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Installing Drives

Dell™ PowerEdge™ 2500 Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

Your system features an internal drive bay that contains up to six SCSI hard-disk drives. Your system also features a removable peripheral bay that incorporates two drive bays for installing additional SCSI hard-disk drives. Attached to the removable peripheral bay is a user-accessible, half-height, CD ROM drive and a 3.5-inch diskette drive, which is controlled by the IDE/diskette drive controller on the system board. Instructions are also included for upgrading the system by installing an optional SCSI backplane daughter card for split backplane operation, or a PERC host adapter card.

Removing the Peripheral Bay

1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from its electrical outlet.
   
   
2. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
   
   
3. Remove the system cover.
   
   
4. Remove the front fan assembly (see "Removing the Front Fan Assembly" in "Installing System Board Options").
   
   
5. Disconnect the interface cable from the interposer board attached to the CD-ROM/diskette drive.
   
   
6. Loosen the thumbscrew securing the peripheral bay to the chassis (see Figure 7-1).
   
   

NOTE: To slide the peripheral bay backward, you may need to disconnect the power cable on the SCSI backplane board.

Figure 7-1. Removing the Peripheral Bay

7. While grasping the peripheral bay handle, slide the peripheral bay backwards and lift the bay straight up to clear the chassis.
   
   

Installing the Peripheral Bay

1. Connect the interface cable from the system board to the CD-ROM/diskette drive interposer board.
   
   
2. While grasping the peripheral bay handle, lower the peripheral bay into the chassis.
   
   
3. Align the tabs on side of the peripheral bay with the locking slots in the chassis and slide the peripheral bay forward.
   
   
4. Tighten the thumbscrew securing the peripheral bay to the chassis (see Figure 7-1).
   
   
5. Replace the front fan assembly (see "Replacing the Front Fan Assembly" in "Installing System Board Options").
   
   
6. Replace the system cover.
   
   
7. Close the front bezel.
   
   

Interface Cables

If you install a SCSI device, you will connect it to the secondary SCSI interface connector (SCSI2 [Channel B]) on the system board (see Figure 6-1), or to a SCSI host adapter on an expansion card.

These interface connectors are keyed for correct insertion. Keying ensures that the pin-1 wire in the cable goes to the pin-1 ends of the connectors on both ends.

When you disconnect an interface cable, take care to grasp the cable connector, rather than the cable itself, to avoid stress on the cable.

SCSI Configuration Information

Although SCSI devices are installed essentially the same way as other devices, their configuration requirements are different. To configure a SCSI device installed in the peripheral bay, follow the guidelines in the following subsections.

SCSI ID Numbers

Each device attached to a SCSI host adapter must have a unique SCSI ID number from 1 to 7.

When SCSI devices are shipped from Dell, the default SCSI ID numbers are assigned as follows:

• A SCSI tape drive is configured as SCSI ID 6 (the default ID number for a tape drive).
  
  

NOTE: There is no requirement that SCSI ID numbers be assigned sequentially or that devices be attached to the cable in order by ID number.

Device Termination

SCSI logic requires that the two devices at opposite ends of the SCSI chain be terminated and that all devices in between be unterminated. The SCSI cable included in the upgrade kit has an active terminator installed at the end of the cable. Therefore, when configuring the devices in the peripheral bay, you should disable the devices termination.

Installing a Device That Uses the System's Integrated SCSI Controller

WARNING: Before you perform this procedure, you must turn off the system and disconnect it from its power source. For more information, see "Safety First— For You and Your System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

1. Turn off the power to the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
   
   
2. Prepare the drive for installation.
   
   

CAUTION: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions in your System Information document.

Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface on the back of the system, unpack the drive, and compare the jumper and switch settings with those in the drive documentation. (See "SCSI Configuration Information," for information on setting the drive's SCSI ID number and enabling termination [if required].) Change any settings necessary for this system's configuration.

3. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
   
   
4. Remove the system cover.
   
   
5. Disconnect the cable connected to the interposer board on top of the peripheral bay.
   
   

This cable is the system board interface cable connecting the interposer board of the CD-ROM/diskette drive to the system board.

6. Remove the inserts from the front of the peripheral bay.
   
   

From the inside of the chassis, push outwards on the center of the insert to remove the insert from the chassis.

7. Remove the peripheral bay (see "Removing the Peripheral Bay").
   
   
8. Slide the new drive into the peripheral bay until the holes in the peripheral bay and the drive line up.
   
   
9. Using four screws, secure the drive to the peripheral bay.
   
   
10. Install the peripheral bay (see "Installing the Peripheral Bay").
    
    
11. Connect the SCSI device to the SCSI cable provided with the device. Attach the other end of the SCSI cable to the interface connector SCSI/Channel B on the system board.
    
    

Route the SCSI cable under the front fan assembly.

12. Check all cable connections that may have been loosened during this procedure. Arrange cables so that they will not catch on the system cover or block the airflow of the fans or cooling vents.
    
    
13. Replace the system cover.
    
    
14. Close the front bezel.
    
    
15. Reconnect the system and peripherals to their power sources, and turn on the power.
    
    
16. Test the device.
    
    

To test a tape drive, see the documentation for the tape drive software to perform a tape drive backup and verification test.

Installing a Tape Drive That Uses a Controller Card

Tape drives that require their own separate controller cards are shipped with the controller card and an interface cable.

WARNING: Before you perform this procedure, you must turn off the system and disconnect it from its power source. For more information, see "Safety First— For You and Your System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

1. Turn off the power to the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
   
   
2. Prepare the controller card and drive for installation.
   
   

CAUTION: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions in your System Information document.

Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface on the back of the system, unpack the drive and controller card, and compare the jumper and switch settings with those in the drive documentation. (See "SCSI Configuration Information," for information on setting the drive's SCSI ID number and enabling termination [if required].) Change any settings necessary for this system's configuration.

3. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
   
   
4. Remove the system cover.
   
   
5. Disconnect the cable connected to the interposer board on top of the peripheral bay.
   
   

This cable is the system board interface cable connecting the interposer board of the CD-ROM/diskette drive to the system board.

6. Remove the inserts from the front of the peripheral bay.
   
   

From the inside of the chassis, push outwards on the center of the insert to remove the insert from the chassis.

7. Remove the peripheral bay (see "Removing the Peripheral Bay").
   
   
8. Slide the tape drive into the peripheral bay until the holes in the peripheral bay and the tape drive line up.
   
   
9. Using four screws, secure the drive to the peripheral bay.
   
   
10. Install the peripheral bay (see "Installing the Peripheral Bay").
    
    
11. Install the controller card in an expansion slot (see "Installing an Expansion Card" in "Installing System Board Options").
    
    
12. Attach the interface cable that came with the drive kit to the interface connector on the back of the drive.
    
    
13. Connect the SCSI device to the SCSI cable provided with the device. Attach the other end of the SCSI cable to interface connector SCSI/Channel B on the system board.
    
    

Route the SCSI cable along the top of the cooling shroud.

14. Check all cable connections that may have been loosened during this procedure. Arrange cables so that they will not catch on the system cover or block the airflow of the fans or cooling vents.
    
    
15. Replace the system cover.
    
    
16. Close the front bezel.
    
    
17. Reconnect the system and peripherals to their power sources, and turn on the power.
    
    
18. Perform a tape backup and verification test with the drive as instructed in the tape-drive software documentation that came with the drive.
    
    

Connecting an External SCSI Tape Drive

This subsection describes how to configure and install an external SCSI tape drive.

Installing the Tape Drive

CAUTION: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions in your System Information document.

1. Prepare the tape drive for installation.
   
   

Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface on the back of the system, unpack the drive and controller card, and compare the jumper and switch settings with those in the drive documentation. (See "SCSI Configuration Information," for information on setting the drive's SCSI ID number and enabling termination [if required].) Change any settings necessary for this system's configuration.

2. Unpack the tape drive (and controller card, if applicable), and configure the tape drive for the system according to the documentation that came with the tape drive.
   
   
3. If the tape drive was supplied with a controller card, perform the following steps to install the card:
   
   
   1. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
      
      
   2. Remove the system cover.
      
      
   3. Install the controller card in an expansion slot.
      
      
   4. Replace the system cover.
      
      
   5. Close the front bezel.
      
      
4. Connect the tape drive's interface/DC power cable to the external SCSI connector on the back of the system, or the connector on the controller card supplied with the tape drive.
   
   
5. Secure the controller card connection by tightening the screws on the connector.
   
   
6. Reconnect the system and peripherals to electrical outlets, and turn on the power.
   
   
7. Perform a tape backup and verification test with the drive as instructed in the software documentation that came with the drive.
   
   

Installing SCSI Hard-Disk Drives

This subsection describes how to install and configure SCSI hard-disk drives in the system's internal hard-disk drive bays, and how to upgrade the system by installing a Dell host adapter card.

The internal hard-disk drive bays provide space for up to six 1-inch hard-disk drives. These drives connect to a SCSI backplane board. A SCSI cable connects the SCSI backplane board to the SCSI host adapter connector on the system board or to an optional SCSI host adapter card such as the Dell PERC host adapter card.

Before You Begin

Before attempting to remove or install a drive while the system is running, see the documentation for the Dell PERC host adapter card to ensure that the card is configured correctly to support hot-pluggable drive removal and insertion.

SCSI hard-disk drives are supplied by Dell in special drive carriers that fit in the hard-disk drive bays.

NOTE: Dell recommends that you use only drives that Dell has tested and approved for use with the SCSI backplane board.

Refer to the following guidelines when you configure the SCSI drive:

• Disable termination on the drive. The SCSI backplane board provides termination for the SCSI bus.
  
  
• Set the SCSI ID on all drives to 0. All SCSI ID numbers for the drives are set by the SCSI backplane board.
  
  
• Configure the drive so that the drive motor waits for a Start Unit command from the SCSI host adapter before spinning.
  
  

You may need to use different programs than those provided with the operating system to partition and format SCSI hard-disk drives. See "Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers," in the User's Guide for information and instructions.

CAUTION: Do not turn off or reboot your system while the drive is being formatted. Doing so can cause a drive failure.

When you format a high-capacity SCSI hard-disk drive, allow enough time for the formatting to be completed. Long format times for these drives are normal. A 9 GB hard-disk drive, for example, can take up to 2.5 hours to format.

Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive

NOTICE: Hot-plug drive installation is not supported for systems without an integrated RAID controller or Dell PERC host adapter card.

1. If the system does not have a RAID controller installed, shut down the system.
   
   
2. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
   
   
3. Open the hard-disk drive carrier handle (see Figure 7-2).
   
   

Figure 7-2. Installing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive Carrier

4. Insert the carrier into the drive bay (see Figure 7-2).
   
   
5. Close the drive carrier handle to lock the drive in place.
   
   
6. Close the front bezel.
   
   
7. Install any required SCSI device drivers (see "Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers," in the User's Guide for information).
   
   
8. If the hard-disk drive is a new drive, run the SCSI Controllers test in the Dell Diagnostics.
   
   

Removing a SCSI Hard-Disk Drive

NOTICE: Hot-plug drive installation is not supported for systems without an integrated RAID controller or Dell PERC host adapter card.

1. If the system does not have a RAID controller installed, shut down the system.
   
   
2. For systems with Dell PERC host adapter cards, power down the hard-disk drive bay and wait until the SCSI hard-disk drive indicator codes on the drive carrier signal that the drive may be removed safely.
   
   

If the drive has been online, the drive status indicators will flash sequentially as the drive is powered down. When all indicators are turned off, the drive is ready for removal.

3. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
   
   
4. Open the drive carrier handle to release the carrier.
   
   
5. Slide the carrier toward you until it is free of the drive bay.
   
   
6. Close the front bezel.
   
   

Installing a Dell Host Adapter Card

Follow these general guidelines when installing a Dell host adapter card. For specific instructions, see the documentation supplied with the host adapter card.

WARNING: Before you perform this procedure, you must turn off the system and disconnect it from its power source. For more information, see "Safety First— For You and Your System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

CAUTION: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the Safety Instructions in your System Information document.

1. Unpack the host adapter card, and prepare it for installation.
   
   

See the documentation accompanying the host adapter card.

2. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
   
   
3. Remove the system cover.
   
   
4. Remove the SCSI interface cable that connects the SCSI/Channel A host-adapter connector on the system board to the SCSIA connector on the SCSI backplane board (see Figure 6-1).
   
   
5. Install the host adapter card.
   
   

If you are installing a Dell PERC host adapter card, install the card in PCI expansion slot 1.

6. Install the SCSI interface cable supplied with the host adapter card to the SCSIA connector on the SCSI backplane board.
   
   

To identify the correct connector, see documentation for the host adapter card. Route the SCSI cable under the front fan assembly.

7. Connect the external SCSI devices to the SCSI host adapter card's external connector on the system's back-panel.
   
   

If you are attaching multiple external SCSI devices, daisy-chain the devices to each other by using the cables shipped with each device.

8. Replace the system cover.
   
   
9. Close the front bezel. Reconnect the system to an electrical outlet.
   
   
10. Connect the external device(s) to electrical outlet(s).
    
    
11. Install any required SCSI device drivers (see "Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers," in the User's Guide for information and instructions).
    
    
12. Test the SCSI devices.
    
    

Test a SCSI hard-disk drive by running the SCSI Controllers test in the Dell Diagnostics. To test a SCSI tape drive, also see the documentation for the tape drive software to perform a tape drive backup and verification test.

Installing a SCSI Backplane Daughter Card

To operate the SCSI backplane in a 2 x 3 split backplane configuration, you must install an optional daughter card.

WARNING: Before you perform this procedure, you must turn off the system and disconnect it from its power source. For more information, see "Safety First— For You and Your System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.
   
   

CAUTION: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions in your System Information document.

2. Unpack the SCSI backplane board daughter card kit.
   
   
3. Open the front bezel (see "Removing the Front Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").
   
   
4. Remove the system cover.
   
   
5. The daughter card fits between the sides of a card guide on the top of the drive bay. To install the card in the card guide:
   
   
   1. Hold the daughter card by its edges with the component side facing up and the card connector facing the SCSI backplane board (see Figure 7-3).
      
      
   2. Ensure that the retention lever is in the open position.
      
      

Figure 7-3. Installing a SCSI Backplane Board Daughter Card

3. Position the card in the drive bay so that the notches on the left and right edges of the card are aligned with the tabs on the card guide in the drive bay.
   
   
4. Lower the card into the card guide.
   
   

6. Close the retention lever to slide the daughter card into the SCSI backplane connector and lock the card into place (see Figure 7-3).
   
   
7. Reconfigure the SCSI cable connections to the SCSI backplane as necessary to operate the backplane as a 2 x 3 split backplane.
   
   
8. Replace the system cover.
   
   
9. Close the front bezel. Reconnect the system and peripherals to their power sources and turn on power.
   
   

Configuring the Boot Device

If you plan to boot the system from a hard-disk drive, the drive must be attached to the primary (or boot) controller or SCSI host adapter card. The device that the system boots from is determined by the boot order specified in the system setup program.

The system setup program provides options that the system uses to scan for installed boot devices. Refer to the User's Guide for information about the system setup program.

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