Removing the 8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, 9408-M25, or 9409-M50 disk drive backplane

Learn about removing the disk drive backplane from the server.

If your system is managed by the Hardware Management Console (HMC), use the HMC to complete the steps for removing the disk drive backplane from the server. For information about using the HMC to remove the disk drive backplane, see Removing a part using the Hardware Management Console.

If you do not have an HMC, complete the following steps to remove the disk drive backplane:

Perform the prerequisite tasks described in Before you begin.
Do one of the following steps, as applicable:
1. If you are removing the disk drive backplane for a system upgrade or as part of another procedure, continue to the next step.
2. If you are removing the disk drive backplane because of a system failure, use the service action log to help identify the failing part. See Identifying a failing part.
Stop the system or logical partition. For instructions, see Stopping a system or logical partition.
Disconnect the power source from the system by unplugging the system.
Note: This system might be equipped with a second power supply. Before continuing with this procedure, ensure that the power source to the system has been completely disconnected.

(L003)
or
Remove the front cover. See Removing the front cover from a rack-mounted model 8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, 9408-M25, or 9409-M50 or Removing the front cover from the stand-alone model 8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, 9408-M25, or 9409-M50.
Attention:
- Attach a wrist strap to an unpainted metal surface of your hardware to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) from damaging your hardware.
- When using a wrist strap, follow all electrical safety procedures. A wrist strap is for static control. It does not increase or decrease your risk of receiving electric shock when using or working on electrical equipment.
- If you do not have a wrist strap, just prior to removing the product from ESD packaging and installing or replacing hardware, touch an unpainted metal surface of the system for a minimum of 5 seconds.
Place the system into the service position. See Placing a rack-mounted model 8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, 9408-M25, or 9409-M50 in the service position.
Remove the service access cover. See Removing the service access cover from a rack-mounted model 8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, 9408-M25, or 9409-M50 or Removing the service access cover from a stand-alone model 8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, 9408-M25, or 9409-M50
Remove the fans and either the airflow cover or the fan cage, depending on your system:
1. For the 8204-E8A or 9409-M50, perform the following steps:
  1. To remove the fans, squeeze the tab (A) and lift the fan out of the fan cage as shown in Figure 1.
    Figure 1. Removing the fan from the 8204-E8A or 9409-M50 fan cage
  2. To remove the air baffles, grasp and pull the air baffle out of the fan cage, as shown in Figure 2.
    Figure 2. Removing the air baffles from the 8204-E8A or 9409-M50 fan cage
  3. To remove the fan cage, loosen the two thumbscrews (A) and lift the fan cage (B) out of the system as shown in Figure 3.
    Figure 3. Removing the fan cage from the 8204-E8A or 9409-M50 system
2. For the 8203-E4A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, or 9408-M25, perform the following steps:
  1. To remove the fans, lift the latch (A) upward and pull each fan (B) out of the airflow cover as shown in Figure 4.
    Figure 4. Removing the fans from the 8203-E4A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, or 9408-M25 airflow cover
  2. To remove the airflow cover (B), lift each of the four tabs (A) to release the cover, and lift the cover off of the system, as shown in Figure 5.
    Figure 5. Removing the airflow cover from the 8203-E4A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, or 9408-M25 system
Disconnect the cables from the back of the disk drive backplane, as shown in one of the following figures.
Note: Ensure that you have disconnected all cables from the backplane. Some of the cables might not be shown in the following figures.

Figure 6. Disconnecting the media device cables from the 2.5 inch small-form disk drive backplane

Figure 7. Disconnecting the media device cables from the 3.5 inch disk drive backplane
If you need to replace the backplane because of an upgrade or system failure, complete one of the following steps to remove the disk drives, depending on your backplane:
Note: If you remove a backplane that is populated with disk drives, the backplane will be heavy. Ensure that you can safely complete the procedure.
1. To remove the disk drive from the 2.5 inch small-form disk drive backplane, perform the following steps. Record the location of each of the disk drives you remove. The disk drives must be reinstalled to the same location again.
  1. Unlock the disk drive handle (A) and pull it toward you to unseat the disk drive.
  2. Place one hand under the disk drive and carefully pull the drive out of the system as shown in Figure 8.
  Figure 8. Removing the disk drive from the 2.5 inch small-form disk drive backplane
2. To remove the disk drive from the 3.5 inch disk drive backplane, perform the following steps. Record the location of each of the disk drives you remove. The disk drives must be reinstalled to the same location again.
  1. Gently lift and move the disk drive handle (A) away from the system to unseat the disk drive.
  2. Place one hand under the disk drive and carefully pull the drive out of the system as shown in Figure 9.
  Figure 9. Removing the disk drive from the 3.5 inch disk drive backplane
Remove the media device by pressing in on the latch (A) and sliding the media device out of the system, as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10. Removing the media device from the disk drive backplane
Unlock the disk drive backplane by pulling the handles open from the center of the backplane.
Pull the backplane out of the server as shown in Figure 11, Figure 12, or Figure 13.
Figure 11. Removing the populated 2.5 inch small-form disk drive backplane

Figure 12. Removing the populated 3.5 inch disk drive backplane

Figure 13. Removing the unpopulated disk drive backplane
Remove the control panel, signal cable, and USB cable from the backplane to use in the replacement backplane. For instructions, see Control panel, control panel fillers, and signal cables.
If you removed the backplane as a part of another procedure, continue with that procedure. To replace the backplane or to install a new backplane, see Replacing the 8203-E4A, 8204-E8A, 8261-E4S, 9407-M15, 9408-M25, or 9409-M50 disk drive backplane.