Data Domain: Enclosure cannot be removed there are disks in use

Summary: This article explains when destroying a file system volume is necessary and provides the procedure for doing so.

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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Symptoms

  • Remove enclosures from the system after destroying the filesystem
    • For example: Storage enclosures being reappropriated for use on another system
  • DD-CLI command storage remove enclosure <enclosure id> fails with error:
    • Enclosure cannot be removed; there are disks in use

Cause

Depending on the RAID status and the drives in the system when the filesys destroy command is run, the volume might not be destroyed properly even if the file system is removed. This prevents:

  • Removing an enclosure
  • Creating a new file system because the volume remains provisioned.

Resolution

Warning: 
  • This procedure erases all data on the system from which the shelf is being moved.
  • It also removes replication configuration settings.
  • Do NOT proceed unless the data is no longer needed or a full backup has been performed.
Contact your Support provider to perform a special procedure to destroy the file system volume container.
  • Reference this KB article (#000042590) to expedite resolution.
    • Internal instructions are provided in this article for authorized personnel. 

Affected Products

Data Domain

Products

Data Domain
Article Properties
Article Number: 000042590
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 24 Nov 2025
Version:  4
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