Removable guide apparatus for a rail-mounted device employed in a

Abstract

A removable rail guide apparatus is provided for a disk drive mounting structure which is capable of receiving disk drives or other rail-mounted devices therein. The mounting structure includes a frame including a bay capable of accepting therein one first height drive or two second height drives which are smaller than the first size drive. The bay includes first and second opposed side walls situated in spaced apart relationship. First and second stationary rail guides are fixedly situated on the first and second side walls, respectively, to mate with corresponding side rails of the first size disk drive. First and second removable rail guides are removably mounted on the first and second side walls, respectively, at a distance spaced apart from the first and second stationary rail guides. The first and second removable rail guides mate with corresponding side rails of the second size disk drive when the first size disk drive is not present in the first and second stationary guide rails. The user is provided with flexibility in that a first height drive can be installed when the removable rail guides are removed from the bay so as to avoid interference between the first height drive and such rail guides. Alternatively, the user can install one second height drive in the bay on the stationary nonremovable rails and/or a second height drive in the bay on the removable rails when such rails are installed in the bay.