Leslie, thanks for the info. Re the listserv - I agree. I appreciate
very much the insight, help, an tips our IBM and Tivoli contributors
make; but I like the open forum that would only be possible if the
listserv remains independent and unbiased.

Happy holdays to all!

Blaine Owens
Eastman Chemical Company
Email - bowens AT eastman DOT com
Phone - (423)229-3579
Fax     - (423)229-1188

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Leslie Clark [SMTP:lclark AT us.ibm DOT com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 10:14 AM
> To:   NV-L AT UCSBVM.ucsb DOT edu
> Subject:      Tivoli Customer Support website (was listserver needs a
> new home. ..)
>
> I just took a look at the Tivoli Customer Support website
> (www.tivoli.support.com) where all
> Netview customers, at least since the merger and V5, should be
> registered.
> The FAQ does
> contain a lot of the beginner/install information. It could certainly
> use
> more, but it is useful
> for beginners, I think. The other tab people should be checking is the
> 'Search Knowledge
> Base' section. This will give you access to APARs, both open ones and
> closed ones.
> Using this proved a bit tricky. Picking the product (Netview for Unix
> and
> NT) gave me
> nothing. Entering the product number worked, and the product list is
> there.
> Netview V5 is
> 5697NVW05; Netview V4 is 569714800. Choose either Open APARS or Closed
> APARS.
> Open will show mostly known problems with Netview V5.1. Closed will
> show
> mostly
> problems in V5.0 that were fixed in V5.1, which is, after all, a
> maintenance release for 5.0.
> Those that are open for V5.1 we can hope will be addressed in the
> upcoming
> Patch that
> James has been telling us to expect at the end of January (if the fix
> is
> found by then.)
> Checking closed APARS for V4 will tell you what PTF contained the fix
> for
> the problem.
> Reading IBM APARs can be a bit of an art, but finding a problem
> description
> (or NOT
> finding one) can tell you quite a bit.
>
> Now to my point: Providing defect information and and basic
> install/how-to
> tips are
> things the vendor must do, and Tivoli and IBM are doing that via the
> Customer
> Support web site.  Please send your suggestions for improving that
> site to
> netview AT tivoli DOT com. I mean it. There is a real person behind that
> email
> address.
> (Maybe it could use links to the listserver archives...?)
> But the public listserver is another kind of thing althogether. I
> think it
> is a good thing
> that it is unfettered by vendor ownership. No?
>
> Cordially,
>
> Leslie A. Clark
> IBM Global Services - Systems Mgmt & Networking
> (248) 552-4968 Voicemail, Fax, Pager
>
>
>
>
> Cisco has lately got the best support award in Datacom magazine, it
> was
> also
>
> quoted in some other locations as best support, most of this is due to
> the
> high
> level of information available through their web site.
>
> Cisco saved a lot of help desk personal because of this as a lot of
> questions
> are answered on the web without opening calls in Cisco.
>
> are you guys in Tivoly tired of getting asked the same questions over
> and
> over ?
> probably yes and some recent letters here asking people to not write
> directly to
> support personal but to the group so anyone can see show this.
>
> The next logical step is for Tivoly/IBM support to host this service
> and
> also
> supply all the other parts of a decent web support -
>  * indexed repository enabling searches on past questions
>  * case studies
>  * success stories
>  * general FAQs and information
>
> et'c et'c.
>
> This is not a favor for the rest of us by Tivoly but rather a favor
> for
> their
> own support organization and a good sales booster.
>
>
>         This is my 10c on the subject so to speak.
>
>
> Omer Ben-Shalom
> Network Analyst
> Intel Fab18
>
> (not speaking for Intel and the rest of the normal disclaimers)
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
> _________________________________
> Subject: Re: NV-L Needs a New Home by the End of February
> Author:  "Dan Cox" [SMTP:dcox AT LEXMARK DOT COM] at MSXGATE
> Date:    12/21/98 5:36 AM
>
>
> I think someone should tell tivoli or ibm to pick up the tab on this
> one.
> I
>
> think they should
> buy the server and put it on there.  They could provide a much better
> service
> than anyone
> else considering that they can get discount prices on servers.  They
> also
> have
> huge internet
> connections.  What does everyone else think.
>
>
>
> JGiuliotti%MFS.COM AT interlock.lexmark DOT com on 12/18/98 09:51:30 PM
>
> Please respond to NV-L%ucsbvm.ucsb.edu AT interlock.lexmark DOT com
>
> To:   NV-L%ucsbvm.ucsb.edu AT interlock.lexmark DOT com
> cc:    (bcc: Dan Cox/Lex/Lexmark)
> Subject:  Re: NV-L Needs a New Home by the End of February
>
>
>
>
> OH NO!
> Please can someone continue this? It is my only light in a never
> ending
> fog!
>
> J.P. Giuliotti  - Massachusetts Financial Services
> (617) 954-5684
> JPG AT MFS DOT COM
>
>         -----Original Message-----
>         From:   Dwight McCann [SMTP:dwight AT TRIXIE.UCSB DOT EDU]
>         Sent:   Friday, December 18, 1998 6:05 PM
>         To:     NV-L AT UCSBVM.UCSB DOT EDU
>         Subject:        NV-L Needs a New Home by the End of February
>         Importance:     Low
>
>         The NV-L list needs a new home.  My department has not used
> NetView
> for
>         several years but has continued to maintain NV-L as a public
> service.
>         The VM mainframe host on which NV-L is housed is slated to be
>         decommissioned.  We do not plan to provide NV-L with a new
> home.
> If
>         you can host NV-L, please let me know directly as I do not
> monitor
> or
>         review the list.
>
>         --
>         Dwight M. McCann
>         Phone: 805-893-3113
>         FAX:   805-571-2606
>         mailto:dwight AT trixie.ucsb DOT edu
>         http://borg.ucsb.edu/dmm/html/startframe.html