Problems with Dell hardware support
Brian O'Mahony
brian.omahony at curamsoftware.com
Mon Jul 14 11:49:36 CDT 2008
I have used the one that comes in the server box. I assume that the ISO is just a copy of this....
-----Original Message-----
From: Nataraj [mailto:incoming-dell-lists at rjl.com]
Sent: 14 July 2008 16:46
To: Brian O'Mahony
Cc: Dr A V Le Blanc; Rebecca_Warburton at dell.com; linux-poweredge at dell.com; john.grannan at man.ac.uk; Andy.Fox at man.ac.uk
Subject: RE: Problems with Dell hardware support
On Mon, 2008-07-14 at 15:37 +0100, Brian O'Mahony wrote:
> Go to the drivers & downloads section for your server, scroll down to systems management, and there should be a Diagnostic CD ISO.
>
Have you actually used this? I downloaded both CD and DVD immages that
were supposed to be diagnostic CD's. The CD actually booted but my
recollection was that it had a fairly useless bunch of documentation on
it.
There are standalone diagnostics which came on a machine that had vista
on it. I was able to save and copy this diag partition and add it to
the boot menu so that it could be booted with grub. I could not find
anything on the Dell support site that would install this standalone
diag partition for someone who did not have one already.
Nataraj
> -----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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