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Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F Sanitization

Complete procedure for erasing and restoring Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F (NetApp-based) storage systems, including disk sanitization and cluster initialization.

Overview

The Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F is a dual-controller all-flash storage system powered by NetApp ONTAP software. This guide covers: - Destroying aggregates and disk ownership - Performing secure disk sanitization - Reinitializing the cluster configuration

Blancco Compatibility

The DM5100F is not currently Blancco compatible. Use the built-in ONTAP sanitization commands.

Prerequisites

Item Details
Console Cables Serial cables connected to both controllers
Terminal Software PuTTY, TeraTerm, or similar
Serial Settings 115200 baud, 8-N-1
Controller Access Physical or remote console access
Time Required 2-4 hours depending on disk count

Controller Identification

Label Your Connections

Make a note of which serial port connects to which controller (e.g., COM1 = Controller A, COM2 = Controller B).

Controller Role Notes
Controller A Primary First serial connection
Controller B Partner Second serial connection

Part 1: Boot Menu Access

Power On and Interrupt Boot

Step Action
1 Power on the storage system
2 Watch for the second "Press Ctrl+C" message
3 Press Ctrl+C when you see the message with a square border
4 Boot menu appears

Two Ctrl+C Prompts

There are two Ctrl+C prompts during boot:

  • First prompt → Enters Loader Menu (recovery)
  • Second prompt → Enters Boot Menu (what we want)

If you accidentally enter Loader, type autoboot to continue to the second prompt.

Part 2: Destroy Aggregates & Disk Ownership

Perform these steps on both Controller A and Controller B.

Access Advanced Drive Partitioning

From the boot menu:

Select 9  (Configure Advanced Drive Partitioning)

Destroy Aggregates

Select 9a (Destroy aggregates, unpartition all disks and remove their ownership information)

When prompted:

Prompt Response
"DO YOU WANT TO ABORT THIS OPERATION" no

This destroys aggregates and forces all disks to become SPARE.

Return to Boot Menu

Select 9e (Return to main boot menu)

Point of No Return

Once aggregates are destroyed, all data on the system is permanently lost.

Part 3: Enter Maintenance Mode

On both controllers, boot into maintenance mode:

Select 5 (Maintenance boot)

Wait for the maintenance mode prompt: *>

Part 4: Verify Disk Status

Check for Owned Disks

*> disk show

This should show nothing (no owned disks).

View Unowned Disks

*> disk show -n

This displays all disks as "Not Owned".

Example output: 

Local System ID: 537414346

DISK       OWNER         POOL   SERIAL NUMBER
--------   -----------   -----  -------------
0n.0       Not Owned     NONE   S56ANA0N900209
0n.1       Not Owned     NONE   S56ANA0N900184
0n.2       Not Owned     NONE   S56ANA0N900143
0n.3       Not Owned     NONE   S56ANA0N900166
...

Part 5: Assign Disk Ownership

On Controller A only, assign all disks:

*> disk assign all -f

Verify Assignment

*> disk show -v

Example output: 

Local System ID: 537414346

DISK       OWNER           POOL   SERIAL NUMBER    CHKSUM
--------   -------------   -----  -------------    ------
0n.0       (537414346)     Pool0  S56ANA0N900209   Block
0n.1       (537414346)     Pool0  S56ANA0N900184   Block
...

All disks should now show the Controller A system ID as owner.

Part 6: Disk Sanitization

Start Sanitization

Run the sanitize command with all disk identifiers:

*> disk sanitize start 0n.0 0n.1 0n.2 0n.3 0n.4 0n.5 0n.18 0n.19 0n.20 0n.21 0n.22 0n.23

Disk Identification

List all disk identifiers from your disk show -n output. Your disk numbers may vary.

Monitor Progress

*> disk sanitize status

Example output: 

Sanitization for 0n.0 is 5% complete.
Sanitization for 0n.1 is 5% complete.
Sanitization for 0n.2 is 5% complete.
...

Error Messages During Sanitization

You may see messages like: 

ERROR: Failed to recognize disks: No disks to read.
. Still continuing...
This is normal during sanitization. The process continues.

Sanitization Duration

Disk Type Approximate Time
SSD/Flash 30-60 minutes
HDD 2-8 hours per disk

Verify Completion

When complete, disk sanitize status will show all disks no longer owned:

*> disk show -v

All disks should show "Not Owned" status.

Part 7: Exit Maintenance Mode

On both controllers:

*> halt

This returns you to the Loader prompt.

Reboot to Boot Menu

Loader> autoboot

Press Ctrl+C at the second prompt to enter the boot menu.

Part 8: Clean Configuration & Initialize

Remove Remaining Ownership

On both controllers:

Select 9  (Configure Advanced Drive Partitioning)
Select 9a (Destroy aggregates, unpartition all disks and remove ownership)

Controller B

Controller B should have nothing assigned, but run this to confirm.

Initialize with Clean Configuration

On both controllers:

Select 9c (Clean configuration and initialize node with whole disks)

This procedure: - Allocates disks equally between controllers - Creates new root aggregates - Initializes clean cluster configuration

Cluster Setup Wizard

After initialization completes, each controller boots and presents the Cluster Setup Wizard.

Boot Menu Reference

Option Description
1 Normal boot
2 Boot without /etc/rc
3 Change password
4 Clean configuration and initialize all disks
5 Maintenance mode boot
6 Update flash from backup config
7 Install new software first
8 Reboot node
9 Configure Advanced Drive Partitioning
9a Destroy aggregates and remove ownership
9c Clean config and initialize with whole disks
9e Return to main boot menu

Maintenance Mode Commands

Command Description
disk show Show owned disks
disk show -n Show unowned disks
disk show -v Show detailed disk information
disk assign all -f Assign all disks to this controller
disk sanitize start <disk_list> Start disk sanitization
disk sanitize status Check sanitization progress
halt Return to Loader prompt

Troubleshooting

Accidentally Entered Loader Menu

If you press Ctrl+C at the first prompt:

Loader> autoboot

This continues the boot process to the second Ctrl+C prompt.

Sanitization Appears Stuck

  • Check disk sanitize status periodically
  • Flash drives sanitize faster than HDDs
  • Do not power off during sanitization

Disks Still Show Previous Owner

  • Ensure aggregates were destroyed (Option 9a)
  • Run disk assign all -f to force reassignment
  • Boot into maintenance mode and verify with disk show -n

Cluster Setup Wizard Not Appearing

  • Ensure both controllers completed Option 9c
  • Verify network connectivity between controllers
  • Check console connections to both controllers

Process Verification Checklist

Task Controller A Controller B
Aggregates destroyed (9a) ☐ ☐
Maintenance mode entered ☐ ☐
Disks show "Not Owned" ☐ ☐
Disk sanitization started ☐ N/A
Sanitization completed ☐ ☐
Returned to Loader ☐ ☐
Clean initialization (9c) ☐ ☐
Cluster wizard appeared ☐ ☐

Data Sanitization Standards

The ONTAP disk sanitize command performs a multi-pass overwrite that meets:

Standard Compliance
DoD 5220.22-M Yes
NIST 800-88 Clear Yes
NIST 800-88 Purge Yes (for flash)

References