C H A P T E R 4

Battery FRUs

This chapter provides instructions for removing and installing batteries and battery modules. The FC arrays have an independent battery module located above each I/O module. The SCSI arrays contain a battery on each controller module.

The battery dating information is the same for all batteries.

Topics covered in this chapter are:

Battery Operation

Battery Status on the Initial Firmware Screen

Battery Dating on the Battery Labels

Replacing a Battery

Replacing a SCSI Battery

Replacing an FC Battery

FC Battery Status and In-Service Date Procedures

4.1 Battery Operation

Your lithium ion battery should be changed every two years if the unit is continuously operated at 25 degrees C. If the unit is continuously operated at 35 degrees C or higher, it should be changed every year. The shelf life of your battery is three years.

In the event of a power failure, the battery maintains power to the cache for 72 hours. When power is restored, the data in cache is dumped to disk.

Note - The RAID controller has a temperature sensor which shuts off battery charging above 54 degrees C. When this happens, the battery status may be reported as BAD, but no alarm is written to the event log since no actual battery failure has occurred. This behavior is normal. As soon as the temperature returns to the normal range, battery charging resumes and the battery status is reported correctly. It is not necessary to replace or otherwise interfere with the battery in this situation.

The battery LED (on the far right side of the controller module) is an amber LED if the battery is bad or missing. The LED blinks green if the battery is charging and is solid green when the battery is fully charged.

4.2 Battery Status on the Initial Firmware Screen

The initial firmware screen displays the battery status at the top of the initial screen where BAT: status displays somewhere in the range from BAD to ----- (charging), or +++++ (fully charged).

For maximum life, lithium ion batteries are not recharged until the charge level is very low, indicated by a status of -----. Automatic recharging at this point takes very little time.

A battery module whose status shows one or more + signs can support cache memory for 72 hours. As long as one or more + signs are displayed, your battery is performing correctly.


Battery Display	Description
-----	Discharged; the battery is automatically recharged when it reaches this state.
+----	Adequately charged to maintain cache memory for 72 hours or more in case of power loss. Automatic recharging occurs when the battery status drops below this level.
++---	Over 90% charged; adequate to maintain cache memory for 72 hours or more in case of power loss.
+++--	Over 90% charged; adequate to maintain cache memory for 72 hours or more in case of power loss.
++++-	Over 90% charged; adequate to maintain cache memory for 72 hours or more in case of power loss.
+++++	Fully charged; adequate to maintain cache memory for 72 hours or more in case of power loss.

4.3 Battery Dating on the Battery Labels

The battery modules display a serial number/part number label, whose placement on the battery is shown in FIGURE 4-1 and FIGURE 4-2.

Below the top bar code is a seven-digit code that indicates the place of manufacture, followed by a dash (-), followed by a four-digit code that indicates the date of manufacture, followed by a six-digit supplier-assigned serial number.

In FIGURE 4-1, the example date of battery manufacture is indicated by "0240," where "02" is the year of manufacture and "40" is the week of manufacture. If a battery does not have a serial number/part number label, the manufacture date for the battery is August 2002.

FIGURE 4-1 Battery Label Example for the Sun StorEdge 3310 SCSI Array

Figure showing battery label with serial number and with date code included in part number.

FIGURE 4-2 Battery Label Example for the Sun StorEdge 3510 FC Array

In FIGURE 4-1, the number below the bottom bar code is the part number (for example, 3705555-04).

4.4 Replacing a Battery

This section explains how to remove an existing battery and install a new battery. The following procedures are guidelines for replacing batteries in SCSI and FC arrays.

4.4.1 Replacing a SCSI Battery

To replace a SCSI array battery, perform the following steps (refer to FIGURE 4-3 through FIGURE 4-7).

1. Turn the thumbscrews on the left and right sides of the controller module that contains the battery counterclockwise until the thumbscrews are disengaged from the chassis.

2. Hold the thumbscrews and pull out the battery module to check the battery date.

3. To replace the battery, pull out the controller module completely.

4. Disconnect the battery connector from the controller module.

5. With a screwdriver, remove the battery screws to release the battery from the battery module.

6. Lift out the battery.

7. Insert the new battery, and attach the battery connector to the controller module.

8. With a screwdriver, attach the battery to the controller with the screws that you removed in Step 5.

9. Reinsert the controller module into the array, and tighten the thumbscrews firmly to secure the module.

Caution - If you plan to replace the batteries in both controllers, you must complete all the preceding steps for the first controller and battery before performing the steps for the second controller; otherwise, the array disconnects and goes offline.

FIGURE 4-3 The Battery and Connector in a SCSI Array

Figure showing the battery and connector.

FIGURE 4-4 The Battery Connector Unplugged in a SCSI Array

FIGURE 4-5 The Underside of the Battery Module With Screws Being Removed

Figure showing the underside of the controller module with screws being removed.

FIGURE 4-6 The Top Side of the Controller Module With the Battery Being Lifted Out and the Connector Unplugged

Figure showing the top side of the controller module with the battery being lifted out and connector unplugged.

FIGURE 4-7 The Top and Side View of the Controller Module With the Battery Being Inserted

Figure shows the connector attached to the battery module, how the battery is placed in the module, and the correct position of the mounting screws.

4.4.2 Replacing an FC Battery

To replace a FC array battery, perform the following steps.

1. Turn the thumbscrews on the left and right sides of a battery module for the FC array counterclockwise until the thumbscrews are disengaged from the chassis.

2. Hold the thumbscrews and pull out the battery module to check the battery date.

3. To replace the battery, pull out the battery module completely and disconnect the battery connector from the battery module.

FIGURE 4-8 Battery Module Removed From the Chassis

Figure showing the battery module removed from the chassis.

FIGURE 4-9 Battery Connector Disconnected From the Battery Module

Figure showing the battery connector disconnected from the battery module.

4. Remove the battery screws on the underside of the module to release the battery from the battery module, similar to the screw removal shown in FIGURE 4-5.

5. Lift out the battery.

6. Insert the new battery and attach the battery connector to the battery module.

7. With a screwdriver, attach the battery to the controller with the screws that you removed in Step 4.

8. Reinsert the battery module into the array, and tighten the module thumbscrews firmly to secure the module.

9. Set the in-service dates for the new FC battery replacement with the CLI or SSCS program. For details, refer to FC Battery Status and In-Service Date Procedures.

4.5 FC Battery Status and In-Service Date Procedures

The CLI and SSCS programs offer the following features for FC battery modules:

Setting the In-Service Date

Monitoring the FC battery status

4.5.1 Viewing Status and Setting the In-Service Date with the CLI

This command sets the in-service date for battery FRU replacements and displays the status of the battery modules.

For battery FRU replacements, the battery in-service-date must be set manually with the show battery-status command after the battery FRU module is installed. The show battery-status command will prompt you to set the in-service date to the system clock date. Run this command immediately to ensure the battery status is accurate when you run the show battery-status command in the future.

For redundant controllers, status for both batteries is shown. Status values include: Expired, Warning, or Good. A status of Warning indicates that the battery will expire within 21 days.

Note - If the battery type is an early board module, then battery expiration monitoring is not supported. In this case, a message displays that says, "battery board type is not supported."

The following example shows one good battery one and one battery that is set to expire within the next week:

sccli> show battery-status

 Upper Battery Type: 1

 Upper Battery Manufacturing Date: Sat Jan 04 00:00:00 2003

 Upper Battery Placed In Service:  Thu Jan 22 10:59:58 2004

 Upper Battery Expiration Date:    Tue Jan 03 06:00:00 2006

 Upper Battery Status: good

 Lower Battery Type: 1

 Lower Battery Manufacturing Date: Tue Jan 02 00:00:00 2001

 Lower Battery Placed In Service: Sat Dec 29 00:00:00 2001

 Lower Battery Expiration Date: Mon Dec 29 00:00:00 2003

 Lower Battery Status: warning

4.5.2 Viewing Status and Setting the In-Service Date with SSCS

Sun StorEdge Configuration Service monitors the usable life of the FC battery and displays its status in the Battery Information window. The program calculates the battery expiration date using the battery type, manufacture date, and in-service date, which have been programmed at the factory.

Note - For an FC battery FRU, you need to verify the in-service date so that Sun StorEdge Configuration Service can set it as explained in Verifying the In-Service Date When Replacing a Battery in SSCS.

The enclosure icon on the main window displays a degraded (yellow) status 21 days before the battery is going to expire. The enclosure icon also displays a warning (yellow) status if the in-service date has not been set for a battery FRU. A critical (red) status is displayed when a battery has expired.

To view the battery status, choose View right arrow View Enclosure or double-click the enclosure. The View Enclosure window is displayed, showing the battery status in the Summary box.

Screen capture of the View Enclosure window showing a battery status of good.

To view battery information, including type, status, manufacture date, in-service date, and expiration date, click Battery. The Battery Information window is displayed.

Screen capture of Battery Information showing battery status.

4.5.3 Verifying the In-Service Date When Replacing a Battery in SSCS

When Sun StorEdge Configuration Service detects a battery FRU, the enclosure icon displays a degraded (yellow) status symbol as shown in the following example.

Screen capture of Sun StorEdge Configuration Service main window showing a degraded device symbol.

1. Double-click the enclosure icon.

Sun StorEdge Configuration Service calculates the battery expiration date using the in-service date (date that the battery is put into service), which is based on the host clock. The program prompts you to verify the date by displaying the following message:

Screen capture showing the warning message if Sun StorEdge Configuration Service detects a new battery.

2. If the host clock is correct, click Yes.

The following confirmation message is displayed. Click OK.

Screen capture verifying the in-service date.

Sun StorEdge Configuration Service sets the in-service date and displays the date in the In-Service Date field in the Battery Information window.

3. If the host clock is incorrect, click No and reset the clock so that Sun StorEdge Configuration Service can prompt you to verify it again and set the in-service date.

Caution - If you do not reset and verify the in-service date, Sun StorEdge Configuration Service cannot accurately calculate the battery expiration date.