Rack rails on network equipment

Fri Sep 24 19:49:53 UTC 2021

On Fri, Sep 24, 2021 at 09:37:58AM -0700, Andrey Khomyakov wrote:
> .... We selected Dell switches in part due
> to Dell using "quick rails'' (sometimes known as speed rails or toolless
> rails). 

Hmm, I haven't had any of those on any of my Dell switches, but then
again, I haven't bought in in awhile. 

You mention about hardware lockin, but I wouldn't trust Dell to not switch
out the design on their "next-gen" product, when they buy from a
different OEM, as they are want to do, changing from OEM to OEM for
each new product line. At least that is their past behavior over many years 
in the past that I've been buying Dell switches for simple things. 
Perhaps they've changed their tune. 

For me, it really doesn't take all that much time to mount cage nuts
and screw a switch into a rack. Its all pretty 2nd nature to me, look
at holes to see the pattern, snap in all my cage nuts all at once and
go. If you are talking rows of racks of build, it should be 2nd nature?

Also, I hate 0U power, for that very reason, there's never room to
move devices in and out of the rack if you do rear-mount networking.