Install a hard disk drive

Insert the hard disk drive in its bay and close the latch handle to lock the drive in place. Hard disk drives are hot-swap devices that can be installed while the server is powered on.

Note

If you are installing an optional hard disk drive backplane, perform that task first. See Install a hard disk drive backplane (upper tray) or Install a hard disk drive backplane (lower tray).

Before installing a hard disk drive, make sure that it is compatible with both the server and its configuration. See Hard disk drive installation considerations for information.

Before you install a hard disk drive:

1. If the hard disk drive bay contains a filler, press the release tab and pull the filler from the bay.

   Hard disk drive fillers can be of two types: single-bay fillers and four-bay fillers. If you remove a four-bay filler and are not installing four hard disk drives, you must install single-bay fillers in each of the empty drive bays.

Complete the following steps to install a hard disk drive:

1. Determine the drive type that you can install in the bay (SATA/SAS or NVMe) based on labels stenciled on the front of the server and any drive bay labels that might have been applied to the front of the server. These labels correspond to the drive backplane types that are installed. The drive type must match the drive bay type. Drive type information is available on the package that contains the drive.
2. Install the hard disk drive in the drive bay.

   If the server is operating (turned on), the green activity LED on the hard disk drive should light solid, indicating that the drive is receiving power.

   Figure 1. Hard disk drive installation
   
   
   1. Open the drive handle, align the drive with the drive bay, and insert the drive.
   2. Push the drive into the bay until the drive stops; then, rotate drive handle closed to fully seat the drive and lock it in place.
3. Check the hard disk drive status LED to verify that the hard disk drive is operating correctly.

   • If the yellow hard disk drive status LED of a drive is lit continuously, that drive is faulty and must be replaced.

   • If the green hard disk drive activity LED is lit, the drive is powered, but not actively reading or writing data. If the LED is flashing, the drive is being accessed.

4. If you are installing additional hard disk drives, do so now.