Toshiba Aquilion 64: IDD server rejects replacement hard drives
What happened
On the IDD server (NEC D1-10) of a CT scanner, a hard drive failed. Standard SAS, SATA and SSD drives fitted as replacements were not recognised, and the 5-drive RAID, as reported in the case, would not rebuild.
What was checked
- Substitution with different replacement drives - SAS, SATA and SSD
- Comparison of drive revisions against the original units
- Reformatting to 520 bytes per sector under Linux (reported in the case)
Cause
The engineers found that this server is strict about its drives: besides the unusual 520-byte sector format, the platform, as reported in the case, is tied to firmware modules, serial numbers and drive revision written into the drive microcode, so ordinary retail drives appear unsuitable to the array.
What was done
As reported in the case, an engineer took a similar standard drive, reformatted it to 520 bytes per sector with Linux tools, and the array rebuilt and worked; note this is one case, not a rule. Cloning firmware modules and serials onto a donor drive with special equipment was also discussed, but that is a procedure from the manufacturer's service documentation, done by authorised personnel. Original vendor drives were quoted at around 2900 euros each, as reported in the case.
Safety
Handle drives with ESD precautions and follow the server's drive removal and installation procedure, and before returning the scanner to service let the RAID finish rebuilding and pass the manufacturer's system self-tests.
Lesson: Before writing off a medical server drive as irreplaceable, check for a non-standard sector format and firmware or revision requirements, because the same interface rarely means the same drive.
Covered in the course: CT Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding →
Written from an anonymised case shared by service engineers. It is not a manufacturer instruction and grants no authorisation. Independent note; names are trademarks of their owners.