Configuring a disk drive or solid-state drive on a load source adapter for hot-spare protection by using the IBM i operating system

Learn how to configure a disk drive or solid-state drive on a load source adapter for hot-spare protection by using the IBM® i operating system.

1. If necessary, start the System Service Tools (SST) by typing strsst on the command line of the IBM i session, and then press Enter.
2. Type your service tools user ID and service tools password on the Start Service Tools (STRSST) Sign On display, and then press Enter.
   Note: The service tools password is case-sensitive.
3. Determine the protection status of all disks that are controlled by the load source adapter. Do all drives that are a member of a parity sets or mirror sets have a status of active?
   • Yes: Continue to the next step.
   • No: Replace the drive. Refer to the removing and replacing instructions for your system with the power turned on in IBM i.
4. Before completing the next step, consider the following information:
   Restriction: There must be a drive of the same or larger capacity to act as a hot-spare function for the active load source drive.
5. Determine whether a non-configured drive of the same or larger capacity is in a load source capable slot but is not the active load source. Only parallel SCSI places a restriction on the location of the load source. Any SAS, Fibre Channel, or virtual drive does not have this restriction.
   • No: There is no non-configured drive in a load source capable slot. Continue with the next step
   • Yes: A non-configured drive is in a load source capable slot. Return to the procedure that sent you here, and continue with the next step of that procedure.
6. Choose the drive to be installed or exchanged with the drive in the load source slot by completing the following steps:
   1. Select a drive in a parity set in a load source capable slot, but is not the active load source drive, and record the location of this drive.
   2. Select a non-configured drive of the same or larger capacity from either a non-load source slot or a failed drive you are replacing with a non-configured drive.
7. Stop the system or logical partition. For instructions, see Stopping a system or logical partition.
8. Exchange the drives from the two locations you recorded in step 6 by removing both drives and placing them into the other drives slot.
9. Start the system or logical partition. For instructions, see Starting a system or logical partition.
10. Return to the procedure that sent you here.