Back to Contents Page

Installing Drives

Dell™ PowerEdge™ 6650 Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

  SCSI Interface Cables

  SCSI Configuration Information

  External SCSI Tape Drive

  SCSI Hard Drives

  CD and Diskettes Drives

  Installing a RAID Controller Card

  Configuring the Boot Device


Your system contains up to five 1-inch SCSI hard drives. A CD drive and a diskette drive are mounted together on a tray that slides in and out of the front panel and mates to a connector in the system. This mating connector is cabled to the peripheral riser board. This design allows the diskette and CD drives to be serviced without removing system covers or connecting and disconnecting cables. This section contains instructions for replacing these devices.

SCSI Interface Cables

SCSI interface connectors are keyed for correct insertion. Keying ensures that the pin-1 wire in the cable connects to pin 1 in 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 in essentially the same way as other devices, their configuration requirements are different. To configure an external SCSI device, 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 0 to 15.

A SCSI tape drive is configured by default as SCSI ID 6.

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 termination be enabled for the two devices at opposite ends of the SCSI chain and disabled for all devices in between. For internal SCSI devices, termination is configured automatically. For external SCSI devices, you should disable termination on all devices and use terminated cables. See the documentation provided with any optional SCSI device you purchase for information on disabling termination.

External SCSI Tape Drive

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

Installing an External SCSI Tape Drive

NOTICE: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions in your System Information document.
  1. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

  2. 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, if applicable), 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 your system's configuration.

  1. Connect the tape drive's interface cable to the external SCSI connector on the back of the system.

  2. Secure the controller card connection by tightening the screws on the connector.

  3. Reconnect the system and peripherals to electrical outlets, and turn them on.

  4. Perform a tape backup and verification test with the drive as instructed in the software documentation that came with the drive.

SCSI Hard Drives

This subsection describes how to install and configure SCSI hard drives in the system's internal hard-drive bays and how to install a RAID controller card.

The hard-drive bays provide space for up to five 1-inch SCSI hard drives. The hard drives connect to a SCSI or RAID controller through the SCSI backplane board. Interface cables connect the SCSI backplane board to a SCSI controller on either the I/O riser card or a RAID controller card.

Before You Begin

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

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

NOTE: You should only use drives that have been tested and approved for use with the SCSI backplane board.

Use the following guidelines when configuring the SCSI drive:

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

NOTICE: 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 drive, allow enough time for the formatting to be completed. Long format times for these drives are normal. For example, an exceptionally large drive can take over an hour to format.

Installing a SCSI Hard Drive

NOTICE: When installing a hard drive, ensure that the adjacent drives are fully installed. Inserting a hard-drive carrier and attempting to lock its handle next to a partially installed carrier can damage the partially installed carrier's shield spring and make it unusable.
NOTICE: Not all operating systems support hot-plug drive installation. See the documentation supplied with your operating system.
  1. Remove the bezel (see "Removing the Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").

  2. Open the hard-drive carrier handle (see Figure 7-1).

Figure 7-1. Installing a SCSI Hard-Drive

NOTICE: Do not insert a hard-drive carrier and attempt to lock its handle next to a partially installed carrier. Doing so can damage the partially installed carrier's shield spring and make it unusable. Ensure that the adjacent drive carrier is fully installed.
  1. Insert the hard-drive carrier into the drive bay (see Figure 7-1).

  2. Close the hard-drive carrier handle to lock it in place.

  3. Replace the bezel (see "Replacing the Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").

  4. Install any required SCSI device drivers (see "Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers" in the User's Guide for information).

  5. If the hard drive is new, run the SCSI controllers test in system diagnostics.

Removing a SCSI Hard Drive

NOTICE: Not all operating systems support hot-plug drive installation. See the documentation supplied with your operating system.
  1. Remove the bezel (see "Removing the Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").

  2. Take the hard drive offline and wait until the SCSI hard-drive indicator codes on the drive carrier signal that the drive may be removed safely.

If the drive has been online, the drive status indicator will blink green two times a second as the drive is powered down. When all indicators are off, the drive is ready for removal.

See your operating system documentation for more information on taking the hard drive offline.

  1. Open the hard-drive carrier handle to release the drive (see Figure 7-1).

  2. Slide the hard drive out until it is free of the drive bay (see Figure 7-1).

If you are permanently removing the hard drive, install a blank insert.

  1. Replace the bezel (see "Replacing the Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").

CD and Diskettes Drives

A CD drive and a diskette drive mounted together on a tray that slides in and out of the front panel and mates to an interposer board in the system.

Removing the CD/Diskette Drive Tray

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

  2. Remove the bezel (see "Removing the Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").

  3. Press the CD/diskette drive tray release tab to release the tray from the mating connector in the system (see Figure 7-2).

  4. Slide the CD/diskette drive tray forward and remove it from the system.

Figure 7-2. Removing and Installing the CD/Diskette Drive Tray

Installing the CD/Diskette Drive Tray

  1. Align the CD/diskette drive tray with the opening in the front panel.

  2. Slide the CD/diskette drive tray until the tray snaps into place (see Figure 7-2).

  3. Replace the bezel (see "Replacing the Bezel" in "Troubleshooting Your System").

  4. Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.

Installing a RAID Controller Card

Follow these general guidelines when installing a RAID controller card. For specific instructions, see the documentation supplied with the controller card.

CAUTION: 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."
NOTICE: See "Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge" in the safety instructions in your System Information document.
  1. Unpack the RAID controller card, and prepare it for installation.

For instructions, see the documentation accompanying the card.

  1. Install the RAID controller card (see "Installing an Expansion Card" in "Installing System Options").

NOTE: RAID controller cards must be installed in expansion slots 2 or 3.
  1. Connect the SCSI interface cable supplied as follows:

To identify the correct RAID controller card connector, see the documentation for the card.

NOTE: Route SCSI cables connected from an expansion card to the SCSI backplane board through the channel in the cooling fan bracket (see Figure 5-4).
  1. Reconnect the system to an electrical outlet and turn it on.

  2. Install any required SCSI device drivers (See "Installing and Configuring SCSI Drivers" in the User's Guide).

  3. Test the SCSI devices.

Test a SCSI hard drive by running the SCSI controllers test in the system diagnostics.

Configuring the Boot Device

If you plan to boot the system from a hard drive, the drive must be attached to the primary (or boot) controller. 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. See your system's User's Guide for information about the System Setup program.

Back to Contents Page