23 July 2013
IBM Support of RamSan and FlashSystem products
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Document purpose
As you may be aware, IBM acquired Texas Memory Systems, Inc. (“TMS”) in the fall of 2012,
and we want to communicate to you IBM’s current process for delivery of support and where
applicable IBM hardware maintenance for TMS legacy and related IBM products.
This document is intended to provide a general summary and descriptions, but in all cases,
the applicable contractual terms alone govern and control. IBM reserves the right to change,
modify or withdraw its offerings, policies and practices at any time.
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Product Support Matrix
TMS
7XX/8XX and
IBM
FlashSystem
Products
TMS Legacy Products
RamSan system or product family:
XPxx
10/20
120
3XX
4XX
500
6XX
70/80
7XX/8XX
If your system is …
In-warranty (subject to terms and conditions in the warranty)
Parts replacement
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
24x7 remote phone support
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y1
Business hours remote phone support
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y1
Solution support [See Description
Below]
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Firmware
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
Y2
Y2
N
N
Y2
Out-of-warranty
Post Warranty Support through IBM
Hardware Maintenance Service
Agreements
1
Provided by IBM local and regional call centers.
Contact your IBM sales representative or IBM business partner to obtain information about post-warranty IBM Hardware Maintenance Service
Agreements that may be available for these systems.
2
3
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Obtaining TMS Legacy Product Support
End User
Phone: 713-266-3200 (9am-5pm, CST) or Afterhours Dispatch
(provided to 24x7 customers)
RamSan
Support
Serial
numbe
r under
warran
ty?
Email: ramsan@us.ibm.com or support@ramsan.com
No
Yes
Problem
determination
SSR dispatched
Parts
FW provided
Firmware
Provided via phone or
email
Solution
support
System
working
?
MA
available
&
purchas
ed?
No
OTC Parts
Sales via
IBM.com
No
END
On the IBM.com site, follow the path: Products>>Upgrades, accessories and parts>>Obtain maintenance parts.
IBM does not guarantee the availability of replacement parts for purchase.
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Obtaining RamSan and FlashSystem 7XX/8XX Product Support
US and Canada: 1-800-IBM-SERV, 24x7
For other geographies, reference country-specific support
contact numbers at www.ibm.com/planetwide. Native
language support provided. Hours based on local business
practices.
IBM local
country call
center
End User
If your system has a TMS or RamSan
logo
RamSan
Product
Machine
Type
Model
710
9833
AS1
810
9833
AE1
720
9834
AS2
820
9834
AE2
Warranty Entitlement
Check
If your system has an IBM FlashSystem
logo
What is your
machine type &
serial?
Gather the machine type and serial
number from the serial number label on
the back of the system.
Serial
numbe
r under
warran
ty?
Parts dispatched
FW posted to
FixCentral
Problem
determination
No
System
working?
No
Yes
MA
purchase
d?
No
OTC Parts
Sales via
IBM.com
L1/L2/L3
END
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Frequently Asked Questions
I previously contracted for and received
24x7 phone support from TMS. Has this
changed?
For customers with in-warranty support contracts that provided 24X7 telephone
support, eligible customers should continue to utilize the 24X7 support telephone
numbers provided in the Texas Memory Systems warranty support documentation
for TMS Legacy products. 24x7 in-warranty telephone support for FlashSystem and
RamSan 7xx/8xx products will be provided by the IBM call centers.
How do I receive in-warranty technical
support on FlashSystem and RamSan
7xx/8xx?
Contact: 1-800-IBM-SERV or the local/country equivalent phone support
(www.ibm.com/planetwide)
How is my warranty entitlement checked by
IBM?
Calls for support, whether to the TMS RamSan support phone number or to the IBM
support call centers, will always start with an entitlement check. This check is
intended to validate the level of support the customer has paid for as well as basic
information such as the location of the system and the relevant contact names and
phone numbers. This check relies on the serial number, and when calling the IBM
support centers, also requires the machine type and model information.
Communicate to the call center operator which machine-type-model you have. It is
particularly important that you identify the logo on the bezel before giving the
product name.
If calling for a TMS legacy product, this will be known to the RamSan technical
support contact. If calling for FlashSystem support, gather the machine type and
serial number from the serial number label. If calling for a RamSan 7XX/8XX
product, use the table in the slide entitled “Obtaining RamSan and FlashSystem
7XX/8XX Product Support” to correctly identify your machine type and model for the
IBM call center operator.
In the event that a local country entitlement check team does not recognize a
customer request, the customer will be asked to provide the purchase invoice, also
known as proof of purchase, which establishes the warranty start date.
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Frequently Asked Questions
What solution support does IBM
provide?
In support of warranty claims for TMS Legacy Products, IBM personnel may attempt to
diagnose and resolve issues related to other components in a customer’s environment
that may be impacting the performance of the RamSan product, including but not limited
to database tuning and application bottleneck analysis. If necessary, IBM personnel may
relay support cases to other providers via TSAnet. Solution support is at the sole
discretion of IBM, and is not a guarantee or warranty that any issues will be resolved.
Solution support is provided on an “as available” and “AS IS” basis with no warranties,
express or implied, including no warranty of merchantability or of fitness for a particular
purpose.
Solution support for the IBM FlashSystem and RamSan-7XX/8XX products may be
available as a fee-based service. Contact your IBM sales representative or IBM business
partner to obtain more information.
How are firmware updates provided?
Firmware updates for the TMS Legacy Products, as available, will be made available at
no additional charge. The most current firmware updates can be requested via telephone
at the numbers provided above or email at ramsan@us.ibm.com.
For IBM FlashSystem and RamSan-7XX/8XX products under warranty and IBM
Hardware Maintenance Service Agreements, Machine Code updates, are made available
at http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/. Access to Machine Code is conditioned on
entitlement and license validation in accordance with IBM policy and practice. IBM may
verify entitlement through customer number, serial number, electronic restrictions, or any
other means or methods employed by IBM in its discretion.
Can I purchase replacement parts for
out-of-warranty products?
Replacement parts may be obtained through over the counter sales (OTC) via IBM.com.
Contact RamSan support to identify the IBM FRU part number. On the IBM.com site,
follow the path: Products>>Upgrades, accessories and parts>>Obtain maintenance parts.
IBM does not guarantee the availability of replacement parts for purchase.
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Frequently Asked Questions
Does IBM offer migration incentive
programs?
Periodically, IBM offers programs to help customers migrate to the latest technology.
The availability of these programs can be discussed with your sales representatives.
Does IBM offer a direct parts repair
option?
IBM does not offer direct parts repair, but may offer credit on parts purchased when an
out-of-warranty failed part is returned.
My RamSan product is no longer
under warranty. Can I buy a
Maintenance Agreement from IBM to
extend the original terms?
IBM currently offers IBM Hardware Maintenance Service Agreements on the product
families identified as eligible in the Product Support Matrix above. Contact your IBM
sales representative or IBM business partner for availability, terms and conditions.
What actions can I take if my out-ofwarranty [and not on IBM
maintenance] system fails?
For TMS Legacy Products, call the regular support number to determine if a FRU
replacement part is required. With this part number information, you can check part
pricing and inventory availability with OTC sales via IBM.com
Will the RamSan 24x7 phone support
still be available for existing RamSan
clients, and if so, for how long?
Yes. Products identified in the Product Support Matrix as TMS Legacy Products, and
still under warranty or IBM Hardware Maintenance Service Agreement, will maintain the
current 24x7 support service through RamSan Support directly until that warranty
expires.
RamSan-7XX/8XX and FlashSystem products will receive 24x7 support from IBM call
centers.
Will RamSan Support still provide
email access?
IBM personnel are available to provide support via e-mail Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM –
5:00 PM Central Standard Time and will seek to reply to customer emails by the next
business day. Customers may contact IBM at support@ramsan.com or at
ramsan@us.ibm.com.
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any differences in how the TMS
24x7x4 Onsite Hardware Service will be
provided under IBM?
Customers who purchased 24 X7x 4 Onsite Hardware Service from Texas
Memory Systems will receive this service from IBM. IBM is in the process of
transitioning support from TMS’ previous service provider to our own service
delivery organizations. If IBM determines that the problem is a hardware issue
that can be resolved using a customer purchased spares kit, IBM will dispatch a
technician (targeting within four hours). If IBM determines that the problem is a
hardware issue that requires shipping additional parts or a new system, IBM will
ship a replacement part for delivery the next business day.
Can a customer still buy a RamSan
product Spares Kit?
The TMS Spares Kits are no longer available. Spare parts availability is product
or product family dependent. Over the counter sales of spare parts for out-ofwarranty systems is based on parts availability.
Will the Black Hole warranty still be
available?
IBM may offer the Flash Memory Retention offering in lieu of what was formerly
known as the Black Hole warranty offering from Texas Memory Systems. The
Flash Memory Retention will be governed by IBM terms and conditions. Contact
your IBM sales representative or IBM business partner for availability, terms and
conditions
Will IBM renew TMS Black Hole terms
and conditions?
No.
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there other support options
available from IBM?
There are a number of Premium Support options available to integrate cross-platform,
cross-brand hardware and software support into comprehensive coverage of
environments for products. IBM’s proactive, integrated delivery of support can help you
increase the availability of your environment cost-effectively. Contact your IBM sales
representative or IBM business partner for availability, terms and conditions.
Flash Memory Retention - a data protection solution enabling a customer to retain
replaced failed Flash Memory cards containing sensitive information.
Support Line for Storage (Mid-Range Disk) - provides how-to, question and answer
support for installation and configuration problems.
Solution Support - Integrated support based on customer requirements and includes
direct access to the expertise required, single point of entry for support to address
technical issues that may be rooted in a variety of sources. IBM personnel will attempt
to diagnose and resolve issues related to the customer’s environment affecting the IBM
contracted machine. IBM will point identify a possible source of the problem and will
advise the customer to engage the non-IBM Servicers in the Problem Determination.
IBM personnel will assist in the further diagnosis for a fee when the failure has been
identified as not in the IBM supported product. As a fee Service, IBM will participate with
other providers via TSAnet. Solution support is available exclusively for reasonable
requests, always at the discretion of IBM. Solution support is not a guarantee or
warranty that any issues will be resolved, nor is it a substitute for support contracts with
other providers.
© 2013 IBM Corporation