Appendix A. Getting help and technical assistanceIf you need help, service, or technical assistance or just want more informationabout IBM products, you will find a wide variety of sources available from IBM toassist you. Use this information to obtain additional information about IBM and IBMproducts, determine what to do if you experience a problem with your IBM systemor optional device, and determine whom to call for service, if it is necessary.Before you callBefore you call, make sure that you have taken these steps to try to solve theproblem yourself:v Check all cables to make sure that they are connected.v Check the power switches to make sure that the system and any optionaldevices are turned on.v Check for updated firmware and operating-system device drivers for your IBMproduct. The IBM Warranty terms and conditions state that you, the owner of theIBM product, are responsible for maintaining and updating all software andfirmware for the product (unless it is covered by an additional maintenancecontract). Your IBM service technician will request that you upgrade yoursoftware and firmware if the problem has a documented solution within asoftware upgrade.v If you have installed new hardware or software in your environment, checkhttp://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/ to makesure that the hardware and software is supported by your IBM product.v Go to http://www.ibm.com/supportportal/ to check for information to help yousolve the problem.v Gather the following information to provide to IBM Support. This data will helpIBM Support quickly provide a solution to your problem and ensure that youreceive the level of service for which you might have contracted.– Hardware and Software Maintenance agreement contract numbers, ifapplicable– Machine type number (IBM 4-digit machine identifier)– Model number– Serial number– Current system UEFI and firmware levels– Other pertinent information such as error messages and logsv Go to http://www.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Open_service_request/ to submitan Electronic Service Request. Submitting an Electronic Service Request willstart the process of determining a solution to your problem by making thepertinent information available to IBM Support quickly and efficiently. IBM servicetechnicians can start working on your solution as soon as you have completedand submitted an Electronic Service Request.You can solve many problems without outside assistance by following thetroubleshooting procedures that IBM provides in the online help or in thedocumentation that is provided with your IBM product. The documentation thatcomes with IBM systems also describes the diagnostic tests that you can perform.Most systems, operating systems, and programs come with documentation that© Copyright IBM Corp. 2012 125