Key Users - Field Service Organizations, Technicians & Help Desks

The On-Line! Detective is an essential tool for technicians supporting Sun environments. No matter which measurement you utilize (MTTR, SLAs, contact rate, talk time, etc.), the Detective will save Technicians significant, measurable time. In fact, Technicians that use the Detective claim it saves them approximately 20 minutes per service call.

The Detective Saves Time

The initial version of the Detective was released in 1995 - solely for use by Field Technicians and self-maintainers. The Detective was the first, and today remains the only portable knowledge base for those supporting Sun environments. Until the Detective, Technicians often carried unwieldy ‘dumb terminals’ and a trunk full of manuals to each site to begin their troubleshooting.

The Detective introduced systematized, structure troubleshooting and repair procedures that eliminate needless guesswork and ineffective ‘chop-n-swap’ methods of repair, so often learned from on-the-job training. The procedures from the Detective can now be stored on a Technician’s laptop, which can also double as a ‘dumb-terminal’ to perform core diagnostics for fast and effective root-cause analysis.

System Troubleshooting   POST Interpretation   Jumper Photos           Rollover thumbnail on left to see larger version of image

The step-by-step instructions offered by the Detective, include hyperlinks to other relevant information, such as; FRU removal and replacement procedures, part number look-up and cross-reference, advanced troubleshooting methods, configuration rules and guidelines and all aspects of System Administration. Everything a Technician would require or appreciate – can be found in the Detective.

The Detective has adapted to Sun’s changing environment. The Detective now includes information on all versions of Solaris – 2.6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The Solaris information is structured so it is readily accessible by Technicians for each system they encounter. For instance, a Sun Fire Administration module accompanies all such systems; those systems that utilize ‘lights-out-management’ have their own administration module as well. All systems, including the E10K, have their own Administration Module – which will save the Technician (and Administrators) hours of searching for system-specific commands and syntax rules.

Solaris LOM Table   Power Supply Command Detail (ALOM)   Panic - Did It Occur?           Rollover thumbnail on left to see larger version of image

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The Detective Creates Efficiencies

Novices and experts alike agree on the effectiveness of the Detective. The Detective is structured and organized in a manner that provides users with varying levels of skill, different methods to troubleshoot, validate assessments or search an enormous database of tech tips from actual field situations. After a few minutes of orientation, even the most novice technicians will feel comfortable in their ability to take Sun calls. Users of the Detective agree - it is an awesome tool to cross train those with skills that support platforms as those made by HP, IBM or even general PC repair.

Troubleshooting Tab   Device Path Breakdown   Hard Disk Drive FRU           Rollover thumbnail on left to see larger version of image

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The Detective is Ideal for Help Desks - Close Calls Sooner in the Cycle

Field Techs are mobile and require immediate access to a wide array of information on all types and models of systems. Requirements do not stop at hardware but include connectivity, operating system knowledge, networking and layers of protocols associated with anything remotely connected to the network. The Detective is a structured knowledge base covering ALL aspects of a Sun environment: all workstations, servers, arrays, operating system releases, Boot Prom and more – everything a technician would require and it is PORTABLE - it will travel on a laptop.

Laptop as a Dumb-Terminal   Keyboard Commands (USB)               Rollover thumbnail on left to see larger version of image

Technicians often contact customers over the phone to ask questions and make better assessments of the problems type and likely origin. The Detective has troubleshooting questions, in logical sequence to guide this early assessment along. The Detective even provides command-line instruction to help the user answer the questions. This systemized process can reduce or eliminate the need for an on-site service call. If a visit is still required, more than likely the technician will know exactly which part to bring, thus reducing the dreaded and inefficient ‘multiple-visit’ service call.

Diagnostic Questions   Keyboard LED Interpretations               Rollover thumbnail on left to see larger version of image

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Detective Reduces Need for Training

The Detective puts all information, about every system, a mouse click away. All system menus have the same structure therefore each system a Technician encounters begins to look “familiar” and familiarity breeds confidence.

Every system has its own unique ‘Overview’ section in the Detective, as well. This can be used by the Technician for a quick orientation before a service call, or it can be used as self-paced training. SoftTech Solutions utilizes this very documentation for all of its’ classroom training. All Sun Workstations and Servers have this self-paced training module – it will absolutely reduce or most likely, eliminate your need for expensive and time-consuming, classroom training. Furthermore, it has been said that the Detective provides 100% recall – something no other courses can offer.

Sunfire Admin   Sunfire Command Detail (syntax, etc.)   System Landing Page           Rollover thumbnail on left to see larger version of image

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The Detective Enables More Effective Parts Utilization

Often times multiple parts are dispatched to a customer site and not utilized. More often than not these parts are stored in a trunk and are exposed to jostling, bumping, electrostatic damage or physical abuse. When parts are in a Technician’s vehicle – they are not immediately available for the needs of other Technicians. Best practices also dictate that when these parts are eventually returned to stock, they should undergo routine testing to ensure they are in working order. These measures consume valuable financial and human resources.

A more dangerous practice exists when multiple parts are exchanged in order to ‘solve’ a system problem. Swapping parts to solve a problem introduces more variables, thereby increasing the odds of another unrelated problem on the same system.

The Detective can enable Technicians to provide more reliable repairs without the use of multiple parts. Use the Detective to accurately diagnose a problem and solve it correctly the first time. The structured troubleshooting methods in the Detective provide logical algorithms to provide quick and accurate methods of repair. Improved problem diagnosis will increase system uptime and availability and reduce needless restocking, and testing practices.

M5000 Memory Options   Part Detail   Testing Components           Rollover thumbnail on left to see larger version of image

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