What is the Apple Xserve Rail Kit?

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.

Is the Xserve similar to the Dell Static Rail Kit?

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.

Apple Xserve Rail Kit Installation Depth Range

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″.

Are there Potential Obstructions with Server Rack?

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.

Quick and Easy Installation 

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.

Apple Xserve Rail Kit Obstruction

The Apple Xserve 4Post Rail Kit cannot be used with the 2Post Conversion Kits.  The Rear Rail Bracket of the Apple Xserve causes an obstruction with the Post of the Rack.  The following  photos detail the area of obstruction.

There are several options that are available to resolve this type of obstruction.  The easiest and most economical method available is to utilize a generic Fixed Rail to install the server.  These Fixed Rails support the server chassis much in the same way as a shelf, however these Fixed Rails typically do not occupy any additional rack space as a shelf would.

Installing the Apple Xserve on a 2Post Rack Shelf is the simplest and most economical method.  The 29″ deep shelf will easily support the weight of several Xservers.

Apple Xserve – Technical Specifications