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Remove the PCIe expansion cage

Use this information to remove a PCIe expansion cage.

Before removing the PCIe expansion cage:

  1. Power off the server. See Power off the server.

  2. Disconnect power cords from both power supplies, which are located in the rear of the server.

  3. Record the location of the cables in the front of the PCIe adapters that are installed in the I/O expansion cage at the front of the server, and disconnect the cables.

  4. Disconnect the management port cable from the management port in the I/O expansion cage, if necessary.

  5. Loosen the two captive screws located on the front of the server. If necessary, use a P2 screwdriver to loosen the screws.

  6. Pull the server forward until the slide rails click into place.

  7. Remove the top cover. See Remove the top cover.

  8. Remove the air baffle. See Remove the air baffle.

  9. Remove the system fan cage. See Remove the system fan cage.

    Note
    You do not need to completely remove the system fan cage. Instead, after removing the system fan cage, carefully place it on the drive cage to get the system fan cage out of the way.

To remove the PCIe expansion cage, complete the following steps:

Figure 1. Removing the PCIe expansion cage
PCIe expansion cage removal

  1. Disconnect the PCIe cables from the system board to the PCIe expansion cage.
    Note
    If you are removing PCIe expansion cage 1 and the option USB port assembly or video port is installed, make sure that you loosen the VGA power cable and USB power cable from the front cable routing guide on the right side of the server chassis (as you are looking at the server from the front).


  2. Lift up on the retention latches that are located on the system board behind the PCIe expansion cage.
  3. Push the expansion cage away from the front of the server.
  4. Lift the PCIe expansion cage away from the server chassis.
  5. Carefully rotate the expansion cage so that the PCIe expansion cage cover and blue retention latch is at the top.
    Figure 2. Rotating the PCIe expansion cage up

  6. Remove the PCIe expansion cage cover and cable management tray.
    Figure 3. Removing the PCIe expansion cage cover and cable management tray.

    The 3-slot expansion cage is shown in this figure. The process for installing the 4-slot expansion cage is the same.



    1. Press the PCIe expansion cage cover retention latch.
    2. Lift the expansion cage cover away from the PCIe expansion cage.
    3. Push the USB and VGA cables into the cage to create sufficient slack in the cables; then, lift the rear of the cable management tray away from the PCIe expansion cage.
      Note
      Optionally, a USB port assembly and a video port can be installed in the cable management tray of PCIe expansion cage 1. If they are installed:

      • You do not need to remove the cable management tray unless you are also removing the USB port assembly and video port cables. Instead, you can carefully hang the cable management tray over the side of the server chassis.

      • If you are removing the USB cable and the video port cable, you must first remove the drive cage to disconnect the cables from the system board. See Remove the drive cage.

  7. Remove the GPU adapters.
  8. If you are replacing the PCIe expansion cage, disconnect the power cables from the expansion card in the PCIe expansion cage and the GPU adapters. Also, disconnect the USB cable and video cable from the system board.

Demo video

Watch the procedure on YouTube