Isilon: Replacement drive fails to add with the message "The add operation failed. An unrecognized drive was found in bay <#>."

Summary: When adding a replacement drive to a node, the add operation may fail with the message "The add operation failed. An unrecognized drive was found in bay <#>. To format this drive and add it to the file system, run 'isi devices -a format' on this drive and follow the instructions provided." ...

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Symptoms

When adding a replacement drive to a node from the CLI, the add operation may fail with the message "The add operation failed. An unrecognized drive was found in bay <#>. To format this drive and add it to the file system, run 'isi devices -a format' on this drive and follow the instructions provided."

If the add is attempted from the front panel, the LCD may show the message "Unrecognized drive found. See User Guide."

Cause

This message is harmless and expected.

Due to a change in EMC Logistics processes for preparing FRU parts, replacement drives for Isilon clusters will no longer be preformatted with OneFS prior to shipping, but will instead be shipped blank. When a node does not detect valid OneFS preformat data on a replacement disk, this message is displayed.

Resolution

Simply follow the guidance provided to format the drive and add it to the file system by running the following command, where <node#> is the number of the node the drive is being added to, and <bay#> is the bay number of the drive being added (note the colon between the two):
  
# isi devices -a format -d <node#>:<bay#>
The command will return the following output and ask for confirmation: 
"This drive does not appear to be pre-formatted with OneFS. Formatting this drive will destroy any existing data and add it to OneFS. Do you wish to continue formatting this drive? (yes, [cancel])"

Type 'yes' and press enter to format the drive. Once formatting is complete the drive will automatically be added to the node.

Affected Products

Isilon, PowerScale OneFS
Article Properties
Article Number: 000052194
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 28 Jun 2023
Version:  5
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