Vertiv GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL 42U Freestanding Server Rack Enclosure

Overview

The Vertiv GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL is a 42U freestanding rack enclosure measuring 800mm wide by 1400mm deep — dimensioned specifically for environments where cable management depth, high-density compute, and structured physical layout matter. The extra 1400mm depth is the key differentiator here: standard 1000mm racks struggle once you factor in cable management arms, PDU rear-mount, and deep 2U or 4U servers with rear cabling. At 1400mm, you have room to mount everything correctly without compromising airflow or cable routing. The white finish suits data center environments with color-coded row designations or clean-room deployments where visual contrast against equipment aids rapid identification. The GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL ships on a pallet via the MS-PL configuration — a practical consideration when coordinating freight delivery to raised-floor or loading-dock facilities.

Key Features

• 42U Rack Height: 42U is the standard full-height data center enclosure — enough vertical real estate to house a full blade chassis, multiple 1U/2U servers, a top-of-rack switch, and a pair of PDUs without running out of space. If you're planning a high-density compute row, 42U avoids the mid-project scramble of adding a second half-height cabinet.
• 800mm Width: The 800mm width accommodates wider blanking panels, side-by-side cable management, and deep server ears that a 600mm rack cannot. It also comfortably fits 21-inch equipment shelves without the tight squeeze that causes cable pinching. For structured cabling environments, the additional 200mm over a standard 600mm frame makes a measurable difference in cable management quality.
• 1400mm Depth: A 1400mm cabinet depth is specifically suited for full-depth servers (Dell R-series, HP ProLiant, Cisco UCS) with rear cable management arms deployed. Budget an extra 150–200mm beyond your deepest server — 1400mm hits that target for most enterprise hardware. It also allows front-to-rear PDU mounting without blocking the server airflow corridor.
• Freestanding Floor-Standing Form Factor: No wall anchoring required. The floor-standing design is self-supporting, which simplifies installation in raised-floor environments where wall anchoring is either impractical or against data center standards. Verify seismic bracing requirements for your location — freestanding enclosures in Zone 2+ seismic areas typically require floor anchoring kits regardless of self-support.
• White Finish: The white color coding is commonly used for cold-aisle rows in hot/cold aisle containment layouts or in network operations centers where equipment rows are color-differentiated by function. Beyond aesthetics, white surfaces reflect lighting more efficiently in environments with overhead strip lighting, which aids maintenance access during off-hours work.
• Pallet Shipping Configuration (MS-PL): The MS-PL variant ships fully assembled on a pallet. That matters for procurement logistics — a pallet-shipped enclosure arrives plumb and square, without the assembly labor of a flat-pack unit, and can be moved via pallet jack directly to the installation point in most raised-floor facilities.

Integration and Compatibility

The GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL is a standard EIA-310 compliant 42U enclosure. It accepts standard 19-inch rack-mount equipment across all 42U of usable vertical space. The 800mm interior width supports side cable management channels, vertical PDU mounting on both side rails, and horizontal cable management panels — all standard components in structured server rack enclosure deployments. The 1400mm depth is compatible with full-depth cable management arms for rear-cabling servers, eliminating the need to disable CMAs to close the rear door. For Vertiv-ecosystem deployments, this enclosure is designed to pair with Vertiv PDUs, containment systems, and cooling infrastructure. Browse the full Vertiv catalog for compatible power distribution, cooling, and monitoring accessories. For multi-cabinet row builds, the 800mm footprint allows standard aisle spacing when paired with hot/cold aisle containment accessories. Coordinate PDU rail spacing and cable management bracket compatibility with Vertiv accessories before procurement — rear PDU placement in a 1400mm cabinet should be planned against your deepest server's cable arm reach to avoid airflow bypass.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the internal usable rack space of the GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL?

A: The GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL provides 42U of usable rack space, accommodating standard 19-inch EIA-310 rack-mount equipment across all 42 rack units.

Q: Why choose 1400mm depth over a standard 1000mm or 1200mm rack?

A: The 1400mm depth is suited for full-depth enterprise servers with cable management arms deployed at the rear. Servers like Dell PowerEdge and Cisco UCS with CMAs require roughly 250–300mm of rear clearance beyond the server body — 1400mm accommodates this without forcing you to fold or remove the CMA, which would compromise cable management quality.

Q: Is the GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL pre-assembled or does it require on-site assembly?

A: The MS-PL designation indicates pallet shipping, which typically means the enclosure ships assembled on a pallet for freight delivery. Verify with your freight carrier for final-mile delivery requirements to raised-floor or dock-access facilities.

Q: Does the 800mm width provide any advantage over a 600mm rack?

A: Yes. The 800mm width provides room for vertical cable management channels on both sides of the interior, supports wider equipment shelves, and accommodates 21-inch equipment without cable pinching. It is the preferred width for high-density deployments with structured rear cabling.

Q: What floor space footprint does this enclosure require?

A: The enclosure itself is 800mm wide by 1400mm deep. Plan for additional aisle clearance — typically 1000–1200mm front aisle and 600–800mm rear aisle in standard hot/cold aisle layouts — when calculating total floor space allocation.

Q: Is the white finish a standard offering or special order?

A: The GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL is a standard white-finish SKU in the Vertiv EX line. The white color is commonly used for cold-aisle row designation or clean-room/NOC environments and is not a custom or special-order finish for this model.

Ted Perry

The GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL stands out in the Vertiv EX line specifically because of its 1400mm depth — a spec that gets overlooked until you're on-site trying to close the rear door with a cable management arm deployed. At 1400mm, that problem disappears. I recommend this model to teams running full-depth servers in high-density rows where rear cable management is non-negotiable.

Technical Highlights:

• 1400mm Cabinet Depth: Accommodates full-depth enterprise servers plus rear-deployed cable management arms without door interference — a practical necessity for UCS, ProLiant, and PowerEdge platforms with CMAs installed.
• 42U Vertical Capacity: Full-height 42U maximizes rack density per floor tile — critical in raised-floor data centers where per-tile power and cooling allocation drives ROI on every square foot.
• 800mm Width: Provides bilateral vertical cable management channels and supports wider PDU/accessory mounting configurations that a 600mm frame physically cannot accommodate without equipment conflicts.

Deployment Considerations:

• Pallet delivery (MS-PL) simplifies logistics for raised-floor facilities with loading dock access — confirm dock height and pallet jack availability before scheduling delivery.
• Freestanding enclosures in seismic zones require floor anchor kits; the GL42UEX-80140W-MS-PL's self-supporting design does not substitute for seismic anchoring where local code requires it.

This enclosure is the right call for a high-density compute row in a structured data center environment — specifically where you're deploying full-depth servers with rear cable management arms and need a white-finish cabinet for cold-aisle row designation in a hot/cold aisle containment layout.