How do I find, read and understand Sun part numbers on hard drives? How can I identify if I have a Sun Original or a Third Party Hard drive?

A: First and foremost, you should read this tutorial on understanding Sun part number nomenclature. Once you understand what Sun part#s generally look like, the following tutorial will be easier to understand.

Summary:

1) Does it have a Sun part# on the bottom left hand corner of the label on top of the the drive? If so, it’s a Sun Original drive. If not, then it is a Third Party drive.

Detailed:
1) Does it have a Sun part# on the bottom left hand corner of the label on top of the the drive? If so, it’s a Sun Original drive. If not, then it is a Third Party drive.

How to find and identify Sun Original Part# numbers on Sun hard drives. One common mistake that people make when looking for a Sun part number on a hard drive, is to look at the part# printed on the bracket on the front of the drive. This part# only refers to the bracket – and that bracket might go on several different drives of different sizes.

Luckily, Sun is pretty consistent when it comes to labeling their hard drives. The Sun part# is always on the bottom left hand corner of the label on the top of the drive. Click the picture to the left to get a visual. NOTE: In the picture to the left, there is a -02 at the end of the Sun part number. It’s important to note that this is only a revision number and is not important when you’re searching for a spare hard drive.

It is also of note that Sun does not manufacture their own hard drives – they simply “certify” and “rebrand” other manufacturers’ drives: typically the drives come from companies like Seagate, Fujitsu, Hitachi and in the case of some older drives, IBM and Quantum. As shown in the picture above, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) model number is usually somewhere in the top half of that same label that contains the Sun part#. The location of the OEM part or model number is not always consistent, but it is usually preceded by something that says “Model #:” or similar.

If the drive does not have a Sun part# in the spot indicated, then the disk is what we call a Third Party drive. These drives will only have the OEM part#s somewhere on that label. Here is some more reading material on the compatibility of third party drives with Sun servers and storage arrays.

Don’t forget to stop by AnySystem.com for the best selection of refurbished Sun Original hard drives.

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