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Remove the middle drive cage and drive backplane

Follow the instructions in this section to remove the 2.5-inch middle drive cage and 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 system.

  • 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.

Procedure

  1. Make preparation for the task.
    1. 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 Server replacement.
    2. Remove the top cover. See Remove the top cover.
    3. Remove the system fan cage for easier operation. See Remove the system fan cage.
    4. Disconnect cables from the middle drive backplane.
  2. Remove the middle drive cage.
    Figure 1. Removing the middle drive cage
    Removing the middle drive cage
    1. Rotate the drive cage handle to open it.
    2. Remove the drives from the drive cage. See Remove a 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hot-swap drive.
    3. Pull the blue plungers to release the drive cage.
    4. Twist the blue plungers to keep them in released state.
    5. Carefully lift the drive cage up from the chassis.
  3. Remove the middle drive backplane.
    Note
    Depending on the specific type, your backplane might look different from the illustration.
    Figure 2. Removing the 2.5-inch middle drive backplane
    Removing the 2.5-inch middle drive backplane
    1. Slightly pivot the release latches outwards as shown.
    2. Rotate the backplane from the top to disengage it from the pins on the drive cage.
    3. Carefully lift the backplane out of the drive cage.

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.