Removing and replacing a drive assembly

Edit online

You can replace a faulty 2.5-inch drive in the 2U expansion controller with a new one received from stock.

Before you begin

Ensure that the drive is not a spare or a member of an array. The drive status is shown in Pools > Internal Storage in the management GUI.

Attention:
  • Do not replace a drive unless the drive fault LED is on or you are instructed to do so by a fix procedure.
  • If the drive is a member of an array, go to the management GUI and follow the fix procedures. The fix procedures mitigate loss of data and loss of access to data and manage use of the drive by the system.
  • Do not leave a drive slot empty for extended periods. Do not remove a drive assembly or a blank filler without having a replacement drive or a blank filler with which to replace it.

Procedure

To prepare to replace a drive assembly, complete the following steps.

  1. Read the safety information in the IBM Systems Safety Notices publication that was provided with your system hardware.
  2. Locate the slot that contains the drive assembly that you want to replace.
    1. Refer to Procedure: Identifying which enclosure or canister to service to ensure correct identification of the correct system or enclosure.
    2. The drive slots are numbered 1-12 starting at the top left of the enclosure drive bay slots. The drive slots 1-6 run from the top left to the top right. The drive slots 7-12 run from the bottom left to the bottom right.
    3. If the drive in the slot is faulty, the lit, amber fault LED on the drive helps to identify it.
  3. To further help identify the drive assembly, go to the management GUI to Pools > Internal Storage, select the drive to replace, and click Actions > Identify. Verify that the correct drive fault LED flashes.
    Attention: Never hot-swap a disk drive when its green activity LED is flashing. Hot-swap a drive only when its amber fault LED is lit (not flashing) or when the drive activity LED is off.

Remove a drive assembly

  1. Gently slide the orange release latch up to unlock the handle.
  2. Pull out the tray handle to the open position (see Figure 1).
    Figure 1. Unlocking and removing a 2.5-inch drive from its slot
    Unlocking and removing a 2.5-inch drive from its slot
  3. Grasp the handle and pull the drive partially out of the bay.
  4. To avoid possible damage to the drive, wait at least 20 seconds before you remove the drive assembly from the enclosure.
  5. Gently slide the drive assembly out of the enclosure.
  6. Make sure the drive assembly has proper identification, such as a label on the hard disk drive.
    If the drive fails, record that information on the label.

Replace a drive assembly

  1. Touch the static-protective package that contains the drive assembly to any unpainted surface on the outside of the enclosure.
  2. Remove the drive assembly from its package.
  3. Make sure that its drive-tray handle is in the open (unlocked) position.
  4. Align the drive assembly with the guide rails in the bay (see Figure 2).
    Figure 2. Installing and locking a 2.5-inch drive into its slot
    Installing and locking a 2.5-inch drive into its slot
  5. Gently push the drive assembly into the bay until the drive stops.
  6. Rotate the drive handle to the closed (locked) position.

Results

If the replaced drive was a failed drive, the system automatically reconfigures the replacement drive as a spare and the replaced drive is removed from the configuration. The process can take a few minutes.