How to Identify and Replace a Faulty Disk in an HPE vSAN Node Using the ssacli Tool
Recently, we encountered a situation where a disk went bad in one of our customer’s HPE vSAN nodes. As part of the troubleshooting and repair process, we needed to physically identify and replace the failed disk. However, without a clear indicator, it can be challenging for an onsite engineer to pinpoint the exact disk that needs replacing, especially in a populated disk array. This blog will walk you through a convenient way to enable the disk identification LED using the ssacli tool, which comes in handy given that HPE’s iLO interface lacks a direct “Turn on UID” button.
The Challenge: No UID Button in iLO
The HPE iLO (Integrated Lights Out) interface offers a wealth of remote management options, but unfortunately, it doesn’t include a straightforward “Turn on UID” button. This would allow an engineer to activate an LED on the faulty disk, making it easy to spot among other disks in the array. Without this feature, we rely on other methods to ensure the right drive is being replaced.
Solution: Using ssacli with VMware ESXi 7
Since our HPE node is running VMware ESXi 7 with the HPE vendor addon, we can use the ssacli utility to turn on the UID light for a specific drive. Here’s how to do it step-by-step, with thanks to Wes Milliron for his excellent blog on the subject, which served as a key reference in this process. You can find his detailed post here.
Step 1: Identify the Failed Disk in iLO
First, log in to the HPE iLO interface to gather details on the failed drive. You need to locate the disk by its controller, port, box, and bay information. For instance, let’s say we’ve identified that the failed disk is in:
- Controller Slot: 1
- Port: 1I
- Box: 2
- Bay: 1
This information helps us target the exact drive when using ssacli to turn on the UID.
Step 2: Access the ssacli Tool on the ESXi Host
SSH into the ESXi host and navigate to the directory where ssacli is located:
cd /opt/smartstorageadmin/ssacli/binStep 3: Verify the Disk with ssacli
To avoid any mix-ups, verify the drive details by running the following command. This will display information on all drives attached to the controller in slot 1:
./ssacli controller slot=1 pd all show detailYou can cross-reference the Drive Unique ID to confirm you have the correct disk before turning on the UID.
Step 4: Turn On the UID
Once you’re sure of the drive’s identity, use ssacli to enable the UID light, making it easier for the onsite engineer to locate it. Run the following command, adjusting slot, port, box, and bay as needed:
./ssacli controller slot=1 physicaldrive 1I:2:1 modify led=on duration=86400This command will activate the LED for 24 hours. This should provide ample time for the disk replacement.
Step 5: Turn Off the UID (Optional)
If you complete the replacement before the 24-hour timer expires, you can manually turn off the UID by running:
./ssacli controller slot=1 physicaldrive 1I:2:1 modify led=offWrapping Up
It’s worth noting that you’ll need to adjust the slot, port, box, and bay details based on the specific drive in need of replacement. While an iLO “Turn on UID” button would make this process much easier, ssacli provides a solid workaround to ensure that the correct drive is identified and replaced.
Thanks to Wes Milliron for his insightful blog post that helped make this process smoother!