Vertiv GL840CL-3042-3PF Colocation Cabinet 3-Section 14U 30x42 Inch Black
The Vertiv GL840CL-3042-3PF is a three-section, 14U-per-bay colocation cabinet designed for multi-tenant data center environments where shared rack space requires clear physical boundaries between customer zones. At 30 inches wide and 42 inches deep (with 36" and 48" depth configurations also available), this cabinet fits standard colocation floor tiles while giving operators the flexibility to match cooling and cable management needs at installation time. If you are evaluating Vertiv rack and enclosure solutions for a colo buildout or retrofit, the GL840CL-3042-3PF is worth a close look for multi-tenant deployments.
Overview
Colocation cabinets differ from standard IT enclosures in one critical way: the physical structure must enforce tenant separation without an operator standing there. The GL840CL-3042-3PF addresses this with a three-bay, clear-partitioned layout — each of the 14U sections can be assigned to a separate tenant and locked independently. That means one cabinet can serve three customers, reducing your per-U infrastructure cost while keeping each customer's equipment visually and physically isolated. For operators running colocation rack enclosures, that density matters.
The 30-inch width is a deliberate choice for shared environments: narrow enough to maximize row density on the data center floor, wide enough to accommodate standard 19-inch EIA rack equipment with reasonable cable radius on both sides. The 42-inch depth (GL840CL-3042-3PF) hits the sweet spot for 1U and 2U servers with mid-length cable runs — not so deep that rear cable management becomes a reach hazard, not so shallow that high-density patch panels crowd the front.
Key Features
- Three-Section, 14U-Per-Bay Layout: Each bay is independently accessible and lockable, enabling one cabinet to serve three separate tenants. That triples your billable-unit density per floor tile compared to a single-tenant enclosure — meaningful at scale in a multi-tenant colo hall.
- Three Depth Options (36", 42", 48"): Select 36" for shallow networking gear and patch panels, 42" for standard 1U/2U servers, or 48" for dense blade and storage configurations with full rear cable clearance. Matching depth to equipment class prevents wasted airspace and keeps hot/cold aisle containment tight.
- Mesh Front and Rear Door Option: Mesh doors provide maximum passive airflow through the cabinet face — a direct factor in whether front-to-back cooling strategies work at high density. Choose mesh when your CRAC or in-row cooling unit depends on unobstructed air paths across the cabinet.
- Plexi Front Door Option: A clear plexi front gives tenant customers visual access to their gear's LED status indicators without opening the cabinet — useful in attended colo environments where customers want to verify their equipment state before requesting hands-on access from your staff.
- Solid Rear Door with Dual Integrated Fans: The solid rear door with two built-in fans is the right call for zones where rear aisle containment is sealed and you need supplemental exhaust assist. The fans move heat out of the cabinet actively, which helps maintain inlet temperatures when passive airflow isn't sufficient for the load density.
- Two and Three Bay Clear Partition Options: The clear bay dividers are the tenant-separation mechanism — they define boundaries without blocking visual inspection of adjacent bays. Operators can verify all sections at a glance while maintaining the physical separation customers require for security and compliance.
- Black Finish: Standard data center black finish for consistent rack row aesthetics and minimal light reflection during low-light maintenance windows — a practical detail in 24/7 colo environments where technicians work around active equipment.
Integration and Compatibility
The GL840CL-3042-3PF follows standard 19-inch EIA-310 rack unit spacing, making it compatible with the full range of rack-mount servers, switches, patch panels, and power distribution units used in commercial colocation deployments. The three depth configurations (36", 42", 48") accommodate everything from shallow networking gear to full-depth storage arrays. For environments that pair rack enclosures with structured cabling, reviewing a rack selection guide before committing to depth and door configuration helps avoid costly reconfiguration after delivery. If your deployment requires supplemental power distribution, rack-mount PDUs integrate directly into each 14U bay without modification.
Door configuration selection — mesh, plexi, or solid-with-fans — should be made at order time based on your airflow design. Retrofitting door types after installation is possible but adds labor cost and potential downtime for active tenant bays. Confirm your cooling architecture (front-to-back, top-exhaust, in-row) before specifying the door option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the available depth options for the GL840CL-3042-3PF?
A: The GL840CL-3042-3PF is available in 36-inch, 42-inch, and 48-inch depths. The 42-inch depth is the standard configuration; the 36-inch suits shallow networking and patch panel deployments, while the 48-inch accommodates full-depth blade and storage systems.
Q: How many tenants can the GL840CL-3042-3PF support in a colocation environment?
A: The cabinet features three independent 14U bays with clear partitions, allowing up to three separate tenants to be housed in a single enclosure. Each bay can be locked and accessed independently.
Q: What door options are available for the GL840CL-3042-3PF?
A: Three configurations are available: mesh front and rear (maximum passive airflow), plexi front with solid rear with two integrated fans (tenant visibility plus active rear exhaust), and solid rear with fans only. Door selection should match your cooling architecture at order time.
Q: Does the solid rear door configuration include active cooling?
A: Yes. The solid rear door option includes two integrated fans that actively exhaust heat from the cabinet — useful in sealed rear-aisle containment environments where passive airflow alone is insufficient for the installed load density.
Q: What rack unit capacity does each bay in the GL840CL-3042-3PF provide?
A: Each of the three bays provides 14U of usable rack space under standard 19-inch EIA-310 equipment rails, for a total of 42U across the full cabinet.
Q: Is the GL840CL-3042-3PF the same as the GL840CL 3042 3PF?
A: Yes — GL840CL 3042 3PF (without hyphens) is the same model. Vertiv's part number GL840CL-3042-3PF and the hyphen-stripped search variation refer to the same colocation cabinet.
The detail I always flag first on the GL840CL-3042-3PF is the door configuration decision — specifically the solid rear door with two integrated fans. In a sealed rear-aisle containment setup, passive exhaust through a mesh door is compromised the moment you close the containment panels. The built-in fans on the solid door option give you controlled, directed exhaust rather than hoping convection does the job at load density. That is not a minor distinction when a tenant bay is running 8–10U of 1U servers.
Technical Highlights:
- Three-Bay Clear Partition Design: The clear dividers between 14U sections enforce physical tenant separation without blocking visual LED status checks — a practical colo operations detail that reduces unnecessary cabinet openings during monitoring rounds.
- Three Depth Configurations (36"/42"/48"): Matching cabinet depth to installed equipment class directly affects rear cable clearance and airflow path length. Over-deep cabinets on shallow gear create dead-air pockets; under-deep cabinets on storage arrays create cable management nightmares at the rear.
- Solid Rear Door with Dual Integrated Fans: Two fans in the rear door provide active exhaust assist — the right specification for containment-sealed environments where passive front-to-back airflow cannot be assumed across all load conditions.
Deployment Considerations:
- Door configuration (mesh, plexi, or solid-with-fans) must be specified at order time — confirm your cooling architecture and containment strategy before purchasing, as retrofitting doors into an active tenant bay adds labor and potential tenant-impact windows.
- At 42U total capacity across three 14U bays, this cabinet assumes a relatively compact per-tenant footprint — evaluate whether 14U per tenant is sufficient for your customer's typical deployment before committing to this configuration over a larger single-tenant alternative.
The GL840CL-3042-3PF is the right fit for managed colocation operators building out shared rack rows where per-tenant accountability, independent access control per bay, and flexible cooling door options are all requirements on the same floor plan.
