I’m a new homelabber, recently bought a SilverStone RM41H08 4U Chassis
My rack is wall mounted and this server is heavy AF to get into place when I need to adjust something.
All the reviews for the branded sliding rails that “work” aka rarely, are terrible.
I’m interested in any ideas people have for maybe DIYing a sliding rail set, or like a better universal rack? Literally anything please hahaha.
I’d even try cabinet rails or something if there’s a good resource on DIYing.
Thanks!
Links for reference: https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Rackmount-Hot-Swappable-RM41-H08-x/dp/B0922FZQFW
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B1KZMPN
https://www.amazon.com/ECHOGEAR-15U-Open-Frame-Rack/dp/B07YYJMCNV
Full extension rails are probably best going to come from the original vendor as a general principle, rather than attempting to use universal rails.
If you have a wall mounted rack, unless your walls are not drywall, physics is working against you. It’s already a pretty intense heavy cantilever, and putting a server in there that can extend past the front edge is only going to make that worse.
If you want to use full extension rails, you should get a rack that can sit squarely on the floor on either feet or appropriately rated casters. You should also make sure your heaviest items are on the bottom ESPECIALLY if you have full extension rails - it will make the rack less likely to overbalance itself and tip over when the server is extended.
Pesky physics strikes again! Haha. I do have them lay bolted to my basement foundation, so it should support a fair amount of weight… but “should” and “does” are different words for a reason 😂
Drywall isn’t a concern. Mounting to actual studs is what matters.
But I’d still put up plywood first, since drywall can compress where something’s mounted.
Fair - there are ways to handle it. I didn’t want to include specifics since I’m not a professional contractor for this sort of thing, but I should have indicated that there are exceptions.