RDX USB External Dock (EU04) and RDX Removable Disk Drives (1107, EU01, EU08, EU15, and EU2T)

Learn about the features of the RDX USB External docking station and the supported disk drives.

Description

The USB removable disk drive consists of a docking station, which holds a removable disk drive. The docking station is available as an external device. The disk drive is a backup and restore device that can be used as an alternative to tape drives. The removable disk drive is not a replacement for regular disk drives and cannot be used as part of a disk array. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the front and rear views of the RDX USB external dock.

Figure 1. Front view of an USB External Dock and the removable disk drive cartridge
Front view of an USB External Dock and the removable disk drive cartridge
D
Write-protect switch
Figure 2. Rear view and connectors on the external drive
Rear view, connectors on the external drive
E
Power connector
F
USB connector

Feature codes and part numbers

Learn about the feature codes (FCs) and part numbers for the USB Removable Disk Drive.

The RDX USB External Dock (FC EU04) uses an external USB cable to connect to an external USB port. The EU04 feature code includes a USB cable, an external power supply, and a power cord as part of the feature code. Table 1 provides the part numbers for FC EU04 and Table 2 provides the part numbers of the supported disk drives in the FC EU04.

FC EU04 provides the following parts:
Table 1. Parts of the FC EU04 External Dock
FRU Part number Description
46C2333 or 46C2347 External RDX USB 3.0 Dock
05H5081 or 05H5080 External USB 3.0 Cable (2.7 meters (8 ft 10 in))
81Y3649 or 81Y8905 External power supply with power cord and universal plugs for all supported geographies
39M5516 Power cord (1 meter (3.28 ft)) that connects the power supply to the rack power distribution unit
The supported disk drives in the FC EU04 are listed in the following table:
Table 2. Removable disk drives
Feature code Part number Description
EU08 46C5377 320 GB Removable Disk Drive
1107 46C5379 500 GB Removable Disk Drive
EU01 46C2335 1 TB Removable Disk Drive
EU15 46C2831 1.5 TB Removable Disk Drive
EU2T 00GC936 2 TB Removable Disk Drive

Purchasing extra removable disk drives

For best results, use only the removable disk drives that are shown in Table 2.

The removable disk drives are a supply item that can be ordered as a feature code. To order in the United States and Canada, call 1-888-IBM-MEDIA. To order drives in other locations, contact your local provider of IBM® storage products or see Storage Media (http://www.storage.ibm.com/media/).

Note:

The removable disk drives are not a service item. IBM service representatives are not dispatched to service or replace the removable disk drives.

Storing removable disk drives

Store removable disk drives in their protective containers, on a flat surface with the top side up. The storage area must be clean and dry, must have normal room temperature, and must be away from any magnetic fields. For best storage life, use the removable disk drives every six months.

Supported USB adapters and cables

Attention: The docking station supports the USB cable that is provided as part of the feature code. The docking station does not support attachment by using other USB cables, USB hubs, add-on USB cables, or USB cable extenders.

The external docking station can be connected to the external, integrated USB ports on POWER8® processor-based systems or can be connected to the USB ports on the PCIe2 LP 4-Port USB 3.0 Adapter (FC EC45) or PCIe2 4-Port USB 3.0 Adapter (FC EC46).

Specifications

Interface
USB 3.0
Mksysb
Yes
Bootable
Yes
Environmental
Table 3. Operating conditions
USB Removable Disk Drive Operating conditions Non-operating conditions
Temperature 5 °C - 55 °C -40 °C to +65 °C
Relative humidity 8% - 90% noncondensing 5% - 95% noncondensing
Maximum wet bulb temperature 29.4 °C noncondensing 40 °C noncondensing
Maximum temperature gradient 20 °C per hour 20 °C per hour
Altitude -300 meters (-984.25 ft) to 3048 m (10,000 ft) -300 meters (-984.25 ft) to 12,192 m (40,000 ft)

Operating system or partition requirements

If you are installing a new feature, ensure that you have the software that is required to support the new feature and that you determine whether there are any prerequisites for this feature and attaching devices. For information about the prerequisites, see the IBM Prerequisite website .

The media device is supported on the following versions of the operating systems:
  • AIX®
    • AIX 7.1, or later.
    • AIX 6.1, or later.
  • Linux
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 6, or later.
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, Service Pack 3, or later, with current maintenance updates available from SUSE.
  • IBM i
    • IBM i Version 7.2.
    • IBM i Version 7.1, or later.

Using the USB Removable Disk Drive for backup and restore

The disk drive is a backup and restore device that can be used as an alternative to tape drives. The removable disk drive is not a replacement for regular disk drives and cannot be used as part of a disk array.

Note: If power is lost during a backup to the disk, the data can be compromised. Verify the data or rerun the backup.

Using the drive with the AIX operating system

The AIX operating system names the drives as drive usbmsx, for example, usbms1, and usbms2. The AIX operating system can also use the device as a raw device, for example, rusbms1 and rusbms2.

The AIX operating system uses the removable disk drive differently depending on the program that is being used. The AIX command mksysb, builds a list of files to back up, creates a universal disk format (UDF) file system, and puts a boot image and the root volume group on the removable disk drive. When the mksysb process is complete, the removable disk drive can be used to boot the system. If you mount the removable disk drive, you can display and copy files to and from the UDF file system on the removable disk drive.

The AIX commands, tar, backup, restore, dd, and cpio can write to the removable disk drive as a raw device or non-raw device. You might get improved performance by using the device as a raw device.

See the AIX documentation for additional information.

Using the drive with the IBM i operating system

The IBM i operating system configures the drive as a removable media drive with a name in the format RMSxx, for example, RMS01.

The drive and cartridge are used with optical commands and utilities (for example, WRKOPTVOL and INZOPT), and reports media in the QOPT file system.

See the IBM i operating system documentation for information about using the IBM i commands: copy and backup.

Using the drive with the Linux operating system

The Linux operating system configures the drive as a disk drive with a name in the format sdx, for example, sda, sdb, and sdc.

See the Linux documentation for information about using the Linux commands: copy and backup.

Setting the write-protect switch

The removable disk drives have a red, write-protect tab that is located on the back of the drive. To write-protect a drive, slide the write-protect tab toward the lock symbol. To disengage write protection, slide the tab to the unlock symbol.

Using the emergency eject function

To eject a removable disk drive, press the eject button. If a drive is stuck, complete the following steps:
  1. Unplug the power cable from the device.
  2. Insert a large straightened paper clip (or similar object) into the emergency eject hole. Do not insert the object in the hole at an angle. Keep the object straight and apply some force to eject the drive.
  3. When the drive has been ejected by the docking station, grasp the exposed sides of the drive and pull the drive straight out.
  4. Reconnect the power cable for the docking station.
  5. Restart your system to reset the docking station.

Status lights

Learn about the power indicator and drive indicator status lights on the USB Removable Disk Drive.

Power indicator

The eject button is illuminated by a power indicator light. The following table describes the operation of the power indicator.

Table 4. Power indicator
Indicator status Meaning Description
Off No power Docking station does not have power.
Steady green Ready Power is on and the docking station is working correctly.
Flashing green Ejecting Cartridge is ejecting.
Flashing amber Fault Docking station has detected a fault condition with the docking station.

Removable disk drive indicator

The disk drive has an indicator light that displays the status of the drive. The following table describes the operation of the drive indicator.

Table 5. Cartridge indicator
Indicator status Meaning Description
Off Not ready Drive is not inserted correctly or the docking station has no power.
Steady green Ready Drive is ready.
Flashing green Activity Drive is reading, writing, or seeking.
Flashing amber Fault Docking station has detected a fault condition with the cartridge.



Last updated: Thu, June 01, 2017