Maintenance and Technical Support Specialist Support Days (SSD)
IBM
· Provides a flexible solution for critical problems outside the scope of your standard annuity contracts· Helps manage cost by enabling you to purchase support service when buying or renewing your annuity contract
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Specialist Support Days (SSDs)
Predefined Specialist Support Days
What are Specialist Support Days?
IBM Software Support Services – specialist support days (SSD) are defined as eight (8) hours of assistance from a highly-skilled IBM product expert on tasks that are outside the scope of IBM’s standard hardware (warranty, warranty upgrade, hardware maintenance, hardware maintenance upgrade) or IBM’s software maintenance support (software maintenance, account advocate, enhanced technical support, custom technical support).
Standard SSD assistance is provided with ten (10) business days notice of performance. Services are delivered remotely and performed during primeshift. Non-standard SSD engagements (ie: less than 10 business days notice, onsite delivery, offshift performance) should be arranged with IBM at the time that SSD assistance is requested. Additional charges may apply for non-standard SSD requirements.
What are Predefined SSDs?
Predefined SSDs are commonly requested types of assistance with an IBM product under the SSD service offering.
These predefined descriptions provide guidance to clients on the kinds of SSD assistance that may be requested for a particular product and ensures that any request for such assistance can be handled quickly and easily be provided.
Clients will already be aware of what assistance will be provided, under what conditions and how many SSD’s are required to perform it.
How do I request a Predefined SSD?
Contact the IBM Resource Deployment Manager (RDM) at or via your assigned AA, ETS or CTS focal point to arrange this type of SSD assistance.
The RDM will coordinate provision of this assistance and advise of any charges required to purchase SSD and/or that are associated with nonstandard provision of SSD under this request.
December 2011
Maintenance and Technical Support Specialist Support Days (SSD)
ProtecTIER®: Software Code Upgrade
Predefined Specialist Support Days
Overview
ProtecTIER code upgrade (Operating System and ProtecTIER software)
· Full Code upgrade consist of following parts:
o ProtecTIER software
§ Includes: RAS, DS4k firmware (TS7650 only), adapter driver, xSeries FW
o Red Hat Linux® (OS)
§ Includes: Kernel and RPM packages
· ProtecTier installation of special patches provided by development
o Potentially: PT software; RAS, Linux, driver, ….
o Perform special instruction provided by L3/development
o Verify fix / patch functionality
· Check / new install TSSC code
· Configuration of RAS
o To adjust RAS package to current customer configuration (ptconfig)
· Adjust tape device driver at attached host systems
· Check interoperability matrix (backup application; attached host system; SAN components)
· Check SAN zoning
· Software code upgrade should be extended with hardware/environment checkout procedure
Machine Types supported
TS7610; TS7650G; TS7650; TS7680
Estimated number of Specialist Support Days
1 day remote delivered
ProtecTIER: Hardware Healthcheck
Predefined Specialist Support Days
Overview
Health check of the ProtecTIER Hardware and attached environment
· Checkout ProtecTIER code to verify installation of latest available levels (see Software Code upgrade)
· Run ‘dsa’ (diagnostics summary analysis) from PT console
o checkout the server components (main board, HBAs, network adapter, internal disks, etc …)
· Run different stress tests on PT server CPU and internal memory
· Analyze the Linux error log files, the ProtecTIER error logs and the RAS internal logs
· Check connectivity to TSSC, WTI switch settings, Call Home setup
· Check external disk storage connectivity
o Give recommendations about disk firmware and setting according to the interoperability matrix
· Checkout the attached host systems according to the interoperability matrix in regard to …
o tape device driver settings and firmware
o FC/Ethernet HBA settings & firmware
o Host operating system (Linux, Microsoft® Windows®, AIX®, HP-UX, SUN) settings and patch recommendations
o Backup applications (TSM, Netbackup, Backup Exec, Networker, …) settings and patch recommendations
· Give recommendations about SAN environment ….
o SAN switch zoning and firmware
o Optimize SAN ProtecTIER attachment
· If used, check ProtecTIER replication settings and give recommendations for optimization
· Prepare documentation about the steps done, the analysis results and the recommendations given
Machine Types supported
TS7610; TS7650G; TS7650; TS7680
Estimated number of Specialist Support Days
2 days: 1 day onsite with 1 day remote resource support
ProtecTIER: Performance Tuning Hyper Factor Ratio
Predefined Specialist Support Days
Overview
Identify potential improvements of the ProtecTIER Hyperfactor Ratio
· Document the current PT Hyperfactor ratio
· Checkout the ProtecTIER Software packages installed
o if needed give recommendations about the latest available patches to be installed
· Analyze
o Customer backup types based on the used cartridge ranges
o Hyperfactor ratio from cartridge pool point of view to identify data structures for potential de-duplication ratio improvements
o the ProtecTIER service report
o the provided information about the backup application's (TSM, Netbackup, Backup Exec)
· Create report based on the analysis done to document
o the current Hyperfactor Ratio
o the recommendations about the potential improvements, like:
§ general settings about the backup data like compression, encryption, full backups, database backups, schedules, etc.
§ specific application settings to optimize the cartridge pool de-duplication ratio
· After the recommended settings were performed and some full backup cycles run, the ProtecTIER service report will be analyzed again to verify and document the Hyperfactor ratio changing's
Machine Types supported
TS7610; TS7650G; TS7650; TS7680
Estimated number of Specialist Support Days
2 days remote for one node, 1 additional remote SSD for each additional node
ProtecTIER: Performance Tuning Data Throughput Rate
Predefined Specialist Support Days
Overview
Identify potential improvements of the host data throughput rate
· Document the current backup throughput rate, replication performance, backup time and schedules
· Checkout
o ProtecTIER software for latest available patches
o ProtecTIER server hardware … Ethernet / FC throughput; FC attachment
o SAN environment
§ Layout & Zoning
§ Load balancing & Redundant paths
· Analyze
o ProtecTIER statistics, server load and error logs
o Backend disk subsystem load and throughput from ProtecTIER
o Ethernet connectivity in case of node replication
o Customer application throughput and backup windows/schedules
o PT Defragger and ‘Delete threads’ settings
· Tune
o Backend storage system (RAID config) according to best practices
o ProtecTIER replication settings
o Customer backup windows/schedules
o ProtecTIER Defragger and ‘Delete threads’ settings
o Document the changing's in regard to backup throughput rate, replication performance and backup time
Machine Types supported
TS7610; TS7650G; TS7650; TS7680
Estimated number of Specialist Support Days
2 days remote for one node, 1 additional days for each 2 additional nodes
IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller Healthcheck
Predefined Specialist Support Days
Overview
· Provides a basic health check of the SAN Volum Controller hardware and configuration
· Detects undiscovered issues by errorlog analysis
· Includes a status report with the results of the health check and a scheduled review to cover any recommendations
Machine Types supported
2145
Estimated number of Specialist Support Days
1 day remote for 2-node cluster
2 days remote for 8-node cluster
for additional nodes beyond an 8-node cluster, additional days may be required and would be determined upon review of the individual requirements
Microsoft: Windows OS Healthcheck + SQL Server
Predefined Specialist Support Days
Overview
Health check of Windows Server
• Run 'MPS' Report (Microsoft Product Support) on server
• Run IBM ‘dsa’ (Diagnostics Summary Analysis) on server
• Run 'sqlbpa' (SQL Best Practices Analyzer) on server
• Run 'PSSdiag' (Product Support Services Diagnostic) for serveral hours during peak performance
• Provide performance analysis based on Microsoft suggested baselines for key performance counters
• Provide blocking and wait statistics based on traces gathered by pssdiag
• Analyze the Windows event log files
• Check OS patch levels
• Check driver and firmware levels for host machine (IBM xSeries/Bladecenter hardware only)
• Prepare analysis of results and the recommendations given
Machine Types supported
All Windows based OS system with SQL Server (2005/2008/2008R2) installed
Estimated number of Specialist Support Days
2 day: 2 day remote resource support (1 day for data gathering; 1 day for analysis)
Microsoft: Windows OS Healthcheck + Active Directory Server
Predefined Specialist Support Days
Overview
Health check of Windows Server
• Health check of Windows Server
• Run 'MPS' Report (Microsoft Product Support) on server
• Run IBM ‘dsa’ (Diagnostics Summary Analysis) on server
• Run Performance monitor for several hours during peak performance
• Run ‘dcdiag’ and ‘netdiag’ on server
• Provide performance analysis based on Microsoft suggested baselines for key performance counters
• Analyze the Windows event log files
• Check OS patch levels
• Check driver and firmware levels for host machine (IBM xSeries/Bladecenter hardware only)
• Prepare analysis of results and the recommendations given
Machine Types supported
All Windows based OS system that serves as an Active Directory Domain Controller
Estimated number of Specialist Support Days
2 day: 2 day remote resource support (1 day for data gathering; 1 day for analysis)
December 2011
Maintenance and Technical Support Specialist Support Days (SSD)
This Predefined Specialist Support Days list is periodically updated with current information. To ensure you have the most current version, please visit the web page shown below and select “Predefined SSDs”
http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/offering/its/m459035p17923x22
These Predefined SSDs are only available for machines released and purchased in the United States. Eligible machine types, features and estimated SSD days are subject to change without notice.
IBM
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Produced in the United States of America
December 2011
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December 2011
Maintenance and Technical Support Specialist Support Days (SSD)
December 2011