Hard drivesYour system supports Enterprise-class hard drives, which are designed for 24x7 operating environment.Selecting the correct drive class will optimize quality, functionality, performance, and reliability of thehard drives.Due to industry advances, in some cases, the larger capacity drives have been changed to a larger sectorsize. The larger sector size can have impacts on operating systems and applications. For moreinformation about these hard drives, see the 512e and 4Kn Disk Formats whitepaper and 4K Sector HDDFAQ 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 reboot your system while the hard drive is being formatted. Doingso can 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 completed. Be aware thathigh-capacity hard drives can take a number of hours to format.Removing a hot-swap hard drivePrerequisitesCAUTION: 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.1. Ensure that you read the Safety instructions.2. If applicable, remove the bezel.3. Using the management software, prepare the hard drive for removal. Wait until the indicators on thehard-drive carrier signal that the hard drive can be removed safely. For more information, see thedocumentation for the storage controller.If the hard drive is online, the green activity/fault indicator flashes as the drive is turned off. When thehard-drive indicators are off, the hard drive is ready for removal.CAUTION: To prevent data loss, ensure that your operating system supports hot-swap driveinstallation. See the documentation supplied with your operating system.Steps1. Press the release button to open the hard-drive carrier release handle.2. Slide the hard-drive carrier out of the hard-drive slot.CAUTION: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard-drive slots must have hard-drive blanks installed.70
