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Install a front 2.5-inch-drive backplane

Use this information to install the front 2.5-inch-drive backplane.

About this task

The server supports up to three 2.5-inch drive backplanes of below types. Depending on the backplane type and quantity, the installation location of the backplanes varies.

  • 2.5-inch SAS/SATA 8-bay backplane

  • 2.5-inch AnyBay 8-bay backplane

  • 2.5-inch NVMe 8-bay backplane

Note
The AnyBay backplane and NVMe backplane listed above use the same physical circuit board. The difference is which connectors on the backplane are cabled: NVMe and SAS/SATA, or just NVMe.
The following table lists the supported backplane combinations. Install the backplane according to your server configuration.
Figure 1. Drive backplane numbering
Drive backplane numbering

Backplane quantityBackplane 1Backplane 2Backplane 3
1

  • SAS/SATA 8-bay

  • NVMe 8-bay

  • AnyBay 8-bay

  
2

SAS/SATA 8-bay

SAS/SATA 8-bay

 

SAS/SATA 8-bay

  • NVMe 8-bay

  • AnyBay 8-bay

 

AnyBay 8-bay

NVMe 8-bay

 

NVMe 8-bay

NVMe 8-bay

 
3

SAS/SATA 8-bay

SAS/SATA 8-bay

SAS/SATA 8-bay

SAS/SATA 8-bay

SAS/SATA 8-bay

  • AnyBay 8-bay

  • NVMe 8-bay

SAS/SATA 8-bay

NVMe 8-bay

NVMe 8-bay

NVMe 8-bay

NVMe 8-bay

NVMe 8-bay

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.

Procedure

  1. Touch the static-protective package that contains the new backplane to any unpainted surface on the outside of the server. Then, take the new backplane out of the package and place it on a static-protective surface.
  2. Connect the cables to the backplane. See Internal cable routing.
  3. Install the 2.5-inch drive front backplane.
    Note
    Depending on the specific type, your backplane might look different from the illustration.
    Figure 2. 2.5-inch drive backplane installation
    2.5-inch drive backplane installation

    1. Align the bottom of the backplane with the slots on of the chassis.
    2. Rotate the backplane to the vertical position and align the holes in the backplane with the pins on the chassis and press the backplane into position. The release tabs will secure the backplane in place.

After you finish

  1. Install all the drives into the drive bays. See Install a hot-swap drive.

  2. Configure RAID if needed. See Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager User Guide, which is available for download at: Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager portal page

  3. If you have installed an Anybay backplane with U.3 NVMe drives for Trimode, enable U.3 x1 mode for the selected drive slots on the backplane through the XCC Web GUI.

    1. Log into the XCC Web GUI, and choose Storage > Detail from the navigation tree on the left.

    2. In the window that is displayed, click the icon next to Backplane.

    3. In the dialog box that is displayed, select the target drive slots and click Apply.

    4. Do a DC power cycle to make the setting take effect.

Demo video

Watch the procedure on YouTube