Replacing a 3.5 inch drive assembly

You can replace a faulty 3.5 inch drive assembly with a new one received from CRU / FRU stock.

The status of the drive must be neither spare nor member. The 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 the system's use of the drive.
  • 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.

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

  1. Read the safety information in Preparing to remove and replace parts.
  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 on the front are numbered 1 to 24, starting from the furthermost slot on the left in the enclosure.
    3. If the drive in the slot is faulty, the lit, amber fault LED on the drive will help 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 begins to flash.
    Attention: Never hot-swap a hard 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.

To remove a drive assembly, complete the following steps.

  1. Press the latch on the right end of the tray handle to release it.
  2. Pull out the tray handle to the open position (see Unlocking and removing a 3.5 inch drive from its slot).
  3. Grasp the handle and pull the drive partially out of the bay.
  4. Wait at least 20 seconds before you remove the drive assembly from the enclosure to enable the drive to spin down.
    This avoids possible damage to the drive.
  5. Make sure that there is proper identification (such as a label) on the hard disk drive.
  6. Gently slide it completely out of the enclosure.
  7. If the drive has failed, record that information on its label.

To install a drive assembly, complete the following steps.

  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 Installing and locking a 3.5 inch drive into its slot).
  5. Gently push the drive assembly into the bay until the drive stops.
  6. Rotate its handle to the closed (locked) position.
    Figure 1. Unlocking and removing a 3.5 inch drive from its slot
    Unlocking and removing a 3.5 inch drive from its slot
    Figure 2. Installing and locking a 3.5 inch drive into its slot
    Installing and locking a 3.5 inch drive into its slot
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.