Rockwell Automation 6181P User manual

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Upgrading 6181P Series F Industrial Computers Hard Drives
Quick Start Guide for Upgrading from 32GB SSD or 100GB HDD to a 256GB SSD

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Table of Contents

Upgrading 6181P Series F Industrial Computers Hard Drives...........................................................1
How to Guide for Upgrading from 32GB SSD or 100GB HDD to a 256GB SSD...............................1
Table of Contents...............................................................................................................................2
Purpose..............................................................................................................................................3
Terminology........................................................................................................................................3
Applicable Scenarios..........................................................................................................................3
Overview ............................................................................................................................................4
Procedure...........................................................................................................................................5
I. Rehost FactoryTalk Activations..................................................................................................5
II. Backup the existing image from a 32GB SSD or 100GB HDD..................................................5
III. Restore the image to the 256GB SSD......................................................................................5
IV. Modify Partition Size using DISKPART....................................................................................7
V. Create Recovery Partition using DISKPART (optional).............................................................9
VI. Restore FactoryTalk Activation...............................................................................................10
Frequently Asked Questions............................................................................................................11

Purpose
This quick start guide is intended for use by IT professionals or people experienced with replacing hard drives in Rockwell Automation
Industrial Computers who would like to upgrade the existing hard drive to the larger 256GB SSD.
Terminology
Additional information on AMI Rescue can also be found in the Integration Display Industrial Computer User Manual:
1. AMI Rescue: The UEFI graphical interface with tools available independent of the operating system.
2. Disk Management: A Microsoft Windows utility which enables users to view and manage the disk drives installed in their
computer and the partitions associated with those drives
3. Diskpart: A command-line disk partitioning utility which can be used for partitioning internal hard drives
4. System Reserve: Partition that holds certain components of Operating System such as Boot Manger and Boot Configuration
Data
5. Recovery Partition: Reserved portion of the disk drive that contains an image of the system as it was shipped from the factory
6. SSD: Solid State Drive
7. HDD: Hard Disk Drive
Applicable Scenarios
End users who have existing 6181P Series F computers with 100GB HDD or 64GB SSD storage media are able to purchase individual
256GB SSDs as an accessory. A field upgrade of their machine can be performed using the procedure outlined in this guide.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) ordering new 6181P Series F computers may opt for the 256 GB SSD storage media which will
ship with the factory operating system preinstalled. Factory images for the 256GB SSD are also available for download from the Product
Compatibility and Download Center. To clone computers using a custom image, reference Rockwell Automation Knowledgebase Article
611548.

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Overview
An AMI Rescue backup image of the existing hard drive captures the size of the System Reserved partition, (C:) drive partition and
Recovery partition. The information for each can be viewed in the Disk Management utility which can be accessed by typing
“diskmgmt.msc” in the Search field of the Start menu.
Disk Management partition view with 100GB HDD installed
When moving an existing image from a 32GB SSD or 100GB HDD to the larger 256GB SSD the system is usable without needing to make
changes to the backup image created from the smaller drive. However, without any changes, the extra space on the 256GB SSD is
unallocated and not used. Instead an empty, unlabeled recovery partition is created. The extra space on the 256GB SSD can be allocated
to the usable (C:) partition which is where the RA factory image is stored on shipping systems. It does not matter if the 256GB SSD is
blank or has the preinstalled factory operating system, either one can be updated with a backup image.
Once the 32GB or 100GB hard drive image is restored on a 256GB SSD, the Disk Management Utility shows the extra unallocated space
than can be applied to the (C:) Partition.
Disk Management partition view with the 100GB HHD image restored on a 256 SSD
Once the recovery partition and unallocated space are allocated to the (C:) partition the system will continue to run without errors. To store
a backup of the new larger image in the recovery partition, both the recovery partition and an AMI backup will need to be created.

Procedure
I. Rehost FactoryTalk Activations
If the FactoryTalk Activation Host ID is attached to the hard driver serial number, the activations will need to be rehosted prior to upgrading
to the new hard drive. The procedure to complete this process is dependent on the version of FactoryTalk Activation Manager installed.
Please note, it is recommended to record the serial number of available activations prior to rehosting them should Rockwell Automation
Technical Support need to reset the activation. Please reference Rockwell Automation Knowledgebase article 106063 or contact
Technical Support for assistance.
II. Backup the existing image from a 32GB SSD or 100GB HDD
AMI Rescue can be used to create a backup image on a USB device, however, note the device must be formatted as FAT32. To perform
this procedure, enter AMI Environment at POST and select AMI Rescue. Choose Make a Backup from the user interface then point to the
USB device for the backup source. Follow the wizard by selecting all options under Advanced to complete the process. Please reference
Rockwell Automation Knowledgebase article 611548 for the full step by step instructions under the To Make a Backup section or contact
Technical Support for assistance. The Rockwell Automation Software Activation website has additional information and downloads too.
III. Restore the image to the 256GB SSD
This procedure is different than the one listed in Knowledgebase article 611548 since the replacement hard drive is a larger size. Please
follow the steps listed below to restore the image on the 256 GB SSD.
After creating an AMI backup image of the computer with the existing drive (32GB SSD or 100GB HDD) still in the system and storing it on
a USB device, follow the steps below.
1. Remove the smaller 32GB SSD or 100GB HDD and insert the 256GB SSD into the system using the Installation Instructions
provided with the shipping materials.
2. Insert the USB device containing the AMI backup image of the 32GB/100GB system into the system.
3. Access the AMI Environment by pressing F2 during POST.
4. Select the AMI Rescue button to enter the AMI backup/restore utility.
5. Select the Restore from An Image button
a. Select your USB device and the AMI backup image from the smaller 32GB/100GB drive

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6. Select Restore Now and follow the prompts pictured below:
a. The restored destination may not have enough space due to the compression rate of backup image. Continue? 
YES
b. Target partitions will be overwritten. Continue? YES
c. Do you want to keep the current partition table? NO

d. The current partition table will be restored to previous state. Continue? YES
7. Once the restore is complete, the progress bar will show 100%. To return to your desktop, select Exit
three times.
IV. Modify Partition Size using DISKPART
The extra space on the 256GB drive cannot be used until it is allocated. The empty Recovery partition and unallocated extra space can be
allocated to the main storage partition (C:) using DISKPART in an administrative command prompt.
Disk Management shows the 100GB HHD Backup AMI Image restored on a 256 SSD
Please follow the steps listed below to reallocate the hard drive partitions.
1. Open an administrative command prompt and run the diskpart utility.
2. Enter the list disk command

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3. The 256GB Drive will appear smaller due to byte/gigabyte conversion. Select this disk by entering select disk 0
4. View the partitions and their sizes of this disk using the list partition command
5. The OEM partition is the empty and unlabeled recovery partition which can be removed. Select this partition by entering
select partition 3
6. Delete the OEM partition so that it is also unallocated using the delete partition override command
7. Display all the volumes on the computer using the list volume command
8. Select the main storage volume C by entering select volume 1
9. Extend the volume to use all the unallocated space by entering extend

The extra space on the drive is now allocated to the main storage (C:) partition, as shown below. To create a Recovery Partition, stay in
DiskPart and continue to the next section.
V. Create Recovery Partition using DISKPART (optional)
If a Recovery Partition is needed, continue the procedure with command prompt running diskpart and the main storage volume still
selected from the previous steps.
1. Run the following commands:

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2. Once complete, the Disk Management screen should show all available space on the SDD being utilized.
3. The new Recovery partition that has been created is still empty. Create a backup of the image using the AMI Rescue and store
in this location.
VI. Restore FactoryTalk Activation
The last step in upgrading the hard drive is to restore the FactoryTalk Activation in the image. If the FactoryTalk Activation Host ID is
attached to the hard driver serial number, the activations will need to be rehosted. The procedure to complete this process is dependent
on the version of FactoryTalk Activation Manager installed. Please visit the Rockwell Automation Software Activation website for online
activation support or contact Technical Support for assistance.

FrequentlyAsked Questions
Iapplyacustomimagetosystemsthathadthe100GBHDD(or32GBSSD)drive.CanIusethisimagewith
thelarger256GBSSD?
oYes.Thesystemwillfunctionwithoutneedingtomakechangestoyourimage;however,theextra
spaceofthelargerdrivewillbeunusableuntilitisallocated.Theextraspacecanbeallocatedusing
acommandprompt.
IfaunitwithactivatedRockwellSoftwareisupgradeddoesitkeeptheactivation?
oYes.Iftheactivationislinkedtotheolddrive’sserialnumber,theactivationmustbereturnedfrom
thesystemusingtheolddriveandre‐hostedonthesystemoncethenewdriveisinstalled.
Areallagencycertificationsstillvalidifupgradeto256GBSSDoccurs?
oYes–thereisnoimpacttotheagencycertificationifthe256GBSSDisinstalled
Whataretheperformanceincreasesforupgradingtothe256GBSSD?
oOurtestsshowthatuserswhoswitchfromthe100GBHDDtothe256GBSSDwillseea2.5xfaster
genericboottimeand2xfasterboottoFactoryTalkViewMEapplication.Resultswillvarybasedon
applicationsizing.
Will32bit256GBSSDOSimagesbeavailable?
oYes–seetheRockwellAutomationProductCompatibilityandDownload(PCDC)site(Link)
CanSeriesE6181Pcomputersbeupgradedto256GBSSD?
oNo,the256GBSSDisonlyqualifiedforSeriesF6181Pproducts


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