USB Removable Disk Drive (FC 1103, 1104, 1106, 1107)

Learn about the features of this drive.

Description

The USB Removable Disk Drive consists of a docking station, which holds a removable disk drive. The docking station is available as an internal or external device. The disk drive is a backup and restore device that can be used as an alternative to tape drives. The removable disk drive is not a replacement for regular disk drives and cannot be used as part of a disk array. The following illustrations show the internal and external drives.

Figure 1. Internal drive, front view

A: Emergency eject hole
B: Cartridge indicator light
C: Eject button and power indicator light

Figure 2. External drive, front view

External drive, front view with removable disk drive

D: Write-protect switch

Figure 3. Internal drive, rear view, and connectors

E: Power connector
F: USB connector

Figure 4. External drive, rear view, and connectors

E: Power connector
F: USB connector

Feature codes and part numbers

Learn about the feature codes (FCs) and part numbers for the USB Removable Disk Drive.

FC 1103 - USB Internal Docking Station for Removable Disk Drive

FC 1103 uses an internal USB cable to connect to the internal USB port on the control panel of a system that supports this feature. The USB and power cable are included in the feature code.

FC 1103 provides the following parts:

46C5370 (FRU: 46C5380) - USB Internal docking station
46K7435 - Internal USB cable (12 inch)
46K7434 - Internal power cable (11 inch) with right angle power connector
44V3429 - Two drive slide assembly rails
1621187 - Four flat blade screws

FC 1104 - USB External Docking Station for Removable Disk Drive

FC 1104 uses an external USB cable to connect to an external USB port. The 1104 feature code includes a USB cable, external power supply, and power cord as part of the feature code.

FC 1104 provides the following parts:

46C5381 - USB external docking station
44E8889 - External USB cable
49Y9890 - External power supply with power cord and universal plugs for all supported geographies
39M5516 - Power cord (1 m) from the power supply to the rack power distribution unit

Removable disk drives

Table 1. Removable disk drives
Feature Code	Part number	Description
1106	46C5375	160 GB Removable Disk Drive
No feature code	46C5394	320 GB Removable Disk Drive
1107	46C5395	500 GB Removable Disk Drive

Purchasing additional removable disk drives

For best results, use only the removable disk drives that are shown in Table 1.

The removable disk drives are a supply item that can be ordered as a feature code. To order in the United States and Canada, call 1-888-IBM-MEDIA. To order drives in other locations, contact your local provider of IBM® storage products or visit the following Web site: http://www.storage.ibm.com/media/.

Removable disk drives are not a service item and IBM service representatives are not dispatched to service or replace removable disk drives.

Storing removable disk drives

Store removable disk drives in their protective containers, on a flat surface with the top side up. The storage area must be clean, dry, normal room temperature, and away from any magnetic fields. For best storage life, use the removable disk drives every six months.

Supported USB adapters and cables

Attention: The docking station only supports the USB cable that is provided as part of the feature code. The docking station does not support attachment using USB hubs, add-on USB cables, or USB cable extenders.

The external docking station can be connected to the external, integrated USB ports on POWER6® systems or to the USB ports on 4-Port USB PCI Express™ Adapter (FC 2728).

The internal docking station can be connected to the internal USB port on the control panel of POWER6 systems.

Note: When the USB port on the control panel is used for the docking station, that port is disabled for other uses.

Specifications

Interface

USB 2.0

Mksysb

Yes

Bootable

Yes

Physical form factor (internal docking station)

5.25 inch half high

Environmental

USB Removable Disk Drive	Operating conditions	Nonoperating conditions
Temperature	5 -55°C	–40 -65°C
Relative humidity	8 -90% noncondensing	5 -95% noncondensing
Maximum wet bulb temperature	29.4°C noncondensing	40°C noncondensing
Maximum temperature gradient	20°C per hour	20°C per hour
Altitude	–300 -3048 m (10,000 ft)	–300 -12,192 m (40,000 ft)

Supported operating systems

USB Removable Disk Drive is supported on the following versions of the AIX® and Linux® operating systems:

AIX 5L Version 5.3 with the 5300-11 Technology Level, or later
AIX Version 6.1 with the 6100-04 Technology Level, or later
Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 3 Update 7, or later
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, or later

Using the USB Removable Disk Drive for backup and restore

The disk drive is a backup and restore device that can be used as an alternative to tape drives. The removable disk drive is not a replacement for regular disk drives and cannot be used as part of a disk array.

Note: If power is lost during a backup to the disk, the data can be compromised. Verify the data or rerun the backup.

Using the drive with AIX

AIX names the drive usbmsx. For example, usbms1 and usbms2. AIX also can use the device as a raw device. For example, rusbms1 and rusbms2.

AIX uses the removable disk drive differently depending on the program being used. The AIX mksysb command builds a list of files to back up, creates a universal disk format (UDF) file system, and puts a boot image and the root volume group on the removable disk drive. When the mksysb process is complete the removable disk drive can be used to boot the system. If you mount the removable disk drive, you can display and copy files to and from the UDF file system on the removable disk drive.

The AIX tar, backup, restore, dd, and cpio commands can write to the removable disk drive as a raw device or non raw device. You might get improved performance by using the device as a raw device.

See the AIX documentation for additional information.

Using the drive with Linux

Linux configures the drive as a disk drive with a name in the format sdx, for example, sda, sdb, and sdc.

See the Linux documentation for information about using Linux copy and backup commands.

Setting the write-protect switch

The removable disk drives have a red, write-protect tab that is located on the back of the drive. To write-protect a drive, slide the write-protect tab toward the lock symbol. To disengage write protection, slide the tab to the unlock symbol.

Using the emergency eject function

To eject a removable disk drive, press the eject button. If a drive is stuck, follow these steps:

If you using the internal docking station, power off the system. If you are using the external docking station, unplug the power cable from the device.
Insert a large straightened paper clip (or similar object) into the emergency eject hole. Do not insert the object in the hole at an angle. Keep the object straight and apply some force to eject the drive.
When the drive has been ejected by the docking station, grasp the exposed sides of the drive and pull the drive straight out.
Restart your system to reset the docking station. If you are using the external docking station, reconnect the power cable for the docking station and then restart the system.

Status lights

Learn about the power indicator and drive indicator status lights on the USB Removable Disk Drive.

Power indicator

The eject button is illuminated by a power indicator light. The following table describes the operation of the power indicator.

Table 2. Power indicator
Indicator status	Meaning	Description
Off	No power	Docking station does not have power.
Steady green	Ready	Power is on and the docking station is working correctly.
Flashing green	Ejecting	Cartridge is ejecting.
Flashing amber	Fault	Docking station has detected a fault condition with the docking station.

Removable disk drive indicator

The disk drive has an indicator light that displays the status of the drive. The following table describes the operation of the drive indicator.

Table 3. Cartridge indicator
Indicator status	Meaning	Description
Off	Not ready	Drive is not inserted correctly or the docking station has no power
Steady green	Ready	Drive is ready
Flashing green	Activity	Drive is reading, writing, or seeking
Flashing amber	Fault	Docking station has detected a fault condition with the cartridge

Installing the docking station for the removable disk drive

For comprehensive installation instructions, see the Media devices topic.

Keep in mind the following points when you install FC 1104, the USB External Docking Station for Removable Disk Drive:

A rack shelf is not included with FC 1104.
The docking station can be rested on a flat surface in a rack or on a table top next to a rack.
Ensure that the device is on a flat surface, is right side up, and is not likely to be bumped, dropped, or otherwise damaged or jolted.
If the docking station is placed by itself on a rack shelf, it will have space on the sides of the device. No filler panels are provided with the docking station.
If the docking station is placed on a rack shelf, ensure that the docking station has sufficient air flow but that is does not affect the air flow of the other systems in the rack.
Do not block the fan on the back of the docking station.