Mixing disks of different capacities in x4500 and x4540 systems.

Asset ID:	1-71-1508960.1
Update Date:	2017-03-30
Keywords:

Solution Type Technical Instruction Sure

Solution 1508960.1 : Mixing disks of different capacities in x4500 and x4540 systems.

Applies to:

Sun Fire X4500 Server - Version Not Applicable and later
Sun Fire X4540 Server - Version Not Applicable and later
Information in this document applies to any platform.

Goal

Explain mixing disks of different capacities in x4500 and x4540 systems is now supported.

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Solution

Due to the ongoing shortage of 500GB HDDs, Oracle Engineering has approved higher capacity size part substitutions. Two such substitutions are:

Main Part     Main Part Description Direction Sub Part    (Description)
---------     --------------------- --------- --------    --------------------
541-3050      500GB Drive GeminiK      ->     540-7507    (1TB - 7200RPM SATA)
541-3679      500GB,SATA,SEA,MOOSE     ->     540-7507    (1TB - 7200RPM SATA)

Section 3.5 of the x4500/x4540 service manual says:

   Note - Do not mix drives with different drive capacities.

This is no longer the case. Both x4500 and x4540 now support mixed capacity HDDs in the same chassis.

You may receive a CRU/FRU disk of larger capacity than what has faulted in your system and it is Ok to replace smaller disk capacity with larger disk capacity in a ZFS Storage Pool because the size of the ZFS storage pool will not increase until all the devices in the pool are the equivalent size, such as when the remaining smaller disk is detached or replaced.

For example, if 1 TB disks are used to replace 500 GB disks, and there is a mixture of 1 TB disks and 500 GB disks, the pool size remains 500 GB.

In addition, Please read the following:

1. If all of the remaining smaller disks are replaced, the size of the mirrored storage pool will not increase until the autoexpand property is enabled or the zpool online -e command is used.

2. If you add larger disks as spares in an existing pool with smaller disks, and the spare disk kicks in, the pool size remains equivalent to the smallest disk.

3. If you add a larger disk or disks with zpool add to an existing pool with smaller disks and spare disks at the smaller size, the smaller spare will not kick in for the newly added disk or disks.

Estimated time when logistics will once again restock both 541-3050 and 541-3679 500GB is not currently known.

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For Solaris Volume Manager, see the document in the reference section.

INTERNAL ONLY
See also "Internal Only - Sublist Report" in the Oracle System Handbook

References

<NOTE:1955505.1> - Solaris Volume Manager (SVM) Replacing Disks with a Larger Disk than the Original, mirror different size disk partitions

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