A systems administrator needs to replace a failed drive within a server's hot-swappable drive cage. The server's management software has identified the specific drive that needs replacement. Upon arriving at the server rack, which of the following provides the most reliable visual confirmation for identifying the correct drive to remove?
The fault/status indicator LED on the drive carrier is illuminated amber or red.
The power status LED for the entire drive cage is green.
The drive activity LED on the carrier is unlit.
The Unit Identification (UID) indicator on the drive carrier is flashing blue.
The correct answer is that the fault/status indicator LED on the drive carrier will be illuminated amber or red. Hot-swappable drive cages use specific LED indicators, controlled by the storage backplane and RAID controller, to show the status of each drive. A solid or flashing amber or red light is the industry-standard indicator for a failed or predicted-to-fail drive that is ready for removal.
The absence of an activity light is not a reliable indicator, as a healthy but idle drive will also have an unlit activity light.
A flashing blue Unit Identification (UID) light is used for locating a component and is typically activated manually by an administrator; it does not indicate a fault.
A green power LED for the entire cage indicates that the cage itself has power but provides no information about the status of individual drives.