HP RDX 1TB USB 3.0 Internal installation in ML350 G8

[johnnyfit]

Trying to install the RDX P/N B7B67A in a HP ProLiant ML350G8 drive bay - needs rail kit. ALL HP Documentation says it doesn't require.  Given that it DOES require mounting adapter, does anyone have a P/N for internal mounting kit?

P.S. This thread has been moved from General to ProLiant Servers (ML,DL,SL). - Hp Forum Moderator

[Matti_Kurkela]

The User Guide for the RDX 1TB USB3 says:

• Mounting rails: Some HP ProLiant servers, such as ML530 and ML570, require mounting rails. These may be metal or plastic rails attached to the filler panel of the server's drive bay. Use a regular Phillips screwdriver to attach the appropriate rails. Use the M3 screws provided
with the server. If in doubt, refer to your HP ProLiant server documentation.

• Mounting screws: Other HP ProLiant server models, such as ML350 and ML370, require the use of special locating screws with no mounting rail. Use a Torx screwdriver to attach the appropriate screws. An accessory kit containing appropriate M3 screws is provided with the HP RDX USB 3.0 Removable Backup System, if none are available with the server.

So, for a ML350 Gen8 (ML350e or ML350p Gen8? Or Gen8v2?) the screws should be used instead of rails.

Although the RDX cartridge may be hot-pluggable, the drive itself installs just like an optical drive. (The B7B67A should exactly match the form factor of a standard non-slimline CD-ROM drive)

According to the server's User Guide, you'll find a set of special fat-headed screws on the side of the drive cage, currently serving no purpose, just screwed into holes on the side plate of the drive cage. You should take four of these screws and screw them onto appropriate holes on the B7B67A. (This is an old trick HP apparently inherited from Compaq: in the late 1990's I installed CD-ROM drives on Compaq workstations using this exact method.)

Those screws have a specially-formed heads that exactly match the grooves in the sides of the optical drive cage.You're not exactly using the screws as screws, but as detachable posts that will slide into the grooves in the drive cage to hold the drive in place. Those screws will do the job of the rails you're expecting.

When you slide the B7B67A (with the screws added) in place, you'll find that there is a latch that will lock the drive in place. There might be a coloured lever or button nearby for releasing the latches of the optical drive cage, should you need it.