Dell PowerEdge 2600 - Manual (Page 42)

Hard Drives
This subsection describes how to install and configure SCSI hard drives in the system's internal hard-drive bays.
Before You Begin
Before attempting to remove or install a drive while the system is running, see the documentation for the RAID controller card ensure that the system is
configured correctly to support hot-pluggable drive removal and insertion.
SCSI hard drives are supplied in special drive carriers that fit in the hard-drive bays.
You may need to use different programs than those provided with the operating system to partition and format hard drives. See "Installing and Configuring
SCSI Drivers" in the User's Guide for information and instructions.
When you format a high-capacity hard drive, allow enough time for the formatting to be completed. Long format times for these drives are normal. For
example, an exceptionally large drive can take over an hour to format.
SCSI Backplane Board Configuration
The hard-drive bays provide space for up to six 1-inch SCSI hard drives. The hard drives connect to a controller on the system board or a RAID controller card
through the SCSI backplane board.
The system provides several options for hard drive configurations:
l SCSI backplane daughter card (see " Installing the SCSI Backplane Daughter Card ").
¡ 1 x 6 configuration, without the SCSI backplane daughter card installed
¡ 2 x 3 split configuration, with the SCSI backplane daughter card installed
¡ 2 x 3 + 1 x 2 split configuration, with the SCSI backplane daughter card installed and two hard drives installed in the peripheral bay
¡ 1 x 6 + 1 x 2 split configuration, without the SCSI backplane daughter card installed and two hard drives installed in the peripheral bay
l SCSI controller:
¡ Onboard SCSI controller
¡ Optional integrated RAID controller (see " Activating the Integrated RAID Controller ")
¡ RAID controller card (see " Installing a RAID Controller Card ")
l Cabling:
¡ If the onboard SCSI controller or the optional integrated RAID controller is used, SCSI cables connect from the system board to the 1 x 6
backplane for both SCSI channels.
¡ If a RAID controller card is installed, the onboard SCSI cables are removed and longer cables are installed from the controller card to SCSI A
and/or SCSI B backplane board connector(s).
¡ If a cable is connected to the SCSI B backplane board connector, the SCSI backplane daughter card must be installed to activate the 2 x 3 split
configuration. Otherwise, the system will display an error message.
See Figure 5 -4 to locate the connectors on the SCSI backplane board.
Removing a Hard Drive
1. Remove the bezel (see " Removing the Bezel ").
2. Take the hard drive offline and wait until the hard-drive indicator codes on the drive carrier signal that the drive may be removed safely (see Table 3 -6 ).
If the drive has been online, the drive status indicator will blink green twice per second as the drive is powered down. When all indicators are off, the
drive is ready for removal.
See your operating system documentation for more information on taking the hard drive offline.
3. Open the hard-drive carrier handle to release the drive (see Figure 4 -22 ).
4. Slide the hard drive out until it is free of the drive bay (see Figure 4 -22 ).
If you are permanently removing the hard drive, install a blank insert.
NOTE: You should only use drives that have been tested and approved by the system manufacturer for use with the SCSI backplane board.
NOTICE: Do not turn off or reboot your system while the drive is being formatted. Doing so can cause a drive failure.
NOTICE: The daughter card is required only for the 2 x 3 (2 channels with 3 drives each) configuration.
NOTICE: Not all operating systems support hot-plug drive installation. See the documentation supplied with your operating system.