Dell R320, PowerEdge Rack Enclosure 4020S Cabling R320, PowerEdge Rack Enclosure 4220 Cabling R320, PowerEdge Rack Enclosure 4020S Cabling R420, PowerEdge Rack Enclosure 4220 Cabling R420 White Paper

Greg Henderson and Jose L. Flores

Cable Routing Procedures for Dell™
PowerEdge™ R320 & R420 Systems

This Dell Technical White Paper explains the best practices for routing
and securing the cables exiting the back of the R320 & R420 systems.

Data Center Infrast ruct ure Engineering

May 2012

Cable Routing Procedures for Dell PowerEdge R320 & R420 Systems

This document is for informational purposes only and may contain typographical errors and
technical inaccuracies. The content is provided as is, without express or implied warranties of any
kind.

© 2012 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Dell and its affiliates cannot be responsible for errors or omissions
in typography or photography. Dell, the Dell logo, and PowerEdge are trademarks of Dell Inc. Other
trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the
marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the marks and names of
others.

May 2012| Rev 1.0

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Cable Routing Procedures for Dell PowerEdge R320 & R420 Systems

Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4

Section 1: Cabling a PowerEdge R320 or R420 system with a CMA ............................................ 4

1.1. Connecting the cables to the system ................................................................... 4

1.2. Routing the power cables through the strain reliefs ................................................. 5

1.3. Installing the CMA .......................................................................................... 5

Section 2: Replacing a hot swap power supply on a PowerEdge R320 or R420 system with a CMA ..... 8

2.1. Replacing a hot swap power supply with a left-side mounted CMA ............................... 8

2.2. Replacing a hot swap power supply with a right-side mounted CMA ............................. 8

Section 3: Cabling a PowerEdge R320 or R420 system on sliding rails without a CMA ................... 10

3.1. Routing the cables ....................................................................................... 10

3.2. Removing the outer CMA brackets for shallow racks .............................................. 10

Section 4: Cabling a PowerEdge R320 or R420 system installed on static rails ........................... 11

Figures

Figure 1. System with cables installed ............................................................................. 4

Figure 2. Routing power cables through the strain reliefs on hot swap power supplies .................. 5

Figure 3. Routing power cable through the strain relief on fixed power supply ............................ 5

Figure 4. Attaching the inner CMA attachment bracket ........................................................ 6

Figure 5. Routing the cables through the CMA .................................................................... 6

Figure 6. Left-side mounted CMA installation (preferred) ...................................................... 7

Figure 7. Right-side mounted CMA installation ................................................................... 7

Figure 8. Disconnecting the CMA attachment housings ......................................................... 9

Figure 9. Replacing the outer power supply ...................................................................... 9

Figure 10. Cable routing on sliding rails without a CMA ........................................................ 10

Figure 11. Removing the outer CMA brackets for shallow racks .............................................. 10

Figure 12. Cabling a system installed in static rails ............................................................. 11

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Cable Routing Procedures for Dell PowerEdge R320 & R420 Systems

Introduction

This white paper covers recommended cable routing procedures for the Dell™ PowerEdge™ R320 & R420
systems in the following racks:

• PowerEdge 2410, 4210

• PowerEdge 2420, 4220, 4820 (including wide and deep versions)

• PowerEdge Energy Smart 4020S, 4620S

If you are using the optional cable management arm (CMA), following these procedures will allow you
to extend the system from the rack for service without powering down or disconnecting the cables. If
you are not using the CMA, following these procedures will ensure secure attachment and strain relief
of the cables behind the system.

For guidelines on how to route cables within the rack, refer to the Dell Best Practices Guide for Rack
Enclosure white paper. For additional details regarding potential interferences between the CMA and
rear-mount power distribution units (PDUs) in Dell racks as well as general information about third
party rack compatibility, refer to the Dell Enterprise Systems Rail Sizing and Rack Compatibility Matrix
located at

docs~en/Documents~rail-rack-matrix.pdf.aspx.

http://content.dell.com/us/en/enterprise/d/business~solutions~engineering-

Section 1: Cabling a PowerEdge R320 or R420 system with a CMA

This section detai ls how to cable the PowerEdge R320 & R420 systems on sliding rails using a CMA. If
you are cabling the system without the optional CMA, refer to Section 3.

Follow the instructions contained in the Rack Installation Instructions in the sliding rail kit to install the
server into the rack. Once installed, use these instructions to install the cables. All illustrations in the
following sections were created using a PowerEdge R320 system.

NOTE: The PowerEdge R320 & R420 systems are backward compatible with the PowerEdge R310 &
R410 rails and CMA.

1.1. Connecting the cables to the system

Attach the CMA tray to the back of the rails as described in the CMA Installation Instructions provided
in the CMA kit. Connect all applicable cables to the rear of the system and verify that all connections
are secure. See Figure 1.

System with cables installed Figure 1.

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