Edit: Some links no longer work.
Originally posted September 17, 2013 on AIXchange
In June, Julie Craft presented to the AIX Virtual User Group on the topic of IBM Electronic Support for AIX and Power Systems. Listen to the replay and learn more about the tools that are available for you to use.
One slide shows what’s covered in the presentation. The discussion areas are titled, “Prevent Problems and Stay Current, “Find Information,” “Download Fixes and Updates,” “Troubleshoot Problems,” “Work with IBM Support” and “Learn More.”
Right off the bat Julie states that IBM’s goal is to make it easy for customers to find what they need to do the work. Basically, IBM wants to make finding information simple enough so that customers don’t have to contact IBM. However, should the need arise, you can easily open the calls electronically.Julie mentions the IBM Support Portal (support.ibm.com). This site is meant to be the starting point of the IBM Support experience. It’s designed to centralize the various products that IBM supports and attempts to make the user experience more consistent.
Once you register, you can login and set up subscriptions, notifications, etc. Then you can select the product list that interest you. The presentation replay covers this in detail so be sure to watch it. You’ll learn about the notifications and alerts — like security advisories and new TLs and SPs — that registered users receive. You’ll also learn about delivery options — including daily or weekly emails or RSS feed.
The presentation continues with a closer look at the Support Portal. The documentation tab includes links to Information Centers, Redbooks, white papers, and more. From the downloads page customers can search by APAR, fix ID, arbitrary text, and you can include prerequisites and co-requisite fixes. IBM Support has updated Fix Central in an effort to make firmware and HMC codes easier to find. There aren’t as many menu items to navigate now.
Another portal feature is an entitlement check that allows customers to download fixes. Just enter your machine type and serial number. The various entitlement types are tied to the level of maintenance you have on your machines. Going forward, IBM will move toward making the capability to download fixes a privilege available primarily to paying customers.
The presentation also covers the fix level recommendation tool (FLRT), which can be used for both health checks that display current system fix levels and compares them to IBM recommendations. This can be used for firmware, software etc. Other Electronic Support options include:
* the capability to save an inventory/load a saved inventory,
* a VIOS to NIM master mapping tool that determines the AIX version needed to use NIM with VIOS, and
* a system software mapping tool that displays minimum support levels for AIX and VIOS.
In addition, services requests and PMRs can be logged without contacting IBM Support. Check out this video for details, and register for service request here.
Speaking of videos, here’s one about customer replaceable units and performing operations on your hardware.
To summarize, the presentation includes this checklist for submitting AIX problems:
1. Always check the error logs before you open a problem.
2. Be clear and precise on the problem description and severity. Indicate exactly the error received (entire error code, LEDs, error report entries). Provide clear description of the problem and your environment – analysts do not know your environment nuances.
3. Include all OS, fix and patch levels in the PMR with you open it. Include TL and service pack levels.
4. The three most common data gathering tools are snap, zsnap or perfpmr. Snap comes preinstalled on AIX systems. You may be asked to download the latest versions of zsnap or perfpmr to gather additional data.
5. Make absolutely sure you follow the naming standard in uploading data. Update the PMR with filename and location of where uploaded.
6. Be sure to execute any steps given by the support analyst precisely. Deviating from what the analyst asks you introduces new variables into the problem determination and can delay resolution.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If something is unclear or you are concerned about doing something the analyst asks you to, speak up.
8. If asking a ‘how to’ question, explain what you are trying to accomplish.
9. Utilize resources such as developerWorks, Redbooks, forums, etc., for how-to information.
10. Follow up! Don’t be afraid to ask for status if you don’t hear back from support after a reasonable amount of time.
This is an another excellent presentation. AIX Virtual User Group monthly webinars are always worth the time. But if you want to save time watching webinar replays, do what I do: Download the files and view them with VLC. Then go into playback and select speed/faster. Although the presenters might sound funny, I don’t find it difficult to keep up with what’s being said, and I do save time.
Finally, some recent posts and re-tweets from my Twitter feed (@robmcnelly):
Are you creative genius behind the #NextPowerApp? Submit your idea to win an iPad: http://bit.ly/13R939f
How to install #PowerVM VIO Server from the HMC GUI #powersystems
#PowerSystems Technical Universities Orlando Oct 21st … (within Enterprise1023) & Athens Nov 5th …
RT @cgibbo RT @AIXDownUnder: Script to create MKSYSB backups for all NIM clients & keep 2 versions on hand #AIX
Are you a Walnut Guru?? Have you used brown?