Call Home Configuration - IBM XIV Gen3 Series Planning Manual

Important: Enabling the remote support for severe system conditions is strongly
recommended in order to keep system repair time to a minimum and in order to
resume connectivity to hosts as fast as possible. This allows an IBM service
representative to access the system remotely and start the repair action
immediately.
Remote support for severe system conditions permits a remote support access
without the need for the customer to initiate the SSH session towards the remote
support center. It also eliminates the need to dispatch an IBM service
representative to the customer site in order to initiate this session to do so.
The remote support for severe system conditions can be configured by the IBM
service representative at the time of the storage system installation. This
information is communicated through the Technical and Delivery Assessment
(TDA) checklist and worksheets.
Note: If automatic remote support activation is not enabled at the time of
installation, you can enable these actions at any time, using the XCLI utility. Use
the support_center_config command to configure the automatic connection to a
support center, setting automatically_connect to yes. For more detailed
information, see IP configuration commands > Defining a support center
connection on restart in the IBM XIV Storage System Commands Reference guide,
GC27-2213.

Call home configuration

Using call home, you can set up the XIV system to automatically send pre-failure
or failure notifications to the IBM Troubleshooting Ticketing System in the IBM
Service Center. You can also configure the XIV system to automatically send alerts
directly to you. Call home cannot accept incoming communication, which means
that the IBM Service Center cannot contact the XIV system using call home.
When certain events occur in the XIV system, call home sends a notification to the
IBM Service Center. After receiving the notification, IBM service personnel analyze
the problem promptly and take appropriate action. If the problem requires service,
an IBM service representative is sent to your site with any necessary replacement
parts. With access to the XIV system, IBM service personnel can perform service
tasks, such as viewing error logs and problem logs or initiating trace and dump
retrievals.
Call home notifications are sent through email from an SMTP server. You must
have an SMTP email system available that the XIV system can use to send
outgoing call home emails to IBM.
Important: It is a customer responsibility to configure the SMTP email system to
enable the XIV system to send outgoing emails for the call home function. The
email configuration rules must not inhibit call home emails from being sent in real
time. Emails with "Importance" or "X-Priority" in the email header must not be
delayed. For example, XIV emails must not be placed in a queue for later delivery
or filtered for priority. The administrator must verify correct configuration and
function of the email system before installation. Failure to verify the email system
might delay the successful installation of the XIV system.
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IBM XIV Gen3 281x-11x, 281x-21x, and 281x-314 Planning Guide