M630 Replacing a hot-swap RAID1 Drive (non-faulty)

Hello,

Yes you can offline the drive then remove it.

Insert the replacement drive. It should start to rebuild into the array automatically.

If it does not then set the drive as a Hot Spare and the rebuild should start.

Do not forceonline.

@Dell -Charles R​

Thanks for the reply - how do I turn the drive offline? There is nothing in the UI in iDrac to action this. Is there a command I should use or anything on the physical server I should press to turn it off?

Hi, you can use OpenManage Server Administrator

Offline via OMSA

1. Log in to OMSA.
   Click Continue to this website if the security certificate warning message appeared.
2. Expand Storage on the left tree menu and select Virtual Disks.
3. Click the desired virtual disk name from the virtual disks list.
   In this step, Virtual Disk0 is selected as an example.
4. Select Offline from available tasks menu on the physical disk to delete and click Execute.
5. Read the caution message appeared and click Offline.
6. Click OK on the message from web page box.
7. Check if the selected physical disk status is now offline.

Offline via Command Line Interface(CLI)

OMSA must be installed on your system before you run the following steps. 

1. Open a Terminal (Linux) or DOS window (Windows).
2. Run the command: omconfig storage pdisk action=offline controller=* pdisk=* (* will be the number).
   Run the command: omreport storage controller if you check the controller list.
   Example: Controller ID=0, desired physical disk ID=0:1:4
   omconfig storage pdisk action=offline controller=0 pdisk=0:1:4
   Important: It is important to select the good controller.
3. "Command successful!" message appears, and the physical disk is now offline.
4. Run the command: omreport storage pdisk controller=* pdisk=* to check that the physical disk status now shows "Offline" (* will be the number).

@Dell-ErmanO​ thank you for the response. I have read about OMSA but what doesn't appear in any of the documentation is where OMSA should be installed? Does it get installed on the iDrac service (SSH for iDrac command line access and run the installer) or on the server itself.

If it is installed on the server itself what if Dell don't provide support for the OS I may have installed on the box for my applications, also isn't that a security risk if installed on the servers main drives itself with a possible public feature that could manage the servers core systems that would normally be within iDrac and protected (e.g making a drive(s) offline).

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) is typically installed on the server itself. OMSA is not installed on the iDRAC service, but it can communicate with the iDRAC to provide system information and management functions. Regarding your security concerns, it’s important to note that while OMSA does provide powerful management capabilities, it’s designed with security considerations in mind. However, like any software, it’s not immune to potential security vulnerabilities. So, it’s crucial to keep OMSA and all other software up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates. 

I think you can also take a look RACADM for alternative method.  page 127 iDRAC 8/7 v2.81.81.81 RACADM CLI Guide (https://dell.to/3ubtymz)

RACADM Commands for Configuring Physical Disk Drives (Pdisk) 

racadm raid setbootvd:<Controller FQDD> -vd <VD FQDD>

racadm raid forceonline:<PD FQDD>

racadm raid forceoffline:<PD FQDD>

racadm storage unlock:<Controller FQDD> -key <Key id> -passwd <passphrase>