RE: Support turnaround time

Ah support. What is the severity of the bug. Does it crash your system? Does it kill your business? (meaning are you losing money while this bug goes unsolved?) When you called support, what was the severity of the bug assigned. If you're not happy with your response from IBM support, tell them to do the following: 1) Raise the severity level to 1 2) Page out a duty manager. Of course do this only for the more serious bugs. If its something that is an annoyance, but you can live with, don't raise the priority above a 2. If this occurs on a regular occasion, you may want to consider Premiere Services. (Formerly known to Informixers as Regency). But hey! What do I know? Its not like I know anything about Regency, IBM's platinum program (now defunct) and the current support program, aka Premiere Services which should be now handled at the SWG level under an Alex Lewis. (Although my knowledge is a bit dated. Alex could have moved on.) HTH -G > Subject: Support turnaround time > Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 13:18:32 -0400 > From: Mark.Denham@lfg.com > To: informix-list@iiug.org > > It's been a long time since i've dealt with a bug and I'm wondering what people are experiencing for turn around time to get a resolution when: > > 1) There is a known fix. > 2) No known fix but a workaround is found. > 3) No work around and a patch is provided. > > It's just a general question, I don't have an issue to deal with. With informix i've usually found I get an answer from this group faster than support - which is not a reflection on the quality of support. There happen to be some very good and responsive people who follow this group. > > > > > Notice of Confidentiality: **This E-mail and any of its attachments may contain > Lincoln National Corporation proprietary information, which is privileged, confidential, > or subject to copyright belonging to the Lincoln National Corporation family of > companies. This E-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to > which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this E-mail, you are > hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or action taken in > relation to the contents of and attachments to this E-mail is strictly prohibited > and may be unlawful. If you have received this E-mail in error, please notify the > sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copy of this E-mail > and any printout. Thank You.** > > _______________________________________________ > Informix-list mailing list > Informix-list@iiug.org > http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list _________________________________________________________________ It’s a talkathon – but it’s not just talk. http://www.imtalkathon.com/?source=EML_WLH_Talkathon_JustTalk

> But hey! What do I know? > Its not like I know anything about Regency, IBM's platinum program (now > defunct) and the current support program, aka Premiere Services which > should be now handled at the SWG level under an Alex Lewis. (Although my > knowledge is a bit dated. Alex could have moved on.) > But hey! What do I know? I just saw the help wanted ad, and started to > ask questions. Its not like I know anything about retail systems or > about K-Mart or Sear's histories with IBM and Informix.... Nah. I know > nothing. > But hey! What do I know? > But hey! What do I know? Hmmm maybe enough to fill a book ? ;-) > But hey! What do I know? > Oh yeah, more than IBM would want me to talk about in public. > But hey! What do I know? > Its not like I spent 5 years in the belly of the beast cross matrix'd to S&D... Oh wait. I was. > But hey! What do I know? ;-) > I'm just trying to save the world from drivers who trust their GPS Nav systems and drive in to ponds and other water features. > But hey! > What do I know? Its not like I spent 4 1/2 years cross matrix'd to SSD > or anything like that. Naw, I don't have a copy of the SSM course book > sitting on *my* bookshelf, now do I? > But hey! What do I know? All my sources are old crusty men who've decided to stay because life in Mass. just would be just boring with nothing else to do. ;-) > But hey! > What do I know? > (Python, Java, C/C++, Objective C, and others that I seem to remember but would proably want to take a refresher course...) > Naw, I don't know a thing. ;-) > But hey! What do I know? I've never played with dot net just a host of other languages.... But I did stay at a Holiday Inn one time long ago... ;-) > And of course the obligatory "What do I know?" Its not like I gave the > business side to IT much thought.... > But hey! What do I know? I'm just a guy sitting on the hill side > watching the train wreck below. Gumby - where do you live ? I would like to help you find some professional help.

Mark Townsend said: > >> But hey! What do I know? >> Its not like I know anything about Regency, IBM's platinum program (now >> defunct) and the current support program, aka Premiere Services which >> should be now handled at the SWG level under an Alex Lewis. (Although my >> knowledge is a bit dated. Alex could have moved on.) > > >> But hey! What do I know? I just saw the help wanted ad, and started to >> ask questions. Its not like I know anything about retail systems or >> about K-Mart or Sear's histories with IBM and Informix.... Nah. I know >> nothing. > >> But hey! What do I know? > >> But hey! What do I know? Hmmm maybe enough to fill a book ? ;-) > >> But hey! What do I know? >> Oh yeah, more than IBM would want me to talk about in public. > >> But hey! What do I know? >> Its not like I spent 5 years in the belly of the beast cross matrix'd to >> S&D... Oh wait. I was. > >> But hey! What do I know? ;-) >> I'm just trying to save the world from drivers who trust their GPS Nav >> systems and drive in to ponds and other water features. > >> But hey! >> What do I know? Its not like I spent 4 1/2 years cross matrix'd to SSD >> or anything like that. Naw, I don't have a copy of the SSM course book >> sitting on *my* bookshelf, now do I? > >> But hey! What do I know? All my sources are old crusty men who've >> decided to stay because life in Mass. just would be just boring with >> nothing else to do. ;-) > >> But hey! >> What do I know? >> (Python, Java, C/C++, Objective C, and others that I seem to remember >> but would proably want to take a refresher course...) >> Naw, I don't know a thing. ;-) > >> But hey! What do I know? I've never played with dot net just a host of >> other languages.... But I did stay at a Holiday Inn one time long ago... >> ;-) > >> And of course the obligatory "What do I know?" Its not like I gave the >> business side to IT much thought.... > >> But hey! What do I know? I'm just a guy sitting on the hill side >> watching the train wreck below. > > > Gumby - where do you live ? I would like to help you find some > professional help. Chicago. And I'll happily chip in a fiver. ;o) -- Bye now, Obnoxio http://obotheclown.blogspot.com/

> From: markbtownsend@sbcglobal.net> Subject: Re: Support turnaround time> Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 20:42:28 -0700> To: informix-list@iiug.org> > > > But hey! What do I know?[SNIP] Mark, I'm fairly well known and I've said it many times. Rather than you fixating on my "well being", why don't you fix Oracle's kludge of "global temp tables" that are a poor excuse of a real temporary table. Since you hang out here, why doesn't Oracle take a page from Informix's playbook and develop a true temporary table? One that you can create on the fly, index even with data in the table... No? Well maybe you can get your data cartridges to work almost as well as IDS's datablades? No? Then I guess you need to head off to the bar because you're about as worthless as "tits on a boar". Are you sure you didn't use to work for IBM? ;-) But hey! What do I know? I forgot to get my autograph copy of Don Bale's books. ;-) -G _________________________________________________________________ Need to know now? Get instant answers with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/connect_your_way.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_messenger_072008

On 9 Jul, 20:07, Ian Michael Gumby <im_gu...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Ah support. > > What is the severity of the bug. > Does it crash your system? Does it kill your business? (meaning are you losing money while this bug goes unsolved?) > > When you called support, what was the severity of the bug assigned. > > If you're not happy with your response from IBM support, tell them to do the following: > 1) Raise the severity level to 1 > 2) Page out a duty manager. > > Of course do this only for the more serious bugs. If its something that is an annoyance, but you can live with, don't raise the priority above a 2. > > If this occurs on a regular occasion, you may want to consider Premiere Services. (Formerly known to Informixers as Regency). > > But hey! What do I know? Not a lot about support :D > Its not like I know anything about Regency, IBM's platinum program (now defunct) and the current support program, aka Premiere Services which should be now handled at the SWG level under an Alex Lewis. (Although my knowledge is a bit dated. Alex could have moved on.) > Support is now a bit different across EMEA it seems. Calls go to an initial group - hub specific, they will pass it up to a secondary group (if the initial group get "stuck"), who should do all the communications between you and IBM regarding your issues until you are at a point of closure, then it goes back to the initial group for closure. People call on support for several different types of things : System Down - non-Informix issue or Informix issue Non-System Down - non-Informix issue or Informix issue PMRs are allocated a priority based on what you want, but Priority 1 / Severity 1 (as defined in the Support Handbook) is for "Data Not Accessible", "Business Heavily Impacted" - and the support team for this generally are hardened individuals who will try their absolute best to get you back and running as quick and sensibly as possible (i.e. not just give you back a totally corrupted instance). With PA and Fix Central available now, generally, if there is a fix done, it will be available for download. New issues may take up to 6 weeks to get a fix, but obviously (as Fernando mentions) a reproducible test case is a much better place for support to start, they have to get it together for R&D to put in a validated fix as quick as possible (Extremely nasty issues may take longer). Bear in mind that some of the engineers have worked in the real world, and perhaps do have a lot of real world experience, and if you have a backup you are not prepared to use, but have overlapped your chunks, support will (not surprisingly) question your rationale :-/ But hey what do I know?

I left the blue pig coming up on 3 years ago. So support has probably changed. On both sides (DB2 and IDS) DB2 traditional support was a call back model. Your call went to someone in IGS who was level 1 support. If they couldn't handle it, it went to level 2 support. Then upwards to level 3 support which was "the lab". (Memory is foggy so I'm not sure if level 2 was also in "the lab".) There are two points. 1) IBM traditional support is a "call back model". You call in, report the problem, and wait. and wait. and pray that someone calls you back and that the person who calls you back is someone who has a bit more expertise than to run down a checklist of problems. 2) IBM traditional support model, you the customer set the priority. If you say its a severity 1, your first response is that "IBM will have their people working around the clock on this. What's your 24 hour call back number...". 80% of the time, this was true. (Yes this is from personal experience supporting AIX boxes in the 90s.) (Note: I supported SUN, HP and AIX systems (including an SP2) in the 90's.) 3) Having issues? Page out the duty manager. 4) Because IGS managed the level 1 call center, they got a disproportionate cut of the services revenue. Said revenue goes to pay for a lot of necessary things in the "lab". Yes there is a support handbook. And yes, a smart customer knows how to get around some of the issues. They stretch the truth. ;-) But hey! Oracle has the same model. Its a call back model. (No they don't hire IGS) but their support is just as terrible. And I'm not knocking the "lab" support. They are knowlegable and help you. Its just the process to get to them. And of course how many of you are calling support at 2am local time because an alert went off that something was wrong with one of your servers? (Yeah, I've been there.) When IBM acquired Informix, IBM's DB2 support was centralized out of the "lab" in Markham. Note we're talking DB2 distributed. I know of a certain car company in Germany that had to hire IGS consultants to help get support from the lab because of the time shift issues. I'm sure it has improved. Especially since Informix had a "follow the sun" model and infrastructure in place. Like I said, I had to hold a couple of different client's hands when DB2 V8 came out. Remember that fiasco Serge? A lot of people don't realize just how much Informix had "right" in their development and in their support of the product. In fact IDS is probably in a better position to support grid computing than any other database. And yeah, my current client has a lot of Oracle bigots. Why? cause they drank the red cool aide. Now if only Informix was any good at mixing cool aide, then they'd still be around. ;-) > From: TheBigPotatoe@nothere.co.uk> Subject: Re: Support turnaround time> Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:27:10 -0700> To: informix-list@iiug.org> > On 9 Jul, 20:07, Ian Michael Gumby <im_gu...@hotmail.com> wrote:> > Ah support.> >> > What is the severity of the bug.> > Does it crash your system? Does it kill your business? (meaning are you losing money while this bug goes unsolved?)> >> > When you called support, what was the severity of the bug assigned.> >> > If you're not happy with your response from IBM support, tell them to do the following:> > 1) Raise the severity level to 1> > 2) Page out a duty manager.> >> > Of course do this only for the more serious bugs. If its something that is an annoyance, but you can live with, don't raise the priority above a 2.> >> > If this occurs on a regular occasion, you may want to consider Premiere Services. (Formerly known to Informixers as Regency).> >> > But hey! What do I know?> > Not a lot about support :D> > > Its not like I know anything about Regency, IBM's platinum program (now defunct) and the current support program, aka Premiere Services which should be now handled at the SWG level under an Alex Lewis. (Although my knowledge is a bit dated. Alex could have moved on.)> >> > Support is now a bit different across EMEA it seems.> > Calls go to an initial group - hub specific, they will pass it up to a> secondary group (if the initial group get "stuck"), who should do all> the communications between you and IBM regarding your issues until you> are at a point of closure, then it goes back to the initial group for> closure.> > People call on support for several different types of things :> > System Down - non-Informix issue or Informix issue> Non-System Down - non-Informix issue or Informix issue> > PMRs are allocated a priority based on what you want, but Priority 1 /> Severity 1 (as defined in the Support Handbook) is for "Data Not> Accessible", "Business Heavily Impacted" - and the support team for> this generally are hardened individuals who will try their absolute> best to get you back and running as quick and sensibly as possible> (i.e. not just give you back a totally corrupted instance).> > With PA and Fix Central available now, generally, if there is a fix> done, it will be available for download.> > New issues may take up to 6 weeks to get a fix, but obviously (as> Fernando mentions) a reproducible test case is a much better place for> support to start, they have to get it together for R&D to put in a> validated fix as quick as possible (Extremely nasty issues may take> longer).> > Bear in mind that some of the engineers have worked in the real world,> and perhaps do have a lot of real world experience, and if you have a> backup you are not prepared to use, but have overlapped your chunks,> support will (not surprisingly) question your rationale :-/> > But hey what do I know?> _______________________________________________> Informix-list mailing list> Informix-list@iiug.org> http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list _________________________________________________________________ The i’m Talkaton. 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