How to correctly move a server inside a rack up and down

Maybe a bit stupid question, but

Sometimes (rarely but it happens) I need to move a server in a rack 1-2U up or down. What do you think, which of the ways is the most correct and useful and why?

• remove a server from the rails, detach a rails, attach them back to the new place, put a server back on the rails

• carefully, hole by hole (or by 2-3 in one step if possible) move a rails together with a server

• do everything in some other way (explain)

Please do not write "you must plan a rack before assembling" etc. This is good idea to plan everything but unfortunately the real life is not so ideal :)

Solution 1:

While time-consuming, removing everything altogether and putting it back in the new location is the best way to move a server. Trying to take shortcuts will only risk bending your rails, making them unusable. (Bent rails are hard - if not impossible - to bend back.)

Never mind the possibility of dropping your server outright, possibly damaging yourself, the floor, or other servers!

This is also a good time to fix your cable management if it's sloppy...

Also, since you should be taking an outage on the server (you are shutting it down, aren't you?), it may be a good time to do those things that you don't otherwise have time for, like firmware updates?