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Remove a PCIe adapter and riser assembly

Use this information to remove a PCIe adapter and riser assembly. The PCIe adapter can be an Ethernet card, a host bus adapter, a RAID adapter, an add-in PCIe SSD adapter, or any other supported PCIe adapters.

About this task

Attention

  • Read Installation Guidelines to ensure that you work safely.

  • Power off the server and disconnect all power cords for this task.

  • 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 system.

  • Before you remove or make changes to drives, drive controllers (including controllers that are integrated on the system board), drive backplanes or drive cables, back up all important data that is stored on drives.

  • Before you remove any component of a RAID array (drive, RAID card, etc.), back up all RAID configuration information.

Procedure

Note
The illustration shows removing the riser 1 assembly. The procedure is the same for removing other riser assemblies.

  1. Remove the top cover. See Remove the top cover.
  2. Remove the air baffle if needed. See Remove the air baffle.
  3. If there is any PCIe adapter installed on the riser card, record the cable connections first. Then, disconnect all cables from the PCIe adapter.
    Note

    • If you need to disconnect cables from the system board, disengage all latches or release tabs on cable connectors first. Failing to release the tab before removing the cables will damage the cable sockets on the system board. Any damage to the cable sockets might require replacing the system board.

    • The connectors on your system board might look different from those in the illustration, but the removal procedure is the same.

      1. Press the release tab to release the connector.

      2. Disengage the connector from the cable socket.

    Figure 1. Disconnecting cables from the system board



  4. Remove the riser assembly.
    Figure 2. Riser assembly removal
    Riser assembly removal

    1. Loosen the screw that secures the riser assembly.
    2. Grasp the riser assembly by its edges and carefully lift it straight up and off the chassis.
  5. Remove a PCIe adapter from the riser assembly.
    Note
    For PCIe adapters in riser 1 and riser 2 and ThinkSystem AMD X3522 10/25GbE DSFP28 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter, remove the screw that secures the adapter first.
    Figure 3. PCIe adapter removal
    PCIe adapter removal

    1. Press the retainer clip downward.
    2. Rotate the PCIe adapter retention latch to the open position.
    3. Grasp the PCIe adapter by its edges and carefully pull it out of the PCIe slot.

After you finish

  1. Do one of the following:

    • If you are replacing the riser assembly, install the removed PCIe adapter to a new riser assembly.

    • If you are replacing a PCIe adapter, install a new PCIe adapter to the riser assembly.

    • If you are replacing a riser card, remove the riser card from the riser cage, and install a new riser card to the riser cage.

      Figure 4. Riser card removal
      Riser card removal

  2. If you are instructed to return the defective component, follow all packaging instructions and use any packaging materials that are provided.

Demo video

Watch the procedure on YouTube