Problems with Dell hardware support

[Brian O'Mahony]

Go to the drivers & downloads section for your server, scroll down to systems management, and there should be a Diagnostic CD ISO.

-----Original Message-----
From: linux-poweredge-bounces at dell.com [mailto:linux-poweredge-bounces at dell.com] On Behalf Of Dr A V Le Blanc
Sent: 14 July 2008 14:27
To: Rebecca_Warburton at dell.com; linux-poweredge at dell.com
Cc: john.grannan at man.ac.uk; Andy.Fox at man.ac.uk
Subject: Problems with Dell hardware support

Dear Ms Warburton,

I've been asked to mention to you some of the problems we have with Dell's
hardware support.  I'll use as an instance the case of a poweredge
with the tag number 8ZY2N2J.  This machine was reported to Dell on
June 30 because it was reported to have a faulty disk drive.  On that
day I gave to our operator Andy Fox, who liaises with Dell, the following
information from the System Event Log on the DRAC card:

The server's system event log has this entry:

Record:      30
Date/Time:   06/29/2008 08:54:49
Source:      system
Severity:    4
Description: Storage Drive 2: drive slot sensor for Storage, drive fault was asserted

The person we contacted asked us to run some diagnostics.  First he sent
us a URL for some windows executables.  We replied that we don't have
windows on this machine; we have Debian Linux.  He informed us that
this is not a supported operating system.  Well, we knew this.  He asked
us whether we knew that we could 'easily' convert this to a supported
version of Linux.  I confess, I found this rather insulting, as I know
very well that getting all of our software to work on another version of
Linux is by no means trivial, and we would have the serious problem of
supporting it afterwards.  I currently look after some 73 Dell servers,
none of which runs an OS supported by Dell.

I might add that Dell's OMSA 5.4.0 is installed on this machine, but
it seems to be unable to see the disk drives or the Raid array.

Anyway, we have offered to try to run diagnostics from a floppy disk or
CD if we were given one.  We received two URLs, one to a 32-bit diagnostics
CD and one for poweredge diagnostics.  We can easily boot a DOS floppy
image, but neither of these .exe files runs in DOS mode; they require
windows.  I know this because I've tried both of them.  I have access
to windows machines, but not as administrator.  One of these programs,
if you run it on the NT box, complains that it must be run as administrator.
The other runs and produces some other .exe files, but these also refuse
to run unless you are an administrator.

Dell also sent us a URL for a shell script that is supposed to write an
ISO image.  This shell script fails.

So, you should understand that we have not been able in several days to
get access to a single diagnostic program that we were able to run on
our sick server.  Someone at Dell finally sent a disk to us, and we
replaced the disk.  Before replacing the disk, the Raid controller software
that is accessible at boot time said that the old disk had failed.  After
replacing the disk, the software said for about 90 minutes that the
disk was rebuilding, but at the end of this process the controller says
that the raid array is degraded.

We contacted Dell again, first by email on Friday July 11, to which
we received no answer, and then again today.  The response from the
contact person was:

(1)  There is no way to force the raid array to work normally on this
     machine without either reinitialising it or installing a supported
     operating system.  I believe this is simply false.

(2)  He accuses us of having REFUSED to run diagnostics on the machine.
     We have been trying desperately for two weeks to obtain a diagnostic
     program which we could run, but with no success.

(3)  He tells me that I can create a live CD based on various things
     from which I can somehow run Dell diagnostics.

Dell's hardware support for people who do not run supported OSes is
notoriously poor, but that is no reason to insult us.

I am a person who has received considerable help from Dell employees online,
though various mailing lists, but rarely from your telephone support.  I'd
like to suggest a few simple things that might help other people like me
-- and if you don't believe there are other people like me, I can easily
give you a few URLs.

(1)  Please, when a hardware problem is reported to Dell, the support person
     should BEGIN by asking what operating system and version we are running.
     This would avoid wasting days sending us inappropriate executables.

(2)  Please don't suggest to someone who is reporting a hardware fault
     that he should change to a different operating system.  This is
     rather simple minded, and does not create a favourable impression
     of the intelligence or understanding of the contact person.

(3)  Please, in the future, any CD or floppy disk images which contain
     diagnostic programs should also be available in ISO or floppy
     image format, so that those of us who don't have access to a
     suitable windows system can try things without being asked to
     jump through hoops first.  You can even say that these are not
     'officially supported' images; we don't care.  What we want
     is to be asked to do something doable.

(4)  Each of the messages I have received from Dell support claims that
     I can fill out a satisfaction survey.  I have not yet seen such a
     survey, but I think I can say that I am grateful to whoever sent
     the replacement disk, but otherwise the service is completely
     inadequate, and the support skills of the person who dealt with
     this particular query could do with some polishing.

Yours,

     Dr Owen V Le Blanc
     I T Services
     University of Manchester

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