News
Abstract
FlashSystem storage enclosure batteries are designed with a finite end-of-life, which is approximately 4 years. A FlashSystem must have at least one healthy, charged battery in order for the Flashsystem enclosure to remain online. When a battery nears its expiration date, it should be replaced.
Content
This article applies to the following FlashSystem storage enclosures:
| FlashSystem 900 | 9840-AE2, 9843-AE2, 9840-AE3, 9843-AE3 |
| FlashSystem V9000 | 9846-AE2, 9848-AE2, 9846-AE3, 9848-AE3 (storage enclosure(s) only) |
| FlashSystem A9000 | 9835/9837-415 (storage enclosure(s) only, 9840-AE2, 9843-AE2, 9840-AE3, 9843-AE3) |
| FlashSystem A9000R | 9837-415 (storage enclosure(s) only, 9840-AE2, 9843-AE2, 9840-AE3, 9843-AE3) |
The batteries in a FlashSystem storage enclosure models 900/V9000/A9000/A9000R have an expected life of 4 years. "Life" of the battery is measured from the date a battery is first installed into a system, whether at the manufacturing facility or when a replacement battery was installed in a system on-site. This applies only to the batteries inside the FlashSystem storage enclosure.
When a storage enclosure battery reaches 120 days before its "end of life" date, a warning message is issued from the FlashSystem. If the system is configured for Call Home and if it is covered by an active IBM maintenance agreement, a problem record (PMR) is opened with IBM. IBM Support will contact you to schedule a battery replacement. If your system is not covered by an IBM maintenance agreement, a battery may be purchased from IBM directly.
Caution: If you ignore the battery end of life warning the battery will be taken offline. However if you are at FW level 1.4.7.0 or higher and both batteries hit end of life warning, only one battery will be taken offline and the Flashsystem will remain online and functional. One online battery in the Flashsystem will provide all the requirements to protect the data.
FlashSystem battery modules are powered by Lithium Ion batteries. As with all Lithium batteries, as they age, they gradually wear out and lose the ability to hold their charge. The battery modules' lifetime depends on how often they are used for emergency power loss events and also the temperature of the batteries. Their lifetimes are shortened by heat.
Warnings and Alerts
When a FlashSystem storage enclosure battery module is within 120 days of expiring due to "end of life", a warning message appears in the management GUI event log. The alert is "1114 Battery Fault Type 1" with an event ID of 085044 which means "Enclosure battery is near end of life." When this alert is displayed, a replacement battery should be ordered and the battery should be replaced. If there are alerts for both batteries, then the batteries must be replaced one at a time. It typically takes 4-8 hours for a replacement battery to fully charge after it has been installed. Therefore, if both batteries need to be replaced in a FlashSystem storage enclosure, they should be replaced on different days.
If a battery module is not replaced in 120 days, the battery will reach "end of life" (expire and go offline) with the alert "1114 Battery Fault Type 1" with an event ID of 085045 which means "Enclosure battery is at end of life."
In firmware release 1.4.7.0 and higher, the warning date for "end of life" is adjusted so that both batteries will not issue the warning at the same time, regardless of the dates the batteries were installed. This means that in 1.4.7.0 and higher, the "end-of-life" warning can occur after 3 years and 4 months of use.
Battery Replacement
Replacement of batteries that have reached their end of life is covered under the IBM FlashSystem maintenance agreement, if your system is covered by IBM maintenance. If a system is not covered by a maintenance agreement, replacement batteries can be purchased from IBM. Batteries can be ordered online, here: IBM Maintenance Parts The Part Number for a FlashSystem battery module is 02CL197 for all FlashSystem models. Older systems may contain batteries with a part number of 00DH517 or 00ND095. These may be substituted for part number 02CL197.
If you wish to purchase a maintenance agreement, contact your local IBM representative. If you do not know if your system is covered by an IBM maintenance agreement, contact your IBM representative or IBM support in your country https://www.ibm.com/planetwide/ .
Replacing a battery module that is covered by an IBM maintenance agreement is usually done by an IBM Service Representative. If Call Home is enabled, a PMR will be opened automatically and IBM will contact you to schedule a time to replace the battery. If Call Home is not enabled, you must place a service call to IBM support.
If you do not have a maintenance agreement and wish to replace the battery yourself, the instructions for battery replacement are in the IBM Knowledge Center, here:
Note: The battery replacement instructions for the 900 are applicable to the all FlashSystem storage enclosures.
Additional important information about replacing batteries is included in a flyer that is included with the batteries. The flyer is attached.
Related Information
Was this topic helpful?
Document Information
Modified date:
13 July 2022
UID
ssg1S1010516