Dell R 420 Manual

							Eight hard-drive 
systemsUp to eight 2.5 inch, hot-swappable SAS, SATA, SAS SSD, SATA SSD, or Nearline SAS hard  drives
NOTE: SSD/SAS/SATA hard drives cannot be mixed in a system.
The hot-swappable hard drives connect to the system board through the hard-drive backplane. Hot-swappable hard drives are supplied in hot-swappable hard-drive carriers that fit in the hard-drive slots.
CAUTION: Before attempting to remove or install a hot-swappable hard drive while the system is running, see the 
documentation for the storage controller card to ensure that the host adapter is configured correctly 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. Doing so can cause a hard 
drive failure.
NOTE: 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 that high-capacity hard 
drives can take a number of hours to format.
Removing A 2.5 Inch Hard-Drive Blank
CAUTION: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard-drive slots must have hard-drive blanks installed.
1.If installed, remove the front bezel.
2.Press the release button and slide the hard-drive blank out until it is free of the hard-drive slot.
Figure 18. Removing and Installing a 2.5 Inch Hard-Drive Blank
1.hard-drive blank
2.release button
Installing A 2.5 Inch Hard-Drive Blank
1.If installed, remove the front bezel.
2.Insert the hard-drive blank into the hard-drive slot until the release button clicks into place.
3.If applicable, install the front bezel.
51 
						

							Removing A 3.5 Inch Hard-Drive Blank
CAUTION: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard-drive slots must have drive blanks installed.
1.If installed, remove the front bezel.
2.Grasp the front of the hard-drive blank, press the release button and slide the blank out until it is free of the hard-
drive slot.
Figure 19. Removing and Installing a 3.5 Inch Hard-Drive Blank
1.hard-drive blank
2.release button
Installing A 3.5 Inch Hard-Drive Blank
1.If installed, remove the front bezel.
2.Insert the hard-drive blank into the hard-drive slot until the release button clicks into place.
3.If applicable, install the front bezel.
Removing A Hot-Swap Hard Drive
CAUTION: To prevent data loss, ensure that your operating system supports hot-swap drive installation. See the 
documentation supplied with your operating system.
1.From the management software, prepare the hard drive for removal. Wait until the indicators on the hard-drive 
carrier signal that the hard drive can be removed safely. For more information, see the documentation for the 
storage controller.
If the hard drive is online, the green activity/fault indicator flashes as the drive is turned off. When the hard-drive 
indicators are off, the hard drive is ready for removal.
2.Press the release button to open the hard-drive carrier release handle.
3.Slide the hard-drive carrier out until it is free of the hard-drive slot.
CAUTION: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard-drive slots must have hard-drive blanks 
installed.
4.Insert a hard-drive blank in the empty hard-drive slot.
52 
						

							Figure 20. Removing and Installing a Hot-Swap Hard Drive
1.release button
2.hard drive
3.hard-drive carrier handle
Installing A Hot-Swap Hard Drive
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform 
troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or 
telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your 
warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
CAUTION: Use only hard drives that have been tested and approved for use with the hard-drive backplane.
CAUTION: Combining SAS and SATA hard drives in the same RAID volume is not supported.
CAUTION: 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.
CAUTION: To prevent data loss, ensure that your operating system supports hot-swap drive installation. See the 
documentation supplied with your operating system.
CAUTION: When a replacement hot-swappable hard drive is installed and the system is powered on, the hard drive 
automatically begins to rebuild. Make absolutely sure that the replacement hard drive is blank or contains data that 
you wish to have over-written. Any data on the replacement hard drive is immediately lost after the hard drive is  installed.
1.If a hard-drive blank is installed in the hard-drive slot, remove it.
2.Install a hard drive in the hard-drive carrier.
3.Press the release button on the front of the hard-drive carrier and open the hard-drive carrier handle.
4.Insert the hard-drive carrier into the hard-drive slot until the carrier connects with the backplane.
5.Close the hard-drive carrier handle to lock the hard drive in place.
53 
						

							Removing A Cabled Hard Drive
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform 
troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or 
telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your 
warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
1.If installed, remove the front bezel.
2.Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and from the 
peripherals.
3.Open the system.
4.Disconnect the data/power cable from the hard drive.
5.Press the release tab on the hard-drive carrier and slide the hard drive out of the hard-drive bay.
CAUTION: To maintain proper system cooling, all empty hard-drive slots must have hard-drive blanks 
installed.
6.Insert a hard-drive blank in the empty hard-drive slot.
Figure 21. Removing and Installing a Cabled Hard Drive
1.hard drive
2.power/data cable
3.release tab
4.hard-drive carrier
54 
						

							Installing A Cabled Hard Drive
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform 
troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or 
telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your 
warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
1.If installed, remove the front bezel.
2.Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and from the 
peripherals.
3.Open the system.
4.Press the release tab on the hard-drive carrier and slide the carrier out of the system.
5.Install the hard drive into the hard-drive carrier.
6.Insert the hard-drive carrier into the hard-drive slot till it clicks into place.
7.Connect the power/data cable to the hard drive.
–If connecting to the integrated SATA controller (SATA hard drives only), connect the SATA data cable to the  SATA_A-D connector on the system board.
–If connecting to a SAS RAID controller card (SAS or SATA hard drives), connect the data cable to the 
connector on the card edge.
8.Close the system.
9.Reconnect the system to the electrical outlet and turn on the system and attached peripherals.
10.Enter the System Setup and ensure that the hard drive's controller is enabled.
11.Exit the System Setup program and reboot the system.
12.Install any software required for the hard drive operation as described in the documentation for the hard drive.
Removing A 2.5 Inch Hard Drive From A 3.5 Inch Hard-Drive Adapter
NOTE: A 2.5 inch hard drive is installed in a 3.5 inch hard-drive adapter, which is then installed in the 3.5 inch hard-
drive carrier. This applies only for a four hard-drive system with hot-swappable hard drives.
1.Remove the two screws from the side of the 3.5 inch hard-drive adapter.
2.Remove the hard drive from the hard-drive adapter.
55 
						

							Figure 22. Removing and Installing a 2.5 Inch Hard Drive Into a 3.5 Inch Hard-Drive Adapter
1.screws (2)
2.3.5 inch hard-drive adapter
3.2.5 inch hard drive
Installing A 2.5 Inch Hard Drive Into A 3.5 Inch Hard-Drive Adapter
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform 
troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or 
telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your 
warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
1.Align the screw holes on the 2.5 inch hard drive with the screw holes on the 3.5 inch hard-drive adapter.
2.Install the screws to secure the hard drive to the hard-drive adapter.
Removing A Hard Drive Or A Hard-Drive Adapter From A Hard-Drive Carrier
1.Remove the screws from the slide rails on the hard-drive carrier.
2.Lift the hard drive/hard-drive adapter out of the hard-drive carrier.
56 
						

							Figure 23. Removing and Installing a Hot-Swap Hard Drive Into a Hard-Drive Carrier
1.hard-drive carrier
2.screws (4)
3.hard drive
4.screw holes (4)
57 
						

							Figure 24. Removing and Installing a Hard-Drive Adapter With a 2.5 Inch Hot-Swap Hard Drive Into a 3.5 Inch Hard-Drive Carrier
1.hard-drive carrier
2.screws (5)
3.3.5 inch hard-drive adapter
4.2.5 inch hard drive
58 
						

							Figure 25. Removing and Installing a Cabled Hard Drive Into a Hard-Drive Carrier
1.screws (4)
2.hard drive
3.screw holes (4)
4.hard-drive carrier
Installing A Hard Drive Or A Hard-Drive Adapter Into A Hard-Drive Carrier
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform 
troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or 
telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your 
warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
1.Insert the hard drive/hard-drive adapter into the hard-drive carrier with the connector end of the hard drive toward 
the back.
2.Align the screw holes on the hard drive with the back set of holes on the hard-drive carrier.
When aligned correctly, the back of the hard drive will be flush with the back of the hard-drive carrier.
3.Attach the screws to secure the hard drive to the hard-drive carrier.
59 
						

							Optical Drive (Optional)
Removing The Optical Drive In Hot-Swappable Hard-Drive Systems
CAUTION: Many repairs may only be done by a certified service technician. You should only perform 
troubleshooting and simple repairs as authorized in your product documentation, or as directed by the online or 
telephone service and support team. Damage due to servicing that is not authorized by Dell is not covered by your 
warranty. Read and follow the safety instructions that came with the product.
1.If installed, remove the front bezel.
2.Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and 
peripherals.
3.Open the system.
4.Disconnect the power/data cable from the back of the optical drive.
Note the routing of the power/data cable on the system as you remove them from the system board and the optical 
drive. You must route these cables properly when you replace them to prevent them from being pinched or 
crimped.
5.To release the optical drive, press and push the release tab toward the front of the system.
6.Slide the optical drive out of the system until it is free of the optical-drive slot.
7.If you are not adding a new optical drive, install the optical-drive blank.
8.Close the system.
9.Reconnect the system to its electrical outlet and turn the system on, including any attached peripherals.
10.If applicable, install the front bezel.
Figure 26. Removing and Installing the Optical Drive (Hot-Swappable Hard-Drive Systems)
1.optical drive
2.data cable
3.power cable
4.release tab
60