Cooling air flow and required minimum air flow clearance

When installing the chassis, maintain a minimum clearance of 100 mm between the equipment and the rack's front and rear doors, columns, guide rails, and other structures to ensure proper cooling airflow. The following diagram shows the cooling air flow through the chassis and the locations of fan units. Make sure the cooling air intake and warm air exhaust openings are not blocked by cables or rack construction because this could result in cooling performance reduction and possible overheating and component damage.

FortiSwitch-AX9004G cooling air flow and minimum air flow clearance

The temperature inside the rack must be within the operating temperature range of the equipment. If the temperature inside the rack does not meet the installation conditions of the equipment, malfunction or failure may result. Consider the following measures to ensure that the temperature inside the rack meets the installation conditions of the equipment.

• Provide a fan in the rack to ensure adequate ventilation inside the rack.

• Use front and rear doors with perforated holes for cooling or remove the doors to improve ventilation inside the rack.

If necessary, reduce the number of devices in the rack or mount the Switch below other heating elements.

When other devices equipped with forced air cooling systems such as fans are installed above or below the equipment, interference in air flow can adversely affect cooling and cause malfunctions or failures as described below.

• Exhaust air from peripheral equipment may be circulated into the incoming air of the chassis, causing the temperature of the incoming air to exceed the environmental specifications of the equipment.

• If the incoming or outgoing air from peripheral equipment is too strong, air pressure is applied in the opposite direction to the airflow of the chassis, resulting in a reduction in the internal cooling capacity of the chassis.

Keep the spacing between equipment mountings in the rack to avoid interference with airflow.