Appendix. 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.If you believe that you require IBM to perform warranty service on your IBMproduct, the IBM service technicians will be able to assist you more efficiently ifyou prepare before you call.v Check for updated firmware and operating-system device drivers for your IBMproduct. The IBM Warranty terms and conditions state that you, the owner ofthe IBM 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.You can obtain the latest downloads for your IBM product fromhttp://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/systemx/groupView?query.productGroup=ibm%2FSystemx .v If you have installed new hardware or software in your environment, checkhttp://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/ tomake sure that the hardware and software is supported by your IBM product.v Use the troubleshooting information in your system documentation, and use thediagnostic tools that come with your IBM product. Information about diagnostictools is in the Problem Determination and Service Guide on the IBM DocumentationCD that comes with your product.v Go to http://www.ibm.com/supportportal/ to check for information to helpyou solve the problem.v Gather the following information to provide to IBM service. This data will helpIBM service 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 (or BIOS) and firmware levels– Other pertinent information such as error messages and logsv Go to http://www.ibm.com/support/electronic/portal/ to submit an ElectronicService Request. Submitting an Electronic Service Request will start the process© Copyright IBM Corp. 2011 149
