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Replacing a host bus adapter (HBA)

While a node may be able to self-correct for other adapter card errors, a failed HBA can lead to system degradation and should be addressed as soon as possible.

The indications of a failed HBA card include:

  • If using VMware ESXi, vCenter Alarms or Hardware Status shows an alert.

  • The Prism web console shows a message similar to LSI HBA card not detected.

  • Slow disk performance or slow system performance.

  • The hypervisor cannot detect SSDs and HDDs or the red LEDs on the drives are illuminated.

  • The CVM won't start because no storage controller resources are detected.

  • The hypervisor or BIOS does not detect the HBA card.

Figure 1. N2215 SAS/SATA HBA
N2215 SAS/SATA HBA

To replace an HBA card, perform the following steps:

  1. Identify the failed HBA by either checking in XClarity Administrator or using the IMM web console to browse the post event log. The event log will contain information about the location of the failed HBA adapter.

  2. Shut down the node by following the hypervisor specific Node Shutdown procedure described in the Nutanix Hardware Replacement Documentation.

  3. Power off the node and disconnect all the cables if the cable management arm is not in place. Pull the node chassis out of the rack.

  4. Remove the top cover as described in Removing the cover.

  5. Replace the failed HBA adapter using the procedure described in Removing the dedicated slotless HBA controller.

  6. Replace the top cover as described in Replacing the cover.

  7. Push the node chassis back into the rack and reconnect the cables as necessary. Power on the node.

  8. It is possible that the CRU shipped to you has an earlier version of the firmware such as 1.04.04 which should not be used in the Lenovo Converged HX Series appliances. You must use Lenovo XClarity Administrator or the Lenovo ToolsCenter Bootable Media Creator to update the firmware for the N2215 HBA to version 1.11.125 or later.

  9. Verify that the HBA has been successfully replaced by checking the following:

    • Orange warning light on the server is extinguished.

    • If the controller VM starts and all of the drives are shown as online

    • If the Controller VM does not boot, you can verify if the LSI HBA card is detected using the lspci command: root@host lspci | grep –i SAS3008sas0000:82:00.0 Mass storage controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic SAS3008 PCI-Express Fusion-MPT SAS-3

      If the LSI HBA card is not present, ensure that the card is properly connected. If the card is still not detected, contact Lenovo support.

      If the system fails to boot from the boot drive after replacing the HBA, verify that the option ROM is turned off for the HBA adapter using the procedure in the Legacy Support section in Setup Utility menu choices.

  10. Start the node by following the hypervisor specific Node Start procedure described in the Nutanix Hardware Replacement Documentation.