Dell Supportassist Plugin For Openmanage Essentials Version 1 Owners Manual 1.1.1 Readme

: Dell Dell-Supportassist-Plugin-For-Openmanage-Essentials-Version-1-1-1-Owners-Manual-117186 dell-supportassist-plugin-for-openmanage-essentials-version-1-1-1-owners-manual-117186 dell pdf

Open the PDF directly: View PDF .
Page Count: 9

Release Notes

Dell SupportAssist Plugin For Dell OpenManage

Essentials

Dell SupportAssist collects information about your computer

hardware and software, and automatically creates support cases

when issues arise. This helps Dell to provide you an enhanced,

personalized, and efficient support experience. Dell uses this data

to help solve common problems and design and market the

products and services features you use most.

Version 1.1.1 Rev.A00

Release Date: April 2013

Previous Version 1.1

Importance

RECOMMENDED: Dell recommends applying this update during your

next scheduled update cycle. The update contains feature

enhancements or changes that will help keep your system

software current and compatible with other system modules

(firmware, BIOS, drivers and software).

What is Supported

Dell SupportAssist integrates with Dell OpenManage Essentials to provide support capabilities for the

following Dell enterprise server and storage solutions, using existing environment data:

Dell PowerEdge servers running:

• Microsoft Windows 2008 Standard, Enterprise, or R2

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5

• SUSE Enterprise Linux 10 or 11

• VMware ESX or ESXi 4.x, or 5.0

Dell PowerVault NX storage servers

Dell PowerVault MD storage arrays

Dell EqualLogic SAN devices (except PS5000)

Dell PowerConnect Ethernet switches

Dell Force10 S4810 Ethernet switch

Dell PowerEdge M1000e Blade Enclosure

iDRAC7

NOTE: SupportAssist provides limited support only for Force10 and PowerConnect stacked configurations

NOTE: SupportAssist does not support Dell CloudEdge or Del PowerEdge-C servers, and Dell EqualLogic

NAS devices.

What’s New

• Support for Force 10 S4810 Ethernet switches, PowerVault NX storage servers, EqualLogic SAN devices

(except PS5000), and PowerEdge M1000e blade enclosure.

• Ability to enable or disable the automatic collection of system logs.

• Ability to enable or disable the scheduling of system log collection for all devices.

• Ability to schedule the system log collection at periodic intervals.

• Ability to disable the scheduling of system log collection for a specific device type.

• Ability to manually collect the system log from a specific device and upload it to Dell.

• Ability to provide credentials for each managed device type.

• Ability to edit the credentials for a specific device.

• Ability to reset the device-specific credentials to the default credentials for a particular device.

• Ability to overwrite the device-specific credentials with the default credentials for all applicable

devices.

• Installation of SupportAssist under LocalSystem context — SupportAssist does not require you to

provide or update the credentials to start the SupportAssist service even if the credentials of the

management station is changed.

• Inclusion of SupportAssist Community link.

• Availability of the context-sensitive help.

Open Issues And Resolutions

PHOME-330

,

PHOME 385

: The following sequence can result in system log collection tools not running on a managed device

that has an open case:

1.

A support case is created for a device.

2.

Troubleshooting tools are run on the device.

3.

The case is resolved and closed.

4.

Within 24 hours, another support case is created for the same device.

5.

The device goes down, or connectivity to it is interrupted.

6.

Troubleshooting tools fail to run.

7.

Log files indicate that troubleshooting data was gathered from the device within the past 24 hours, from the previous

support case.

Workaround:

Once the device is back up and connectivity is reestablished, SupportAssist troubleshooting tools will run within 24 hours, or

earlier if a new case is created for the same device.

PHOME-377

: SupportAssist cannot collect troubleshooting information from managed PowerVault MD Series storage arrays

unless Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) is installed on the OME server. In addition, a message similar

to the following will appear in the log-file.txt log file:

{*********************************************************

Collection for PowerVault MD Series

*********************************************************

*********************************************************

Starting validation for PowerVault MD Series

*********************************************************

Verifying SMcli Path

The system cannot find SMcli

ERROR : 400 :SMcli is not installed on the MS

Validation failed for the host 192.168.1.5

Unable to perform collection

}

Workaround:

Install Dell PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) on the OME server to enable SupportAssist to collect the

system logs from PowerVault MD Series storage arrays.

PHOME-580

: If OpenManage Essentials is not launched at least once after the installation, SupportAssist cannot be launched.

Workaround:

Launch OpenManage Essentials, and then launch SupportAssist.

PHOME-595

: If the OpenManage Essentials database target is changed from remote to local or vice versa, SupportAssist

displays the following message:

There is a problem with the Dell SupportAssist Service. Please restart the service and try again.

Workaround:

Restart the Dell SupportAssist windows service:

1.

Click

Start

→

Run

.

The

Run

dialog box is displayed.

2.

In the

Open

box, type services.msc, and click OK.

The Services window is displayed.

3.

Right-click the Dell SupportAssist Service, and click Stop.

4.

Right-click the Dell SupportAssist Service, and click Start.

PHOME-605

: The SupportAssist Installer is unable to start the WCF service in port 80, if another application is running on

this port.

Workaround:

SupportAssist is hosted on port 9399. Ensure that no other application is running on this port.

PHOME-627

: After upgrading OpenManage Essentials only from version 1.0 to version 1.1, SupportAssist displays the

following error:

There is a problem with the Dell SupportAssist Service.

Please make sure that the service is running and try again.

Workaround:

Upgrade SupportAssist from version 1.0.2 to version 1.1 or later

Versions affected:

1.0.2

PHOME-634:

Install SupportAssist version 1.1 on OpenManage Essentials version 1.0.1. Later, upgrading OpenManage

Essentials only from version 1.0.1 to version 1.1, and then launching SupportAssist opens OpenManage Essentials.

Workaround:

Perform the following:

1.

Navigate to

C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\Dell Integrated Support\ bin (64-bit operating systems)

or

C:\Program Files\Dell\Dell Integrated Support\ bin (32-bit operating systems)

2.

Run ConfigureSecureUI.exe, as an Administrator.

Versions affected:

1.1 and 1.1.1

PHOME-641:

Installation or upgrade of SupportAssist fails if the Dell diagnostic tool (DSET) is running on the system. The

Installer displays the following message:

Error 1722: There is problem with this Windows Installer package

Workaround:

Perform installation or upgrade of SupportAssist after the DSET execution is complete.

Versions affected:

1.0.2, 1.1, and 1.1.1

PHOME-642

- Installation of SupportAssist fails with following message:

Error 1923: Service Dell SupportAssist Service (PhomePluginWindowsService) could not be installed

Workaround:

Restart the system and try installing SupportAssist again.

Versions affected:

1.1 and 1.1.1

PHOME-772:

SupportAssist functionality does not work as expected after changing the system time zone.

Workaround:

Restart the Dell SupportAssist windows service after the system time zone is changed:

5.

Click

Start

→

Run

.

The

Run

dialog box is displayed.

6.

In the

Open

box, type services.msc, and click OK.

The Services window is displayed.

7.

Right-click the Dell SupportAssist Service, and click Stop.

8.

Right-click the Dell SupportAssist Service, and click Start.

Versions affected:

1.1 and 1.1.1

After upgrading SupportAssist from version 1.0.2 to version 1.1, the Enable report filtering for network identification data

option available in the SupportAssist Troubleshooting Credentials page does not work as expected for PowerVault MD

storage and PowerConnect devices.

Workaround:

Uninstall Lasso and then upgrade to SupportAssist version 1.1 or later.

Versions affected:

1.0.2

PHOME-674

: Unable to start the SupportAssist Windows service during the installation; SupportAssist installation fails;

Connectivity test fails.

Workaround:

Before installing SupportAssist:

1.

Open Windows registry

2.

Navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control”

3.

Right-click

Control

→

New

→

DWORD

(32-bit) Value.

4.

When prompted for a Name, type ServicesPipeTimeout.

5.

Double-click

ServicesPipeTimeout

.

The

Edit DWORD (32-bit Value)

dialog box is displayed.

6.

In the

Value

data field, type 180000.

7.

Under

Base

, select

Decimal

, and click

OK

.

8.

Restart the system.

Versions affected:

1.1 and 1.1.1

PHOME-801

: Attempting to edit the credentials of a device that was discovered for the first-time in OpenManage Essentials

displays the following error:

There is a problem with the Dell SupportAssist Service.

Please make sure that the service is running and try again.

Workaround:

Wait for about five minutes, select the device, and then click

Edit Device Credentials

.

Version affected:

1.1.1

PHOME-802

: If you restart the SupportAssist Windows service when SupportAssist is querying OpenManage Essentials for

information about too many devices, the following error may be displayed:

The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.

Workaround:

Wait until the querying is complete, and then restart the SupportAssist Windows service.

Version affected: 1.1.1

Corrected Problems

PHOME-411:

If an alert is generated on the OpenManage Essentials management server, the troubleshooting tool (DSET) is

not executed.

PHOME-492:

Support cases generated for devices with Basic Warranty service contract are displayed even after the

problem is resolved.

PHOME-509:

The SupportAssist Windows service does not start if the system password is changed.

PHOME-622:

User credentials are required to start SupportAssist windows service. Each time the system password is

changed, the password must also be updated in SupportAssist.

PHOME-640:

The Test Connectivity e-mail may be received without initiation of the e-mail connectivity test.

PHOME-644:

Text is misaligned in the Primary Contact screen of the SupportAssist installer.

PHOME-647:

If the SupportAssist Windows service is stopped when SupportAssist is running in a non-English language, the

SupportAssist interface displays text in English.

PHOME-659

: If a trust relationship does not exist between the domains of the managed node and the management station,

and the troubleshooting tool (DSET) is executed in response to a support case, the Progress column of the SupportAssist

dashboard continues to display the status as Troubleshooting Tool Started.

PHOME-661

: The SupportAssist installer does not allow the entry of the primary and secondary contact names using

languages (Japanese, Chinese, and so on) that support double-byte characters.

Limitations

PHOME-363

: Users cannot adjust the alert flood level required to automatically enter Maintenance Mode

Versions affected:

1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1, and 1.1.1

PHOME-365

: Dell SupportAssist does not allow the primary or secondary contact to opt out of receiving emails individually.

Versions affected:

1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1, and 1.1.1

PHOME-455

: After upgrading SupportAssist from version 1.0.1 to 1.0.2, 1.1, or 1.1.1 the Case List screen displays Unknown

in the Service contract column for all cases. Prior to the upgrade the Service Contract column displayed ProSupport.

Versions affected:

1.0.2, 1.1, and 1.1.1

PHOME-493

: A new instance of DSET initiated by SupportAssist due to an alert, fails to execute, if DSET is already running

on the OpenManage Essentials managed node.

Versions affected:

1.1 and 1.1.1

PHOME-603

: The following sequence can result in Dell SupportAssist troubleshooting tools not running on a managed

device even if a critical alert is triggered:

1.

A support case is created for a critical alert on a device.

2.

The system log collection tools are executed, the diagnostic results are sent to Dell.

3.

The case is successfully resolved and the case is closed.

4.

The same device triggers another critical alert within 24 hours of resolution of the previous case.

5.

A support case is created for the alert, and the Progress column on the Cases tab of the dashboard displays blank.

Versions affected:

1.1 and 1.1.1

PHOME-657

: First-time launch of the SupportAssist dashboard takes time.

Versions affected: 1.1 and 1.1.1

If any changes are made to the OpenManage Essentials files, the SupportAssist windows service must be restarted.

Version affected:

1.1

After upgrading OpenManage Essentials from version 1.0.1 to version 1.1, the SupportAssist windows service must be

restarted.

Version affected:

1.1.1

The address bar in Internet Explorer does not display the SupportAssist icon when SupportAssist is launched using either the

desktop-shortcut icon or the Start menu.

Version affected:

1.1.1

Installation Prerequisites

The following are the prerequisites:

• Dell PowerEdge servers running Dell OpenManage Essentials version 1.0.1 or higher

• Familiarity with OpenManage Essentials installation, configuration, and operation

NOTE: For more information about installing, configuring, and using OpenManage Essentials, see the latest

Dell OpenManage Essentials User’s Guide and Dell OpenManage Essentials Release Notes

at dell.com/OpenManageManuals.

CAUTION: Dell does not support, and strongly suggests that you do not attempt, installing or operating

SupportAssist and OpenManage Essentials on the same server that runs Dell Proactive Systems

Management Enterprise (PSME). Doing so may cause duplicate cases or other unintended results. In

addition, the OpenManage Essentials and PSME trap receivers are incompatible, which can cause SNMP

traps issues.

Minimum Requirements

To provide proactive support for PowerEdge (9th Generation and later), servers, PowerVault NX storage

servers, blade chassis, iDRAC7, PowerVault MD and EqualLogic storage devices, and PowerConnect and

Force 10 Ethernet switches, Dell SupportAssist requires:

• Optional: OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) installed and operational on all managed

PowerEdge devices.

• SNMP agent enabled on all managed PowerEdge, PowerVault, blade chassis, EqualLogic,iDRAC7,

Force10, and PowerConnect devices for OpenManage Essentials discovery.

• All managed PowerEdge, PowerVault, blade chassis, EqualLogic, iDRAC7, Force10, and PowerConnect

devices configured to send SNMP traps to the OpenManage Essentials server.

• A trust relationship must exist between the domains of the management station and the managed

nodes.

• All managed PowerEdge, PowerVault, blade chassis, EqualLogic, iDRAC7, Force10, and PowerConnect

devices discovered, categorized, and inventoried by the OpenManage Essentials server.

• PowerVault Modular Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) installed on the OpenManage Essentials server, in

order to support PowerVault MD Series arrays.

• All the members at all Ethernet ports must be discovered for the complete EqualLogic support.

The following are the minimum recommended hardware configurations:

Hardware Medium Deployments Large Deployments

Number of managed systems Up to 500 500 to 2000

Processor 6 cores 10 cores

Memory 8 GB 10 GB

Hard drive 6 GB 10 GB

NOTE: If SupportAssist is configured to generate the system log collection at regular intervals, additional

hard drive space is required. The hard drive space required can be determined as 10 MB x number of

devices.

Other Requirements:

• Web browser – Internet Explorer 8, 9, or 10 (32-bit) and Mozilla Firefox 11 or 12 (32-bit); supported

only on Windows-based operating systems.

• Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0

• Microsoft ASP.Net

• IIS 7.x

• Dell OpenManage Essentials 1.0.1 or higher

• Internet connection – standard Gbe network

NOTE: For information about the SNMP configuration, firewall settings, web services, supported ports and

protocols specific to your environment, see the Dell OpenManage Essentials User’s Guide or the see the

Dell SupportAssist Verifying the Installation document at dell.com/OpenManageManuals.

Installation Procedure

To install SupportAssist:

•

Double-click the SupportAssist installer package file.

•

Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

NOTE:

If your system connects to the Internet through a proxy server, the proxy server settings must be configured in the

Support Assist Proxy Settings page. For more information about configuring the proxy, see the

Dell SupportAssist Plugin For

Dell OpenManage Essentials Version 1.1.1 User's Guide

at

dell.com/ServiceabilityTools

.

NOTE:

For information about the components and configurations that you can verify to ensure that the SupportAssist plugin

installed on your system works as expected, see the

Dell SupportAssist Plugin For Dell OpenManage Essentials Version 1.1.1

Quick Start Guide

at

dell.com/ServiceabilityTools

.

The following system log collection tools are automatically installed during the installation of SupportAssist version 1.1.1:

•

Dell System E-Support Tool (DSET) version 3.4

•

Dell Lasso version 4.3.

NOTE:

To successfully collect system logs from managed nodes on which Dell OpenManage Server Administrator 7.2 is

installed, you must upgrade from earlier versions of SupportAssist to SupportAssist version 1.1.1.

Upgrade

If an earlier version of Dell SupportAssist is already installed on your system, you can upgrade to SupportAssist version 1.1.1

Uninstallation

To uninstall Dell SupportAssist:

1 On the OpenManage Essentials server, click

Start

→

Control Panel

→

Programs and Features

.

The

Programs and Features

window is displayed.

2 Select

Dell SupportAssist

, and click

Uninstall

.

3 If the

Programs and Features

dialog is displayed, prompting your confirmation, click

Yes

.

SupportAssist and its system log collection tools are now uninstalled from your server running OpenManage Essentials.

Contacting Dell

NOTE: If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact information on your purchase invoice,

packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog.

Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product,

and some services may not be available in your area. To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues:

1.

Visit

support.dell.com

.

2.

Select your support category.

3.

If you are not a U.S. customer, select your country code at the bottom of the

support.dell.com

page, or select

All

to see more choices.

4.

Select the appropriate service or support link based on your need.

For information on documentation support, visit

dell.com/ServiceabilityTools.

© 2013 Dell Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell™, the Dell logo, Dell Boomi™, Dell Precision™ , OptiPlex™ Latitude™, PowerEdge™, PowerVault™,

PowerConnect™, OpenManage™, EqualLogic™, Compellent™, KACE™,

FlexAddress™, Force10™ and Vostro™ are trademarks of Dell Inc. Intel®, Pentium®, Xeon®, Core® and Celeron® are registered

trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. AMD®is a registered trademark and AMD Opteron™, AMD Phenom™

and AMD Sempron™ are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft®, Windows®, Windows Server®, MS-DOS®, Windows

Vista®, and

Active Directory® are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Red

Hat Enterprise Linux® and Enterprise Linux® are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Novell® is a registered trademark and SUSE™ is a trademark of Novell Inc. in the United States and other countries. Oracle® is a registered

trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Citrix®, Xen®, XenServer® and XenMotion® are either registered trademarks or

trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. VMware®, Virtual SMP®, vMotion®, vCenter® and vSphere®

are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States or other countries. IBM® is a registered trademark of

International Business Machines Corporation.