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Remove the front 3.5-inch drive backplane

Use this information to remove the front 3.5-inch drive backplane.

About this task

Attention
  • Read Installation Guidelines and Safety inspection checklist to ensure that you work safely.

  • Power off the server and peripheral devices and disconnect the power cords and all external cables. See Power off the server.

  • Prevent exposure to static electricity, which might lead to system halt and loss of data, by keeping static-sensitive components in their static-protective packages until installation, and handling these devices with an electrostatic-discharge wrist strap or other grounding systems.

Watch the procedure
  • A video of this procedure is available on YouTube.

Procedure

Note
Depending on the specific type, your backplane might look different from the illustration in this topic.

  1. Prepare your server.
    1. Remove the top cover. See Remove the top cover.
    2. Remove the system fan cage for easier operation. See Remove a system fan.
    3. Remove all installed drives and fillers (if any) from the drive bays. See Remove a 2.5/3.5-inch hot-swap drive.
  2. Record the cable connections on the backplane and then disconnect all cables from the backplane. See Internal cable routing. If the cable connectors come with protective dust caps, make sure to put them back on.
  3. Remove the backplane from the chassis.
    Figure 1. 3.5-inch drive backplane removal
    3.5-inch-drive backplane removal

    1. Open the release latches that secure the backplane.
    2. Pivot the backplane backward slightly to release it from the three pins 1 on the chassis.
    3. Carefully remove the backplane out of the chassis.

After you finish

If you are instructed to return the component or optional device, follow all packaging instructions, and use any packaging materials for shipping that are supplied to you.