Blank Cover Panels - Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch 6850-48 Hardware User's Manual

OmniSwitch 6850 Series Chassis and Hardware Components

Blank Cover Panels

Blank cover panels are provided with your switch and are used to cover empty backup power supply bays
and 10 Gigabit uplink bays (all OmniSwitch 6850 Series switches, except for OmniSwitch 6850-24,
OmniSwitch 6850-P24, OmniSwitch 6850-48, and OmniSwitch 6850-P48). These cover panels play an
important role in chassis airflow and temperature management. They also protect the switch's processor
board and other sensitive internal switch components from physical damage by closing off the chassis.
When blank cover panels are missing, air does not take the direct route from the air intake vent, through
the chassis, and then out through the fan exhaust vents (see
allowed to be drawn in through the rear of the chassis. As a result, normal airflow is disrupted and an extra
task is placed on the fans to cool the chassis.
If your switch is not equipped with a backup power supply connection or 10 Gigabit uplink, and blank
cover panels are not installed over empty bay locations, airflow is adversely affected. Since they regulate
airflow and help protect internal chassis components, blank cover panels should remain installed over
empty bays at all times.
OmniSwitch 6850 Series Hardware Users Guide
page 2-58). Instead, a portion of the airflow is
September 2009
Mounting the Switch
page 2-59