When to use the service assistant

The primary use of the service assistant is when a node canister in the control enclosure is in service state. The node canister cannot be active as part of a system while it is in service state.

Attention: Complete service actions on node canisters only when directed to do so by the fix procedures. If used inappropriately, the service actions that are available through the service assistant can cause loss of access to data or even data loss.

The node canister might be in a service state because it has a hardware issue, has corrupted data, or has lost its configuration data.

Use the service assistant in the following situations:

When you cannot access the system from the management GUI and you cannot access the system to run the recommended actions
When the recommended action directs you to use the service assistant.

The storage system management GUI operates only when there is an online system. Use the service assistant if you are unable to create a system or if both node canisters in a control enclosure are in service state.

The service assistant does not provide any facilities to help you service expansion enclosures. Always service the expansion enclosures by using the management GUI.

The service assistant provides detailed status and error summaries.

You can also complete the following service-related actions:

Collect logs to create and download a package of files to send to support personnel.
Remove the data for the system from a node.
Recover a system if it fails.
Install a code package from the support site or rescue the code from another node.
Update code on node canisters manually versus completing a standard update procedure.
Configure a control enclosure chassis after replacement.
Change the service IP address that is assigned to Ethernet port 1 for the current node canister.
Install a temporary SSH key if a key is not installed and CLI access is required.
Restart the services used by the system.

The service assistant completes a number of tasks that cause the node canister to restart. It is not possible to maintain the service assistant connection to the node canister when it restarts. If the current node canister on which the tasks are completed is also the node canister that the browser is connected to and you lose your connection, reconnect and log on to the service assistant again after running the tasks.