Removing and replacing a drive

Use the following procedures to remove a faulty drive from a node canister and replace it with a new one from stock. The procedures are also applicable when you are removing or replacing an IBM FlashCore® Module.

About this task

Attention:
  • Electrostatic discharge precaution symbol When you replace this part, you must follow recommended procedures for handling electrostatic discharge (ESD)-sensitive devices.
  • No tools are required to complete this task. Do not remove or loosen any screws.
  • You can identify the failed drive by the flashing amber fault LED on the drive carrier. If the fault LED is lit on a drive, it is safe to replace the drive.

    If you are not sure which drive is faulty, go to the management GUI and follow the fix procedures to prevent loss of data or access to data. It is possible to lose access to data if an incorrect part is removed.

  • Every drive slot of an operational control enclosure must contain either a drive or a blank filler, and must not be left empty for more than 10 minutes during servicing. Ensure that you have read and understood all these instructions and have the replacement drive available and unpacked before you remove the existing drive.
  • IBM FlashCore Modules are not interchangeable with the flash modules that are used in IBM FlashSystem® 900 storage enclosures.
  • The version of firmware on the replacement drive might not be the latest drive firmware available, and might not match the firmware version of other drives in the system. If necessary, firmware on the replacement drive can be updated after this procedure is complete.
Each drive slot of an operational control enclosure must contain a drive or a blank filler. The drives must be installed in specific locations, depending on the drive type and capacity.
  • NVMe drives can be installed in slots 1 - 24. The highest capacity drive must be installed in the lowest available drive slot.
  • Storage Class Memory (SCM) drives can be installed only in drives slots 21 - 24. The highest capacity drive must be installed in the highest available drive slot.

For information about the supported drives, see Control enclosure replaceable units.

Procedure

  1. Read the safety precautions in the IBM Systems Safety Notices. These guidelines help you safely work with the system.

Removing the drive

  1. Press the blue touchpoint to unlock the latching handle, as shown in this figure.
    Figure 1. Unlocking the drive and release latch
    Drive carrier and release latch
  2. Lower the handle and slide the drive out of the enclosure, as shown in this figure.
    Figure 2. Removing the drive
    Removing the drive

Replacing the drive

  1. Ensure that the LED indicators are at the top of the drive.
  2. Press the blue touchpoint to unlock the latching handle on the new drive.
  3. Slide the new drive into the node canister, as shown in this figure. Press on the drive label near the bottom of the drive to ensure that the drive is fully inserted into the slot.
    Figure 3. Inserting the new drive
    Inserting the new drive
  4. Finish inserting the new drive by closing the handle until the latch clicks into place.
    Figure 4. Completing the drive installation
    Completing the installation

Results

If the failed drive was a member of an array and if sufficient members of the array are online, the system automatically updates array membership and rebuilds the array to include the replacement drive.