Removing and replacing a boot drive

Use this procedure to remove and replace a faulty boot drive from a node canister.

About this task

IBM® Storage FlashSystem node canisters have a single boot drive. A boot drive failure causes the node to go offline. Figure 1 shows an example of a single boot drive.

Notes:
  • Do not operate the control enclosure with one removed node canister for longer than 16 minutes. Operating for longer than this period might cause the control enclosure to shut down due to overheating.
  • If all boot drives in a node canister are replaced with new drives, then some Ethernet configuration of the node will be lost, such as the service IP and node IP. Use the Service Assistant Tool to reset the service IP and node IP if needed. (A node IP is only needed if the node must communicate with other nodes by using RDMA over Ethernet.)
  • No tools are required to complete this task. Do not remove or loosen any screws while you are completing this procedure.

Procedure

  1. Read the safety information.
  2. Review the Event Log to identify the faulty boot drive and the node canister in which it resides.
  3. Use the management GUI to determine the status of the node canister.
    Then, continue to step 4.
  4. Record which cables are plugged into the specific ports on the rear of the node canister. The cables must be inserted back into the same ports after the replacement is complete; otherwise, the system cannot function properly.
  5. Disconnect the data and power cables that are connected to the node canister.

Removing the boot drive

  1. Remove the node canister, as described in Removing and reseating a node canister.
  2. Remove the cover, as described in Removing and replacing the cover of a node canister.
  3. Locate the boot drive on the system board.
    Figure 1. Location of the boot drives
    Location of the boot drive on the system board
  4. Gently open the blue friction latch, as shown in Figure 2. Apply gentle pressure; do not force the latch open.
    Figure 2. Removing the boot drive
    Removing the boot drive

    When released, the boot drive pops up approximately 30 degrees. You can then carefully slide it out of connector.

Replacing the boot drive

  1. Hold the new boot drive from slot 2 at a 25 degree angle, as shown in Figure 3. Then, gently slide the drive into the connector until it stops.
    Figure 3. Replacing the boot drive
    Replacing the boot drive

    The contacts on the end of the boot drive will be fully covered. The boot drive is then hinged at the connector at one end and pressed down behind a friction clip at the other end.

  2. Install the node canister cover, as described in Removing and replacing the cover of a node canister.
  3. Reinsert the node canister, as described in Removing and reseating a node canister.
  4. Reconnect the power and connection cables to the node canister, ensuring that each cable goes into the same port from which it was removed.
  5. Log into the service assistant GUI or use management GUI or service CLI to place the node in service state.
  6. From the service GUI, issue the boot drive sync operation or log into the CLI to run the sync command. Then, issue the following command: 
    satask chbootdrive -sync panel_name
  7. Wait for the node to restart. It should leave the service mode automatically if it does not log into the service GUI or CLI.
  8. The node canister should automatically rejoin the cluster. Wait for the node to complete sync. After the completion of sync, the status of the node changes from out_of _sync to online.
    The following example displays the status of the node before completing sync.
    sainfo lsbootdrive
    The resulting output:
    panel_name node_id node_name can_sync slot_id booted status      actual_drive_sn configured_drive_sn actual_node_sn identify  FRU_part_number FRU_identity 
bfbfbf1    1       bfn1      yes      1       no     out_of_sync                 1234567         1234567             bfbfbf1        off       90Y8879         11S49Y7427YXXX6XK   
bfbfbf2    1       bfn2      no       2       yes    online                      1234568                                            off
    The following example displays the status of the node after completing sync.
    sainfo lsbootdrive
    The resulting output:
    panel_name node_id node_name can_sync slot_id booted status      actual_drive_sn configured_drive_sn actual_node_sn identify  FRU_part_number FRU_identity 
bfbfbf1    1       bfn1      no       1       no     online                      1234567         1234567             bfbfbf1        off       90Y8879         11S49Y7427YXXX6XK   
bfbfbf2    1       bfn2      no       2       yes    online                      1234568                                            off