This video shows how to replace a system battery on VxRail E560, E560F, E560N, E660, E660F, or E660N systems. This battery is also known the CMOS battery. Before you begin, ensure that your virtual machines are migrated to another host. If your clusters are running on a standard license, then you need to manually migrate the VMs to another host. To migrate, log in to vSphere Client, click the menu, and select Inventory.
Expand the vCenter Server, then click, VxRail Datacenter. Now, Click on the VxRail Virtual SAN Cluster, and select the ESXi host that is running. If there are VMs running on the ESXi host, then select the faulty host on the left pane. In the right pane, click the VMs tab and then the Virtual Machines tab. Right-click the running VM and select Migrate. Select the option Change both compute resource and storage and click Next.
Then, select a compute resource as the target host and click Next. Now, select destination storage for the migration and click Next. Select a destination network and click Next. Then, select the applicable vMotion priority and click Next. And finally, click Finish. Ensure that all the VMs are migrated. Next, you need to put the affected host in maintenance mode. To do this, select the VxRail virtual SAN cluster from the left pane. In the right pane, select the Hosts tab and then right-click on the host that you need to shut down.
Now, click Maintenance Mode and select Enter Maintenance mode. Then click OK and acknowledge the warning. Next, you need to ensure that the cluster’s health monitoring is set to enable. To ensure this, select the VxRail Virtual SAN Cluster, click the Configure tab, and scroll down the pane. Under VxRail, select Health Monitoring. In the right pane, under the VxRail Cluster Health Monitoring, ensure that the status is Enabled.
If not, use the slide button to enable it. Next, you should shut down the faulty host from the vCenter server. To do this, select the VxRail Virtual SAN cluster, click the Monitor tab and scroll down. Under VxRail, select Physical View. From the right pane, select the affected host and click Actions. From the list, select Shutdown Host. In the Shutdown Host wizard, confirm VM Migration and click Next.
Then, wait for the validation to complete and click Next. Now, confirm shutdown and click Next. The shutdown process has started, and once it is complete click Finish. Before you remove the component, power off the affected host and disconnect all the attached peripherals. Ensure that you always use ESD protection while working with the system. To unlock the system cover, rotate the latch. Now, lift the latch and remove the cover.
Now, press the blue release tabs of the expansion card riser and lift it from the system board. And locate the battery socket. Insert a plastic scribe at the negative side of the battery connector and lift the battery out of the socket. Now, hold the new battery with the positive side facing up and press the battery into the connector until it snaps into place. Then, place the expansion card riser on the system board ensuring the connectors are aligned. Align the slots on the system cover with the tabs on the chassis. Lower the latch to engage the cover onto the system.
Then, Rotate the latch to the locked position. Reconnect all the cables and power up the host. While the system is booting, press F2 to enter System Setup and check that the battery is functional. And, in the System Setup Time and Date fields, enter the correct time and date before you exit. Now, you must exit the maintenance mode. To exit, select the VxRail virtual SAN cluster from the left pane. In the right pane select the Hosts tab and right click on the host that was previously shut down.
Now, click Maintenance Mode, and then select Exit Maintenance mode. Once again ensure that the Cluster Health Monitoring is enabled. To perform this, refer to the previous section of this video where we verify the cluster health monitoring. Finally, migrate the VMs back to the host. To do this, refer to the previous section of this video where we explain the step-by-step instructions for migrating the VMs. For more information or assistance visit dell.com/vxrail.
