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I am setting up a "server closet". I have not worked with server racks before. I got a server rack free on Craigslist. I am not sure how many "U" it is - it's about 6 feet tall.

I bought two 4U cases and moved my hardware into them.

Now I need to mount the cases into the cabinet. It came with a bunch of these sliding rails that are about 1" tall. I wonder if these are specially for the narrow 1U hardware. I would expect a flat piece of metal that I could screw into the side of my cases. These rails are sort of "U-shaped". The top and bottom edges of the rails extend into the rack maybe 1/8", and the center of the rails are flat against the edge of the rack.

Is it normal for rails to have this kind of shape? If I need to get rails, what is a good vendor online? The prices seem to be way out of proportion to what you get (a thin piece of metal).

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    Home setups are off-topic, per the faq.
    – MDMarra
    Dec 7, 2011 at 16:09
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    The site is community run. While new people expect it to be open and free range, the reality is that it's kind of like a Home Owner's Association. Sometimes you put up with the stupid rules about what color trash bin you can have out front if you want to have the benefits of the site. Dec 8, 2011 at 14:02

2 Answers 2

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The rails have to match your server case. If you got the rails with your case then they should be the correct rails.

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  • Sounds like the rails came with the rack, not the servers. Rails are server specific, and should fit any rack of the same depth.
    – dunxd
    Dec 8, 2011 at 13:52
  • Yes, but there are rackspecific emergency so to say rails that work as an artificial floor. L shaped.
    – TomTom
    Dec 8, 2011 at 14:19
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From what I've seen the rack widths are standard (19"?) and the spacing of the holes is standard. The rails are different depending on the vendor but I know I have seen generic rack-mountable shelves and L-brackets that will accept rack-mountable servers. The new Dell and HP rails are fantastic, you can snap them into place in a few minutes without any tools.

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