Installing internal SCSI drives - IBM eServer xSeries 240, Netfinity 5600

Resolving The Problem

Different types of drives allow the system to read multiple types of media and store more data. Several types of drives are available, such as:

• Diskette
• Hard disk
• CD-ROM
• Tape

Internal drive bays: Internal drives are installed in bays. The server comes with one 3.5-inch, 1.44 MB diskette drive and one CD-ROM drive.

Tower model

1 Diskette drive bay
2 SCSI ID 0 bay
3 SCSI ID 2 bay
4 SCSI ID 3 bay
5 SCSI ID 4 bay
6 SCSI ID 8 bay
7 SCSI ID 9 bay
8 Hot-swap bays
9 CD-ROM drive bay
10 Non hot-swap bay B
11 Non hot-swap bay A

Rack model

1 Hot-swap bays
2 CD-ROM drive bay
3 Non-hot-swap bay B
4 Non-hot-swap bay A
5 Diskette drive bay B
6 SCSI ID 9 bay
7 SCSI ID 5 bay
8 SCSI ID 4 bay
9 SCSI ID 3 bay
10 SCSI ID 1 bay
11 SCSI ID 0 bay

The server contains hardware that lets you replace a failed hard disk drive without turning off the server. Therefore, you have the advantage of continuing to operate the system while a hard disk drive is removed or installed. These drives are known as hot-swappable drives. They are also referred to as hot-swap drives.

Each hot-swap drive that you plan to install must have a hot-swap-drive tray attached. The drive must have a single connector attachment (SCA) connector. Hot-swap-drive trays come with the hot-swap drives.

• The server comes with a preinstalled 3.5 inch, 1.44MB diskette drive and a preinstalled IDE CD-ROM drive.
• Bays A and B come without a device installed.These bays are for 5.25 inch, half-high, removable-media drives, such as tape backup drives. Bays A and B can be combined into a single full-high bay.
• The Netfinity 5600 server supports only one diskette drive.
  
  Note: The server's EMI integrity and cooling are both protected by having bays A and B covered or occupied. When you install a drive, save the filler panel from the bay, in case you later remove the drive and do not replace it with another.
  
  
• If you are installing a device with a 50-pin connector in one of the non-hot-swap bays (bays A--B), you need a 68-pin to 50-pin converter. To order the converter, contact the IBM reseller or IBM marketing representative.
• The server supports six slim (1-inch) or three half-high (1.6-inch), 3.5-inch hot-swap hard disk drives in the hot-swap bays.
• The hot-swap bays connect to a SCSI backplane.
• The backplane supports up to six hard disk drives.
• The diskette drive uses 1MB and 2MB diskettes.
• For optimum use, format 1MB diskettes to 720KB and format 2MB diskettes to 1.44MB.

Some drives have a special design called small computer system interface, or SCSI. This design allows you to attach multiple drives to a single SCSI channel.

Notes:

1. Any information about SCSI drives also applies to other SCSI devices, such as tape drives.
2. If you plan to install both internal and external SCSI devices, you must follow the instructions in 'Connecting external options', in addition to the instructions in this section.

A 16-bit (wide) SCSI cable connects the SCSI HDD (hard disk drive) backplane to an integrated LVD SCSI controller on the system board. An additional 16-bit 2-drop SCSI cable is shipped disconnected inside the server. It is folded and restrained with a cable clamp to the side of the power supply housing.

If you want to install a device in one of the non-hot-swap bays, you can either:

• Install an additional SCSI adapter and use the 2-drop SCSI cable to attach the device to that adapter.
• Install a RAID adapter as follows:
  • Disconnect the SCSI cable from the SCSI cable extender on the system board. (The other end of the SCSI cable is connected to the SCSI HDD backplane.)
  • Connect the end of the SCSI cable that you disconnected from the SCSI cable extender to the RAID adapter. The other end of the cable is connected to the SCSI HDD backplane; the drives in the hot-swap bays are now connected to the RAID adapter.
  • Connect the 2-drop SCSI cable to the SCSI cable extender on the system board, and attach the device in the non-hot-swap bay to one of the drops on the other end of the 2-drop SCSI cable. The device is attached to the integrated SCSI controller.

   

Each SCSI device that is connected to an individual channel of a SCSI controller needs a unique identification (ID) so that the controller can identify the devices and ensure that different devices do not attempt to transfer data at the same time. If you need to set IDs for SCSI devices, refer to the instructions that come with those devices.

The server automatically sets SCSI IDs for hot-swap hard disk drives. The SCSI ID assigned to each hot-swap bay is shown on the server beside the bay and in the illustrations in (above shown) 'Internal drive bays'. The server uses the hard disk drive SCSI IDs to send status information to the indicator lights above each hot-swap bay. The SCSI backplane in the server supports up to six hot-swap bays. The processing sequence for SCSI devices proceeds from the lowest SCSI ID to the highest (0 to 5, then 8 to 15).

SCSI buses must be terminated at each end. The ends of the SCSI buses in the server are already terminated. All the hot-swap drives in the server have automatic termination and the SCSI controller provides termination at the other end of the SCSI bus. You must disable termination on any SCSI devices that you install in the non-hot-swap bays. Refer to the information that come with the SCSI device for instructions about setting device jumpers or switches that control termination.