Installing a solid state drive

Use this information to install a solid state drive.

You can install up to two solid state drives in the SSD expansion card. The blade server supports using RAID 0 or RAID 1 when two storage drives are installed. See Using the LSI Logic Configuration Utility program for information about RAID configuration.

To install a solid state drive, complete the following steps:

  1. Before you begin, read Safety and Installation guidelines.
  2. If the blade server or scalable blade complex is installed in a BladeCenter chassis, remove it. See Removing the blade server from the BladeCenter chassis for instructions.
  3. Carefully lay the blade server on a flat, static-protective surface.
  4. If you are removing the SSD expansion card from a blade server that is the bottom blade server in a scalable blade complex, disassemble the blade complex (see Disassembling a scalable blade complex for instructions).
  5. If an optional expansion unit is installed, remove the expansion unit (see Removing an expansion unit for instructions).
    Note: Optional expansion units are not supported when a IBM MAX5 expansion blade is installed.
  6. If an IBM MAX5 expansion blade is installed, remove it (see Removing an IBM MAX5 expansion blade for instructions).
  7. Open the blade server cover (see Removing the blade server cover for instructions).
  8. Remove the SSD expansion card (see Removing an SSD expansion card for instructions).
  9. Turn over the SSD expansion card.

    Graphic showing the SSD expansion card.
  10. Touch the static-protective package that contains the solid state drive to any unpainted metal surface on the BladeCenter unit or any unpainted metal surface on any other grounded rack component; then, remove the solid state drive from the package.
  11. Slide the solid state drive into the slot until it is firmly seated in the connector.
  12. If you have a second solid state drive to install, repeat steps 10 through 11.
  13. Close the retention lever and secure it with the blue tab.
    Note: You might need to press the blue tab before you close the retention lever.
  14. Install the SSD expansion card (see Installing an SSD expansion card for instructions).
  15. Install the CFFh expansion card, if you removed one from the blade server (see Installing a CFFh expansion card for instructions).
  16. If the blade server is part of a scalable blade complex, assemble the scalable blade complex (see Assembling a scalable blade complex for instructions).
  17. Install the IBM MAX5 expansion blade if you removed one (see Installing an IBM MAX5 expansion blade for instructions).
  18. Install the optional expansion unit, if you removed one from the blade server (see Installing an expansion unit for instructions).
  19. Install the cover onto the blade server (see Installing the blade server cover for instructions).
  20. Install the blade server or scalable blade complex into the BladeCenter chassis (see Installing a blade server in a BladeCenter chassis for instructions).
Parent topic: Removing and replacing Tier 2 CRUs