Dell Unity: How to properly power off and power on the system (User Correctable)

Summary: This article covers the correct procedure to shut down and power on a Dell Unity system (virtualized or physical).

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

Before you begin
  • The system shutdown or power-down procedure involves shutting down the Storage Processors (SPs). When all SPs are down, all I/O services stop, and hosts lose access to the system. Before performing this procedure, it is recommended to power off all connected hosts. They should remain powered off while the Unity system is offline. You do not need to disassociate the datastores/LUNs/NAS shares. They must be powered off before the SPs and powered on after the SPs are fully online.
  • The shutdown process can take from 10 to 20 minutes to complete. During this time, the connection to the system will be lost, and you will not have access to Unisphere or the online help. It is important that you print the instructions on this page to be sure you have the information needed to power on the system. When Unisphere is not available, product documentation can be found on the support website.
  • For physical deployments, working with hardware may cause electrostatic discharge that could damage the hardware. Before working with any hardware, review the precautions when removing or replacing components.
  • Shutting down the system with this method shuts down the storage system without putting SPs into Service mode, and does not require any additional SP boots. When the system is powered back up, the SPs come up in the same mode that they were in before the shutdown.
Note: See the DC-Powered Unity Enclosures: Installation and operation guide for instructions on how to power off and power on a DC-powered system (physical deployments only).


Power down procedure

For virtual deployments:
 
Run the Shutdown System task and confirm. The virtual machine (VM) is automatically powered off. Alternatively, you can power off the system from the VMware vSphere Client. For more information, see the VMware documentation. Dell Technologies recommends using the Shut Down Guest OS function to gracefully power off the virtual VM. Do not use the Power Off function.

For physical deployments:
  1. In Unisphere, select Service under the System heading, then select Service Tasks.
  2. Select Storage System > Shut Down Storage System, then Execute.
  3. Check the status of the shutdown process by looking at the SP LED indicators. The shutdown process is complete when the two power supply LEDs are solid green and amber, the network management port LEDs are flashing amber and green, and all other SP LEDs are off.
  4. After confirming a successful SP shutdown, remove all power from the SPs by disconnecting the two power cables from the Disk Processor Enclosures (DPE). Wait ten seconds and confirm that both the green and amber LEDs have turned off after the power cables are removed.
  5. If you are relocating hardware, also disconnect the two power cables from each Disk Array Enclosure (DAEs) to power them down.

Power up procedure

For virtual deployments:
 
Power up the system using the VMware vSphere Client. For more information, see the VMware documentation.
  1. Launch VMware vSphere Client.
  2. Locate the UnityVSA VM and select the Summary tab.
  3. Select Power On to start the VM.
For physical deployments:
  1. Reconnect the power cables to each DAE in the following exact order:
  • DAE 0
  • DAE 1
  • DAE 2
  • Power up any remaining DAEs in ascending order.
The front blue Power Status LED on each DAE turns on.   
  1. Reconnect the power cables to each SP in exactly this order:
  • SP A
  • SP B
The rear green SP Power LED on each SP turns on.
  1. The SPs should come up in the same mode that they were in when the system was shut down. If a single SP comes up in Service Mode, in Unisphere, reboot the SP to return it to Normal Mode.
Caution: If both SPs reboot in Service Mode, always return SPA to Normal Mode first, to avoid management software conflicts. Once SPA is operating normally, you can return SPB to Normal Mode.

Affected Products

Dell EMC Unity Family

Products

Dell Unity 300, Dell EMC Unity 300F, Dell EMC Unity 350F, Dell EMC Unity XT 380, Dell EMC Unity 400, Dell EMC Unity 400F, Dell EMC Unity 450F, Dell EMC Unity XT 480, Dell EMC Unity XT 480F, Dell EMC Unity 500, Dell EMC Unity 500F, Dell EMC Unity 550F , Dell EMC Unity 600, Dell EMC Unity 600F, Dell EMC Unity 650F, Dell EMC Unity XT 680, Dell EMC Unity XT 680F, Dell EMC Unity XT 880, Dell EMC Unity XT 880F, Dell EMC Unity Family |Dell EMC Unity All Flash, Dell EMC Unity Family, Dell EMC Unity Hybrid, Dell EMC UnityVSA Professional Edition/Unity Cloud Edition ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000022638
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 12 Sep 2025
Version:  6
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