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Installing Hard-Disk Drives: Dell™
PowerEdge™ 6300 Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
This section describes how to install
and configure small computer system interface (SCSI) hard-disk drives in the computer's
internal hard-disk drive bays. Instructions are also included for upgrading the system by
installing a Dell host adapter card
.
The hard-disk drive bays provide space
for up to six 1- or 1.6-inch hard-disk drives. (See Installing
Drives in the External Bays, for information on installing SCSI CD-ROM drives and SCSI
tape drives in the external drive bays.)
Figure 1 illustrates the hard-disk drive bays, the 1 x 6 hot-pluggable SCSI backplane
board, and the Ultra2/low-voltage differential (LVD) SCSI cable. The Ultra2/LVD SCSI cable
has two connectors:
- The connector at one end attaches to the Ultra2/LVD SCSI host adapter
connector labeled "PRIMARY SCSI-A" on the system board, or to an optional SCSI
host adapter card such as the Dell PowerEdge Expandable redundant array of inexpensive
disks (RAID) Controller host adapter card.
- The connector at the other end of the cable attaches to the connector
labeled "SCSI" on the SCSI backplane board.
Figure 1.
Hard-Disk Drive Hardware
SCSI hard-disk drives are supplied by
Dell in special drive carriers that fit in the hard-disk drive bays.
 |
NOTES: For maximum
performance, install Ultra2/LVD drives exclusively. Although you can install a mixture of
Ultra2/LVD and Ultra hard-disk drives, they will operate at the slower Ultra transfer
rate. Dell recommends that you use only
drives that Dell has tested and approved for use with the SCSI backplane board. |
The SCSI drive must be configured as
follows:
- Disable termination on the drive. The SCSI backplane board provides
termination for the SCSI bus.
- Set the SCSI ID on all drives to 0. All SCSI ID numbers for the drives
are set by the SCSI backplane board, as shown in Figure 2.
- Configure the drive so that the drive motor waits for a Start Unit
command from the SCSI host adapter before spinning.
Figure 2. SCSI
Backplane Board
You may need to use different programs
than those provided with the operating system to partition and format SCSI hard-disk
drives. See Chapter 3, "Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers," in the Dell
PowerEdge 6300 Systems User's Guide for information and instructions.
When formatting a high-capacity SCSI
hard-disk drive, be sure to allow enough time for the formatting to complete. Long format
times for these drives are normal. A 9-gigabyte (GB) hard-disk drive, for example, can
take up to 2.5 hours to format.
 |
CAUTION:
Do not turn off or reboot your system while the drive is being formatted. Doing so can
cause a drive failure. |
The following subsections describe how
to install and remove SCSI hard-disk drives the
computer's hard-disk drive bays.
Dell PowerEdge 6300 systems with a
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller host adapter card installed support hot-pluggable
drive installation and removal . Before attempting to remove
or install a drive while the system is running, see the documentation for the Dell
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller to ensure that the SCSI host adapter is configured
correctly to support hot-pluggable drive removal and insertion.
|
CAUTION:
Hot-pluggable drive installation and removal is not supported for systems without a Dell
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller host adapter card. Removing a drive in this situation
will result in a loss of data. |
If a Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID
Controller host adapter card is installed in the Dell PowerEdge 6300 system, three
indicators on the hard-disk drive carrier provide information on the status of the SCSI
hard-disk drive (see Figure 3).
Figure 3.
Hard-Disk Drive Indicators
Table 1 lists the drive indicator patterns established by the SCSI backplane board
firmware. Different patterns are displayed as drive events occur in the system. For
example, in the event of a hard-disk drive failure, the "drive failed" pattern
appears. After the drive is selected for removal, the "drive being prepared for
removal" pattern appears, followed by the "drive ready for insertion or
removal" pattern. After the replacement drive is installed, the "drive being
prepared for operation" pattern appears, followed by the "drive online"
pattern.
|
NOTE: If you do not have a
Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller host adapter card installed, you will see only
the "drive online" and "drive bay empty" indicator patterns. |
|
Table 1. SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Indicator Patterns |
| Condition
|
Indicator
Pattern
|
| Identify drive |
All three drive
status indicators blink simultaneously. |
| Drive being
prepared for removal |
The three drive
status indicators flash sequentially. |
| Drive ready for
insertion or removal |
All three drive
status indicators are off. |
| Drive being
prepared for operation |
The drive online
indicator is on. The drive activity light may flash briefly. |
| Drive bay empty |
All three drive
status indicators are off. |
| Drive predicted
failure |
The drive online
indicator is on. The drive failure indicator blinks on briefly each second. |
| Drive failed |
The drive online
indicator turns off. The drive failure indicator blinks off briefly each second. |
| Drive rebuilding |
The drive online
indicator blinks rapidly. |
| Drive online |
The drive online
indicator is on. |
Install a SCSI hard-disk drive in an
internal drive bay as follows:
1. If the system does not have a
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller installed, shut down the system.
2. Unlock the hard-disk drive keylock
on the front of the computer.
The keylock is located behind the door on
the front panel.
3. Open the hard-disk drive carrier
handle (see Figure 4).
Figure 4.
Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Carrier
4. Align the edge of the carrier with
the notches in the hard-disk drive bay key and insert the carrier into the drive bay (see Figure 4).
5. Close the drive carrier handle to
lock the drive in place.
6. Lock the hard-disk drive keylock
and close the external drive bay door.
7. Install any required SCSI device
drivers.
See Chapter 3, "Installing and
Configuring SCSI Drivers," in the Dell PowerEdge 6300 Systems User's Guide for
information.
8. If the hard-disk drive is a new
drive, run the SCSI Devices Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics.
See Running the
Dell Diagnostics.
Remove a SCSI hard-disk drive from an
internal drive bay as follows:
1. If the system does not have a
PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller installed, shut down the system.
2. For systems with PowerEdge
Expandable RAID Controllers, wait until the drive status indicators on the drive carrier
signal that the drive may be removed safely.
If the drive has been online, the drive
status indicators will flash sequentially as the drive is powered down.
When all indicators are turned off, the
drive is ready for removal.
3. Unlock the hard-disk drive keylock
on the front of the computer.
The keylock is located behind the door on
the front panel.
4. Open the drive-carrier handle to
release the carrier.
5. Slide the carrier toward you until
it is free of the drive bay.
Follow these general guidelines when
installing a Dell host adapter card. For specific instructions, refer to the documentation
supplied with the host adapter card.
 |
WARNING:
Before installing the host adapter card, you must turn off the computer and disconnect it
from its AC power source. For more information, refer to Safety First--For
You and Your Computer. |
1. Unpack the host adapter card, and
prepare it for installation.
Refer to the documentation accompanying the
host adapter card.
2. Remove the computer cover.
See Removing the Computer Cover.
3. Detach the Ultra2/LVD SCSI cable
from the SCSI host adapter connector labeled "PRIMARY SCSI-A" or "PRIMARY SCSI-B" on the system board.
4. Install the host adapter card in an
available Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) expansion slot.
See Installing an Expansion Card.
If you are installing a SCSI host adapter
card, consider the boot order of the system when selecting a PCI slot for the adapter. The
System Setup program provides three options that the system uses to scan for installed
boot devices. Refer to the system User's Guide for information about which option to
choose to enable the proper boot sequence for the adapter.
5. Connect the SCSI cable to the host
adapter card.
To identify the correct connector, refer to
documentation for the host adapter card.
|
NOTE: If you will be
attaching external SCSI devices using the external SCSI connection slots on the computer's
back panel, follow steps 6 through 9. |
Figure 5.
Cable Configuration for a Dell Host Adapter Card
6. Connect the SCSI external access
cable from the host adapter kit to the Ultra2/LVD SCSI host adapter connector (labeled "PRIMARY SCSI-A") on the system board.
See each device's documentation for
information on cabling that device as part of a daisy chain.
7. Attach the other end of the SCSI
external access cable to the computer's back panel.
If you are attaching multiple external SCSI
devices, daisy-chain the devices to each other using the cables shipped with each device.
8. Replace the computer cover, and
reconnect the computer and peripherals to their AC power sources.
9. Connect the external device(s) to AC
power.
For each external device, plug the socket
end of the power cable into the AC power receptacle on the back of the device. Plug the
other end of the power cable into an AC power source.
10. Install any required SCSI device
drivers.
See Chapter 3,
"Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers," in the Dell PowerEdge 6300 Systems
User's Guide for information and instructions.
11. Test the SCSI devices.
Test a SCSI hard-disk drive by running the
SCSI Devices Test Group in the Dell Diagnostics. See Running
the Dell Diagnostics, for information.
To test a SCSI tape drive, also refer to the
documentation for the tape drive software to perform a tape drive backup and verification
test.
If you plan to boot the system from a
hard-disk drive, the drive must be attached to the primary (or boot) controller or SCSI
host adapter card. The device that the system boots from is determined by the boot order
specified in the System Setup program.
The System Setup program provides three
options that the system uses to scan for installed boot devices. Refer to the system
User's Guide for information about which option to choose to enable the proper boot
sequence for the adapter.
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