Description

This article explains the process of replacing the SSDs/ Upgrading the SSDs from 50GB to 200GB on EX9200-RE2.

Symptoms

Following are known information:

A base configuration (single RE configuration) EX9204 and EX9208 switch has one host subsystem.

A redundant configuration (dual RE configuration) EX9204 and EX9208 switch has a second host subsystem.

A base configuration (single RE configuration) EX9214 switch has two host subsystems. 

A redundant configuration (dual RE configuration) EX9214 switch has a third host subsystem.

Each host subsystem has one routing engine.

So a switch with base configuration of one host subsystem has one routing engine; a switch with base configuration of two host subsytems has two routing engines etc. (EX9214 will have three host subsystem for two routing engines.)

Each EX9200-RE2 routing engine has two solid-state drives (SSDs).

Solution

When replacing an SSD drive on an EX9200-RE2 Routing Engine on an EX9204, EX9208, and EX9214 with base configuration (single RE configuration) or redundant configuration (dual RE configuration), the procedure consists of two stages, namely, replacing the SSD Drive in the Routing Engine and copying vmhost and Junos OS to the replaced SSD.

Note:  Ensure to keep a bootable USB disk ready if installing vmhost and Junos OS using an USB disk. To prepare a bootable USB disk, see Creating an Emergency Boot Device for Routing Engines with VM Host Support.

Note: The 200GB SSDs are supported starting from 24.2 Junos version.

Replacing SSDs in the Routing Engine on an EX9204, EX9208, and EX9214 with base configuration (single RE configuration):

Note: There will be a traffic hit during the SSD upgrade procedure for a switch with base configuration (single RE configuration) of one host subsystem (i.e. with a single routing engine).

To replace SSDs from the switch with only one routing engine:
=================================================

Offline the Routing Engine by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button. Hold the ONLINE/OFFLINE button until the LED starts blinking and wait until all routing engine LEDs are off.

Remove the SSDs:

  •     Attach an ESD grounding strap to your bare wrist, and connect the strap to an ESD point on the appliance. For more information about ESD, see Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage in the hardware guide for your router.
  •     Unfasten the thumbscrew that secures the access door in front of the storage drive slots, and open the door.
  •     Slide the lock on the ejector to the unlocked position.
  •     Carefully slide the drive out of the slot.

Reinstall with the upgraded SSDs:

  •     Carefully align the sides of the drive with the guides in the slot.
  •     Slide the drive into the slot until you feel resistance, carefully ensuring that it is correctly aligned.
  •     Close the access door and tighten the thumbscrew to secure the door.

Copy Junos OS and vmhost to the upgraded SSDs. There are two ways to install Junos OS and vmhost on the routing engine.

  Install Junos OS and vmhost using an USB disk:

  •         Insert the USB disk in the USB slot on the routing engine.
  •         Login to the routing engine through the console session.
  •         Bring the routing engine online by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button.
  •         After the routing engine boots from the USB, press y when you are prompted to confirm Install vmhost and Junos software on Primary and Secondary disk [y/N? on the console.
  •         After the installation is completed, press y when prompted to confirm Reboot now? [y/N]? to reboot from the SSD disk.

  Install Junos OS and vmhost using the PXEBoot method:

  •         Set up the PXEBoot server. See Copying VM Host Installation Package to the PXE Boot Server.
  •         Bring the routing engine online by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button.
  •         During the boot, when you see the message Press Esc for boot options press Esc key to enter into the BIOS menu boot options. After the Esc key is pressed, Esc is pressed. Go to boot options. is displayed on the screen.
  •         Using Up or Down arrow keys, navigate to Boot Manager and press the Enter key.
  •         Using Up or Down arrow keys, navigate through the EFI boot devices listed and select EFI Network 0 for IPv4 to boot from the PXEboot server and press the Enter key.
  •         Booting `net boot console is displayed and PXEBoot continues. The booting process may take several minutes.
  •         After the routing engine boots, press y when you are prompted to confirm Install vmhost and Junos software on Primary and Secondary disk [y/N? on the console.
  •         After the installation is completed, press y when prompted to confirm Reboot now? [y/N]? to reboot from the SSD disk.

Note: Ensure that a routing engine does not contain a mix of 50 GB and 200 GB SSDs. Ensure that the SSDs on a routing engine are from the same vendor and not from different vendors. Both SSDs in the routing engine must be the same type and must contain the same disk capacity. So upgrade the two 50 GB SSDs to 200 GB SSDs at once, because mixed-mode operation is not supported.

Replacing SSDs on EX9200-RE2 on an EX9204, EX9208, and EX9214 with redundant configuration (dual RE configuration)

To replace SSDs in the switch that is using redundant routing engines:
========================================================

Configure the set chassis redundancy gracefulswitchover, set system commit synchronize, and set routing-options nonstop-routing commands to enable graceful switchover (GRES), commit synchronize (required for nonstop routing) and nonstop routing (NSR).

Bring the backup routing engine offline by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button. Hold the ONLINE/OFFLINE button until the LED starts blinking and wait until all routing engine LEDs are off.

From the backup routing engine, remove the SSDs.

  •     Attach an ESD grounding strap to your bare wrist, and connect the strap to an ESD point on the appliance.
  •     For more information about ESD, see Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage in the hardware guide for your router.
  •     Unfasten the thumbscrew that secures the access door in front of the storage drive slots and open the door.
  •     Slide the lock on the ejector to the unlocked position.
  •     Carefully slide the drives out of the slot.

Install the upgraded SSDs:

  •     Carefully align the sides of the drive with the guides in the slot.
  •     Slide the drive into the slot until you feel resistance, carefully ensuring that it is correctly aligned.
  •     Close the access door and tighten the thumbscrew to secure the door.

Copy Junos OS to the newly replaced SSDs. There are two ways to install Junos OS and vmhost on the routing engine.

  Install Junos OS and vmhost using an USB disk:

  •         Insert the USB disk in the USB slot on the routing engine.
  •         Login to the routing engine through the console session.
  •         Bring the routing engine online by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button.
  •         After the routing engine boots from the USB, press y when you are prompted to confirm Install vmhost and Junos software on Primary and Secondary disk [y/N? on the console.
  •         After the installation is completed, press y when prompted to confirm Reboot now? [y/N]? to reboot from the SSD disk.

  Install Junos OS and vmhost using the PXEBoot method:

  •         Set up the PXEBoot server. See Copying VM Host Installation Package to the PXE Boot Server.
  •         Bring the routing engine online by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button.
  •         During the boot, when you see the message Press Esc for boot options press Esc key to enter into the BIOS menu boot options. After the Esc key is pressed, Esc is pressed. Go to boot options. is displayed on the screen.
  •         Using Up or Down arrow keys, navigate to Boot Manager and press the Enter key.
  •         Using Up or Down arrow keys, navigate through the EFI boot devices listed and select EFI Network 0 for IPv4 to boot from the PXEboot server and press the Enter key.
  •         Booting `net boot console is displayed and PXEBoot continues. The booting process may take several minutes.
  •         After the routing engine boots, press y when you are prompted to confirm Install vmhost and Junos software on Primary and Secondary disk [y/N? on the console.
  •         After the installation is completed, press y when prompted to confirm Reboot now? [y/N]? to reboot from the SSD disk.

Log in to the backup routing engine through the console session.

Bring the backup routing engine online by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button.

After the backup routing engine starts booting from the USB, press y when you are prompted to confirm Install vmhost and Junos software on Primary and Secondary disk [y/N?] on the console. 

After the installation completes, press y when prompted to confirm Reboot now? [y/N]? to reboot from the SSD disk.

Once the backup Routing Engine boots:

  •     Verify if the backup Routing Engine is online by entering the show chassis routing-engine CLI.
  •     Verify the new SSDs capacity by entering the show vmhost hardware CLI.
  •     Enter show vmhost version to verify that the vmhost versions are the same as the primary Routing Engine.
  •     From the primary Routing Engine, perform commit synchronize command.
  •     If the Network Services Mode: Enhanced-IP configuration was previously applied, then a warning message indicating the changes in the network services mode displays. Perform a reboot on the backup Routing Engine in order to enable the Network Services Mode to apply Enhanced IP.

Ensure both the Routing Engines (primary and backup) are in sync and ready for the switchover:

  •     On the backup Routing Engine, verify the GRES readiness by entering the show system switchover CLI.
  •     On the primary Routing Engine check the switchover state by entering request chassis routing-engine master switch check.
  •     On the primary Routing Engine, check the replication state if nonstop-routing is enabled by entering the show task replication CLI.

Switch the current primary Routing Engine to become the backup Routing Engine and vice-versa by executing the request chassis routing-engine master switch command on the current primary Routing Engine.

Once the Routing Engine which was previously the back-up Routing Engine becomes the primary Routing Engine and is carrying traffic, repeat the steps on the new backup Routing Engine (which was previously the primary Routing Engine).

Note: Ensure that the routing engine does not contain a mix of 50 GB and 200 GB SSDs. Ensure that the SSDs are from the same vendor and not from different vendors. Both SSDs in the routing engine must be the same type and must contain the same disk capacity. So upgrade the two 50 GB SSDs to 200 GB SSDs at once. Ensure that the routing does not contain 200 GB SSDs from different vendors.

Replacing an SSD Drive in the Routing Engine One at a Time:
================================================

During an upgrade procedure, you have to upgrade both SSDs at once. But there could be a situation when for example one of the two 200GB SSDs fails, and needs to be replaced. The following are the instructions to replace that SSD.

Note: There will be a traffic hit during the SSD upgrade procedure for a switch with base configuration of one host subsystem (i.e. using one routing engine)

To replace an SSD in the slot labeled:

    Disk 2

        Ensure that there is no VMHost %d Boot from alternate disk alarm in the output:

        user@host>show chassis alarm

    Disk 1

        Ensure that the router is booted up and running from an image from disk 1. Back up the currently running vmhost and Junos OS on disk 1 to ensure that both disk 1 and disk 2 have the same version of vmhost and Junos OS:

        user@host> request vmhost snapshot [partition]
        Reboot the router from disk 2:

        user@host> request vmhost reboot disk2
        Check for the presence of the VMHost %d Boot from alternate disk alarm in the output:

        user@host>show chassis alarm

Offline the Routing Engine by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button. Hold the ONLINE/OFFLINE button until the LED starts blinking and wait until all routing engine LEDs are off.

Remove the SSD:

  •     Attach an ESD grounding strap to your bare wrist, and connect the strap to an ESD point on the appliance. For more information about ESD, see Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage in the hardware guide for your router.
  •     Unfasten the thumbscrew that secures the access door in front of the storage drive slots, and open the door.
  •     Slide the lock on the ejector to the unlocked position.
  •     Carefully slide the drive out of the slot.
  •     Note: Ensure that a routing engine does not contain a mix of 50 GB and 200 GB SSDs. Ensure that the SSDs on a routing engine are from the same vendor and not from different vendors. Both SSDs in the routing engine must be the same type and must contain the same disk capacity.

Reinstall the SSD:

  •     Carefully align the sides of the drive with the guides in the slot.
  •     Slide the drive into the slot until you feel resistance, carefully ensuring that it is correctly aligned.
  •     Close the access door and tighten the thumbscrew to secure the door.

Copy Junos OS to the newly replaced SSD. There are two ways to install Junos OS and vmhost on the routing engine.

Install Junos OS and vmhost using an USB disk:

  •     Insert the USB disk in the USB slot on the routing engine.
  •     Login to the routing engine through the console session.
  •     Bring the routing engine online by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button.
  •     After the routing engine boots from the USB, press y when you are prompted to confirm Install vmhost and Junos software on Primary and Secondary disk [y/N? on the console.
  •     After the installation is completed, press y when prompted to confirm Reboot now? [y/N]? to reboot from the SSD disk.

Install Junos OS and vmhost using the PXEBoot method:

  •     Set up the PXEBoot server. See Copying VM Host Installation Package to the PXE Boot Server.
  •     Bring the routing engine online by pressing the ONLINE/OFFLINE button.
  •     During the boot, when you see the message Press Esc for boot options press Esc key to enter into the BIOS menu boot options. After the Esc key is pressed, Esc is pressed. Go to boot options. is displayed on the screen.
  •     Using Up or Down arrow keys, navigate to Boot Manager and press the Enter key.
  •     Using Up or Down arrow keys, navigate through the EFI boot devices listed and select EFI Network 0 for IPv4 to boot from the PXEboot server and press the Enter key.
  •     Booting `net boot console is displayed and PXEBoot continues.The booting process may take several minutes.
  •     After the routing engine boots, press y when you are prompted to confirm Install vmhost and Junos software on Primary and Secondary disk [y/N? on the console.
  •     After the installation is completed, press y when prompted to confirm Reboot now? [y/N]? to reboot from the SSD disk.

Modification History

2026-09-30 : Externalized