urgently source an appropriate fix.
Additionally, TMR’s technology would likely impose increased heat loads which made finding a cooling solution critical. Heat is enemy number one, bearing risk of frying the hardware used for critical business operations. Climate control was essential to avoid server failure.
With these needs in mind, Principal Team Leader of ICT Operations, Baz Hughes, searched for a data rack which:
- Met depth specifications with a small footprint that wouldn’t require a dedicated communications room
- Included cooling and active climate control to manage heat emitted
- Ensured security to protect their valuable data and hardware
The Solution
TMR contacted three manufacturers in search of a solution that was not known to exist on the market. When TMR approached Rittal, a custom solution was achieved after lengthy collaboration and meticulous prototype fine-tuning.
Rittal’s customised unit comprised a proven cabinet design and accessories coupled with Blue e+ high efficiency cooling technology. Unique active and passive climate control eliminated thermal stress to boost component life. The unit included free, partial and full cooling modes and an optional IoT communications device that addressed TMR’s IT needs while reducing cost.
“Dedicated room costs were removed [as were] unnecessary onsite service visits and costs due to the large physical distances and many business locations we have,” commented Hughes.
The solution offered total flexibility. If desired, TMR could expand the data rack using bayed racks and also convert to a fan and filter solution for lower heat situations.
Once the equipment was loaded as if it were a ‘live’ site, Rittal applied additional changes such as cable access through punched rail support for a horizontal hang frame. The adjustment necessitated tweaks to the custom metalwork, promptly actioned by the Sydney-based Rittal Modification Centre.
Rittal’s solution provided TMR complete peace of mind knowing a solid, secure and reliable unit can be deployed to any part of Queensland.