---
sourceDocument: Australia Telecommunications Network Inventory
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/telecom-network-inventory

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Telecommunications Network Inventory

ft:clusterId :

    - telninv

bundleId :

    - telninv

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Data center infrastructure allocation placement policies

# Data center infrastructure allocation placement policies {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated September 10, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read  
Data center policies and rack policies are stored in the Knowledge Base and are applied to racks during the data center infrastructure allocation process.

## Default policies {#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__section_nfb_hpq_tjc}

Data center policies and rack policies are stored as articles in Knowledge Base and are applied to racks during the data center infrastructure allocation process. In the case where both levels of policy exist, rack policies
take priority. If no custom policies are defined, built-in default policies apply. These default policies are not editable. You can override them by defining custom policies in the Knowledge Base for your data center or
individual racks.
{#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__table_h3y_hpq_tjc__entry__4}

| Parameter | Level | Default | Effect |
|-|-|-|-|
| maxFillPercent | Data center default and per-rack | 100 | Caps how full a rack can be filled. To allow the rack to be filled up to its full capacity, use the default value of 100. Setting this value to 0 makes the rack unavailable for allocation. |
| reserveRU | Data center default and per-rack | 0 | Number of rack units kept free. The reserve floor is checked before scoring --- racks that cannot meet the reserve requirement are excluded. |
| balanceLoad | Data center default and per-rack | False | When true, the emptiest rack is preferred. When false, the tightest-fit rack is preferred. |
| preferBottomPlacement | Data center default only | True | When true, equipment is placed from the bottom of the rack upward. When false, equipment is placed from the top of the rack downward. This parameter is not honored as a per-rack override. |
[Table 1. Default policy parameters]

{#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__table_h3y_hpq_tjc}

## Custom placement policies {#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__section_tk4_gpq_tjc}

Each Knowledge Base article is linked to a configuration item --- either a data center or a specific rack. Articles must be published and the latest version to be read by data center infrastructure allocation. Unpublished or
non-latest articles are ignored.

Write the recognized parameters in plain language in the article. Data center infrastructure allocation interprets them automatically. Keep articles focused on the following four parameters:

* maxFillPercent
* reserveRU
* balanceLoad
* preferBottomPlacement

To apply different policies to individual racks within the same data center, structure the Knowledge
Base article with a default section for data center-wide values and a section that maps individual racks to their overrides using each rack's unique system identifier. To find a rack's system identifier, open the rack record
in the CMDB and copy the value from the sys_id field. A rack override identified by display name or rack number is not applied, and the rack silently falls back to the data center default. Values not listed for a rack fall
back to the data center default.  
Note:  
Custom policies are optional. Data center infrastructure allocation runs normally with no custom policies defined.
**Related concepts**   

* [Data center infra allocation](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/mQeXXor9JUu4Sai1Ac4oyw "Data center infra allocation change request reserves rack units using the rack allocation agentic workflow. The rack allocation agentic workflow handles change requests and finds racks that can accommodate the capacity requirement based on specific physical and logical constraints.")
* [Data center infrastructure allocation failure cases](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/UnZU0j~NOMXTrE7z8_Bi7Q "Allocation failures occur when devices, rack constraints, or CMDB records don't meet the requirements for placement.")
* [Data center infrastructure rack allocation](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/WkmKlbVooS2j131UTWjCog "Data center infrastructure allocation reserves rack unit space in a data center based on the requirements specified in a change request and the placement policies that you have configured.")