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Remove the 3.5-inch front drive backplane

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

About this task

The server supports the following types of 3.5-inch front drive backplanes:

  • 3.5-inch SAS/SATA 8-bay backplane

  • 3.5-inch SAS/SATA 12-bay backplane

  • 3.5-inch AnyBay 12-bay backplane

  • 3.5-inch 12-bay backplane with expander

The following uses the 3.5-inch SAS/SATA 12-bay backplane as an example for illustration. The procedure is the same for the other backplanes.

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.

  • Before you remove or make changes to drives, drive controllers (including controllers that are integrated on the system board assembly), 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.

  • If one or more NVMe solid-state drives are to be removed, it is recommended to disable them beforehand via the operating system.

  • To ensure that there is adequate system cooling, do not operate the server for more than two minutes without either a drive or a drive filler installed in each bay.

Procedure

  1. Make preparation for the task.
    1. Remove all the installed drives and fillers (if any) from the drive bays. See Remove a hot-swap drive.
    2. If the server is installed in a rack, slide the server out on its rack slide rails to gain access to the top cover, or remove the server from the rack. See Remove the server from rack.
    3. Remove the top cover. See Remove the top cover.
    4. Remove the system fan cage for easier operation. See Remove the system fan cage.
    5. Remove the air baffle if needed. See Remove the air baffle.
  2. Remove the 3.5-inch drive backplane.
    Note
    Depending on the specific type, your backplane might look different from the illustration. Some cables might need to be removed or moved to the side to remove the backplane. If needed, record the cable connections on the backplane and then disconnect the cables from the backplane first.
    Figure 1. 3.5-inch drive backplane removal
    3.5-inch drive backplane removal
    1. Pull out the plungers and slightly slide the backplane to the side as shown.
    2. Rotate the backplane down to release it from the four hooks on the chassis. Then, carefully lift 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.

Demo video

Watch the procedure on YouTube