{"id":25425,"date":"2022-12-27T07:28:16","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T07:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serverlift.com\/?p=25425"},"modified":"2025-05-02T16:41:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T16:41:12","slug":"how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serverlift.com\/it\/blog\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose the Right Power Distribution Unit (PDU) for Your Server Rack"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are so many different configurations and features that affect the server rack power distribution unit (<a href=\"https:\/\/serverlift.com\/it\/blog\/reduce-data-center-energy-loss-by-upgrading-power-distribution-units-pdus\/\">PDU<\/a>) that it can be difficult to know what your best options are. This brief guide explains the considerations to keep in mind as you shop for an IT equipment rack power solution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mounting Position<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the best and worst things about designing your setup is that server rack equipment can be configured in a number of ways. If you have enough experience, the variety of options increases your customizability. But if you\u2019ve rarely or never rearranged your server rack equipment, you might end up frustrated and confused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two primary ways that PDUs can be mounted. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detachable mounting brackets can be used for rack, surface or under-table mounting. If you choose to use a horizontal PDU, you should consider using a reversible housing so you can configure outlets at the front or the back of your rack. If you choose to use a vertical PDU, you should look for toolless mounting that will snap into compatible racks.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main thing to remember about positioning a PDU within your server rack is that some fit horizontally while others fit vertically. Choose a vertical PDU if you are able, because they maximize the number of outlets and don\u2019t take up valuable space that could be used for other equipment. You may need to opt for a horizontal PDU if you can\u2019t fit a vertical unit in the back of the rack without blocking airflow, or if the power load of your rack is fairly low.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Power Requirements<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your rack will have different power requirements based on several factors, including where it\u2019s located. Server racks in data centers usually have three-phase power, so the PDU you choose should probably have three-phase power.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should also factor in the sum of power consumption of all the devices within the rack to ensure that the PDU can handle the demand. You can check the maximum power consumption listed on the back of each device in either volt-amps or watts. Each number should be converted to the same unit of measure before you total them. Once you have the result, choose a PDU with a higher rating than your total.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outlets, Plugs, and Cords<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the US, servers and networking equipment are powered by either 120V or 208\/240V. In Europe and Asia, the voltage is usually 230V. Your power input source may have a specific type of plug that the PDU cord will need to fit. Additionally, the PDU should have a cord long enough to reach the power source, without exceeding the standard 15-foot limit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you know the number and types of outlets you\u2019ll need, you can look specifically for a PDU with those options. If you don\u2019t, you can choose a Universal PDU that works with a variety of different outlet types. Leave room for expansion, if possible. It\u2019s a good idea to choose a PDU with more outlets than you need, so you can expand your equipment setup later without having to acquire a new PDU.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bonus Details<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some PDUs will display power consumption and other important information to help you avoid overloading your unit. Others send sensor data over your network, so you can receive notifications if something isn\u2019t working properly. Still others have a switch that allows you to conveniently power cycle your equipment by remotely turning outlets on or off. And some PDUs do none of these things, and only supply power to your equipment. There\u2019s no right or wrong choice among these, but it\u2019s helpful to be aware of your options so you can make the best choice for your unique needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are so many different configurations and features that affect the server rack power distribution unit (PDU) that it can be difficult to know what your best options are. This brief guide explains the considerations to keep in mind as you shop for an IT equipment rack power solution.\u00a0 Mounting Position One of the best [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":25441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[78],"tags":[475,474,473],"class_list":["post-25425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-server-rack-equipment","tag-server-rack-power","tag-server-rack-power-distribution-uni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How To Pick The Best PDU For Your Server Rack<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are several factors that will affect your choice of PDU. Here\u2019s how to make your final pick for your server rack.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/serverlift.com\/it\/blog\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"it_IT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Pick The Best PDU For Your Server Rack\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are several factors that will affect your choice of PDU. Here\u2019s how to make your final pick for your server rack.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/serverlift.com\/it\/blog\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ServerLIFT\u00ae\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-27T07:28:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-02T16:41:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/serverlift.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Choose-the-Right-PDU-Blog-Banner.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"840\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"252\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John Spillane\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"John Spillane\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/99881ba28497f665a4fc87dec7660194\"},\"headline\":\"How to Choose the Right Power Distribution Unit (PDU) for Your Server Rack\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-27T07:28:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-02T16:41:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":637,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Choose-the-Right-PDU-Blog-Banner.png\",\"keywords\":[\"server rack equipment\",\"server rack power\",\"server rack power distribution uni\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Tech LIFT\"],\"inLanguage\":\"it-IT\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/\",\"name\":\"How To Pick The Best PDU For Your Server Rack\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-choose-the-right-power-distribution-unit-pdu-for-your-server-rack\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Choose-the-Right-PDU-Blog-Banner.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-27T07:28:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-02T16:41:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/serverlift.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/99881ba28497f665a4fc87dec7660194\"},\"description\":\"There are several factors that will affect your choice of PDU. 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