Replacing a Hard Disk within a LEIGHTRONIX Hard Drive Unit

This tutorial explains how to swap out a failed hard disk within a LEIGHTRONIX hard drive storage device, including the LGX-2TBR-LX, LGX-1TBR-L, LGX-2TBR-L, LGX-1TBR-D, LGX-2TBR-D models.

Also, see the related tutorial: LEIGHTRONIX USB Hard Drive Alarm Sounding

For this tutorial, "hard drive" refers to the entire storage device, while "hard disk" refers to the individual hard disk drives inside of the hard drive. The LGX-xTBR-L, LX, and D series hard drive devices each use two (2) 3.5” SATA hard disks in a RAID 1 (mirror mode) configuration.

Follow the steps below to replace either disk in the event of a hard disk failure.

1. Identify the failed hard disk.
   1. In most cases, the failed disk will have its Activity LED (red) illuminated on the front panel. Note: random flashes are normal behavior.
   2. In some cases, the Link LED (green) may be blinking, indicating the unit is trying to reimage one of the disks. If it's an old disk, then this disk is likely the failed disk and will need to be replaced.
2. Power off the hard drive unit by flipping the power switch on the rear panel to the “0” position.

Illustration 1, LGX-XTBR-L & LX Series

Illustration 2, LGX-XTBR-D

Illustration 3, Change Button on LGX-XTBR-L & LX Series Hard Drive

Illustration 4, Change Button on LGX-XTBR-D Series Hard Drive

Illustration 5, LED Status on LGX-XTBR-D Series Hard Drive

REPLACING HARD DISK 1

1. Loosen the thumbscrew on the front of hard disk tray 1 (see Illustration 1 and Illustration 2 for hard disk and screw locations), remove the tray and set it aside.
2. Loosen the thumbscrew on the front of hard disk tray 2 (see Illustration 1 and Illustration 2 for hard disk and screw locations), remove the tray and insert it into the hard disk 1 bay and secure it by tightening its thumbscrew.
3. Power the hard drive unit back on by flipping the power switch to the “I” position.
4. NOTE: The hard drive device’s red alarm LED will come on, and the alarm buzzer will beep.
   1. Use a sharpened pencil or another pointed instrument to press and hold the change mode button on the back of the hard drive device for about 5 seconds (refer to Illustration 3 and Illustration 4 for the position of change mode buttons on LEIGHTRONIX hard drives).
   2. The alarm buzzer will stop after a few seconds.
5. NOTE: In single disk mode, the hard drive device can be used for normal server operations but will not have data redundancy until hard disk 2 is replaced.
6. Remove the failed hard disk from its tray by unscrewing the four screws from the bottom of the tray. Keep the screws for securing the replacement hard disk.
   1. Note the total storage capacity of the failed hard disk as shown on the hard disk’s label and acquire a replacement 3.5 inch SATA hard disk of the same capacity from LEIGHTRONIX or a local or online electronics retailer. A larger capacity hard disk may be used but will not result in more storage.
7. Secure your new hard disk to the tray with the four screws removed in step 4.
   Insert the replacement hard disk and tray into bay 2 and secure by tightening the thumbscrew.
   1. After a few minutes, the hard drive unit will automatically begin copying data from hard disk 1 onto hard disk 2. Both hard disk 1 and hard disk 2’s Activity (red) LEDs will be on. Only hard disk 2’s Link (green) LED will blink for the duration of the data transfer, which may take several hours.
   2. Once the initial rebuild process has completed, the hard drive storage device will execute a verification process that takes three to four hours. The new hard disk’s Link (green) and Activity (red) LEDs will be on during this process.
   3. When verification is complete, the hard drive will be able to play and record files as normal. A reboot of the LEIGHTRONIX server may be necessary if the storage device is not immediately available under the WinLGX Storage Manager’s “Remote Storage Device” option or its web interface dashboard.

Warning! Do not attempt to record or add new content to the hard drive during the rebuilding or verification process. Doing so may cause record and playback operations to fail.

REPLACING HARD DISK 2

1. Power off the hard drive unit by flipping the power switch found on the rear panel, to the “0” position.
2. Completely loosen the thumbscrew on the front of hard disk tray 2 (see Illustration 1 and Illustration 2 for hard disk and screw locations) and remove the tray.
3. Remove the failed hard disk from its tray by unscrewing the four screws from the bottom of the tray. Keep the screws for securing the replacement hard disk.
   1. Note the total storage capacity of the failed hard disk as shown on the hard disk’s label and acquire a replacement 3.5 inch SATA hard disk of the same capacity from LEIGHTRONIX or a local or online electronics retailer. A larger capacity hard disk may be used but will not result in more storage.
4. Secure your new hard disk to the tray with the four screws removed in step 3.
5. Insert the replacement hard disk and tray into bay 2 and secure by tightening the thumbscrew.
6. Power the hard drive unit back on by flipping the power switch to the “I” position.
   1. After a few minutes, the hard drive unit will automatically begin copying data from hard disk 1 onto hard disk 2. Both hard disk 1 and hard disk 2’s Activity LEDs (red) will be on. Only hard disk 2’s Link LED (green) will blink for the duration of the data transfer, which may take several hours.
   2. Once the initial rebuild process has completed, the hard drive storage device will execute a verification process that takes three to four hours. The new hard disk’s Link (green) and Activity (red) LEDs will be on during this process.
   3. When verification is complete, the hard drive will be able to play and record files as normal. A reboot of the LEIGHTRONIX server may be necessary if the storage device is not immediately available under the WinLGX Storage Manager’s “Remote Storage Device” option or its web interface dashboard.

Warning! Do not attempt to record or add new content to the hard drive during the rebuilding or verification process. Doing so may cause record and playback operations to fail.