Recommendations for Proprietary OEM Equipment

Racks and Enclosures

Recommendations for Proprietary OEM Equipment

Applicable to: World Wide

Product: Dell 9G Sliding Rails and Cable Management Arms. Also known as RapidRail/VersaRail system for mounting PowerEdge 2950, 2970 and 1950 servers.

Issue: Dell’s mounting rails used to mount the PowerEdge 2950, 2970, and 1950 servers have an extension attachment for the Cable Management arms that extends into the rear of the VX and SX enclosures. This will cause interference with the PDUs mounted in the 0U space. Some outlets will be blocked when a PDU is mounted in the first slot of the 0U cable channel area in 600 mm wide enclosures. In addition, if the Dell Cable Management Arm (CMA) is installed, both PDUs will be blocked on one side of the enclosure.

Solution 1: Use wider or deeper enclosure.

APC recommends using 750 mm wide enclosures (AR3150, AR3157) to provide more space between the RapidRails and the PDU outlets. Although the rails still extend into the PDU area, the extra width will provide adequate space for power cords on any outlet even with the CMA installed. To maximize space, it is recommended to install the CMA on the opposite side of the PDUs. APC now offers a new series of 1200mm deep enclosures (AR3300, AR3350, and AR3307) that will provide ample space for the Dell Rapid Rails and CMAs.

Solution 2: Order 3rd party or fixed mounting rails.

Third party mounting rail kits for the PE 2950 and PE 2970 that do not extend into the PDU mounting area are available from Rack Solutions ( These can be purchased from Rack Solutions or directly from Dell upon special request.

- PE 2950 mounting sliding rail from Rack Solutions: 2URAIL-2950

- PE 2970 mounting sliding rail from Dell (mfg. by Rack Solutions): A0741949

- PE 1950 mounting static rail from Rack Solutions: MOD-310-8160-MK01

The PE1950 RackSolutions rail kit is actually a Dell static Rapid Rail kit that has been shortenedapproximately 1.5 in (38mm) shorter.

All of the RackSolutions rail kits provide ample clearance in the rear of the APC enclosure for access to the PDU outlets. Attachment of the cable management arms may still cause congestion or blockage of some of the outlets.

Solution 3: Maximize space within the 600 mm wide enclosure.

If the first two solutions are not an option, the interference in the 600 mm wide enclosures (AR3100, AR3107) can be minimized by adjusting the enclosure front mounting rails as forward as possible, and the 0U cable channel in the rear of the enclosure as far back as possible. Mount the PDUs on the opposite side of the Cable Management Arm, or do not install the CMA. This is not a complete solution, as some PDU outlets will still not be accessible.

Product: IBM x336 Series Server Mounting Rails

Issue: IBM’s x336 server mounting rails are deeper than the server chassis and will extend into the rear of the VX and SX enclosures. This will cause interference with the PDUs mounted in the 0U space. Some outlets will be blocked when a PDU is mounted in the first slot of the 0U cable channel area in 600 mm wide enclosures.

Solution 1: Use wider or deeper enclosure.

APC recommends using 750 mm wide enclosures (AR3150, AR3157) to provide more space between the IBM mounting rails and the PDU outlets. Although the rails still extend into the PDU area, the extra width will provide adequate space for power cords on any outlet.APC now offers a new series of 1200mm deep enclosures (AR3300, AR3350, and AR3307) that will provide ample space for the IBM mounting rails.

Solution 2: Order 3rd party mounting rails.

Third party mounting rail kits are available from Rack Solutions ( for the x336 that are shorter in length, and do not extend into the PDU mounting area. The part number from Rack Solutions is 1URAIL-IBM-336.

© 2009. All rights reserved. All APC trademarks are property of American Power Conversion. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Disclaimer: This information is reliable at the point of creation and may be subject to change.

Last updated: June 2009

Racks and Enclosures

Recommendations for Proprietary OEM Equipment

Applicable to: World Wide

Product: IBM P5 - P570 Servers and IBM Power 770 (aka P770)

Issue: Multiple P570 servers have an option to link power from unit to unit using a flex assembly power cable. The flex assembly power cables are intended to route in the space between the enclosure’s vertical mounting rails and the enclosure’s side panels. The flex assembly will extend past the mounting rail by 2.75” (70 mm). Most 600 mm wide enclosures do not have enough clearance to meet this requirement. Technically, the IBM P570 product does not meet EIA-310D equipment mounting requirements.

In the Power 770 “the front cover and the external processor fabric cables occupy space on the front left and right side of an IBM 7014 rack and non-IBM racks may not offer the same room.”

Solution: APC recommends using the 750 mm wide enclosures (AR3150, AR3157) when installing the IBM P570 series servers or IBM Power 770 (P770) server.

Last updated: June 2009

Racks and Enclosures

Recommendations for Proprietary OEM Equipment

Applicable to: World Wide

Product: IBM P5 & P6 - P570 Servers

Issue: A number of IBM supplied server mount kits are designed to mount in round holes instead of the standard square holes on APC enclosures.The round holes position the mounting brackets (rack mount drawer rail kit). However, once the server chassis is installed, the captive screws on the chassis will screw into the mounting bracket securing it in place.

Solution: APC recommends using one of the non-IBM mounting bracket kits listed below. These can be ordered through IBM:

7164 - IBM/OEM RACK MTG RAIL KIT, ADJUSTABLE DEPTH

7165 - OEM RACK MTG RAIL KIT, ADJUSTABLE DEPTH

The picture below shows the heads of the attached screws, instead of the small pins that are included standard. These fit well in the square holes and hold the rail in the correct position. Above the rail, in height unit 15 is the U shaped plate that functions as a stop on the back side when sliding the server in. The screws installed are part of the standard kit that is included with each server. No special adapters or kits are needed.

Thepicture below shows the rails with the server in place. The rear vertical rails must be moved 0.75”(19mm) forward to achieve the correct depth.

Product: IBM BladeCenter H Series Servers

Issue: The BladeCenter H servers have two power outlets positioned at the rear of the chassis, very close to the sides. When the power cords are attached, the connector and cord extend past the 28” (710 mm) deep server chassis by approximately 4” (100 mm). This will cause interference with the PDUs mounted in the 0U space. Some outlets will be blocked when a PDU is mounted in the first slot of the 0U cable channel area in 600 mm wide enclosures.

Solution: Use wider or deeper enclosure.

APC recommends using the 750 mm wide enclosures (AR3150, AR3157) to provide more space between the power connectors and the PDU outlets. Although space will be at a minimum, there will still be adequate space to insert power cords into the PDU.APC now offers a new series of 1200mm deep enclosures (AR3300, AR3350, and AR3307) that will provide ample space for the IBM power connectors.

Product: HP c-Class blade servers

Issue: The bottom of the frame of the HP c-Class blade server chassis protrudes approximately 2 ½” (64mm) from the front of the mounting rails. When mounted in the bottom U space of the APC Netshelter SX enclosure, the chassis frame will interfere with the closing of the enclosure door.

Solution 1: Mount the c-Class chassis starting at the 2nd U space from the bottom.

Solution 2: Move the mounting rails back about ½” (13mm) from the front.

Recommendation: Increasing cable density, deeper equipment, and the necessity to access to the back of the blade servers is driving the need for more work space and cable management in the rear of the enclosure. APC recommends mounting blade servers in wider or deeper enclosures to accommodate these issues. Using a 750mm wide enclosure, such as the AR3150 or AR3157, will allow for more cable management space and moves the PDUs and power cords to the sides so the user can access the back of the equipment.

Last updated: June 2009