Institute of Communication Systems (5G)
At the end of 2017 I was temporarily put in charge of the Systems Administration (3rd line) of the Institute of Communication Systems (or 5G as it is known internally), following one of the FEPS IT staff moving over to work for 5G in their Test Bed team.
ICS is split into two areas. the IT Infrastructure side, which I would be responsible for, comprising of the Windows compute servers, the Linux compute servers, and any bespoke Linux/Windows servers required by the research groups.
A notable project I delivered while at ICS was to come up with a mobile server solution for a research team that had already purchased two rack-mount servers. Using my contacts in the University I managed to source (for free) a 12U rack which could house the team’s servers, some extra equipment, a network switch, and all the cabling.
To keep the rack mobile I dismantled the top part , hiding all cabling underneath. This allows for a monitor to be placed on top and powered, along with a keyboard and mouse. the monitor can be detached and stowed for transit. As an alternative, the rack could be plugged into a larger display system.
At the bottom of the rack, a single female IEC C13 to allow a longer power cable to power the rack.
Inside the rack, all cabling was channeled between the side panel and the frame to keep it clear of any servers or equipment housed inside. Networking was similarly channeled with a switch housed at the top of the rack.
For future development the rack could have a rack mount console screen/keyboard/mouse unit installed, shelves to house more equipment, and a pullout drawer to store accessories.