Hard drivesYour system supports entry hard drives and enterprise-class hard drives. Entry hard drives are designedfor 5x8 operating environment with less workload rating to drives and enterprise-class drives aredesigned for 24x7 operating environment. Selecting the correct drive class will enable the critical areas ofquality, functionality, performance, and reliability to be optimized for the target implementation.NOTE: Do not mix enterprise-class hard drives with entry hard drives.Choosing the right drive type depends on the usage pattern. Improper use of entry hard drives (workloadrating exceed 55TB/year) will lead to significant risk and increase the drives failure rate.For more information on these hard drives, see the 512e and 4Kn Disk Formats whitepaper and 4K SectorHDD FAQ document at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.All hard drives are connected to the system board through the hard drive backplane. Hard drives aresupplied in hot-swappable hard drive carriers that fit in the hard drive slots.CAUTION: Before attempting to remove or install a hard drive while the system is running, see thedocumentation for the storage controller card to ensure that the host adapter is configuredcorrectly to support hot-swap hard drive removal and insertion.CAUTION: Do not turn off or restart your system while the hard drive is being formatted. Doing socan cause a hard drive failure.Use only hard drives that have been tested and approved for use with the hard drive backplane.When you format a hard drive, allow enough time for the formatting to be complete. Be aware that high-capacity hard drives can take a long time to format.Removing a 2.5 inch hard drive blankPrerequisitesCAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should onlyperform troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or asdirected by the online or telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that isnot authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and follow the safety instructionsthat came with the product.CAUTION: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard drive slots must have hard driveblanks installed.1. Ensure that you read the Safety instructions.2. If installed, remove the bezel.StepsPress the release button and slide the hard drive blank out of the hard drive slot.120
