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Service Hints & Tips

Document ID: YAST-3PZLM5

This document is provided to IBM and our Business Partners to help sell and/or service IBM products. It is not to be distributed beyond that audience or used for any other purpose.

Channel questions and answers for IBM HDD Distribution Strategy

Applicable to: World-Wide

Question:
Will the IBM SSD distribution offering work if I installed the drive into an IBM PC, ThinkPad, IntelliStation or NetFinity Server?
Answer:
There are two elements of "work" (1) Installation and reliable operation. The SSD offering has not been specifically designed or compatibility tested to "work" on those systems. (2) The drive also will not contain the IBM unique microcode developed to optimize the installation and reliable performance on the IBM PC, ThinkPad, IntelliStation or NetFinity Server. You might be able to install the drive with some effort, but how well it continues to "work" reliably is the risk you expose your customer's data assets to over time. The IBM PC/PSG drive has been tested on the IBM systems and subjected to a wide range of environmental operating conditions, multiple operating systems, multiple hardware configurations, and various system load conditions to help insure that it both "works" reliably and preserves the customers data assets.

Question:
Does the IBM SSD distribution drive offering carry a warranty?
Answer:
The warranty for the IBM SSD drive offering is complex depending on how the drives were purchased, and under what terms you obtained the drives. Generally, SSD will replace the defective drive under warranty, but will not cover any expenses associated with problem determination, labor, or travel. The IBM SSD drive offering is not covered by the IBM PC, ThinkPad, IntelliStation or NetFinity on site system warranty. To understand your warranty coverage for your IBM SSD offering, you will need to contact your IBM SSD distributor, or the SSD Technical support team at 1-888-426-5214.

Question:
What does the IBM PC/PSG HelpCenter do if the customer calls them with problems arising from the use of an IBM SSD distribution drive?
Answer:
The HelpCenter is trained to refer the customer to seek service from their reseller or the drive manufacturer. In this case, you will be referred to SSD. This practice is consistent for all non-IBM PC (OEM) parts that are determined to be the source of the problem.

Question:
What does 1-800-IBM-SERV do if they go on-site to solve a customer problem with their IBM PC, ThinkPad, IntelliStation or NetFinity Server and the cause of the problem is determined to be related to the IBM SSD distribution offering drive?
Answer:
They will inform the customer that the drive is not covered by the IBM PC System warranty and offer to continue the call as a billable call for parts, labor, and travel, or will end the call and refer them to the SSD Technical support number. If the customer approves them to continue service, they will replace the SSD drive with the OBI drive.

Question:
Will the same IBM Sales representative be handling both IBM HDD offerings ?
Answer:
There are separate IBM sales teams, contracts, and terms and conditions for each offering.

Question:
I assume IBM SSD manufactured drives are used in the IBM PC (OBI) offering. How can I tell the two offerings apart?
Answer:
There are a couple of answers here. If you purchased the drive as an option, then the box is labeled with the OBI Logo, and would include the user's guide and Ontrack Disk Manager diskette ( 3.5" EIDE drives only). Today, the OBI drive label will have an IBM PC part number AND an IBM PC FRU number. The OBI ThinkPad HDD option will be housed in the proprietary cover/end cap. The IBM SSD Distribution drive label will only have an IBM part Number (no IBM FRU number). In the near future, these labels will become more distinct.

Question:
Many customers request that their IBM PC systems, ThinkPads, IntelliStations, and NetFinity Servers be configured with 100% IBM content. Does the use of the IBM SSD distribution offering allow me to meet that requirement?
Answer:
The reason many customers make this request is on the assumption that everything will have been tested to work together reliably. Should they have a problem, they want the system and its components be covered under the total system warranty. While the SSD distribution offering is an IBM product, it does not meet those criteria and you must disclose to the customer the system warranty implications.

Keywords: OBI hard drives

	Search Keywords
	Hint Category	General Information, Hard Drives
	Date Created	22-12-97
	Last Updated	24-11-98
	Revision Date	19-11-99
	Brand	IBM Options
	Product Family	Hard Drives
	Machine Type	under 1 GB, 1.x GB, 2.x GB, 3.x GB, 4.x GB, 5.x GB, 6.x GB, 8.x GB, 9.x GB, 16.x GB, 18.x GB, Accessory
	Model	all
	TypeModel
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