Dell SupportAssist Version 1.
Notes, cautions, and warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Contents 1 Overview......................................................................................................................... 8 What is new in this release................................................................................................................................................. 8 How SupportAssist works..................................................................................................................................................
Viewing the device overview............................................................................................................................................35 Filtering the displayed data............................................................................................................................................... 36 Clearing the data filter...............................................................................................................................................
Enabling or disabling the collection of identity information................................................................................................63 Enabling or disabling the collection of software information and the system log...............................................................64 10 Accessing the collected data....................................................................................... 65 Viewing the collected system information.............................................
Unable to add device........................................................................................................................................................ 87 OMSA not installed...........................................................................................................................................................88 SNMP not configured.............................................................................................................................................
Manage Credentials...................................................................................................................................................116 Manage Contacts...................................................................................................................................................... 117 Edit/Delete Group......................................................................................................................................................
1 Overview Dell SupportAssist for Servers is an application that enables automated support from Dell by proactively identifying hardware issues in Dell devices. When an issue is detected, SupportAssist automatically opens a support case with Dell Technical Support and sends you an email notification. Data required for troubleshooting the issue is automatically collected and sent securely to Dell Technical Support.
• Ability to transpose the data displayed in the configuration viewer. See Data views. • Ability to cancel a manually-initiated collection. See Sending the system information manually. • Support for Dell Datacenter Scalable Solutions. For the complete list of supported device models, see the Dell SupportAssist Version 1.3 for Servers Support Matrix at Dell.com/ServiceabilityTools.
SupportAssist capability Description Automated email notification An email notification about the support case or issue is automatically sent to your company’s primary and secondary SupportAssist contacts. Dell service contract type Basic Hardware ProSupport ProSupport Plus Proactive response from A Dell Technical Support agent contacts you Dell Technical Support proactively about the support case and helps you resolve the issue.
2 Getting started with SupportAssist SupportAssist automates support from Dell Technical Support for Dell devices. You can use SupportAssist to monitor one or more devices. Basic setup The basic setup enables SupportAssist to monitor the local system (the server on which SupportAssist is installed). If you only have a single device that you want to monitor, only the basic setup is required. For monitoring more than one device, you must complete the basic and advanced setup. To complete the basic setup: 1.
• You can disable the collection of software information and the system log from all monitored devices. See Enabling or disabling the collection of software information and the system log. • You can disable the periodic collection of system information from all monitored devices. See Enabling or disabling the periodic collection of system information from all devices. • You can disable the periodic collection of system information for specific devices.
Operating system requirements for installing SupportAssist NOTE: SupportAssist can only be installed on 64-bit operating systems. NOTE: SupportAssist can also be installed on a Microsoft Windows domain controller. NOTE: Installation of SupportAssist is not supported on Server Core. The server on which you want to install SupportAssist must be running one of the following Windows or Linux operating systems.
NOTE: To verify if the destinations are reachable, follow the instructions in Ensuring successful communication between the SupportAssist application and the SupportAssist server. The following table lists the ports that must be open on the local system. Table 3.
Steps 1. Right-click the SupportAssist installer package and then click Run as administrator. NOTE: Microsoft User Access Control (UAC) requires that the installation is performed with elevated privileges that are obtained only through the Run as administrator option. If you are logged in to the system as an administrator, double-click the installer package to install SupportAssist. However, ensure that you acknowledge the Open File Security Warning dialog box to proceed.
Installing SupportAssist (Linux) Prerequisites • Ensure that you have downloaded the SupportAssist installation package for Linux operating systems. • Ensure that you are logged in to the system with root privileges. • Ensure that Net-SNMP is installed on the system. For information on installing Net-SNMP, see Installing Net-SNMP (Linux only). NOTE: If you choose to install Net-SNMP after installing SupportAssist, ensure that you run the script file, snmptrapdServiceConfiguration.
NOTE: If you are using a Linux terminal emulator such as PuTTY to remotely install SupportAssist, the SupportAssist Login page is not displayed.
NOTE: It is mandatory to complete all applicable steps displayed on the setup wizard before you can use SupportAssist. If you do not complete all applicable steps in the setup wizard, whenever you log in to SupportAssist, the SupportAssist Setup Incomplete page is displayed. On this page, you can click Setup to open the setup wizard and complete the applicable steps. Steps 1. On the Welcome page, click Next. SupportAssist verifies connectivity to the Internet.
• Last Name — The last name can contain letters, quotation marks [ ’ ], periods [ . ], spaces, and must not exceed 50 characters. • Phone Number — The phone number must contain a minimum of 10 characters and must not exceed 50 characters. The phone number can be provided in the international format, including special characters such as ( , ) , + , and –. • Alternate Phone Number — Optional, with the same requirements as the Phone Number.
Setting up an SELinux enabled system to receive alerts About this task Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) is a security module that authorizes or prevents operations in Linux operating systems. When SELinux is enabled on the system running SupportAssist, alerts (SNMP traps) from remote devices are not received by SupportAssist. Without receiving alerts, SupportAssist will not be able to identify hardware issues that may occur on remote devices.
3. Click Upgrade. The Installing Dell SupportAssist page is displayed, and then the Installation Completed page is displayed. 4. Click Finish. The SupportAssist Login page opens in a web browser window. 5. Type the Microsoft Windows operating system user name and password, and then click Log In. The SupportAssist Cases page is displayed. Devices that you added in the previous version of SupportAssist are displayed in the Device Inventory page.
– If the server is running a Windows operating system, double-click the Dell SupportAssist desktop icon. – If the server is running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Small Business Server 2011, click Start→ All Programs→ Dell→ SupportAssist→ SupportAssist. – If the server is running Windows Server 2012, point to the bottom-left corner of the screen, and then click the Start icon. On the Start screen, click the SupportAssist tile.
3 Adding devices for monitoring To enable SupportAssist to monitor devices and automatically create a support case if an issue occurs, you must add the devices in SupportAssist. SupportAssist can monitor a device through the following methods: • Agent-based monitoring — In this method, an agent acts as an interface between the device and SupportAssist. The agent generates an alert (SNMP trap) whenever a hardware event occurs on the device.
• If the device is running a Microsoft Windows operating system, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service must be running on the device. • If the device is running a Linux operating system: – Secure Shell (SSH) service must be running on the device. – SSH password authentication must be enabled (enabled by default). – Unzip package must be installed on the device. • If the device is running VMware ESXi, SSH service must be running on the device.
NOTE: SupportAssist requires the user name and password to log in to the device and run a component that collects the device information and uploads it to Dell. Therefore, the user name and password you provide must have: • Local administrator or domain administrator rights and WMI access on the device (if the device is running a Windows operating system) • Root, super user, or sudo user rights (if the device is running a Linux operating system).
NOTE: Installation of OMSA is not supported on devices running CentOS, Oracle Virtual Machine, and Oracle Enterprise Linux. SupportAssist will only collect and upload system information from these devices. SupportAssist will not detect, through agent-based monitoring, hardware issues that may occur on these devices. CAUTION: Without OMSA and SNMP configuration, SupportAssist will not be able to identify hardware issues that may occur on the device. 5. Click OK.
• Windows Server 2003 • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64-bit) • Windows Server 2008 SP2 (64-bit) • Windows Server 2008 SP2 (32-bit) • Windows Small Business Server 2008 • Windows Small Business Server 2011 • Windows Server 2012 • Windows Server 2012 R2 • Server Core for Windows Server 2012 Steps 1. On the server on which SupportAssist is installed, browse to the C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssist\scripts folder. 2. Copy the script file (WindowsSNMPConfig.
Configuring the alert destination using the script file (Linux) Prerequisites • Ensure that Net-SNMP is installed on the system. For information on installing Net-SNMP, see Installing Net-SNMP (Linux only) • Ensure that you have root privileges on the device. The script file is supported only on devices running the following operating systems: • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 (32-bit and 64-bit) • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.7 (32-bit and 64-bit) • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
Manually configuring the alert destination (Linux) Perform the following steps to manually configure the alert destination of a monitored device running Linux: 1. Run the command rpm -qa | grep snmp, and ensure that the net-snmp package is installed. 2. Run cd /etc/snmp to navigate to the snmp directory. 3. Open snmpd.conf in the VI editor (vi snmpd.conf). 4. Search snmpd.conf for # group context sec.model sec.
Figure 6. Add Device window 3. Type the iDRAC IP address, display name (optional), user name, and password in the appropriate fields. NOTE: SupportAssist requires the user name and password to log in to the iDRAC and run a component that collects the system information from the device and sends it securely to Dell. Therefore, the user name and password you provide must have administrator rights on the iDRAC. 4. Click Add.
The device is listed on the Device Inventory page with a Configuring SNMP status. After configuring the SNMP settings, SupportAssist automatically verifies if the iDRAC can forward alerts successfully. If the verification of the SNMP configuration is successful, the status changes to OK. If the device displays an the issue and the possible resolution steps.
4 Viewing cases and devices The SupportAssist user interface displays the support cases that are open and the devices that you have added for monitoring. The case management options that are available on the Cases page enable you to request Dell Technical Support to suspend, resume, or close activities related to a support case. From the Device Inventory page, you can check for the support cases that are open for a specific device.
• Suspend activities related to a support case • Resume activities related to a support case • Close a support case NOTE: The case management options are applicable only for support cases that were opened automatically by SupportAssist. Figure 9. Case options Requesting to suspend case activities for 24 hours Prerequisites Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges.
NOTE: If SupportAssist is unable to process your request, an appropriate error message is displayed. In such a scenario, you can run the case creation test to verify connectivity to Dell, and then retry the operation. Related links Testing the case creation capability Requesting to resume support activities Prerequisites Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges. See SupportAssist user groups and Granting elevated or administrative privileges to users.
NOTE: The Case Options list is enabled only if the support case that you have selected was opened by SupportAssist. 3. From the Case Options list, select Problem solved – request to close the case. The Request to close the case window is displayed. 4. (Optional) Type your reason for requesting to resume activities for the support case. 5. Click OK. The Updating Case message is displayed. After the case is updated successfully, the Case Updated message is displayed. 6. Click OK.
Figure 11. Device Overview The Device Overview window is displayed. Filtering the displayed data You can filter the data displayed on the Device Inventory and Cases pages based on your preference. 1. Click the filter icon displayed in the column header. 2. Type or select the filtering criteria. 3. Click Filter.
Sorting the displayed data To sort the data displayed on the Cases and Device Inventory pages, click a column header. The displayed data is sorted and an arrow that indicates the sorting type (ascending or descending) is displayed next to the column title. To reset the sorting, click the column header again. Checking support cases for a specific device Prerequisites Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges.
Figure 13. Cases for the device NOTE: When you check for support cases, the latest support cases information is retrieved from Dell for the selected device. If support case information cannot be retrieved because of an issue, an appropriate message is displayed.
5 Device grouping The Device Groups page on the Devices tab allows you to create groups of devices based on your preference.
Figure 14. Device Groups page Creating a device group You can create a device group based on your requirement. For example, you can create device groups based on the device types. Prerequisites Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges. See SupportAssist user groups and Granting elevated or administrative privileges to users. Steps 1. Click the Devices tab. The Device Inventory page is displayed. 2. Click the Groups tab. The Device Groups page is displayed.
4. In the Select group actions list, select Manage Devices. The Manage Devices window is displayed. Figure 15. Manage Devices window 5. To add devices to the device group, select the devices in the Ungrouped Devices pane, and click . The selected devices are moved to the Devices In Current Group pane. 6. To remove devices from the device group, select the devices in the Devices In Current Group pane, and click . The selected devices are moved to the Ungrouped Devices pane. 7. Click Save.
3. Select a device group. 4. In the Select group actions list, select Manage Credentials. The Manage Credentials window is displayed. Figure 16. Manage Credentials window 5. Type the user name and password for the device type highlighted in the left pane. 6. If more than one device type is included in the device group, click Next. The next device type is highlighted in the left pane. 7.
The Manage Contacts window is displayed. 5. If you want to use the contact information provided in the Settings → Contact Information page, select Use Default. 6. Select the type of contact: • Primary 7. • Secondary Type the first name, last name, phone number, alternate phone number (optional), and email address in the appropriate fields. 8. Select the preferred contact method, preferred contact hours, and time zone. 9.
The Device Inventory page is displayed. 2. Click the Groups tab. The Device Groups page is displayed. 3. Select a device group. 4. From the Select group actions list, select Edit/Delete Group. 5. In the window that is displayed, click Delete.
6 Understanding maintenance mode The maintenance mode functionality suspends the alert processing and automatic case creation capability of SupportAssist, thereby preventing the creation of unnecessary support cases during an alert storm or a planned maintenance activity. If an alert storm is received from a monitored device, SupportAssist automatically places the device in maintenance mode.
Enabling or disabling global-level maintenance mode Enabling global-level maintenance mode suspends the automatic case creation capability for all devices. Prerequisites Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges. See SupportAssist user groups and Granting elevated or administrative privileges to users. Steps 1. Click the Settings tab. The System Logs page is displayed. 2. Click Preferences. The Preferences page is displayed. 3.
If maintenance mode is enabled for a specific device, the maintenance mode icon is displayed against the name of the device on the Device Inventory page. If you disable maintenance mode for a device, the maintenance mode icon is removed from the Device Inventory page.
7 Maintaining SupportAssist capability The changes that occur in your company’s IT setup over a period of time may require configuration or updates in SupportAssist. To maintain SupportAssist capability over a period of time for all monitored devices, you may be required to: • Edit the credentials (user name and password) of a monitored device, if the device credentials were changed due to the company security policy or other reasons. See Editing device credentials.
Figure 18. Edit Credentials option 3. Click Edit Credentials. The Edit Credentials window is displayed with the existing user name and password. NOTE: SupportAssist does not require you to edit or provide the credentials of the local system (server on which SupportAssist is installed). For the local system, the Edit Credentials window does not display the user name or password. 4. Edit the display name, user name, and password as required. 5. Click Save.
The Devices Inventory page is displayed. 2. Select the device on which you want to install or upgrade OMSA. NOTE: If SupportAssist does not support the installation or upgrade of OMSA on the device that you have selected, the Install/Upgrade OMSA option is disabled. 3. Click More Tasks → Install/Upgrade OMSA. Figure 19. Install/Upgrade OMSA option The Status column on the Device Inventory page displays the status of the OMSA installation or upgrade.
Figure 20. Configure SNMP option The Status column on the Device Inventory page displays the status of the SNMP configuration. Related links Support for automatically configuring SNMP settings Viewing and updating the contact information You can update the primary contact details and also provide secondary contact information. If the primary contact is unavailable, Dell will contact your company through the secondary contact.
Configuring proxy server settings If the server on which SupportAssist is installed connects to the Internet through a proxy server, you must ensure that the proxy settings are configured in SupportAssist. You must also ensure that the proxy server settings are updated in SupportAssist, whenever the settings of the proxy server are changed. Prerequisites Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges.
Figure 21. Connectivity Test page By default, SupportAssist automatically tests the connectivity to the dependent resources every day at 11 p.m. (time as on the server on which SupportAssist is installed), and displays the result in the Connectivity Status column. If there is an issue with connectivity to a dependent resource, a status email is sent to your primary and secondary SupportAssist contacts.
You can also use the Case Creation test to ensure that support case creation is working prior to an actual alert that would automatically create a support case. Steps 1. Point to the user name link that is displayed at the top-right of the SupportAssist user interface and click Test SupportAssist. The Test SupportAssist page is displayed. 2. Select the check box for the Case Creation test. Figure 22. Testing case creation 3. Click Test. The Status column displays the result of the test.
Figure 23. Clear System Event Log option 3. From the More Tasks list, select Clear System Event Log. A message requesting your confirmation is displayed. 4. Click Yes. While the SEL is cleared from a device, the device displays a the SEL is cleared successfully, the device displays a Clearing System Event Log status in SupportAssist. After System Event Log cleared status.
• • On Windows — C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssist\logs On Linux — /opt/dell/supportassist/logs NOTE: By default, automatic update is enabled. If you disable automatic update, you must manually download and install the latest updates from Dell.com/SupportAssistGroup. Enabling automatic updates Enabling automatic updates ensures that SupportAssist is automatically updated whenever updates are available.
4. Click Yes. The device is deleted from the Device Inventory page. NOTE: When a device is deleted, the credentials of the device are deleted immediately from SupportAssist. However, the system information collected from the device is not deleted until the purge collections task deletes the collected system information. The purge collection task only deletes system information collections that are 30 days or older and collections that are older than the last 5 collections over the last 30 days.
8 Configuring email notifications By default, SupportAssist is configured to send an email notification when a support case is created automatically. SupportAssist can also send email notifications about maintenance mode, device status, and network connectivity status, if the SMTP server (email server) settings are configured. You can configure the email notification settings based on your preference.
About this task If your company utilizes an SMTP server (email server), Dell recommends that you configure the SMTP server settings in SupportAssist. Configuring the SMTP server settings enables SupportAssist to send maintenance mode, device status, and network connectivity status email notifications through the SMTP server.
9 Configuring data collection settings By default, SupportAssist automatically collects system information from all monitored devices at periodic intervals. SupportAssist also collects system information automatically from a monitored device when a support case is created for an issue with the device. If required, you can configure the data collection options based on your preference.
• If you have added the devices in SupportAssist by using the iDRAC IP address (agentless monitoring), the iDRAC credentials that you entered must have administrator privileges. • The local system must have internet connectivity for uploading the collected system information. Enabling or disabling the automatic collection of system information on case creation Prerequisites Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges.
NOTE: By default, the Enable scheduled system log collection option is selected. 4. Click Apply. Related links Preferences Customizing the schedule for periodic collection of system information Prerequisites • Ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges. See SupportAssist user groups and Granting elevated or administrative privileges to users. • Ensure that the Enable scheduled system log collection option is enabled in the Preferences page.
NOTE: Disabling the scheduling of collecting system information for a specific device type only disables the periodic collection of system information from those devices. It does not disable SupportAssist from collecting and sending the system information to Dell, if a support case is opened for those devices. Steps 1. Click the Settings tab. The System Logs page is displayed. 2. From the Credential Type list, select the credential type for which you want to disable scheduling. 3.
NOTE: By default, the Include identification information in data sent to Dell option is selected. NOTE: If you clear the Include identification information in data sent to Dell option, the Include system log in collections option is also cleared automatically. Therefore, the system log is not collected when you disable the collection of identity information.
10 Accessing the collected data The collected system information is saved in the SupportAssist installation folder on the server on which SupportAssist is installed. You can access and view the collected system information by using the configuration viewer that is available in the SupportAssist user interface. Viewing the collected system information About this task SupportAssist collects system information from each monitored device and sends the information securely to Dell.
Figure 25. Selecting a collection The configuration viewer is displayed in a new web browser window. 4. Click a main category listed in the configuration viewer. For example, click System. 5. Click a subcategory. For example, click Main Chassis. Data related to the Main Chassis subcategory is displayed. Configuration Viewer The Configuration Viewer enables you to view the data collected by SupportAssist from the monitored devices.
User interface Description hide the left pane, click the < icon that is displayed at the top of the divider. To view the left pane again, click the > icon that is displayed at the top of the divider. Right pane Displays the data available for the category or subcategory that is selected in the left pane. This pane includes a navigation trail, which you can click to navigate backward on the current trail. Figure 26.
Log types Description Structured logs Contain application logs, Embedded Server Management (ESM) logs, and event logs. When you click the Structured Logs category, the configuration viewer displays the list of available structured logs. You can click any of the listed structured logs to view the details of the log in a new web browser window. Unstructured logs Contain a snapshot of the system files such as the Remote Access Controller (RAC) logs, Windows event logs, and other logs.
Items reported Device added in SupportAssist with the operating system IP address (agent-based monitoring) OMSA is installed on the device OMSA is not installed on the device Device added in SupportAssist with the iDRAC IP address (agentless monitoring) Array Disk Intrusion Switch Hardware Log Main Chassis Additional Information Modular Enclosure Information Firmware Processor Fan Fan Redundancy Temperature Voltage Power Supply Power Supply Redundancy Network IPv4 Address IPv6 Address Network Team Inter
Items reported Device added in SupportAssist with the operating system IP address (agent-based monitoring) OMSA is installed on the device Serial Over LAN Configuration IPv6 Detail User Setting User Information iDRAC User Privilege DRAC User Privilege Serial Port Configuration NIC Configuration Component Detail Controller TTY Log Operating System 70 OMSA is not installed on the device Device added in SupportAssist with the iDRAC IP address (agentless monitoring)
11 Using SupportAssist to collect and send system information SupportAssist automates the detection of hardware issues, creation of support cases, and collection of system information from supported Dell devices. You can also use SupportAssist to manually collect and send system information to Dell. NOTE: For information on the devices from which SupportAssist can collect and send system information to Dell, see the Dell SupportAssist Version 1.3 for Servers Support Matrix at Dell.com/ServiceabilityTools.
Steps 1. Click the Devices tab. The Device Inventory page is displayed. 2. Select the local system or a remote device listed in the Device Inventory page. The Send System Information link is enabled. Figure 27. Send System Information option 3. Click Send System Information. Figure 28. Manual collection in progress The Name/IP Address column on the Device Inventory page displays a progress bar and a message that indicate the status of the collection and upload of system information to Dell.
12 Other useful information This chapter provides additional information that you may require while using SupportAssist. SupportAssist user groups SupportAssist maintains security and privileges through the following user groups that are created during the installation of SupportAssist: • SupportAssistAdmins — Users who are members of this group have elevated or administrative privileges required for performing both basic and advanced functions in SupportAssist.
SupportAssist functions SupportAssistAdmins and users with elevated or administrative privileges SupportAssistUsers and users with normal privileges View the device inventory and device groups View the collected system information Perform connectivity tests Test SupportAssist Create, manage, edit, or delete device groups Set up SupportAssist and complete registration through the setup wizard Add devices Edit device credentials Delete devices Install/upgrade OMSA using the More Tasks option Configure SNMP
– Add the user to the Windows Administrators user group. • If SupportAssist is installed on Linux, you can grant elevated or administrative privileges through one of the following methods: – Add the user to the SupportAssistAdmins user group. See Adding users to the SupportAssist user groups (Linux). – Add the user to the Linux root group.
NOTE: The ProSupport Plus server recommendation reports are applicable only for devices with an active ProSupport Plus entitlement. NOTE: The server recommendation reports are dependent on the system information that is collected and sent to Dell periodically. Therefore, you must ensure that the periodic collection of system information is enabled in SupportAssist.
Figure 30. Manual collection in progress The Name/IP Address column on the Device Inventory page displays a progress bar and a message that indicate the status of the collection and upload of system information to Dell. NOTE: If you want to cancel the collection of system information, click the progress bar.
NOTE: When you allow or use SupportAssist to install or upgrade OMSA, the downloaded packages of OMSA are retained in the SupportAssist installation folder. If a compatible version of OMSA was already downloaded during an earlier operation, SupportAssist does not download OMSA again. In this scenario, SupportAssist only installs or upgrades OMSA on the device using the already downloaded version of OMSA. NOTE: The time taken to download OMSA is dependent on the internet download speed and network bandwidth.
Storage Services (OMSS) application installed on the server. When you allow SupportAssist to automatically install OMSA on the server, by default, OMSS is also installed. If you manually download and install OMSA on the server, ensure that you also install OMSS. Otherwise, SupportAssist will not be able to detect hardware issues that may occur on the attached storage device.
5. 6. Add one of the following based on your preference: • %root ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL — To grant permission to all users in the root group. • user_name ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL — To grant permission to only a specific user. Save the /etc/sudoers file. Default schedule for collection of system information By default, SupportAssist collects system information from monitored devices periodically and also when a support case is created.
Email notification type When the email notification is sent Origin of the email notification Inactive notification If SupportAssist is not monitoring any device and no device has been added in the past 30 days. SupportAssist server hosted by Dell Connectivity test alert At 11 p.m. each day (date and time as on the server on which SupportAssist is installed).
• Upload the generated system log collection to Dell. To ensure that the SupportAssist application is able to successfully communicate with the SupportAssist server: • The server on which the SupportAssist application is installed must be able to connect to the following destinations: – https://apidp.dell.com and https://api.dell.com — end point for the SupportAssist server.
maintenance mode. Maintenance mode prevents any further processing of alerts from the device, enabling you to make infrastructure changes without creating unnecessary support cases. After 30 minutes in maintenance mode, SupportAssist automatically removes the device from maintenance mode and resumes normal alert processing for the device. For more information about maintenance mode, see Understanding maintenance mode.
Steps 1. Open the terminal window. 2. Browse to the /opt/dell/supportassist/bin folder. 3. Type ./uninstall and press Enter. 4. To continue the uninstallation, type c. 5. When prompted for your feedback, perform one of the following: 6. • To skip the feedback and start the uninstallation, type n. • To provide feedback, type y. If you selected to provide feedback, press a number that matches your reason for uninstalling SupportAssist.
NOTE: In the representation of the server models, x denotes numbers (0 to 9) and y denotes alphabets such as M, R, and T. The alphabets denote the type of server as follows: M = Modular; R = Rack; T = Tower.
13 Troubleshooting The following sections provide information required to troubleshoot issues that may occur while installing and using SupportAssist. Installing SupportAssist If you experience any issues while installing SupportAssist: • Ensure that the system is running a 64-bit operating system. • On Windows operating systems — Ensure that you right-click the installer package and select Run as administrator to start the installation.
– Open a command prompt as an administrator and type the following commands: net localgroup SupportAssistAdmins and net localgroup SupportAssistUsers. If the user account is not listed in the SupportAssistAdmins or SupportAssistUsers group, add the user account to one of the SupportAssist user groups.
• If the error message states that SupportAssist is unable to add the device because the SSL encryption level of the device is set to 256 bit or higher: a. Download the Zulu Cryptographic Extension Kit available at the Azul Systems website. b. Extract the downloaded file. c. Copy the local_policy.jar and US_export_policy.jar files and paste them at one of the following location on the system on which SupportAssist is installed: – On Windows: C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssist\jre\lib\security – On Li
• Agent-based monitoring: Configuring the alert (SNMP trap) destination. • Agentless monitoring: Manually configuring the alert destination of an iDRAC using the web interface. Unable to verify SNMP configuration If the device displays an Unable to verify SNMP configuration status: • Ensure that the DNS is configured correctly. • Ensure that the SNMP port (162) is open. • Ensure that the firewall settings are correct. • Configure the SNMP settings of the device using the Configure SNMP option.
OMSA not supported If a device may displays the OMSA not supported status: • Log in to the device and uninstall the existing version of OMSA. • Select the device in the Devices Inventory, and then click Actions → Install/Upgrade OMSA. Unable to reach device If a device displays an Unable to reach device status: • Click the error status link in the Status column on the Device Inventory page to view the possible resolution steps. • Verify if the device is turned on and connected to the network.
a. Download the Zulu Cryptographic Extension Kit available at the Azul Systems website. b. Extract the downloaded file. c. Copy the local_policy.jar and US_export_policy.jar files and paste them at one of the following location on the system on which SupportAssist is installed: – On Windows: C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssist\jre\lib\security – On Linux: /opt/dell/supportassist/jre/lib/security d. Restart the SupportAssist service and retry the operation.
• If you added the device by providing the operating system details (agent-based monitoring) and the device is running a Linux operating system: – Verify if the credentials you provided have root, super user, or sudo user rights on the device. If you provide the user name and password of a sudo user, ensure that the sudo user is configured for SupportAssist. For information on configuring the sudo user, see Configuring sudo access for SupportAssist. – Verify if the SSH service is running on the device.
Steps 1. In OMSA, perform one of the following, depending on the type of server: • If the device is a modular server, click Modular Enclosure → Server Module. 2. • If the device is not a modular server, click System → Main System Chassis. Click the Logs tab. 3. Click Clear Log. Maintenance mode If a device displays the Maintenance Mode status: • Ensure that the issue with the device is resolved. • If more time is required to resolve the issue, you may place the device in manual maintenance mode.
d. Restart the SupportAssist service and retry the operation. Automatic case creation If an issue occurs on a device, but a support case is not created automatically: NOTE: SupportAssist does not create a support case for every alert received from a monitored device. A support case is created only if the alert type and number of alerts received from a device match with the predefined criteria for support case creation.
Verifying the SupportAssist service status (Windows) To verify the status of the SupportAssist service on Windows operating systems: 1. On the server on which SupportAssist is installed, click Start → Run. The Run dialog box is displayed. 2. Type services.msc, and then click OK. The Services Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is displayed. 3. Verify if the Dell SupportAssist Service displays the status as Running. 4. If the service is not running, right-click the service and select Start.
Security If the Edit Credentials or Send System Information links remain disabled even after selecting a device in the Device Inventory, ensure that you are logged in to SupportAssist with elevated or administrative privileges. See SupportAssist user groups and Granting elevated or administrative privileges to users.
14 Error code appendix The following table lists the error codes, error messages, and possible resolutions. Table 11. Error code appendix Error code Error message Possible resolution 3000_1 3000_2 3000_3 3000_4 3000_5 An unexpected error occurred during the installation of Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) on device name. Do one of the following: • Select the device in the Devices Inventory, and then click Actions → Install/Upgrade OMSA. • Manually install the recommended version of OMSA.
Error code Error message Possible resolution 3000_10 3000_12 3000_13 3000_14 An unexpected error occurred during the installation of Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) on device name. Do one of the following: • Select the device in the Devices Inventory, and then click Actions → Install OMSA. • Manually install the recommended version of OMSA. To identify the recommended version of OMSA, see the Dell SupportAssist Version 1.3 for Servers Support Matrix at Dell.com/ServiceabilityTools.
Error code Error message Possible resolution An unexpected error occurred during the installation of Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) on device name. Make sure that port 22 is open and SSH is enabled on the system, and then do one of the following: 3000_42 3000_43 3000_44 3000_45 3000_46 3000_49 3000_51 3000_54 3000_55 3000_57 3000_58 3000_59 3000_52 3000_53 • Select the device in the Devices Inventory, and then click Actions → Install OMSA.
Error code Error message Possible resolution 5000_2 SNMP settings of the device could not be configured because the integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) does not have the required license installed. Make sure that iDRAC has an Enterprise or Express license installed, and then try to configure the SNMP settings through the More Tasks → Configure SNMP option.
Error code Error message Possible resolution 5000_15 SupportAssist has configured the SNMP settings successfully, but the automated test to verify the SNMP settings was unsuccessful To resolve the issue, verify the network settings and make sure that the SNMP port (162) is open. SA-0005 SupportAssist is unable to add the device name because an attempt to connect to the device is unsuccessful.
Error code Error message Possible resolution SA-0070 Installation of Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) is not supported on this device Not applicable. SA-0075 SupportAssist has detected that Dell OpenManage Not applicable. Server Administrator (OMSA) is not installed on the device. Installing OMSA is required to generate alerts for hardware events that occur on the device.
Error code Error message Possible resolution • Make sure that the entered credentials have administrator or root privileges. SA-1015 SupportAssist is unable to edit the credentials of the device name because the user name or password is incorrect. Verify the user name and password, ensure that the user account has administrator/root privileges, and try again. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator for assistance.
Error code Error message Possible resolution SA-4085 SA-4090 SA-4110 SA-4115 SA-4120 SA-4125 SA-4130 SA-4135 SA-4140 SA-4145 SA-4150 SA-4175 SupportAssist is unable to collect system information from the device name because an attempt to connect to the device is unsuccessful. To retry collecting the system information, select the device and click Send System Information. If the problem persists, contact Dell Technical Support for assistance.
Error code Error message Possible resolution SA-4500 SupportAssist is unable to send the collected system information from the device name because the receiving server hosted by Dell is unreachable. To retry collecting the system information, select the device and click Send System Information. If the problem persists, contact Dell Technical Support for assistance. SA-4501 SA-4502 SupportAssist is unable to collect system information from the device name because of an unknown error.
Error code Error message Possible resolution SA-4524 SupportAssist is unable to send the collected system information from the device name because of an unknown error with reaching the proxy server. • • • Verify the proxy server settings in SupportAssist. Make sure that the proxy server is reachable. To retry collecting the system information, select the device and click Send System Information. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator for assistance.
15 Dell SupportAssist user interface The SupportAssist user interface displays the following tabs: • Cases — Displays the support cases that are present for the devices that are monitored by SupportAssist • Devices — Displays the devices that you have added in SupportAssist • Settings — Allows you to configure SupportAssist At the top-right of the SupportAssist header area, you can access links that allow you to perform certain tasks. The following table describes the links that you can access.
Related links Setup Wizard Login Cases Device Inventory Settings Connectivity Test Test SupportAssist Setup Wizard The Setup Wizard guides you through the setup and registration of SupportAssist. The fields displayed in the pages of the Setup Wizard are described in the following sections. Related links Welcome Proxy Settings Registration Summary Registering SupportAssist Welcome The Welcome page allows you to start the SupportAssist setup. Click Next to start setting up SupportAssist.
Table 14. Registration Field Description Company Information Company Name The name of the company. Country/Territory The location of the company. Primary Contact Information First Name The first name of the primary contact. Last Name The last name of the primary contact. Phone Number The phone number of the primary contact. Alternate Phone Number The alternate phone number of the primary contact. Email Address The email address of the primary contact.
• Problem solved — request to close this case — To request Dell Technical Support to close a support case. The Refresh link enables you to refresh the case list. The following table describes the support case information for your Dell devices that are monitored by SupportAssist, as displayed in the Cases page. Table 16. Cases Column Description Check box Use to select a support case for performing case management actions.
Column Description • ProSupport Plus — The device is covered under a Dell ProSupport Plus service contract. Device Type Indicates the type of device. Service Tag A unique, alphanumeric identifier that allows Dell to individually recognize each Dell device. Source The method by which the support case was created. The Source column may display: • • • • • Date Opened SupportAssist — The support case was created automatically by SupportAssist.
Table 17. Device Inventory Column Description Check box Use to select a device for performing tasks on the device.
Column Description • Maintenance mode — If the device is placed in maintenance mode, the maintenance mode icon is displayed. Model Model of the device. For example, PowerEdge M820. Status Displays the status of the SupportAssist functionality on the device, and the date and time the status was generated. The status can be categorized as follows: Informational status • OK — The device is configured correctly for SupportAssist functionality.
Column Description • Unable to send system information — SupportAssist is unable to send the collected system information to Dell. • Clearing System Event Log failed — SupportAssist is unable to clear the System Event Log or Embedded System Management logs on the device. • Maintenance Mode — SupportAssist has placed the device in automatic maintenance mode because of an alert storm. No new support cases are created while the device is in maintenance.
Device Overview The Device Overview window displays details of a device such as the IP address, device type, model number, Service Tag, and so on. From the Device Overview window, you can access the configuration viewer that allows you to view the data collected from the device by SupportAssist. Table 19. Device Overview Field Description Name Displays the display name that you have provided for the device. IP Address / Hostname Displays the IP address or host name of the device.
Related links Manage Devices Manage Credentials Manage Contacts Edit/Delete Group Manage Devices The Manage Devices window allows you to add or remove devices from a device group. On the Manage Devices window: • The Ungrouped Devices pane displays all devices that are not included in any device group. • The Devices in Current Group pane displays devices that are included in the current device group. The following table provides information about the fields displayed in the Manage Devices window.
Manage Contacts The Manage Contacts window allows you to provide the contact information and parts dispatch information for a device group. The following table provides information about the fields displayed in the Manage Contacts window. Table 23. Manage Contacts Field Description Use default Select to use the contact information already available in the Settings → Contact Information page. Primary Select to provide the primary contact details.
Field Description Update Click to save the edited device group information. Delete Click to delete the device group. Cancel Click to discard the changes you have made. Related links Device Groups Editing device group details Deleting a device group Settings The Settings tab enables you to configure SupportAssist. By default, the System Logs page is displayed when the Settings tab is opened.
Field Description Frequency Allows you to select the frequency of at which system information will be collected. The available options are: • • • Specify day and time None Weekly Monthly Allows you to select the day and time when the system information will be collected. • If the Frequency is set to None, the periodic collection of system logs is disabled for the selected Device Type and Credential Type.
Preferences The Preferences page allows you to configure data collection settings, automatic updates, recommendation report settings, and maintenance mode. The following table provides information about the options displayed in the Preferences page. Table 27. Preferences Field Description Automated Tasks Accept and install updates Select this option to automatically download and install the latest SupportAssist and collection tool updates, when they are available.
Field Description Cancel Click to cancel the changes.
Field Description City/Town Country State/Province/Region Postal Code Apply Click to save the updated information. Cancel Click to cancel the changes. Related links Viewing and updating the contact information SMTP Settings The SMTP Settings page allows you to configure the SMTP server (email server) settings. If your company utilizes an SMTP server, Dell recommends that you configure the SMTP server settings.
Table 30. Connectivity Test Field Description Check box Select the appropriate check boxes to test the connectivity status you want to verify. Test Displays the dependent network resources that you can test. The available options are: • • • • • Internet Connectivity SMTP Server Dell FTP Server Dell Upload Server SupportAssist Server Description Describes the purpose of each test. Connectivity Status Displays an icon and a message that indicates the connectivity status.
Field Description • Unable to Create Case — SupportAssist cannot create support cases because of a possible issue with the support case creation workflow. Last Verified Displays the date and time the status was last verified. Test Click to perform the selected test.
16 Related documents and resources In addition to this guide you can access the following guides available on the Dell Support website. Table 32. Related documents Document title Dell SupportAssist Version 1.3 for Servers Online Help Dell SupportAssist Version 1.3 for Servers Quick Setup Guide Dell SupportAssist Version 1.3 for Servers Support Matrix How to access the document Click the 1. 2. 3. icon in the SupportAssist user interface. Visit Dell.com/ServiceabilityTools. Click SupportAssist Version 1.
Video title How to access the videos Clearing System Event Log Check for Cases Case Management Case Creation Test SupportAssist community You can also find video tutorials, peer-to-peer questions, user’s guides, and other useful information on the Dell SupportAssist community forum at Dell.com/SupportAssistGroup.
Contacting Dell Prerequisites 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. About this task 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: Steps 1. Go to Dell.com/support. 2.
