Rack Installation: Dell™ PowerEdge™ 8450 Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

Overview • Before You Begin • Installing the Rack Kit Components • Installing a PowerEdge 8450 System in the Rack

Overview

This section provides instructions for trained service technicians to install one or more Dell PowerEdge 8450 computers in a Dell rack. The rack-mounting components are included in a kit that comes with the system (see Figure 1):

Figure 1. Rack Kit Contents

Rack Requirements

This kit is designed for use in a Dell rack with a extended-depth back door. If you have a early (white finish) version of the Dell rack, check that the back door does not contain flush-mounted glass. If it does, you will need to order a new rack door from Dell before installing your new system in the rack.

Before You Begin

Before you begin installing your PowerEdge 8450 computer in the rack, carefully read the safety precautions and tool requirements in the following subsections.

Important Safety Information

Follow these safety precautions when installing your computer in the rack.

Kit Installation Restrictions

This rack kit is intended to be installed in a Dell rack by trained service technicians. If you install the kit in any other rack, be sure that the rack meets the specifications of the Dell rack.

Rack Stabilizer Feet

The stabilizer feet help prevent the possibility of the rack tipping over when a PowerEdge 8450 computer or other components are pulled out of the rack so that the slide assemblies are fully extended. Refer to the Dell PowerEdge Rack-Mountable Solutions Installation Guide provided with the rack for instructions on installing the stabilizer feet.

Recommended Tools

To install the rack kit components, you need the following tools:  

• A #2 Phillips-head screwdriver
• A flat-blade screwdriver
• A steel measuring tape

Installing the Rack Kit Components

Removing the Doors From the Rack

You must remove the doors from the rack to provide access to the interior of the rack and to prevent damage to the doors while installing the kit. To remove the doors, perform the following steps.

1. Open the latch on the front door (see Figure 2).
   Slide the latch's button cover up as far as it will go, press the push button, rotate the handle clockwise until the latch releases, and then pull the door open.

Figure 2. Opening the Latch on the Door

2. Remove the front door as shown in Figure 3:
   1. One person should grasp the top of the door to stabilize it. The other person should grasp the bottom of the door.
   2. The person holding the bottom of the door should press the hinge release lever on the bottom hinge and then pull the bottom of the door away from the rack a few inches.
   3. The person holding the top of the door should press the hinge release lever on the top hinge and then pull the door away from the rack.

Figure 3. Removing the Rack Doors

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to remove the back door from the rack.

Store the two doors where they will not injure someone if they accidentally fall over.

Removing the Rack Side Panels

You will need to remove the side panels from the rack to gain access to the rack's interior. To remove a side panel from the rack, follow these steps.

WARNING: If you are installing more than one computer, install the first computer in the lowest possible position in the rack.

If you intend to install more than one PowerEdge 8450 computer in the rack, you must install the slide assemblies so that 7 units (U) (12.25 inches) of vertical space is between the top of one slide assembly and the top of the next. In the Dell rack, the rails of the rack are marked by small indentations in 1-U (1.75-inch) increments.

2. To install the slide assemblies in the rack, perform the following steps:

NOTE: When installing the slide assemblies, be sure that the white plastic stops at the ends of the channels are at the back of the rack.

1. Using a Phillips-head screwdriver, slightly loosen the three slide alignment screws that holds the back slide-assembly mounting bracket to the exterior slide (see Figure 5).
2. Slide the back mounting bracket towards the center of the slide assembly to slightly reduce the slide assembly's overall length.
3. Each mounting bracket has two tabs which fit through the holes in the vertical rail. Position the slide's front mounting bracket against the inner side of the rack's vertical rail as shown in Figure 5, with the upper tab aligned with the mark on the vertical rail you made in step 1.
4. Secure the front mounting bracket with two 10-32 x 0.5-inch Phillips-head screws and two #10 flat metal washers (see Figure 5).
5. Slide the back mounting bracket to increase the slide assembly's length until the back mounting-bracket flange fits snugly against the inner side of the back vertical rail.
6. Secure the back mounting bracket with two 10-32 x 0.5-inch Phillips-head screws and two #10 flat metal washers (see Figure 5).
7. Tighten the three slide alignment screws you loosened in substep a.
8. Repeat substeps a through g to install the second slide assembly.

Figure 5. Installing the Slide Assemblies

 

1	10-32 x 0.5-inch Phillips-head screws (2)
2	#10 flat metal washers (2)
3	Slide-assembly mounting brackets (2)
4	Slide alignment screws (3)

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Installing a PowerEdge 8450 System in the Rack

The subsections that follow include instructions for installing a PowerEdge 8450 system in the rack.

Installing the Cable Tray

Attach the cable tray on the PowerEdge 8450 computer chassis by inserting the two tabs on each end of the tray into the corresponding slots in the back of the system chassis. Secure the tray using three 6-32 x 0.25-inch Phillips-head screws (see Figure 6).

WARNING: Do not grasp the cable tray when lifting the system. The cable tray and its mounting are not sturdy enough to support the weight of the PowerEdge 8450 chassis. You should only lift the system by the chassis edges.

Figure 6. Installing the Cable Tray

 

1	Tabs (4)
2	Cable tray
3	6-32 x 0.25-inch Phillips-head screws (3)

Installing the Computer

To install the computer in the rack, perform the following steps.

WARNING: If you are installing more than one computer, install the first computer in the lowest position in the rack. Never pull more than one computer out of the rack at a time.

1. Pull the two interior slides out of the rack until they lock in the extended position (see Figure 7).

Figure 7. Installing the Computer in the Rack

 

1	Interior slides (2)
2	Release levers (2)
3	8-32 x 0.25-inch countersunk Philips-head screws (12)

 

WARNING: Due to the weight and size of the computer, never attempt to install the computer in the slide assemblies by yourself.

2. To make the system easier to lift, remove the power supplies from the computer.
3. Lift the computer into position over the slides. Align the computer to match the slots on the underside of the computer with the tabs on each rail, and lower the computer into place (see Figure 7).
4. Install twelve 8-32 x 0.25-inch countersunk Philips-head screws through the inner slides to secure the computer (see Figure 7).

NOTE: As you push the computer into the interior slides, the slide assemblies lock in the extended position. Press the release lever on the outer side of each interior slide (see Figure 7) to release the locks, and then slide the computer completely into the rack.

5. Slide the computer completely into the rack, and mark the location on the front vertical rails where the thumbscrews contact the rails.
6. Slide the computer away from the rack to allow access to the vertical rails.
   In the next step, you will install cage nuts at these two locations.
7. To install cage nuts in the vertical rails, perform the following steps:
   1. At one of the locations on the vertical rails you marked in step 5, insert the lower lip of the cage nut over the bottom of the opening in the back of the vertical rail as shown in Figure 8. Then insert the small end of the cage-nut installation tool through the opening in the rail (from the front), and hook the tool over the top lip of the cage nut.
   2. Push in on the cage nut while rotating the tool up and pulling it back toward you until the top lip of the cage nut snaps into position (see Figure 8).
   3. Repeat substeps a and b to install the second cage nut.

Figure 8. Installing the Cage Nuts

 

1	Cage-nut installation tool
2	Cage nut
3	Vertical rail

8. Slide the computer back into the rack and tighten the two thumbscrews to hold the computer in position.
9. Reinstall the power supplies in the computer.

Installing the Cable-Management Arm

To install the cable-management arm, perform the following steps:

1. Attach the end of the cable-management arm to the cable tray (see Figure 9).
   Align the hinge on the arm with the three holes on the vertical edge of the cable tray and secure with three 10-32 x 0.313-inch Phillips-head screws.

Figure 9. Installing the Cable-Management Arm

 

1	10-32 x 0.313-inch Phillips-head screws (3)
2	Cable tray
3	Right-angle bracket
4	#10 flat metal washers (2)
5	10-32 x 0.5-inch Phillips-head screws (2)
6	Cable-management arm

2. Attach the right-angle bracket of the cable-management arm to the vertical rail (see Figure 9).
   Use two 10-32 x 0.5-inch Phillips-head screws and two #10 flat washers to attach the cable management arm to the vertical rail.
3. Install the cables.
   For details on connecting the cables to the computer, see "Introduction" and "I/O Ports and Connectors" in the computer's User's Guide.
4. Route the cables along the cable-management arm, and secure the cables to the cable-management arm with the Velcro strips attached to the cable-management arm.
5. Slide the computer in and out of the rack to verify that the cables are routed correctly.
   Make sure that the cables are not pinched in the cable-management arm joints.

Replacing the Side Panels

Once you have finished installing the system, replace the rack side panels.

WARNING: To prevent personal injury due to the size and weight of the side panel, never attempt to replace the side panels by yourself.

To replace the side panels, perform the following steps:

1. While one person supports a side panel, install the two screws and associated washers securing the back edge of the side panel to the rack.
2. Reinstall the remaining two screws to secure the front edge of the side panel.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to install the other side panel.

Replacing the Rack Doors

WARNING: To prevent personal injury due to the size and weight of the doors, never attempt to replace the doors by yourself.

To replace the rack's front and back doors, perform the following steps:

1. Lift the front door into position, and align the hinges with the holes in the rack as shown in Figure 3.
2. Slide the hinges into the holes in the rack until the hinge release levers lock the hinges into position.
3. Close the door latch by rotating the handle counterclockwise until it stops, push in the handle until it locks in position, and then slide the cover down over the push button (see Figure 2).
4. Repeat substeps 1 through 3 to install the back door.

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