Daniel Carosone
Mike SiegelEveryone just went to the cloud because they were sick of their fingers getting pinched by these fuckers.
kajer :notverified:@mikesiegel This changed my life - https://www.racksolutions.com/cage-nut-tool.html
Benjamin Sonntag-King@kajer @mikesiegel
The video doesn't show how it works in practice ... I'd love to see it before buying it ;)
The video doesn't show how it works in practice ... I'd love to see it before buying it ;)
Hugo Slabbert ⚠️@benjamin @kajer @mikesiegel I've seen folks swear by some of the alternatives as well, though I haven't actually used any of them myself, tbh.
https://patchbox.com/dev-mount-cage-nut/
https://www.rackstuds.com/
trusty falxter 🧠
InsertUser@benjamin
i do not see the point of the video that's just a slideshow.
The GIF further down the page is much more useful.
@kajer @mikesiegel
schrotthaufen@kajer “Designed to make your installation process as painless as possible” I assume they mean literal pain reduction from all the fucking cuts. @mikesiegel
@schrotthaufen @mikesiegel 1000% can confirm
Jessica D Dooley@mikesiegel ... Probably.
Jeff@mikesiegel I had blocked these stupid things from my memory. They were always even tougher because your hands are cold in a datacenter. Racking servers always exacted a blood price.
Michael Stanclift@mikesiegel I remember the first time someone busted out their installer for these.
Dave@vmstan @mikesiegel I learned about the cage tool the week after a 6 rack strip and replace datacenter move. Gutted.
Wolf480pl
j_angliss@wolf480pl @mikesiegel I've used patchbox's similar version (/dev/mount). While they do work nice, the issue you tend to have with them with is rails tend to be of fixed length, and often don't have enough space to pull an inch+ longer than designed, so you can never get the rails on the post properly.
At least with the patchbox version, the bolt is welded onto the bracket. If you accidentally turn too hard, you can shear the weld and you just end up with a spinning bolt you cannot get out.
@j_angliss @mikesiegel
huh... I guess I'm lucky that the only rails I've dealt with were Dell's ReadyRails which are both length-adjustable and toolless
huh... I guess I'm lucky that the only rails I've dealt with were Dell's ReadyRails which are both length-adjustable and toolless
@wolf480pl @mikesiegel Dell's ReadyRails are nice, used those plenty. Even so, there is a limit to how adjustable they are, same for most rail kits. Even more impactful when you have deeper racks.
I had to mount an older Citrix SDX. The rails could extend to about 30.5", mounting in a 29" deep rack. With the /dev/null devices had to fight to get the end of the rails around the bolts.
Don't get me wrong, they're very cool just some caveats. I have the rack studs in a shopping list to try, too.
Robert Belton@wolf480pl @mikesiegel
They are. I bought some and tried them out but my boss wouldn't let me roll them out en-mass. So one mini rack rather than the server rooms.
Although to be fair I had my doubts about using them on heavy bits of kit.
They are. I bought some and tried them out but my boss wouldn't let me roll them out en-mass. So one mini rack rather than the server rooms.
Although to be fair I had my doubts about using them on heavy bits of kit.
polprog68k@wolf480pl @mikesiegel i am guilty of tying the rack kit down with small pieces of twisted wire, because I cba to find the rack nut kit
@gorplop @mikesiegel lmao :DDD
slyborg@mikesiegel @vmstan The final failsafe against Skynet.
Just like "War of the Worlds", the robots will be defeated by the humble cage nut.
Just like "War of the Worlds", the robots will be defeated by the humble cage nut.
Lance Haig@mikesiegel wow even the special tools still hurt like hell
Sean Hood@mikesiegel Tbh, terraform can be just as painful
beaumains@mikesiegel I maintain a cloud, these are still required.
They just outsourced the pain. 
Richard "RichiH" Hartmann@mikesiegel Over the years, I got three of the shaped sheet spring steel things. I have not done this job for ten years. I still have them in my cellar, know precisely where they are, and will never lend or give them away.
Because, fingers.
Craig Askings@RichiH @mikesiegel whenever I see a brand new APC rack the first thing I do is claim the cage nut installation tool from the goody bag in the rack.
Bob K Mertz 
@haakon
Those ones specifically work better than any other tool I've ever used. The APC engineers clearly had field experience as well.
@RichiH @mikesiegel
Those ones specifically work better than any other tool I've ever used. The APC engineers clearly had field experience as well.
@RichiH @mikesiegel
Foxotronic@Foxotronic @mikesiegel never saw that before, and also yes
Waltteri@mikesiegel ow, i can still feel this picture, years later
Justin@mikesiegel
I have spent more time trying to install/remove those than racking servers so far.
I have spent more time trying to install/remove those than racking servers so far.
GrumpSec Spottycat@mikesiegel and then I discovered https://www.rackstuds.com/what-are-rackstuds and all was right in the rack mounting world again
Kyreeth@kyhwana @mikesiegel Oooh, interesting. Might have to try them.
devopscats@Kyreeth @kyhwana @mikesiegel YMMV, I've found some kit they don't work with, and wouldn't recommend them on stuff over 1 or 2RU in size
Arik@mikesiegel These definitely made sure my DNA has been left behind in some data centres.
Aaron
JPeck@mikesiegel oh I hate those
alarig@mikesiegel @aegiap flat screwdriver to the rescue
Michael Boelen@mikesiegel
You can move back: https://www.rackstuds.com/
Þór Sigurðsson@mikesiegel nah, just upgraded the hardware and got tool-free rails. Gamechanger!
Aaron Bieber (no relation)
Angela Scholder@mikesiegel OK, true, they are an absolute pain to install.
Nux@mikesiegel hello cage nut, my old friieeend! 😂
Ali@mikesiegel [rage mode on]
a holosprite 
@mikesiegel my fingers hurt just looking at this, you monster
ℳikey 🏳️🌈@jay Just tag me next time.. geez.. :-p
Frank Heijkamp@mikesiegel I used to have a little tool for that.
dritter@dritter @mikesiegel Yep, looks familiar.
Tisha Tiger / Neliger@mikesiegel Fair point 😹
Jeroen Wiert PluimersThese cage nut tool https://www.amazon.de/-/en/kwmobile-Pliers-Cage-Nuts-Size/dp/B07ZJB7HCX are pliers that look like an oversised nail clipper, and works in a very similar way.
Jan-Willem RuysMy fingers hurt just by looking at this picture 😖
Mx. Eddie R
Kevin P. Fleming@mikesiegel I switched to Rack Studs:
Soulfire The Wolf 
I feel bad I don’t know what these are
Seán C McCord 
@mikesiegel The cage nut tools are amazing, fantastic, and such that I wish I had discovered them *so* many years earlier.
@mikesiegel But then came a proprietary SBC vendor, which used these horrible cage clips, along with the rest of their nasty hardware, and my lovely kit was powerless against the press of seven cabinets of those things.
Major Denis Bloodnok@mikesiegel Eh, you know the computer will work when you make the blood sacrifice to the cage nuts.
Mason Pines@mikesiegel
I've worked on hundreds of racks in my working life.
I don't think I've ever walked away from one without finding my hands and arms covered in micro-cuts, which sting like hell because once you're out of the nice, air-conditioned machine room, your body starts to sweat and salt the wounds. Ouch!
I've worked on hundreds of racks in my working life.
I don't think I've ever walked away from one without finding my hands and arms covered in micro-cuts, which sting like hell because once you're out of the nice, air-conditioned machine room, your body starts to sweat and salt the wounds. Ouch!