Hard disk drive problems

Use this information to solve hard disk drive problems.

Table 1. Hard disk drive problems.

A table with one spanned column at the top and two additional columns with headers. This table provides information about symptoms and user actions to solve hard disk drive problems.

Follow the suggested actions in the order in which they are listed in the Action column until the problem is solved. See Parts listing, Lenovo System x3750 M4 Type 8753 to determine which components are customer replaceable units (CRU) and which components are field replaceable units (FRU). If an action step is preceded by (Trained service technician only), that step must be performed only by a Trained service technician.
Symptom	Action
Not all drives are recognized by the DSA hard disk drive diagnostic test.	Set up the RAID configuration before you run the DSA diagnostic tests. Remove the drive that is indicated by DSA (see Removing 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch hot-swap drives); then, run the hard disk drive diagnostic test again (see Running the DSA Preboot diagnostic programs). If the remaining drives are recognized, replace the drive that you removed with a new one.
The server stops responding during the hard disk drive diagnostic test.	Set up the RAID configuration before you run the DSA diagnostic tests. Remove the hard disk drive that was being tested when the server stopped responding (see Removing 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch hot-swap drives), and run the diagnostic test again (see Running the DSA Preboot diagnostic programs). If the hard disk drive diagnostic test runs successfully, replace the drive that you removed with a new one (see Replacing 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch hot-swap drives).
A hard disk drive has failed, and the associated yellow hard disk drive status LED is lit.	Check the IMM2 event log for hard disk drive events and resolve the problem.
A newly installed hard disk drive is not recognized.	Set up the RAID configuration. Check the IMM event log for hard disk drive events and resolve the problem. If the LED is lit, remove the drive from the drive bay, wait 45 seconds, and reinsert the drive, making sure that the drive assembly connects to the hard disk drive backplane. Observe the associated green hard disk drive activity LED and the yellow status LED: If the green activity LED is flashing and the yellow status LED is not lit, the drive is recognized by the controller and is working correctly. Run the DSA hard disk drive test to determine whether the drive is detected (see Running the DSA Preboot diagnostic programs). If the green activity LED is flashing and the yellow status LED is flashing slowly, the drive is recognized by the controller and is rebuilding. If neither LED is lit or flashing, check the hard disk drive backplane (go to step 5). If the green activity LED is flashing and the yellow status LED is lit, replace the drive. If the activity of the LEDs remain the same, go to step 5. If the activity of the LEDs changes, return to step 1. Make sure that a hard disk drive backplane is present to install the drive into. Make sure that the hard disk drive backplane is correctly seated. When it is correctly seated, the drive assemblies correctly connect to the backplane without bowing or causing movement of the backplane. Reseat the backplane power cable and repeat step 1 through step 3. Reseat the backplane signal cable and repeat step 1 through step 3. Suspect the backplane signal cable or the backplane: Replace the affected backplane signal cable. Replace the affected backplane. Run the DSA tests for the SAS/SATA adapter and hard disk drives (see Running the DSA Preboot diagnostic programs). If the adapter passes the test but the drives are not recognized, replace the backplane signal cable and run the tests again. Replace the backplane. If the adapter fails the test, disconnect the backplane signal cable from the adapter and run the tests again. If the adapter fails the test, replace the adapter. See Problem determination tips for more information. (Trained service technician only) replace the system board.
Multiple hard disk drives fail or are offline.	If the server was recently installed, moved, or serviced, make sure that the drives are seated correctly, the backplane cables are securely connected to the backplane and the system board, and the RAID adapter is configured correctly. Check the IMM2 event log for any hard disk drive events and resolve the problem. Install the drives on a different backplane to see if they are recognized. If they are, replace the backplane; otherwise, replace the drive. Replace the RAID adapter. Replace the system board.
Hard disk drive(s) installed in the server, but not detected by the SAS controller.	Complete the following steps: Verify that the drives are supported for this server. See the ServerProven web site at Lenovo ServerProven website for a list of supported hard drives. Check the IMM event log for any RAID hard disk drive events and resolve the problem. Make sure that the drives are seated correctly, the SAS signal cables are securely connected, the backplane cables are securely connected to the backplanes, and the RAID adapter is configured correctly. If the problem remains: Reseat the backplane(s), SAS signal cable(s), and backplane power cable(s). Restart the server.
A replacement hard disk drive does not rebuild.	Make sure that the hard disk drive is recognized by the adapter (the green hard disk drive activity LED is flashing). If it is not recognized, see A newly installed hard disk drive is not recognized. Review the SAS/SATA RAID adapter documentation to determine the correct configuration parameters and settings.
An yellow hard disk drive status LED does not accurately represent the actual state of the associated drive.	If the yellow hard disk drive LED and the RAID adapter software do not indicate the same status for the drive, complete the following steps: Turn off the server. Reseat the SAS/SATA adapter. Reseat the backplane signal cable and backplane power cable. Reseat the hard disk drive. Turn on the server and observe the activity of the hard disk drive LEDs. See Problem determination tips for more information.