Ship Your Server

One of the most important aspects of colocation is the actual transport of your server.  You name it – and we have seen it.   Sadly some of the nations top carriers are Fed Up with doing their jobs – others experience the Ups and Downs of a box falling in the back of the truck…  Bottom line – How your server is packed and shipped will ensure its ability to do the job when our Ohio Colocation Facility technicians go to place it online.

1. Double box everything: Try to use the manufactures double box. If you only have a single box, go to a Federal Express / UPS  or other store and find a second box to use. They cost a few dollars but provide a lot of protection. Most manufactures will also send you new boxes and foam for free if you are the original owner. Also, make sure to put your server or device in a sealed plastic bag to help protect against moisture during shipping.
2. NEVER USE PEANUTS to pack any device: Use the foam inserts that come with the unit or use bubble wrap or air bags. Peanuts get in to everything. They also build up static charges. Our technicians will not bring unopened boxes in to the carrier or rack space because of the problems associated with peanut foam.
3. Server Identification:  Place your name, telephone number, email, IP address and main domain name and the operating system on the server. You can use a labeling machine, or to keep it simple, take a standard index card and tape the card with your information on the top of the server.  We will be duplicating this upon arrival and placing the information into our RackTables Tracking System
4. Label your Network Devices: If you are only using one NIC card put some type of dot or tape next to the input to identify it. If you are using multiple NIC cards number them. If you need a Xover cable rather than a standard cable mark the NIC card with an X so the Ohio Colocation DataCenter techs know which is which.  It is best to send a diagram unless you have purchased the Stack Your Rack option.
5. Include the rails. If you don’t have rails please let us know ahead of time so we can arrange for the sale of rails to your organization. We do not place servers into racks without rails unless you have purchased a complete rack and/or shelving unit.  NO EXCEPTIONS.
6. Make sure you include the power cord(s).  We have cords available for additional purchase if needed.
7. If you have a reboot or emergency restore disk label it with your information and include any passwords such as Grub or BIOS.  We will store this information in our data-vault.
8. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: Check your system bios so that the server will reboot without a keyboard or monitor or after a power off. 95% of the servers that fail to come on-line after a reboot are due to having the bios set wrong.

Ship your server Insured to: