PowerStore systems are designed for high availability with redundant, hot-swappable components, including cooling fan modules. Before replacing a failed fan, it is a critical prerequisite to verify that the other redundant fans are healthy and operating correctly. This ensures that the system's cooling is not compromised during the replacement procedure. Removing a faulty fan without a functioning redundant counterpart could lead to an immediate thermal issue, potentially causing the node to perform an emergency shutdown to prevent hardware damage. This check is a standard step in the official service procedure to maintain system stability.

A. Shutting down both nodes: This is incorrect because fan modules are designed to be hot-swappable, allowing replacement while the system is online without causing downtime.

C. Using a firmware upgrade before swap: A firmware upgrade is not a required step for a physical fan replacement and is unrelated to the immediate service action.

D. Disconnecting management ports: This is incorrect as management connectivity is essential for monitoring the system's health and verifying the success of the replacement.

1. Dell PowerStore: Servicing Your System > Replace hardware in the base enclosure > Replace a cooling fan module in the base enclosure. In the "Prerequisites" section

the official procedure states: "Verify that the other cooling fan modules in the base enclosure are healthy and running." This directly confirms that checking redundant fan health is a required step.

2. Dell PowerStore Hardware Information Guide (for PowerStore T Models). The "Cooling system" section describes the architecture: "The base enclosure contains two redundant cooling fan modules... If one cooling fan module fails

the other cooling fan module can cool the entire base enclosure." This documentation establishes the principle of redundancy

which underpins the need to check the health of the remaining fan before removing the failed one.