NOTE: The x8 backplane also supports up to eight 2.5-inch (SAS, SATA, or SSD) hot swappable hard drives installed in3.5-inch hard drive adapters, which are then installed in the 3.5-inch hard drive carriers.NOTE: Only systems with hot swappable hard drives support hard drive backplanes.Removing the hard drive backplanePrerequisitesCAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform troubleshooting andsimple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or telephone service andsupport team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your warranty. Read and followthe safety instructions that are shipped with your product.1. Ensure that you follow the Safety instructions on page 51.2. Follow the procedure listed in Before working inside your system on page 52.CAUTION: To prevent damage to the drives and backplane, remove the hard drives from the system before removingthe backplane.CAUTION: Note the slot number of each hard drive and temporarily label the slots before removing the hard drivesso that you can replace them in the same locations.3. Remove all hard drives.Steps1. Disconnect the SAS, power, and data cables from the hard drive backplane.2. Pull the release pin, and lift the backplane out of the system.Figure 38. Removing an x8 hard drive backplane1. SAS cable 2. x8 hard drive backplane3. power connector 4. backplane power cable5. optical disk drive power cable 6. release pin7. signal cableInstalling and removing system components 79
