Users Guide
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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. You can also manually enable
the maintenance mode functionality before a planned maintenance activity to suspend the automatic case creation capability. The
following sections provide more information about the maintenance mode functionality.
Global-level maintenance mode
Global-level maintenance mode places all monitored devices in maintenance mode, suspending alert processing and automatic case
creation for all devices. While in global-level maintenance mode, SupportAssist displays a yellow Maintenance Mode banner at the
top of the page. You can enable global-level maintenance mode to prevent the creation of unnecessary support cases during
downtime or a routine maintenance activity. For instructions to enable global-level maintenance mode, see Enabling or disabling
global-level maintenance mode.
Device-level maintenance mode
Device-level maintenance mode suspends alert processing and automatic case creation for a specic device. For all other monitored
devices, SupportAssist continues to process alerts and create support cases, if the alerts qualify for case creation. Device-level
maintenance mode is implemented as follows:
• Automated device-level maintenance mode — By default, if SupportAssist receives 10 or more valid hardware alerts within 60
minutes from a specic device, SupportAssist automatically places that device in maintenance mode. The device remains in
maintenance mode for 30 minutes, allowing you to resolve the issue without creating additional support cases for the device. An
email notication is also sent to the primary and secondary contacts, and the device displays the maintenance mode icon
on the Device Inventory page. After 30 minutes, the device is automatically removed from maintenance mode, enabling
SupportAssist to resume normal alert processing for the device. If required, you can retain the device in maintenance mode until
you resolve the issue, by manually enabling maintenance mode. You can also remove a device from automated maintenance
mode before the 30-minute period. For instructions to enable or disable the device-level maintenance mode, see Enabling or
disabling device-level maintenance mode.
NOTE: When a device is placed automatically in maintenance mode, an email notication is sent to your primary or
secondary contact. However, you can receive the email notication for automated device-level maintenance mode
only if the SMTP server (email server) settings are congured in SupportAssist. See Conguring SMTP server
settings.
• Manual device-level maintenance mode — If you have a planned maintenance activity for a device, and do not want
SupportAssist to automatically create support cases, you can place that device in maintenance mode. While in maintenance
mode, the device displays the maintenance mode icon on the Device Inventory page. After the maintenance activity is
completed, you can remove the device from maintenance mode, enabling SupportAssist to resume processing alerts from the
device normally. For instructions to enable device-level maintenance mode, see Enabling or disabling device-level maintenance
mode.
The global-level and device-level maintenance mode functionalities work independent of each other. For example:
• If a device is placed in manual maintenance mode, the device continues to remain in manual maintenance mode even if global-
level maintenance mode is enabled and then disabled.
• If a device is placed in automated maintenance mode, the device continues to remain in automated maintenance mode for 30
minutes even if the global-level maintenance mode is enabled and then disabled.
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