H3C UniServer R6900 G5 User manual

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Contents
Safety information··························································································1
Safety sign conventions·····································································································································1
Power source recommendations ·······················································································································2
Installation safety recommendations··················································································································2
General operating safety····························································································································2
Electrical safety··········································································································································2
Rack mounting recommendations··············································································································2
ESD prevention··········································································································································3
Cooling performance··································································································································3
Battery safety·············································································································································4
Preparing for installation················································································5
Rack requirements·············································································································································5
Installation site requirements ·····························································································································7
Airflow direction of the server·····················································································································7
Temperature and humidity requirements···································································································7
Equipment room height requirements········································································································7
Cleanliness requirements···························································································································7
Grounding requirements ····························································································································8
Storage requirements·································································································································8
Installation tools ·················································································································································8
Installing or removing the server··································································11
Installing the server··········································································································································11
Installing rails ···········································································································································11
Rack-mounting the server························································································································11
Installing cable management brackets·····································································································12
Connecting external cables······························································································································12
Cabling guidelines····································································································································12
Connecting a mouse, keyboard, and monitor ··························································································12
Connecting an Ethernet cable··················································································································14
Connecting the power cord······················································································································15
Securing cables········································································································································17
Removing the server from a rack·····················································································································18
Powering on and powering off the server·····················································19
Important information·······································································································································19
Powering on the server····································································································································19
Prerequisites············································································································································19
Procedure·················································································································································19
Powering off the server····································································································································20
Guidelines················································································································································20
Procedure·················································································································································20
Configuring the server ·················································································22
Configuration flowchart ····································································································································22
Powering on the server····································································································································22
Configuring basic BIOS settings ······················································································································23
Setting the server boot order····················································································································23
Setting the BIOS passwords····················································································································23
Configuring RAID·············································································································································23
Installing the operating system and hardware drivers······················································································23
Installing the operating system·················································································································23
Installing hardware drivers·······················································································································24
Updating firmware············································································································································24

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Replacing hardware options ········································································25
Removing and installing the access panel·······································································································25
Removing the access panel·····················································································································25
Installing the access panel·······················································································································25
Removing and installing the riser card cage····································································································25
Removing the riser card cage··················································································································25
Installing the riser card cage····················································································································26
Removing and installing a blank ······················································································································26
Prerequisites············································································································································26
Removing and installing a blank ··············································································································26
Replacing a DIMM············································································································································27
Guidelines················································································································································27
Prerequisites············································································································································29
Removing a DIMM ···································································································································30
Installing a DIMM ·····································································································································30
Verifying the replacement ························································································································30
Adding a processor··········································································································································30
Replacing a processor ·····································································································································31
Guidelines················································································································································31
Prerequisites············································································································································31
Removing a processor·····························································································································31
Installing a processor·······························································································································32
Verifying the replacement ························································································································33
Replacing a SAS/SATA drive···························································································································33
Guidelines················································································································································33
Prerequisites············································································································································33
Removing a SAS/SATA drive···················································································································33
Installing a SAS/SATA drive·····················································································································34
Verifying the replacement ························································································································34
Replacing an NVMe drive ································································································································34
Guidelines················································································································································34
Prerequisites············································································································································34
Removing an NVMe drive························································································································35
Installing an NVMe drive··························································································································35
Verifying the replacement ························································································································35
Replacing the system board·····························································································································35
Guidelines················································································································································35
Prerequisites············································································································································36
Removing the system board ····················································································································36
Installing the system board ······················································································································36
Replacing the processor mezzanine board······································································································37
Prerequisites············································································································································37
Removing the processor mezzanine board······························································································37
Installing the processor mezzanine board································································································38
Replacing the midplane····································································································································38
Prerequisites············································································································································39
Removing the midplane ···························································································································39
Installing the midplane ·····························································································································39
Replacing a drive backplane····························································································································39
Prerequisites············································································································································40
Removing a drive backplane····················································································································40
Installing a drive backplane······················································································································40
Installing PCIe modules and a riser card on PCIe riser connector 3 ·······························································40
Guidelines················································································································································40
Prerequisites············································································································································40
Procedure·················································································································································41
Replacing riser cards and PCIe modules·········································································································41
Guidelines················································································································································42
Prerequisites············································································································································42
Removing a riser card and a PCIe module······························································································42
Installing a riser card and a PCIe module································································································42

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Replacing a storage controller and a power fail safeguard module·································································43
Guidelines················································································································································43
Prerequisites············································································································································44
Removing a standard storage controller and a power fail safeguard module··········································44
Installing a standard storage controller and a power fail safeguard module············································45
Replacing a network adapter ···························································································································45
Guidelines················································································································································45
Prerequisites············································································································································46
Installing an OCP network adapter ··········································································································46
Replacing an OCP network adapter·········································································································46
Replacing a standard PCIe network adapter ···························································································47
Replacing an OCP adapter······························································································································47
Prerequisites············································································································································47
Removing an OCP adapter······················································································································47
Installing an OCP adapter························································································································48
Replacing a GPU module·································································································································49
Guidelines················································································································································49
Prerequisites············································································································································49
Removing a GPU module ························································································································49
Installing a GPU module ··························································································································50
Replacing a SATA M.2 SSD····························································································································50
Guidelines················································································································································50
Prerequisites············································································································································50
Removing a SATA M.2 SSD····················································································································50
Installing a SATA M.2 SSD······················································································································51
Replacing a SATA M.2 SSD expander module ·······························································································51
Prerequisites············································································································································51
Removing a SATA M.2 SSD expander module ·······················································································51
Installing a SATA M.2 SSD expander module ·························································································52
Replacing an SD card······································································································································52
Guidelines················································································································································52
Prerequisites············································································································································52
Removing an SD card······························································································································52
Installing an SD card································································································································52
Replacing a dual SD card extended module····································································································53
Prerequisites············································································································································53
Removing a dual SD card extended module····························································································53
Installing a dual SD card extended module······························································································53
Replacing an NVMe SSD expander module····································································································54
Prerequisites············································································································································54
Removing an NVMe SSD expander module····························································································54
Installing an NVMe SSD expander module······························································································54
Replacing the LCD smart management module······························································································54
Guidelines················································································································································55
Prerequisites············································································································································55
Removing the LCD smart management module······················································································55
Install the LCD smart management module·····························································································55
Installing and setting up a TCM or TPM···········································································································55
Installation and setup flowchart················································································································56
Guidelines················································································································································56
Prerequisites············································································································································56
Installing a TCM or TPM ··························································································································57
Enabling the TCM or TPM in the BIOS····································································································57
Configuring encryption in the operating system·······················································································57
Replacing the NVMe VROC module················································································································58
Removing the NVMe VROC module········································································································58
Installing the NVMe VROC module··········································································································58
Replacing the system battery···························································································································58
Prerequisites············································································································································59
Removing the system battery···················································································································59
Installing the system battery·····················································································································59
Replacing a fan module ···································································································································59

iv
Removing a fan module···························································································································60
Installing a fan module·····························································································································60
Replacing a power supply································································································································60
Guidelines················································································································································60
Prerequisites············································································································································60
Removing a power supply························································································································61
Installing a power supply··························································································································61
Replacing a chassis ear···································································································································61
Removing a chassis ear···························································································································61
Installing a chassis ear·····························································································································62
Connecting internal cables···········································································63
Guidelines························································································································································63
Connecting drive cables···································································································································63
About using the drive configurations and cabling guide···········································································63
Connecting power cords ··························································································································66
Connecting AUX signal cables·················································································································67
Connecting data cables····························································································································69
Connecting supercapacitor extension cables ··································································································75
Connecting the GPU power cord ·····················································································································76
Connecting the SATA M.2 SSD cable··············································································································76
Connecting the LCD smart management module cable ··················································································77
Connecting cables to chassis ears ··················································································································77
Maintenance································································································78
Guidelines························································································································································78
Maintenance tools············································································································································78
Maintenance tasks···········································································································································78
Observing LED status······························································································································78
Monitoring the temperature and humidity in the equipment room····························································78
Examining cable connections···················································································································79
Technical support·····································································································································79

1
Safety information
Safety sign conventions
To avoid bodily injury or damage to the server or its components, make sure you are familiar with the
safety signs on the server chassis or its components.
Table 1 Safety signs
Sign
Description
Circuit or electricity hazards are present. Only H3C authorized or professional
server engineers are allowed to service, repair, or upgrade the server.
WARNING!
T
o avoid bodily injury or damage to circuits, do not open any components marked
with the electrical hazard sign unless you have authorization to do so.
Electrical hazards are present. Field servicing or repair is not allowed.
WARNING!
To avoid bodily injury, do not open any components with the field-servicing
forbidden sign in any circumstances.
The RJ-45 ports on the server can be used only for Ethernet connections.
WARNING!
To avoid electrical shocks, fire, or damage to the equipment, do not connect an
RJ-45 port to a telephone.
The surface or component might be hot and present burn hazards.
WARNING!
To avoid being burnt, allow hot surfaces or components to cool before touching
them.
The server or component is heavy and requires more than one people to carry or
move.
WARNING!
To avoid bodily injury or damage to hardware, do not move a heavy component
alone. In addition, observe local occupational health and safety requirements and
guidelines for manual material handling.
The server is powered by multiple power supplies.
WARNING!
To avoid bodily injury from electrical shocks, make sure you disconnect all power
supplies if you are performing offline servicing.

2
Power source recommendations
Power instability or outage might cause data loss, service disruption, or damage to the server in the
worst case.
To protect the server from unstable power or power outage, use uninterrupted power supplies (UPSs)
to provide power for the server.
Installation safety recommendations
To avoid bodily injury or damage to the server, read the following information carefully before you
operate the server.
General operating safety
To avoid bodily injury or damage to the server, follow these guidelines when you operate the server:
•
Only H3C authorized or professional server engineers are allowed to install, service, repair,
operate, or upgrade the server.
•
Place the server on a clean, stable table or floor for servicing.
•
Make sure all cables are correctly connected before you power on the server.
•
To avoid being burnt, allow the server and its internal modules to cool before touching them.
Electrical safety
WARNING
!
If you put the server in standby mode (system power LED in amber) with the power on/standby
button on the front panel, the power supplies continue to
supply
power to some circuits in the server.
To remove all power for servicing safety, you must first press the button, wait for the system to enter
standby mode, and then remove the power cords from the server.
To avoid bodily injury or damage to the server, follow these guidelines:
•
Always use the power cords that came with the server.
•
Do not use the power cords that came with the server for any other devices.
•
Power off the server when installing or removing any components that are not hot swappable.
Rack mounting recommendations
To avoid bodily injury or damage to the equipment, follow these guidelines when you rack mount a
server:
•
Mount the server in a standard 19-inch rack.
•
Make sure the leveling jacks are extended to the floor and the full weight of the rack rests on the
leveling jacks.
•
Couple the racks together in multi-rack installations.
•
Load the rack from the bottom to the top, with the heaviest hardware unit at the bottom of the
rack.
•
Get help to lift and stabilize the server during installation or removal, especially when the server
is not fastened to the rails. As a best practice, a minimum of two people are required to safely

3
load or unload a rack. A third person might be required to help align the server if the server is
installed higher than check level.
•
For rack stability, make sure only one unit is extended at a time. Arack might get unstable if
more than one server unit is extended.
•
Make sure the rack is stable when you operate a server in the rack.
•
To maintain correct airflow and avoid thermal damage to the server, use blank panels to fill
empty rack units.
ESD prevention
Electrostatic charges that build up on people and tools might damage or shorten the lifespan of the
system board and electrostatic-sensitive components.
Preventing electrostatic discharge
To prevent electrostatic damage, follow these guidelines:
•
Transport or store the server with the components in antistatic bags.
•
Keep the electrostatic-sensitive components in separate antistatic bags until they arrive at an
ESD-protected area.
•
Place the components on a grounded surface before removing them from their antistatic bags.
•
Avoid touching pins, leads, or circuitry.
Grounding methods to prevent electrostatic discharge
The following are grounding methods that you can use to prevent electrostatic discharge:
•
Wear an ESD wrist strap and make sure it makes good skin contact and is reliably grounded.
•
Take adequate personal grounding measures, including wearing antistatic clothing and static
dissipative shoes.
•
Use conductive field service tools.
•
Use a portable field service kit with a folding static-dissipating work mat.
Cooling performance
Poor cooling performance might result from improper airflow and poor ventilation and might cause
damage to the server.
To ensure good ventilation and proper airflow, follow these guidelines:
•
Install blanks if the following module slots are empty:
Drive bays.
Fan bays.
PCIe slots.
Power supply slots.
•
Do not block the ventilation openings in the server chassis.
•
To avoid thermal damage to the server, do not operate the server for long periods in any of the
following conditions:
Access panel open or uninstalled.
Air baffles uninstalled.
PCIe slots, drive bays, fan bays, or power supply slots empty.

4
Battery safety
The server's system board contains a system battery, which is designed with a lifespan of 3 to 5
years.
If the server no longer automatically displays the correct date and time, you might need to replace
the battery. When you replace the battery, follow these safety guidelines:
•
Do not attempt to recharge the battery.
•
Do not expose the battery to a temperature higher than 60°C (140°F).
•
Do not disassemble, crush, puncture, short external contacts, or dispose of the battery in fire or
water.
•
Dispose of the battery at a designated facility. Do not throw the battery away together with other
wastes.

5
Preparing for installation
Prepare a rack that meets the rack requirements and plan an installation site that meets the
requirements for space and airflow, temperature, humidity, equipment room height, cleanliness, and
grounding.
Rack requirements
IMPORTANT:
T
o avoid affecting the server chassis, install power distribution units (PDUs)
with the outputs facing
backward
s. If you install PDUs with the outputs facing the inside of the server,
perform onsite survey
to make sure the cables won't affect the server rear.
The server is 4U high. The rack for installing the server must meet the following requirements:
•
A standard 19-inch rack.
•
Aclearance of more than 50 mm (1.97 in) between the rack front posts and the front rack door.
•
Aminimum of 1200 mm (47.24 in) in depth as a best practice. For installation limits for different
rack depth, see Table 2.
Table 2 Installation limits for different rack depths
Rack depth
Installation limits
1000 mm
(39.37 in)
•The H3C cable management arm (CMA) is not supported.
•A clearance of 60 mm (2.36 in) is reserved from the server rear to the rear rack
door for cabling.
•The slide rails and PDUs might hinder each other. Perform onsite survey to
determine the PDU installation location and the proper PDUs. If the PDUs hinder
the installation and movement of the slide rails anyway, use other methods to
support the server, a tray for example.
1100 mm
(43.31 in)
Make sure the CMA does not hinder PDU installation at the server rear before
installing the CMA. If the CMA hinders PDU installation, use a deeper rack or change
the installation locations of PDUs.
1200 mm
(47.24 in)
Make sure the CMA does not hinder PDU installation or cabling. If the CMA hinders
PDU installation or cabling, change the installation locations of PDUs.
For detailed installation suggestions, see Figure 1.

6
Figure 1 Installation suggestions for a 1200 mm deep rack (top view)
(1) 1200 mm (47.24 in) rack depth
(2) A minimum of 50 mm (1.97 in) between the front rack posts and the front rack door
(3) 780 mm (30.71 in) between the front rack posts and the rear of the chassis, including power supply
handles at the server rear (not shown in the figure)
(4) 800 mm (31.50 in) server depth, including chassis ears
(5) 960 mm (37.80 in) between the front rack posts and the CMA
(6) 860 mm (33.86 in) between the front rack posts and the rear ends of the slide rails

7
Installation site requirements
Airflow direction of the server
Figure 2 Airflow direction of the server
(1) Directions of the airflow into the chassis and power supplies
(2) and (3) Direction of the airflow out of the chassis and power supplies
Temperature and humidity requirements
To ensure correct operation of the server, make sure the room temperature and humidity meet the
requirements as described in "Appendix A Server specifications."
Equipment room height requirements
To ensure correct operation of the server, make sure the equipment room height meets the
requirements as described in "Appendix A Server specifications."
Cleanliness requirements
Mechanicallyactive substances buildup on the chassis might result in electrostatic adsorption, which
causes poor contact of metal components and contact points. In the worst case, electrostatic
adsorption can cause communication failure.
Table 3 Mechanically active substance concentration limit in the equipment room
Substance
Particle diameter
Concentration limit
Dust particles ≥ 5 µm ≤ 3 x 104particles/m3
(No visible dust on desk in three days)

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Substance
Particle diameter
Concentration limit
Dust (suspension) ≤75 µm ≤0.2 mg/m3
Dust
(sedimentation) 75 µm to 150 µm ≤1.5 mg/(m2h)
Sand ≥ 150 µm ≤30 mg/m3
The equipment room must also meet limits on salts, acids, and sulfides to eliminate corrosion and
premature aging of components, as shown in Table 4.
Table 4 Harmful gas limits in an equipment room
Gas
Maximum concentration (mg/m
3
)
SO20.2
H2S 0.006
NO20.04
NH30.05
Cl20.01
Grounding requirements
Correctly connecting the server grounding cable is crucial to lightning protection, anti-interference,
and ESD prevention. The server can be grounded through the grounding wire of the power supply
system and no external grounding cable is required.
Storage requirements
Follow these guidelines to store storage media:
•
As a best practice, do not store an HDD for 6 months or more without powering on and using it.
•
As a best practice, do not store an SSD, M.2 SSD, or SD card for 3 months or more without
powering on and using it. Long unused time increases data loss risks.
•
To store the server chassis, or an HDD, SSD, M.2 SSD, or SD card for 3 months or more, power
on it every 3 months and run it for a minimum of 2 hours each time. For information about
powering on and powering off the server, see "Powering on and powering off the server."
Installation tools
Table 5 lists the tools that you might use during installation.
Table 5 Installation tools
Picture
Name
Description
T25 Torx screwdriver Installs or removes screws inside chassis ears, including screwrack mount ears or multifunctional rack
mount ears.
T30 Torx screwdriver Installs or removes captive screws on processor
heatsinks.
T15 Torx screwdriver
(shipped with the server) Installs or removes screws on the system board.

9
Picture
Name
Description
T10 Torx screwdriver
(shipped with the server) Installs or removes screws on riser cards.
Flat-head screwdriver Installs or removes captive screws inside
multifunctional rack mount ears or replaces system
batteries.
Phillips screwdriver Installs or removes screws on drive carriers.
Cage nut insertion/extraction
tool Inserts or extracts the cage nuts in rack posts.
Diagonal pliers Clips insulating sleeves.
Tape measure Measures distance.
Multimeter Measures resistance and voltage.
ESD wrist strap Prevents ESD when you operate the server.
Antistatic gloves Prevents ESD when you operate the server.
Antistatic clothing Prevents ESD when you operate the server.
Ladder Supports high-place operations.
Interface cable (such as an
Ethernet cable or optical
fiber) Connects the server to an external network.

10
Picture
Name
Description
Serial console cable Connects the serial connector on the server to a
monitor for troubleshooting.
Monitor Displays the output from the server.
Temperature humidity meter Displays current temperature and humidity.
Oscilloscope Displays the variation of voltage over time in
waveforms.

11
Installing or removing the server
Installing the server
Installing rails
Install the inner rails to the server and the outer rails to the rack. For information about installing the
rails, see the document shipped with the rails.
Rack-mounting the server
1. Slide the server into the rack. For more information about how to slide the server into the rack,
see the document shipped with the rails.
Figure 3 Rack-mounting the server
2. Secure the server.
a. Push the server until the multifunctional rack mount ears are flush against the rack front
posts, as shown by callout 1 in Figure 4.
b. Unlock the latches of the multifunctional rack mount ears, as shown by callout 2 in Figure 4.
c. Fasten the captive screws inside the chassis ears and lock the latches, as shown by callout
3 in Figure 4.

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Figure 4 Securing the server
Installing cable management brackets
Install cable management brackets if the server is shipped with cable management brackets. For
information about how to install cable management brackets, see the installation guide shipped with
the brackets.
Connecting external cables
Cabling guidelines
WARNING
!
To avoid
electric shock, fire, or damage to the equipment, do not connect communication equipment
to RJ-45 Ethernet ports on the server.
•
For heat dissipation, make sure no cables block the inlet or outlet air vents of the server.
•
To easily identify ports and connect/disconnect cables, make sure the cables do not cross.
•
Label the cables for easy identification of the cables.
•
Wrap unused cables onto an appropriate position on the rack.
•
To avoid damage to cables when extending the server out of the rack, do not route the cables
too tight if you use cable management brackets.
Connecting a mouse, keyboard, and monitor
About this task
Perform this task before you configure BIOS, HDM, FIST, or RAID on the server or enter the
operating system of the server.
The server provides two DB15 VGA connectors for connecting a monitor. One is on the front panel
and the other is on the rear panel.

13
The server is not shipped with a standard PS2 mouse and keyboard. To connect a PS2 mouse and
keyboard, you must prepare a USB-to-PS2 adapter.
Procedure
1. Connect one plug of a VGA cable to a VGA connector on the server, and fasten the screws on
the plug.
Figure 5 Connecting a VGA cable
2. Connect the other plug of the VGA cable to the VGA connector on the monitor, and fasten the
screws on the plug.
3. Connect the mouse and keyboard.
For a USB mouse and keyboard, directly connect the USB connectors of the mouse and
keyboard to the USB connectors on the server.
For a PS2 mouse and keyboard, insert the USB connector of the USB-to-PS2 adapter to a
USB connector on the server. Then, insert the PS2 connectors of the mouse and keyboard
into the PS2 receptacles of the adapter.
Figure 6 Connecting a PS2 mouse and keyboard by using a USB-to-PS2 adapter

14
Connecting an Ethernet cable
About this task
Perform this task before you set up a network environment or log in to the HDM management
interface through the HDM network port to manage the server.
Procedure
1. Determine the network port on the server.
To connect the server to the external network, use the Ethernet port on the network adapter.
To log in to the HDM management interface, use the HDM dedicated network port. For the
position of the HDM dedicated network port, see "Rear panel."
If the server is configured with an OCP network adapter, you can also use the HDM shared
network port on the OCP network adapter to log in to the HDM management interface.
2. Determine type of the Ethernet cable.
Verify the connectivity of the cable by using a link tester.
If you are replacing the Ethernet cable, make sure the new cable is the same type or compatible
with the old cable.
3. Label the Ethernet cable by filling in the names and numbers of the server and the peer device
on the label.
As a best practice, use labels of the same kind for all cables.
If you are replacing the Ethernet cable, label the new cable with the same number as the
number of the old cable.
4. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable to the network port on the server and the other end to
the peer device.
Figure 7 Connecting an Ethernet cable
5. Verify network connectivity.
After powering on the server, use the ping command to test the network connectivity. If the
connection between the server and the peer device fails, verify that the Ethernet cable is
securely connected.
6. Secure the Ethernet cable. For information about how to secure cables, see "Securing cables."

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Connecting the power cord
Guidelines
WARNING
!
To avoid damage to the equipment
or even bodily injury, use the power cord that ships with the
server.
Before connecting the power cord, make sure the server and components are installed correctly.
Procedure
1. Insert the power cord plug into the power receptacle of a power supply at the rear panel, as
shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8 Connecting the power cord
2. Connect the other end of the power cord to the power source, for example, the power strip on
the rack.
3. Secure the power cord to avoid unexpected disconnection of the power cord.
a. If the cable clamp is positioned too near the power cord that it blocks the power cord plug
connection, press down the tab on the cable mount and slide the clip backward.

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Figure 9 Sliding the cable clamp backward
b. Open the cable clamp, place the power cord through the opening in the cable clamp, and
then close the cable clamp, as shown by callouts 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Figure 10.
Figure 10 Securing the AC power cord
c. Slide the cable clamp forward until it is flush against the edge of the power cord plug, as
shown in Figure 11.