Not all racks are created equal . . . and not all servers will fit in all racks (why?)
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Dell has introduced a new design for their 11G Servers. This rail kit is like no other before. The first thing that you will notice is that the rails themselves no longer attach to the rear mounting surface of the rack post but now wrap around and attach to the front mounting surface. The square hooks that Dell has used for years on their rail kits have been replaced by a set of pins and a small safety latch. The mounting depth range of this new rail kit changed from the previous kit as well. The following table compares the previous rail kit with the new one.
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| The 11G Rail Kit is less likely to cause obstructions than the Universal Rail kit. The 11G Rail Kit has a very clean line from the front to the rear rack post. There are very few racks that this rail kit won’t install in. The exception being a rack that has threaded holes instead of the common square holes. If your rack is tapped then this rail kit will not work! The only option for installations that use a rack with tapped holes is to use a fixed rail or a 3rd Party Rail Kit.
The installations that use 2PostRelay Racks will be able to use the Ready Rail with the addition of a 2Post Conversion Kit. The 2Post Conversion Kits are a set of 4 steel brackets that when installed onto a 2Post Rack provide the 4 corner attachments similar to a standard Server Rack. These Conversion Kits are available in sizes from 2-7 Rack Units and are capable of mounting multiple servers. |
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If you purchase a Dell 4210 Server Rack it is designed to have Dell Powerstrips installed. Likewise if you purchase an APC Server Rack it is designed to have APC Powerstrips installed. The APC Powerstrips are designed to install into a KeyHole cutout in the back of an APC Server Rack. It is possible however to install an APC Powerstrip into a Dell 4210 Server Rack by utilizing the small set of L Brackets that come with the APC Powerstrip. The following images show how this is accomplished.
This image shows the self tapping screws used to secure the L Bracket to the frame of the Dell Server Rack.
This image shows the APC Powerstrip installed. Notice how the Cable Management Bracket is installed on the APC Powerstrip.
There are several options available for installing a Flatscreen Display into a Server Rack. The simplest and most economical method is to use a Flushmount Bracket. This product will allow Flatscreens as large as 20″ to be installed into a Server Rack.
The higher end products provide a more integrated look to the installation. These products provide a faceplate that covers the front of the flatscreen. Products like this are only compatible with a particular model of display and therefore must be used with very specific installations.
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| Click on Photos for Additional Information | |
The Dell Precision Workstations can be rackmounted using several methods. The T3400 and the T5400 can use a Tower to Rack Conversion Kit. This kit allows the Workstations to be installed into most types of Server Racks. This kit is not compatible with the T7400. Additional installation methods utilize rackmount shelves. In order to choose the proper shelf you first must know the dimensions and weight of the equipment.
| Model | Dimensions (W x H x D) | Weight |
| T3400 | 6.8″ x 17.6″ x 18.4″ | 39lbs |
| T5400 | 6.73″ x 17.64″ 18.54″ | 39lbs |
| T7400 | 8.5″ x 22.26″ x 22.3″ | 55lbs |
The opening of a Server Rack is 17.7″ wide. The Dell Precision T3400 and the T5400 can both lay on their side however the Dell Precision T7400 would be too wide to lay on it’s side. The T7400 can be installed in pairs on a shelf if it’s standing up.
There are two types of Shelves that can be used to install the Dell Precision Workstations. The first type is a Fixed Shelf that will support up to 150lbs of equipment. This shelf is an economical and versatile product that will install into any type of Server Rack.
The second type is a Sliding Shelf. These shelves are purchased based on the weight they need to support. The Dell Precision T3400 & the T5400 are both 39lbs which is within the weight limit of any of the Sliding Shelves. The 45lb Capacity Sliding Shelf is the best choice for these workstations. The Dell Precision T7400 has a large chassis and would require a 95lb Capacity Sliding Shelf. The T7400 will have to stand upright on this shelf, however two of them can be installed on this product. The Sliding Shelf has a front and rear equipment stop that secures the equipment. For additional support especially if installing the Precision T7400 in pairs there are nylon straps available that further secure the equipment.
If you purchase a group of Server Cabinets from some of the Major Manufacturer’s be prepared for the possibility that all the Latches will be keyed exactly the same. When you attempt to get the Latches re-keyed you will quickly find out how difficult a task this will be. The following photos detail some of the different types of Latches available today.
This is the Dell Latch. Notice that the Dell Latch is the only one that is mounted horizontally on the door. This is not a high security Latch and having the Lock Cores re-keyed is difficult to do.
This is an older model HP Latch. This Latch is installed in the solid portion of the door and not in the perforation like other Server Racks. It could be argued that this makes for a more secure locking door. This Latch also operates two vertical rods that protrude into the frame of the Server Rack adding additional strength to the locking assembly.
The IBM Cabinet Latch is a small unit mounted in the perforation of the door. This Latch has a small catch that doesn’t appear to offer much security.
APC Netshelter Server Racks are an Industry Standard. Go into any large datacenter and the likelihood of an APC NetShelter Server Rack being on the datacenter floor is very good. APC uses a large Latch installed in the solid portion of the door. Notice the large locking lug at the top of the Latch. APC offers a wide selection of different Latches for different security requirements. APC Netshelters are at the high end of Server Racks.
RackSolutions Cabinet Latches have a large steel locking lug, however the standard Latch is not a high security model. RackSolutions offers an optional upgraded Latch that has a much higher standard of security if required.
You will never see a Generic Cabinet like this in a commercial datacenter. This type of Latch offers little to no security at all. Server Racks with Latches like this are meant for small installations where security is not a primary requirement.
Securing your equipment from shady characters is a very difficult tasks. There needs to be multiple layers of security in any type of environment. Controlled Access to the computer room is the first line of defense. When purchasing Server Racks for an environment where Security is mandatory be sure to ask the Vendor what type of Latches are installed on their Server Racks. Because not all Server Racks are created equal!
Dell manufactures rackmount servers and tower servers. Some of these servers have conversion kits that allow them to be utilized in both configurations, however the R900 is not one of them. The Dell R900 does not have a Rack to Tower Conversion Kit like the PE2900. The PE2900 Rack to Tower Conversion Kit replaces various chassis panels and components and what you end up with is a very nice Tower Server. The R900 requires a 3rd Party Rack to Tower Conversion Kit manufactured by RackSolutions. This kit looks like a small funiture dolly molded to the chassis of the R900. The dolly attaches to either side of the R900 with the shoulder screws that would normally attach the rail kit to the chassis. The casters allow the R900 to be easily rolled around wherever it’s needed. There are several places on the dolly to tie off cables and there’s even four lifting handles built into the dolly itself. This Rack to Tower Conversion Kit for the R900 provides an economical and versatile solution to utilizing the Dell R900 in a Tower Configuration.
The current Dell Rail Kit design is compatible with both square hole Server Racks as well as round hole Server Racks. This innovative design is the first production Rail Kit that has this unique feature. The ends of the Dell Rail have a rotating assembly that has square hooks on one surface and PEM nuts on the opposite surface. This mechanism is simple and versatile but has the potential to cause an obstruction with some types of Server Racks, specifically ones with C Channel uprights. The following photos show the potential obstruction points and the front end of the PE2950 Rail Kit detailing the rotating mechanism.
If you are having obstruction issues installing Dell Rail Kit there are several products that will fix your problem. RackSolutions makes several different kits that replace the rotating portion of the Dell Rail Kit with a simple bracket that does not cause an obstruction.
The following three photos show the 1U, 2U, and 5U Rail Ear kits available for the Dell PE1950, PE2950, and PE2900 Servers. There are other Dell Servers that share these rail kits as well.
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Click on Photos for purchasing and additional information.
The Dell PE T300 is one of Dell’s new Tower Server’s. Technically the T300 is not a Rackmountable Server but that does not stop people from attempting to install it in a Server Rack.
The T300 has a physical height of 17.94″ which would neccessite the server being installed in the tower conifguration. It would be nice to lay the T300 on it’s side but it would not fit through the 17.7″ opening of the Server Rack.
In the tower configuration the T300 requires over 10 Rack Units of space, not including the shelf the T300 sits on. This might be acceptible if there was an abundance of rack space but if the T300 was installed on it’s side it would only occupy 5 rack units of space.
The T300 has 4 pedestal feet on the bottom of the server. If these are removed then the overall height is reduced to 17.5″. Laying on it’s side it will easily fit through the 17.7″ opening of a 19″ Standard Server Rack. The perfect product to do this is a Medium Duty Sliding Shelf.
The latest generation of servers just keep getting deeper and deeper. This can cause obstruction issues with the Cable Management Arms and the Power Distribution Units at the back of the Server Rack. The following photo shows a Dell PE1950 installed in an APC 2100 NetShelter Server Rack. The CMA is very close to preventing the Power Cord from being plugged into the APC powerstrip.
The following installation shows a large number of PE1950s installed in an APC 3100 NetShelter Server Rack. There are so many cables that the APC powerstrip is buried and cannot be seen. The client was unable to plug the power cords in due to the large number of cables and the PE1950 CMAs that were causing an obstruction.
This photo shows how the installer attempted to resolve the issue by spacing the PE1950s apart. Notice here how the CMA is approximately 1″ from the receptacle. A standard NEMA 5-15P will not physically fit into that space. What is needed is a Low Profile Power Cord.
The Low Profile Power Cords are less than 1″ in height and can be used to resolve installations where the CMA, Cables, or other device is causing an obstruction with the power receptacles. These cords can be custom ordered with numerous different types of NEMA as well as IEC connectors. Custom lengths are also available.
The Apple Xserve is a well engineered server. The rail kit used to install the Xserve is a remarkably simple design. The current rail kit designs from other manufacturer’s like: Dell, HP, & IBM are more complicated and offer full slide rail features that the Xserve rail kit does not have. The biggest feature that the Xserve rail kit is lacking is Cable Management.
The Xserve rail kit is very similar to some of the Dell static rail kits. There is an inner track that is riveted onto the chassis of the server. The outer track slides over the inner track and is locked together by a safety latch. This design allows the Xserve to slide partially out of the Server Rack before it has to be removed.
The outer track of the Xserve rail kit is a very simple design. The outer track comes with two different length mounting brackets that give the rail kit an installation depth range from: 24″ to 36″. The shorter bracket provides an installation depth range of: 24″ to 29″. The longer bracket provides an installation depth range of: 29″ to 36″.
The Xserve rail kit is designed to mount on the inside surface of the Server Rack uprights or posts. Although this rail kit has a very simple design it could potentially have some obstruction issues with Server Racks that don’t have an unobstructed pathway from the front to the rear upright. A Server Rack that has a “C” channel upright will present an obstruction with this rail kit, as well as a host of other rail kits.
Installing the Xserve rail kit is relatively quick. This kit is not a tool-less installation, it requires the rails to be screwed to the Server Rack. The lack of Cable Management could cause some issues where numerous servers are installed. Overall the Apple Xserve rail kit is a versatile product that will install into most Server Racks without any major issues.
