PowerVault ME4: How to enable SupportAssist

1. What is SupportAssist on PowerVault ME4?

SupportAssist is an embedded feature that helps you proactively maintain the health of your PowerVault ME4 storage array or other Dell EMC storage, server, and networking devices. In addition, SupportAssist is required to access and use CloudIQ, a no-cost cloud-based storage analytics application.
When SupportAssist is enabled and an issue is detected, resolution is kick-started as automatic notifications and the necessary diagnostic information is sent to Dell EMC for troubleshooting. Dell EMC technical support contacts you with a resolution, preventing issues from becoming costly problems. Users who combine SupportAssist with ProSupport Plus resolve issues 72% faster.

Personal or business data is not collected in this process. SupportAssist only collects system state information including configuration, event notifications, and system diagnostic information. With SupportAssist, your information is safe during transport and storage. Data is transported securely with 256-bit encryption, secure web ports, and using a firewall with protected one-way communication from your site to Dell EMC while your device usage and login credentials are never collected or leave your site.

2.Enabling SupportAssist

SupportAssist can be enabled in the PowerVault Manager web interface or the command-line interface (CLI). When enabled, you agree to allow SupportAssist to remotely monitor the storage system, send diagnostic information, and transmit the telemetry data to a remote support server. Each time SupportAssist runs, a service tag is sent that includes a unique identifier for your system. This identifier can be used to contact you if your system needs repair.

What features of SupportAssist are available with Basic Hardware Support, ProSupport and ProSupport Plus?

Figure 1 - Comparison of some Dell support service offerings. For additional service details, see your warranty contract. 

SupportAssist is disabled by default. To enable SupportAssist in PowerVault Manager, perform the following steps:

1. Start a supported web browser and sign in to PowerVault Manager.
2. On the Home topic, select Action > System Settings. The System Settings dialog box is displayed.
   
3. Click the Network tab in the System Settings dialog box and configure both controllers with DNS server.
4. Click the SupportAssist tab in the System Settings dialog box.
   
5. Select the SupportAssist check box. The SupportAssist agreement is displayed.
   
6. Read through the SupportAssist agreement and click Accept to acknowledge the agreement.
7. In the Contact Information tab, enter the primary contact information and select the preferred contact settings.
8. Click Apply.

For instructions on using the CLI to enable SupportAssist, see the Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series Storage System CLI Guide on www.dell.com/support.

3.Web Proxy Server Option

If you are using a proxy server to connect to the Internet, perform the following steps to enable the Web Proxy Server option for SupportAssist:

1. On the SupportAssist tab in the System Settings dialog box, click the Web Proxy tab.
2. Select the Web Proxy check box.
   
3. Type the hostname or IP address of the web proxy server in the Host field.
4. Type of the port number of the web proxy server in the Port field.
5. If the web proxy server requires authentication, type the proxy server credentials in the User Name and Password fields.
6. Click Apply.

4.Diagnostics

SupportAssist collects diagnostic information from the PowerVault ME4 and transmits it to Dell.


The diagnostic information that is collected by SupportAssist includes configuration information, user-supplied contact information, names of data volumes, IP addresses, access control lists, diagnostics and performance information, network configuration information, host or server configuration, and array performance information.

The event information that is collected by SupportAssist includes error and critical event messages, event IDs, event codes, timestamps, and component identifiers. Log data information includes current configuration state of the storage system, the XML API dump of the system, the event log, and the full debug log. The log information that is collected by SupportAssist is the same information that is gathered by selecting the Save Logs option in PowerVault Manager.

DNS servers and ports that are used by PowerVault ME4 integrated SupportAssist service. 

For firewall configuration SupportAssist service connects to the following endpoints on outgoing TCP port 443.

Ensure that DNS services are configured to provide domain name resolution.

Dell SupportAssist

Comments	Hostname	Public IP Address	TCP Port
	stor.g3.ph.dell.com	143.166.135.19	443
Expires June 30, 2023	web1.compellent.com	76.164.8.136	443
Starting June 30, 2023	stor.g3.ph.dell.com / web1.compellent.com	Primary 143.166.135.19	443
	stor.g3.ph.dell.com / web1.compellent.com	Secondary 143.166.147.73	443

What is CloudIQ service?

Dell CloudIQ is an online software as a service portal that administrators can use to monitor the health of their Dell systems.   Users can sign up using their Dell support business accounts to https://cloudiq.dell.com and onboard the PowerVault ME4.   The CloudIQ telemetry data is sent to Dell using SupportAssist.   For specific details see CloudIQ: General Procedures to Onboard PowerVault ME Series Arrays to CloudIQ

SupportAssist will not connect to Dell endpoints, or CloudIQ telemetry uploads fail.

To resolve these symptoms, follow the steps in the following article CloudIQ: ME4 - How to troubleshoot CloudIQ upload failures