Datasheet

Chapter 6: Advanced Chassis Setup
6-5
6-3 System Fans
A 9-cm chassis cooling fan housed in an air shroud and located between
the motherboard and the drive bays provides cool air intake for the system.
A 12-cm exhaust fan at the rear of the chassis pulls the cool air through the
system and expels the hot air. The power supply has two fans: a primary
and a secondary (backup).
Fan Failure
Under normal operation, the chassis, the exhaust and the primary power
supply fans all run continuously. If the primary power supply fan fails, an
alarm will sound, an LED inside the power supply will illuminate and the
backup power supply fan will activate. The reset button on the back of the
power supply will disable the alarm but the LED will remain on until the
power supply is replaced. The system can operate with only one power
supply fan, but you should replace the power supply as soon as possible.
The system must be powered down before replacing any of these fans.
Replacing System Fans
1. Identifying and accessing the failed fan
Inspect the back of the chassis to see if the 12-cm fan has failed.
Power down the system and (if the 9-cm fan has failed) remove the left
chassis cover by first removing the two screws from the back lip of the
cover. Push in the release tab on the cover and push the cover toward
the rear of the chassis until it stops (after moving about ½ inch). Then
lift the cover out and away from the chassis.
2. Removing the hot-plug fan housing
After carefully removing the air shroud, depress the locking tab on the 9-
cm chassis cooling fan and pull the unit straight out by the handle. The
fan wiring for this fan has been designed to detach automatically. The
12-cm exhaust fan is also in a housing that can be removed from the
chassis (see Figure 6-4).
3. Installing a new system fan
Replace the failed fan with an identical one (available from Supermicro).
After the new fan has been installed, reassemble the fan housing and
plug the housing back into its slot. You should hear it click into place
when fully inserted. Finish by replacing the air shroud and the left
chassis cover (for the 9-cm fan), then restore power to the system.
Check that the replaced fan is working properly.