Storage hardware field replacement
Replace failed and failing drives without making things worse: read controller status and LEDs, know what each RAID level survives, match the right part, and handle removed media securely.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 50 minutes
- Contents
- 3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 1 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Read controller status and bay LEDs to identify the exact drive to replace
- State how many drive failures common RAID levels tolerate and calculate usable capacity
- Choose a compatible replacement (form factor, interface, carrier, firmware) and verify the rebuild
- Handle removed drives and tapes according to data-security and chain-of-custody rules
Course outline
- 1.Storage field replacementVideo · 2 min
- 2.Before you touch a driveLesson · 15 min
- 3.After the swap: rebuild, records and media handlingLesson · 12 min
- 4.SSD and NVMe replacements, wear and firmwareLesson · 13 min
- 5.Storage hardware field replacement: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 29 questions
- 6.Storage hardware field replacement: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 7.Two amber drives in a RAID 5 arrayScenario
- 8.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Your equipment vendors' installation and service guides (rail kits, PSU and BMC documentation)
- ANSI/ESD S20.20: Protection of electrical and electronic parts from electrostatic discharge
- LTO Program (Ultrium): cartridge generations and compatibility
- Microsoft Learn: NVME_HEALTH_INFO_LOG structure (Critical Warning flags, Available Spare and threshold, Percentage Used)
- General data-center operations practice
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.