Dell 2950 owner manual Installing a Drive Blank, Removing a Hot-Plug Hard Drive

Installing a Drive Blank

The process for installing a drive blank depends on whether your system is configured with 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch hard drives.

For 3.5-inch hard drive configurations, the drive blank is keyed to ensure correct insertion into the drive bay. To install a 3.5-inch drive blank, insert and rotate in the keyed side of the blank into the drive bay and press evenly on the other end of the blank until it is fully inserted and latched.

For 2.5-inch hard drive configurations, install the hard drive blank as a 2.5-inch hard drive carrier:

1Remove the front bezel, if attached. See "Removing the Front Bezel" on page 53.

2Open the handle on the drive blank.

3Insert the drive blank into the drive bay until the blank is fully seated.

4Close the handle to lock the blank in place.

5Replace the front bezel, if it was removed in step 1.

Removing a Hot-Plug Hard Drive

1Remove the front bezel, if attached. See "Removing the Front Bezel" on page 53.

2From the RAID management software, prepare the drive for removal and wait until the hard-drive indicators on the drive carrier signal that the drive can be removed safely. See your SAS RAID controller documentation for information about hot-plug drive removal.

If the drive has been online, the green activity/fault indicator will flash as the drive is powered down. When both drive indicators are off, the drive is ready for removal.

3Open the drive carrier release handle to release the drive. See Figure 3-4.

4Slide the hard drive out until it is free of the drive bay.

5If you do not replace the hard drive, insert a drive blank in the vacated drive bay. See "Installing a Drive Blank" on page 57.

NOTICE: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard-drive bays must have drive blanks installed.

Installing a Hot-Plug Hard Drive

NOTICE: When installing a hard drive, ensure that the adjacent drives are fully installed. Inserting a hard-drive carrier and attempting to lock its handle next to a partially installed carrier can damage the partially installed carrier's shield spring and make it unusable.

NOTICE: Not all operating systems support hot-plug drive installation. See the documentation supplied with your operating system.

1Remove the front bezel, if attached. See "Removing the Front Bezel" on page 53.

2If a drive blank is present in the bay, remove it. See "Removing a Drive Blank" on page 56.

3Install the hot-plug hard drive.

a Open the handle on the hard-drive carrier.

Installing System Components

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