Intel 2U Hot-swap Drive Cage Upgrade Kit 8x3.5

The Intel A2U8X35S3HSDK is an upgrade kit that turns a standard 2U rack server into a system with room for eight hot-swappable 3.5-inch drives. It ships as a complete package, so you receive the drive cage, the matching backplane board, eight drive carriers, and the I2C jumper cable needed for proper sensor reporting. Everything arrives in one box, ready to slide into an open bay without forcing you to take the server offline.

Installation is straightforward. The cage lines up with the existing mounting points found in most Intel 2U chassis, and the backplane connects directly to the system’s power and data ports. Because the carriers support hot-swap operation, you can replace or expand storage while the server keeps running, a practical advantage for environments that cannot afford downtime.

This kit is a strong fit for administrators who manage growing databases, virtual machine pools, or large media archives. In a small business, it can add quick storage headroom for backup jobs. In a data center, it supplies extra bays for faster tiered storage or cold-data repositories, all within the same 2U footprint you already use.

Intel designed the assembly with a build that is both compact and durable, so it withstands continuous operation and dense rack conditions. The housing measures roughly 6.4 inches in height, 10.5 inches in width, and 20 inches in depth, and it weighs about 8.82 pounds once fully outfitted. These dimensions keep the kit within standard 2U tolerances, preserving airflow paths and cable runs.

Whether you are scaling a single server or standardizing storage expansion across an entire rack, the Intel A2U8X35S3HSDK offers a straightforward way to grow capacity without disrupting your workload.

• Adds up to eight 3.5-inch drive bays to a 2U Intel server
• Hot-swap support lets you replace or upgrade drives while the system is live
• Kit includes the drive cage, backplane board, eight carriers, and an I2C jumper cable
• Fits existing Intel 2U chassis with no custom fabrication
• Ideal for database growth, virtualization clusters, and media or backup storage
• Internal form factor that is sturdy and engineered for continuous data center use
• Approximate dimensions: 6.4 in H x 10.5 in W x 20 in D
• Weight: about 8.82 lb when fully populated