Support Plan for VSP One SDS BLOCK

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Documents Version History

Publication Date Document Revision Description
March 20, 2024 v1.13.00 Initial Version New Marketing Name: VSP One SDS Block
April 15, 2024 v1.13.00 GA Version GA for v1.13
June 17, 2024 v1.14.01 GA Version GA for v1.14
September 26, 2024 v1.15.01 GA Version GA for v1.15
October 24, 2024 v1.16.00 GA Version GA for v1.16
January 31, 2025 v1.17.00 GA Version GA for v1.17
July 31, 2025 v1.18.00 GA Version GA for v1.18

 

Scope

This Product Support Plan (PSP) is designed to provide general support information, technical reference information, and support philosophy for the following products:

Family Name Line Model Name (full) Model Name (abbr)
VSP One SDS Block VSP One SDS Block Virtual Storage Platform One SDS Block VMware VSP One SDS Block VM
VSP One SDS Block VSP One SDS Block Virtual Storage Platform One SDS Block BareMetal VSP One SDS Block BM
VSP One SDS Block VSP One SDS Block Cloud Virtual Storage Platform One SDS Block Cloud AWS VSP One SDS Cloud AWS
VSP One SDS Block VSP One SDS Block Cloud Virtual Storage Platform One SDS Block Cloud Azure VSP One SDS Cloud Azure
VSP One SDS Block VSP One SDS Block Cloud Virtual Storage Platform One SDS Block Cloud GCP VSP One SDS Cloud GCP

 

Product Description

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform One Software Defined Storage Block (VSP One SDS Block) is a distributed software-defined storage, high-performance and high-reliability scale-out block (SDS Blcok) storage platform that Hitachi Vantara offers.

It's a storage software solution that extends Hitachi's rich enterprise block data services into on-prem (VMware and Bare Metal) and the Cloud (AWS) services.

VSP One SDS Block is built by Hitachi engineers on select components of the SVOS storage operating systems, extending storage data services beyond SVOS proprietary hardware and into x86 commodity servers.  The VSP One SDS Block software is packaged in full with the SUSE Linux operating system. It is packaged and delivered as an open virtualization appliance (OVA) installed on VMware ESXi virtual machine (VM) or Bare Metal system.  Starting from v1.13.00, Hitachi will also support the deployment of VSP One SDS Block Cloud withing the AWS Marketplace using EC2 and EBS volumes.

Starting from v1.14.01, VMware ESXi (VM) version is not longer available. Bare Metal and Cloud version are the available options.
Starting from v1.15.01 Cloud version will have AWS Offering available in public at the following link: AWS Marketplace: Virtual Storage Platform One Software Defined Storage Block (amazon.com)

Starting from v1.18.00 Cloud version will have Azure Contract Offering available in public at the following link: Virtual Storage Platform One SDS Block on  Azure Marketplace

Starting from v1.18.00 Cloud version will have GCP Contract Offering available in public at the following link: Virtual Storage Platform One Software Defined Storage Block-BYOL on Google Cloud Marketplace

VSP One SDS Block Cloud delivers an agile, scalable, performant and cost-effective solution to access, store, and manage data across a hybrid cloud environment.

Architect on EC2 instances, our patented Polyphase Erasure Coding removes barriers to scalability and maximizes performance and delivers on our legendary RAS capabilities, with no single point of failure.

Powered by the Software Virtualization Operating System and managed by Ops Center Administrator, customer experience the same common storage interface for proactive and predictive decision making.

Customers will supply the required VMware software and related licenses, or purchase as part of the solution.  VSP One SDS Block VM and BM software will be bundled with software support-only sales in 1, 3, or 5-year subscriptions and bundled with the HA810/HA820 series server configuration.  VSP One SDS Block AWS/Azure/GCP BYOL software will be bundled with software support-only sales in 1,  2, 3, or 5-year subscriptions.  For VSP One SDS Block AWS PayGo software (utility model) license will be managed by AWS.  All valid  licenses of VSP One SDS Block denote support from Hitachi Vantara Global Support Center (GSC).

 

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User data protection methods

The Virtual Storage Software Block storage system supports Hitachi Polyphase Erasure Coding (HPEC) as the user data protection method. HPEC is a proprietary data protection method developed by Hitachi for SDS systems and uses narrow internode network bandwidth for outstanding capacity efficiency.

HPEC can be selected from two methods and is set during setup.

HPEC 4D+1P

This method is suitable when capacity efficiency and performance are important.

  • User data and its parities are stored on five or more different storage nodes for redundancy.
  • At least five storage nodes are required.
  • Users can use 60 to 75% of the physical capacity.
  • The read performance is the same as HPEC 4D+2P, but the write performance is better than HPEC 4D+2P.
  • The number of storage nodes or drive failures allowed is one.

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HPEC 4D+2P

This method is suitable when the number of failures that can be tolerated is important.

  • Store and redundant parity of user data and user data on six or more different storage nodes.
  • The original user data is stored on a local drive.
  • At least six storage nodes are required.
  • Users can use 50 to 65% of the physical capacity.
  • The read performance is the same as HPEC 4D+1P, but the write performance is about 60% of HPEC 4D+1P.
  • The number of storage nodes or drive failures allowed is two.

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VSP One SDS Block list of terms 

No.

 

Category

 

Term

 

Meaning

 

1

SDS Block

 

 

Physical node

 

 

A physical server on which SDS Block is installed

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Storage node

 

 

A group of SDS Block software processes that are running on a physical server with resources (CPU, memory, and storage devices) allocated either installed at customer data center or hosted by Cloud provider.

 

 

3

 

 

Compute node

 

 

A node on which user applications run, that instructs the storage node to input or output user data

 

 

4

 

 

Controller node

 

 

A management node that is used for SDS Block setup or to instruct execution of SDS Block management functions (such as creating a volume)

 

 

5

 

 

Network between storage nodes

 

 

A network that connects storage nodes with each other. The storage nodes use this network to exchange user data and management information.

 

 

6

 

 

Compute network

 

 

A network between a compute node and storage node. These nodes use this network to input or output user data.

 

 

7

 

 

Management network

 

 

A network between a controller node and storage node. These nodes use this network to perform SDS Block management operations and communicate with SNMP, NTP, and other external services.

 

 

8

 

 

Storage pool

 

 

A logical user data storage area consisting of multiple storage devices

 

 

9

 

 

Volume

 

 

A logical device that is mounted on a compute node to read or write user data

 

 

10

 

 

Storage device

 

 

A generic name for an SSD, HDD, or another physical device that is used to store user data and the OS

 

 

 

Summary of Supported Feature (v1.13.00)

#

Category

Summary of Supported Feature

ESXi

Cloud (AWS)

Bare Metal

1

Platform

Commodity HW ( HA800 Server)

✔

-

✔

Cloud (AWS EC2)

-

✔

-

2

Multi Node

# of Storage Node

✔ (32)

✔ (18)

✔ (32)

# of Compute Node

✔ (32)

✔ (32)

✔ (32)

3

Scale Out

Pool Expansion

✔

✔

✔

Capacity Rebalance

✔

✔

✔

Online node additions and removal

✔

-

✔

4

Connectivity

FC Target

✔

-

-

iSCSI Target

IPV4

✔

✔

✔

IPV6

✔

-

✔

5

Data Control

Data Migration (FC)

✔

-

-

Data Compression

✔

✔

✔

6

Management

Install

✔

✔

✔

Install guard 

✔

✔

✔

Provisioning

✔

✔

✔

Monitoring

✔

✔

✔

vCenter Collaboration

✔

-

-

Snapshots

✔

✔

✔

Online upgrades

✔

✔

✔

Network separation

✔

✔

✔

License control

✔

✔

✔

Backward compatibility support for CM-REST API

✔

✔

✔

e-mail support

✔

✔

✔

DNS support

✔

✔ 

(Amazon Route

53 Resolver only)

✔

SNMP support

✔

✔

✔

Batch setting of Path/Volume-Server connection

✔

✔

✔

API/CLI/GUI

✔

✔

✔

Configuration Utility

✔

-

-

7 

Reliability

Data Protection (Mirror)

✔

✔

✔

Data Protection (HPEC)

✔

-

✔

Data Protection (HPEC 2P)

✔

✔

✔

Fault Domain

✔

-

✔

Fault Tolerance

✔

✔

✔

Node auto recovery

✔

✔

✔

Rebuild

✔

✔

✔

Cache backup on SSD

✔

✔

✔

8

Security

User Identification & Authentication (Local)

✔

✔

✔

User Identification & Authentication (External)

✔

✔

✔

Audit Logging for Privileged Users

✔

✔

✔

Privileged Administrator Roles, RBAC

✔

✔

✔

SNMP Firewall

✔

✔

✔

SSH port Disable

✔

✔

✔

 

SDS Cloud AWS, Azure, GCP model v1.18.0 specifications

# Terminology AWS model Azure model GCP model
1 Virtual Machine EC2 Instance Virtual Machines Compute Engine
2 Disk EBS Managed Disk Hyperdisk
3 Network VPC VNet VPC
4 Feature of group VMs for availability Placement Group Scale Set Spread Placement Policy
5 Availability Zone Availability Zone Availability Zone Zone
6 NACL Security Group NACL Security Group Network Security Group (NSG) Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)

 

 Note: For v1.17, v1.18 and future releases, please check https://compatibility.hitachivantara.com for the latest Hardware Software Compatibility List in SOFTWARE DEFINED STORAGE session and and SDS Block Hardware Compatibility Reference in documentation portal. « SDS Block »  Welcome to the Hitachi Vantara Documentation Portal

Service and Support Strategy

There are couple Support Services Options offered with VSP One SDS Block:

Software only

Software License:

• VSP One SDS Block VM / BM : Standard- 12/36/60-months subscription base (on prem version)

• VSP One SDS Block AWS BYOL: Standard- 12/24/36/60-months subscription base (AWS version)

• VSP One SDS Block AWS PayGo and Contract offerings: Subscription will based on the actual AWS Market Listing terms in AWS Marketplace

If this is a Solution (H/W + S/W) offered by Hitachi Vantara, the minimum Software and Hardware maintenance term shall be 36 months

Hardware:

• Standard- 36/48/60 month: Will be offered- Same as HA800 series servers
• Premium- 36/48/60 month: Will be offered- Same as HA800 series servers

Disk Retention Option (DRO) will be offered- Same as HA800 series servers

Comprehensive Disk Retention Option (CDRO) will be offered- Same as HA800 series servers

For details of Hitachi Vantara support services strategy, descriptions, and deliverables, please refer to Hitachi Support Service Descriptions and Deliverables.

Initial warranty period is 36 months for Hardware and 12 months for Software as noted in the above link. The initial service quote will contain renewal rates for maintenance beyond the initial warranty period. After the period covered by the initial quote, maintenance is renewable annually at then-prevailing rates.

VSP One SDS Block VMware /Bare Metal Operation Tasks

(Roles and Responsibilities)

Stage Operation Who does Note
Initial Hardware Setup (Distribution Center) Download of all 3 Media Kits relevant to BG Distribution Center HA800 Server Media kit, SDS Block Media Kit, SDS Block Build Guide media kits (firmware for switches)
  Confirm HA810 and HA820 G1/G2 Internal components  Distribution Center Includes all management and storage nodes, having the DC confirm that HDD, Memory, CPU, SAS controllers, SAS Expanders, Risers, Network components are placed and seated correctly
  Prepare Racks for hardware installation  Distribution Center Removal of Doors
  Install SDS Block Serial Number, Cable Management Brackets Distribution Center Placement mimics UCP
  Rack all Components within the Rack Distribution Center Includes Storage Nodes, management nodes, Internode Switches, Compute Network Switches, Control Network Switches, PDUs
  Cable all Power and Network Components Distribution Center Connect all C13/C14 Power cables, Cat6 connections and SFPs Connections for Internode Compute and Control Networks
  Configure Control Network Distribution Center Initial Setup of the switch with default users, load firmware, Load Switch configuration for internal facing ports (No configuration for Customer Uplinks)
  Configure iSCSI Compute Network Distribution Center Initial Setup of the switch with default users, load firmware, Load Switch configuration for internal facing ports and ISL (BASED ON ITPRO recommendations - (Active/Backup) No configuration for Customer Uplinks)
  Configure FC Compute network Distribution Center Initial Setup of both Cisco MDS or Brocade G620 switches. With Firmware load, Brocade License load (NO Switch Configuration is Provided by DC) 
  Configure Internal Network  Distribution Center Initial Setup of the switch with default users, load firmware, Load Switch configuration for internal-facing ports and ISL (BASED ON ITPRO recommendations - (Active/Backup))
  Configure Management and Storage nodes  Distribution Center Setup ILO Users based on Compute Tag, Configure Raid for Boot drive, Bios Setup, ILO IP (Default Address), Upgrade of SPV firmware 
  Prepare System for Shipment Distribution Center Disconnect cables between racks, shutdown, package and ship
Initial Software Setup (on-site) VMware (ESXi) Installation Global Delivery (GD)  
  vCenter Installation Global Delivery  
  Maintenance Node Setting Global Delivery  
  VSP One SDS Block on prem SW Installation (+Cluster NW Setting, etc.) Global Delivery Network configuration and settings within VMware need to be included here. We also need to add topics around the physical network connectivity
  Storage Pool Setting Global Delivery  
  Compute node connection CS&S  
  Path Setting (Including host-side storage target adding & host reboot) CS&S  
  Storage Manager Account Setting CS&S  
  Initial Data Migration (UVM) Global Delivery  
Volume Provisioning Compute node connection GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
  Path Setting (Compute Node Creation, Volume Creation, Attach/Detach) GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
  Vol management GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
Remote Replication Test/Dev, Data Re-purposing GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
  Remote Backup GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
  DR/HA GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
Local Backup Snapshot operation GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
Monitoring Monitoring GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
Configuration Change Data Reduction (Volume Compression) On/Off GD and Customer GD will do initial setup and knowledge transfer to customer, then customer owns daily operation
Software Update Online Software Update Global Delivery  
  Offline Software Update Global Delivery  
  vSphere Update (ESXi) Global Delivery If Customer purchased E2E solution, GD will do it; if customer has VMware license, then customer owns it
  vCenter Update Global Delivery If Customer purchased E2E solution, GD will do it; if customer has VMware license, then customer owns it
  vRops Update Global Delivery If Customer purchased E2E solution, GD will do it; if customer has VMware license, then customer owns it
  configuration utility (Smart Configurator) Global Delivery If Customer purchased E2E solution, GD will do it; if customer has VMware license, then customer owns it
  vCenter Plugin Update Global Delivery If Customer purchased E2E solution, GD will do it; if customer has VMware license, then customer owns it
  Server Firmware Update CS&S  
Drive Exchange Drive exchange (remove+add) CS&S and GD CS&S will perform physical operation on-site and GD will perform logical VSSB operation remotely
  Drive Add CS&S and GD CS&S will perform physical operation on-site and GD will perform logical VSSB operation remotely
  Drive Remove CS&S and GD CS&S will perform physical operation on-site and GD will perform logical VSSB operation remotely
  Node Add CS&S and GD CS&S will perform physical operation on-site and GD will perform logical VSSB operation remotely
  Node Remove CS&S and GD CS&S will perform physical operation on-site and GD will perform logical VSSB operation remotely
HW Configuration Change FE ex) FC ->iSCSI CSS  
  BE CSS  
  SCM CSS  
  Diagnosis CSS  
Failure Recovering Take system dump CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  Drive CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  Node CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  FE SFP CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  FE Port CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  FE SCM CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  Pool CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  Vol CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  VMware error CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  GUI CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support
  Recovery CS&S and GSC CS&S will perform on-site activities and GSC will provide remote support

 

Note: VSP One SDS Block AWS Software (BYOL/PayGo/Contract) Operation Tasks will be performed by customer itself like support connect registration, self installation and self upgrade, etc. 

For VSP One SDS Block AWS Hardware Issue, customer need to contact AWS for support. 

See AWS Marketplace: Help - General

See AWS Marketplace: Getting support

Software Support Services Terms 

 

Severity

Severity Levels

The Severity Level will be determined by Hitachi when a customer’s call is first diagnosed by Hitachi and will not be changed unless acceptable to both Hitachi and the customer. 

“Severity Level” is an assessment of the impact of an incident or action on the customer’s business. For the purpose of determining the actions to be taken in the event of a Problem with any Products, the following definitions will apply:

Severity 1 – System Down

A Problem has been identified that makes the continued use of one or more functions impossible (or severely restricted) on a Critical System and prevents customer from continued production or severely risks critical business operations. Problem may cause loss of data and/or restrict data availability and/or cause significant financial impact to the customer.

Severity 2 – Severe Restriction

A Problem has been identified that severely affects or restricts major functionality. The Problem is of a time sensitive nature and important to long-term productivity but is not causing an immediate work stoppage. No workaround is available and operation can continue in a restricted fashion.

Severity 3 – Minor Restriction

A problem that does not have a major effect on the customer’s business, e.g. failure of a non-critical or redundant module/component, problems affecting only one or few users, problems during Software or Equipment installation or upgrade on a non-production or test system.

Severity 4 – Circumvented

Similar to Minor Restriction, however the problem has been circumvented using an alternative solution or work-round, although a permanent fix is required.

Severity 5 – Information Only

An issue concerned with the usage or documentation of the Software, e.g. “how to” questions, clarification of documentation or error codes, enhancement requests, having no material effect on the customer’s current operations.

 

Escalating to Vendor

Contact according to the time zones and information provided at below link. 

VMware:

Support Plan for VMWare

Other Vendor: 

Escalation Procedures for Hitachi Vantara Multi-Vendor Solutions

Escalating to Hitachi

For additional information on management and technical escalation see Escalating to Hitachi.

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Management Escalation to Hitachi

For Hitachi call 1-800-446-0744 and ask to speak to the duty supervisor: This is a technical person in management who can address or get the correct person to address any technical or management issues.  There is a duty supervisor on duty 24x7x365.  This is the best way to get to speak to someone directly that will address any issue.

Technical Escalation to Hitachi

If a customer or vendor ever needs to contact someone at Hitachi about a specific case and wants to speak to a manager, please call 1-800-446-0744. Ask to speak to the Duty Supervisor.  Have the current case number available if possible/applicable.  Ex:  HDS00003458765

The duty supervisor will forward to Sr. Management as appropriate.

HA800 Server:

Support Plan for Hitachi Advanced Server HA800 Series

Entitlement to Support

Entitlement is based on standard business rules of the entitlement process in Salesforce. Sometimes Hitachi Vantara or the vendor need to ensure entitlement to support via special methods (e.g. web, use of s/n).  

Note: VSP One SDS Block AWS Contract Private Offer have 12/24/36/60 months contract terms.

 

Installation & Upgrade Service Offerings

Installation Service

Type Name  Description SKU
HW Installation Services Hitachi Advanced Server HA8X0 Business Hours Installation Service Installation Services 045-000169-01.P
  Hitachi Advanced Server HA8X0 24X7 Installation Service Installation Services 045-000170-01.P
  Hitachi Advanced Server HA8X0 G2 Business Hours Installation Service Installation Services 045-000432-01.P
  Hitachi Advanced Server HA8X0 G2 24X7 Installation Service Installation Services 045-000433-01.P
  Hitachi Advanced Server HA8X0 G3 Business Hours Installation Service Installation Services 045-001037-01.P
  Hitachi Advanced Server HA8X0 G3 24X7 Installation Service Installation Services 045-001038-01.P

 

Global Delivery/GSS Service Offerings

Global Delivery/GSS offers services to implement and accelerate the time value of key features.

Type Name  Description SKU
Professional Services Hitachi Virtual Storage Software Implementation Service  Mandatory implementation service (RPQ) 051-100819-01.P

<< Add Link for Sophia Professional Services - Salesforce Resource Center once available >>

 

Field Upgrades

VSP One SDS Block VM and VSP One SDS Block BM Software product upgrades must be performed by Hitachi Professional Services 

HA800 Server Hardware product upgrades must be performed by Hitachi CS&S or qualified ASP/ISP (I&C partners are not authorized to perform upgrades).

 

Warranty

General Statement

Warranty

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When Part of a Hitachi Bundled Solution

For further related information, refer to:

When NOT Part of a Hitachi Bundled Solution (Sold Stand-alone)

A customer can choose to uplift maintenance service levels if they choose.

Any H/W upgrades (H/W features installed after an initial installation) are co-terminus with the existing service contract of the system having been upgraded. See section ‎Maintenance Service Offerings for further details about maintenance services.

For further related information, refer to the Product Warranty Terms on hitachivantara.com:

 

Maintenance Service Offerings

Centralized Support Structure

For the centralized support structure click here.

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Centralized support has a multi-tier support structure utilizing field support (CS&S and CSC) and remote support (Levels 0-4). All problems or Cases reported will be tracked by the Salesforce database system.

This centralized support system facilitates several ways to open and escalate Cases. Cases can be initiated on an automated basis by Remote Ops (Hi-Track) (automatic paging), by Field Support (CS&S personnel including CSC support, Partners/Authorized Service Providers), or by customers.  Customer calls may come in through CS&S or directly to remote support Level 0.  

Call Flow Diagram

090240413002298.png

 

Roles and Responsibilities

Customer Responsibilities

Customer need to register and explore Support Connect capabilities for VSP One SDS Block Customers
Basic product information requirements are fulfilled via Support Connect. The functions cover most of the common
product inquiries for both the partner and the end customer. Support Connect functions are outlined in detail below:
• Registration
• Knowledge
• Technical Bulletins
• Cases
• License Management
• Product Downloads
• Product Documentation
• My Products and Sites
• Interoperability

Note: VSP One SDS Block AWS Software (BYOL/PayGo/Contract) Operation Tasks will be performed by customer itself like support connect registration, self installation and self upgrade, etc. 

VSP One SDS Block AWS Software customer product registration

URL: https://support.hitachivantara.com/en/productregistrationcheck.html?

AWS Marketplace: Virtual Storage Platform One Software Defined Storage Block [CONTRACT]

AWS Marketplace: Virtual Storage Platform One Software Defined Storage Block (PayGo)

AWS Marketplace: Virtual Storage Platform One Software Defined Storage Block (BYOL)

Any question after product registration submission , please feel free to contact Hitachi Vantara at ProductRegistration@hitachivantara.com with your registration ID case number # to confirm the status of your submission and ensure the registration information was accurately received.

For VSP One SDS Block AWS Hardware Issue, customer need to contact AWS for support. 

See AWS Marketplace: Help - General

See AWS Marketplace: Getting support

Hitachi Vantara Responsibilities

Click here for General Roles & Responsibilities

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Field Support

Customer Service and Support (CS&S) or an Authorized Service Partner (ASP) will provide customer service and field technical support directly to customers for all technical hardware problems. CS&S is the local customer interface and first point of contact for Hitachi Vantara customers. GCC will dispatch cases to CS&S when contacted by the customer to resolve break/fix issues. CS&S continues to have ownership of all problems and issues at a customer site even when a call is escalated to support Level 1 or higher.

CS&S opens and updates a Siebel/Insight SR for installations, upgrades, reconfigurations, de-installations and problems requiring immediate attention. CS&S searches initial problem symptoms or customer questions in the Knowledge Base and CMS database of Technical Tips and Alerts for all relevant information prior to escalating an SR. CS&S maintains proper Siebel/Insight call severity as it applies to the current customer situation to allow proper call escalation processes based upon business rules.

CS&S will gather customer and service requirement information; escalate the issue to Level 2 Technical Support where necessary; and provide on-site hardware fault diagnosis, repair and part replacement, and data collection under the direction of the geographical ISC/GSC as necessary. CS&S is always the owner of customer issues/problems even after they have been escalated to Hitachi support, the factory or OEM.

Customer Support Center (CSC) will provide technical support to CS&S in EMEA as required.

Pair of Hands (POH)

Means the installation of hardware at the Customer site, hardware updates, and/or replacement of failed parts or units at the Customer site.

Hitachi CS&S and ASP General and Maintenance Responsibilities

Field Support’s general and maintenance responsibilities include the following areas:

  • Insight Service Request Management
    • Opens and updates a Insight case for installations, upgrades, reconfigurations, de-installations, and problems requiring immediate attention. 
    • Maintains proper Insight call severity as it applies to the current customer situation to allow proper call escalation processes based upon Insight business rules.
    • Escalates issues to Remote Support Levels 1 and 2 as necessary and works with Remote Support to troubleshoot issues
  • Insight Site Configuration Entry
    • Maintains accurate customer installation and service information in the Hitachi support systems, including Insight.
    • Customer entitlement to support depends on the purchased products having been entered into Insight for a customer site. Thus, it is important for Field Support to update Insight so it contains an accurate reflection of the products (h/w or s/w) installed at a customer site.
  • Research & Use of Support Connect & Knowledge
  • Onsite Work
    • On-site hardware fault diagnosis, repair and part replacement, or data collection under the direction of the geographical ISC/GSC as necessary 
    • Basic Configuration of Hardware
    • Hardware Installation and Installation planning
  • Problem Ownership & Management
    • Field Support is always the owner of customer issues/problems even after they have been escalated to Hitachi support, the factory, or OEM.
  • Response Time & Distance from Customer Site
    • Refer to section ‎4.3 Maintenance Service Offerings in this document to understand the boundaries of response time and distance from customer sites.
Current Status By Geography

The following provides a synopsis of current field support per geography.

Geography Hitachi CS&S and ASP Field Support
AMER

Hitachi CS&S: This is the primary approach to field support.

ASP: CS&S VP approval required for indirect support.
APAC Hitachi CS&S or ASP: As planned by CSS management.
EMEA Hitachi CS&S or ASP: As planned by CSS management.
Remote Support – Levels 0-3

Remote support is available during normal working hours for each geography (Americas, Asia Pacific, and EMEA) and on a standby basis at all other times.

Remote Support – Level 0

Global Customer Care (GCC) personnel will be the first point of contact for Hitachi service personnel and customers requesting technical support.

Email: GCC.Email.Request@hitachivantara.com

Phone: 1-800-446-0744

GCC will check entitlements, set problem severity and route the SR to the appropriate next level of support. GCC also handles emergency software license keys and other license key issues, plus orders for software and parts. GCC is staffed across geographic regions to respond to customer support needs and will initiate and pass the case to the appropriate support organization. 

Remote Support – Level 1

Immediate Support personnel and GSC will perform Level 1 triage, manage case queues, conduct database searches and resolve calls that do not require Engineering Level 2 support. Level 1 support will also be responsible for communicating with the appropriate Level 2 support groups where applicable. It is expected that the majority of technical questions and problems will be isolated and resolved by this level of support resource within Hitachi.  Internal reports will be maintained categorizing and summarizing open and closed problems.

Remote Support – Level 2

If the problem is not resolved with CS&S on-site and Level 1 Technical Support resources, it is assigned to a GSO resource and escalated to Engineering Level 2 Global Support Center (GSC) colleagues by Level 1 Support.  It is expected that the majority of technical questions and problems not resolved at Level 1 will be isolated and resolved by the GSC, which is based in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Remote Support – Level 3

If Hitachi is not able to resolve the problem with Level 1 or Level 2 resources, escalation to Level 3 Sustaining Engineering (vendor) is available at the discretion of the Level 2 GSC specialists. This escalation is not intended for hardware or other third-party software problems or conflicts that may arise in a multi-vendor environment. GSC will work in conjunction with other vendors to resolve issues in this environment.

Hitachi Distribution Centers (ISCC/EDC/ADC)

The Hitachi Distribution Centers are as follows:

  • ISCC (International Supply Chain Center - USA, Located in Norman, OK)
  • EDC (European Distribution Center - Netherlands)
  • ADC (Asian Distribution Center - Singapore)

Please refer to the Product Support Plan for the respective solution for further details.

Support Systems

Click here for information regarding systems used by Hitachi Vantara including Insight and Hitachi Vantara Knowledge. 

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Hitachi Vantara uses the following systems for facilitating product support

Salesforce

Salesforce is the system used to maintain records of all support activities performed by Field Support and Remote Support. It is also used to page Field Support to inform them of new or pending maintenance activities at a customer site.

Problem Tracking

Salesforce is the system used by Hitachi for problem tracking and case management. A Case will be opened in Salesforce for any incident resulting in any customer impact and/or any machine incident.

Customer Entitlement to Support

Salesforce is used to identify if a customer is entitled support for a product.  This requires that all products purchased by a customer be entered in Salesforce for the applicable customer site.  This happens as follows:

  1. All hardware and software sold and shipped to Hitachi customers are electronically entered into Salesforce when shipped to the site and waiting for installation. 
  2. Field Support subsequently logs in to Salesforce to verify that all the product data is complete for the applicable customer site.   For anything that is not accurate or not complete in Salesforce, Field Support is responsible for completing and or correcting.  See subsection section ‎Roles and Responsibilities for related details.

Knowledge 

Knowledge (powered by MindTouch) is an online system available to Hitachi Employees, Partners and Customers. It is the focus point for all Hitachi product related technical information. Product manuals and maintenance content can be found in Knowledge as well as information from support used to solve product issues, questions and more. 

Technical Bulletins on Support Connect

Technical Bulletins (TechTips & TechAlerts) contain important product information and can be found on Support Connect. 

Documentation, Firmware, Releases, Patches, Bug Fixes, and Notifications

This section explains how these items get from the vendor to Hitachi Vantara and our customers. View the related link below.

·                  View the Website for Software Defined Storage – HitachiVantara.com

·                  View the Datasheet for VSP One SDS Block– HitachiVantara.com 

·                  View the Documentation for VSP One SDS Block - Hitachi Vantara Product Documentation

·                  View the Blog for VSSB

·                  View the Infoflash for VSSB

·                  View the Compatibility Guide for VSP One SDS Block 

Note: For the latest VSP One SDS Block Code and Documentation set, please go to TISC and Documentation Portal.

 

Hitachi Vantara Support Connect

On Support Connect customers can find a listing of their products and sites as well as open Service Requests, Product Downloads, Ops Center Clear Sight, Technical Bulletins and ECNs. Visit Support Connect.

Service Tools

Tools Required for Maintenance

Click here to learn more about general maintenance tools and tools for region or division. 

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General Maintenance Tools List

The table below lists the tools needed to maintain products. 

General Maintenance Tools List

Tool

IP# or P/N

Remarks

Phillips Screwdriver

 

 

Wristband

 

 

Antistatic sheet

 

 

Standard Tool Set

 

 

LAN cable

 

At least UTP category 3.

Straight or cross-over ok.

Floppy disk drive (USB)

 

USB-FDX2 equivalent to PC-UF2231

Floppy Disk

 

MF2-HD ,  commercially available

USB DVD/CDRW Drive with cable

EZ-WTR-DVD-C24.P

Used for install and maintenance activities.

Grease

GV-RV2A550005-R

Use when replacing a CPU

SMP Lever

GV-EZ2SMR2X1-R

Order qty=1 if you will be joining 2 blades for SMP.

Order qty=2 if you will be joining 4 blades for SMP.
CPU Insertion / Removal Tool CPU-REMP-CR-CB-SINO-NITRO.X

For older generation servers , HCP S nodes, etc. 

CPU REMP Tool Kit for CB500-2500/CR210-220/sino/nito G54233 G21819 G21827 G21818 G21826

Tools for Region or Division 

There may be other special tools that are anticipated to be required for support. These are generally not expected to be stocked at local branch offices but will be available as regional or divisional tools.  These are listed below: 

Tools for Region or Division

Tool

Hitachi Part #

Remarks

Mechanical Lift (Genie Lift or equivalent)

IP-2000-1.x

Required for installation for a heavy device that may require 2 people to carry.

Fiber wraparound connector

5430106-1

For diagnostics for serial channel interface

DIMM puller

5480389-A

For removing memory module (SM/CM)

Power Supply check cable

3257488-A

For check of DC voltage

Screw driver with insulated blade

5480302-1

For removing screw

Fibre wraparound connector

5509443-1

For diagnostics for short wavelength Fibre channel interface

Fibre wraparound connector

5509443-2

For diagnostics for long wavelength Fibre channel interface

 

Hitachi Remote Ops (Hi-Track) Remote Service Tool

For more information regarding Remote Ops (Hi-Track) click here.

Hitachi Remote Ops monitor agent is Hitachi Vantara’s proprietary remote monitoring and diagnostic service.

The System Updates feature gives customers a safe, remote and automated way to fast-track their microcode updates. No on-site access is required. With the System Updates feature, we can quickly mitigate known code defects and enhance customer systems with new functions to best protect their operations against unexpected issues and downtime. Customers can schedule a System Update with Global Customer Care.
 
The Support Analytics for Storage feature helps customers fine-tune their environments to improve their system health and performance. This centralized way to collect data remotely gives customers automated health reporting and performance analysis reports for the insight they need to plan for change activities and to optimize their Hitachi storage solutions.

Hitachi Remote Ops is not licensed or sold either as a part of the equipment or separately. Hitachi Remote Ops services include Hitachi Vantara's proprietary Hitachi Remote Ops hardware, software and/or microcode. Hitachi Remote Ops materials are the sole and exclusive property of Hitachi Vantara.

Customer responsibilities for the provision of Hitachi Remote Ops services include:

  • Provision of telecommunications lines(s) and access to Hitachi Vantara or an Authorized Service Provider as required for the implementation and maintenance of Hitachi Remote Ops services,
  • Access to allow Hitachi Vantara or an Authorized Service Provider to de-install and remove any Hitachi Remote Ops material upon termination or expiration of the agreement.

Hitachi will not accept modifications to the terms and conditions under which service is provided which negate, modify or circumvent the terms under which Hitachi provides Hitachi Remote Ops services.

Hitachi Remote Ops services are provided only on equipment that is specifically identified as eligible by Hitachi Vantara.

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The Hitachi Vantara intranet URL for the Hitachi Remote Ops homepage is:

 

Product Lifecycle

Lifecycle Dates

Hitachi Vantara's Product Life-Cycle Matrix for VSP One SDS Block information can be found at Time Based Support Lifecycle Matrix - Guest

End of Life (EOL) and End-of-Service-Life (EOSL) Policies

Hitachi Vantara's official Life-Cycle Matrix with EOSL information can be found at External Product Life-Cycle Matrix.

Logistics

Spare Parts

For information regarding Spare Parts click here.

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Pre-GA Notes

The following items are addressed as pre-GA spares planning steps:

  • Spares pricing defined by the Pricing team
  • The Global Spares Planning team populated spares in depots based on install base locations
Spares Usage vs. Product Inventory DOAs

Spare parts are available to repair subsystems whose components and features have been successfully installed at the customer site.  If a part used in a new subsystem installation or feature installation is DOA during its installation, then a replacement should come from Product Inventory and not Spares Inventory. 

Spares Part Kits

Spare parts are stocked in various locations throughout the world and are controlled by Spares Planning. Spare parts are located to meet a NBD SLA from the site. 

Spare parts potentially impacting performance such as Cache, Channel PCBs and those impacting maintenance such as the SVP will be located within six hours of the site. All other parts that are either internally spared in the subsystem, or those which do not potentially cause loss of performance will be located no further than eight hours from the site.   In EMEA this will be next day delivery.

The following is being defined and represents a placeholder.

A Kit:  This is a complete set of parts. Two sets of this kit will be located in USA for worldwide support (Dallas, Texas and Indianapolis, Indiana (Will Change to Oklahoma). There will also be additional sets located at the European Distribution Center (EDC), and some major countries in EMEA and AP.

B Kit: Depot kit - Each major Depot center in the US will keep one set of these parts. Strategic stock locations in EMEA, and AP will keep enough sets to support the base in that region. Response times vary in AP, and EMEA.

Spares Part Listing & Reference

Visit Logistics Spares SharePoint site for a comprehensive view of spare parts.  Also try the Spares Alternate view (under "Switch view options" at the top right of screen).  The Spares Alternate view includes the product pcode (Product Feature column) that the spare part replaces.  

090240413251494.png

 

If you are having problems finding a spare part, do the following:

  • Look in the maintenance manual
  • Contact GSC for assistance

Mechanical Replacement Procedures & Special Investigation

Procedures are defined at the following locations:

RMAs

Educational Plan

Global Support Center Training

 
Click here for information regarding Level 1 and 2 Global Support Center Training.
 

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L1 Global Support Center Training

Primary Audience: The primary audience is the GSC and CSS.

Purpose: The purpose of this training is typically to provide introductory training material.  Product Support meet with GSC and CSS as needed to identify what their training requirements are. The focus is typically:

  • Overview, Maintenance & Troubleshooting training + L1 Support Topics

Organized By: This training is typically coordinated by Product Support team

Provided By: This training is typically conducted by the product vendor’s engineering group. 

General Audiences:

The following audiences are invited to attend this training:

  • Global Support Center (GSC) (phone support)
  • Customer Service & Support (CSS) (onsite support)
  • Partner service personnel (onsite support)
  • Global Delivery - previous known as: Global Services Solutions (GSS) (professional services)
  • Global Product & Solutions Enablement (GPSE)
  • Technical Publications (documentation teams)
  • Hitachi Vantara Learning Center (Hitachi Vantara’s department tasked with creating formal training courses for customers, sales and support)
  • Product Support (PS) (GTM and Post Sales Support management of PM/engineering/vendors)

 

L2 Global Support Center Training

Primary Audience: The primary audience is the GSC Level 2 personnel.

Purpose: The purpose of this training is to provide in-depth support training for GSC.  Product Support meet with GSC to identify what their training requirements are.

Organized By: This training is typically coordinated by Product Support

Provided By: This training is typically conducted by the product vendor’s engineering group. 

General Audiences:

The following audiences are invited to attend this training:

  • Global Support Center (GSC) (remote support)
  • Product Support (PS)
  • Global Delivery

Field Engineer Training Requirements

Training objectives have been delivered to Global Learning to prepare training offerings for maintenance, installation and configuration classes. These requirements were developed to ensure field engineers from Hitachi Vantara and Hitachi Qualified Partners are well prepared to support the product(s).

Here is the Field training link: Global Learning Training for VSP One SDS Block: Hitachi Learning Center (1113CW)

Training for Hitachi Vantara solutions that may include the product(s) may include solution-specific references.

General Required Skill Sets

Go to Global Learning below related to VSP One SDS Block trainings. 

Global Learning and Its Course Offerings

Learn more about Global Learning and its course offerings. 

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Global Learning is now called the Learning Center.  Course offerings are available here.  or as a reference at any time after the training.

SDS Block and SDS Block Cloud Training available online, training course title: "Getting Started with Hitachi VSP One SDS Block – 1113CW".

Click here: Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform One SDS Block – 1113CW

 

Channel Partner Service Programs

For links and information related to Channel Partner Service Programs click here.

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Channel Partner Program

Please refer to these links for further information.

Channel Partner Service Programs

Please refer to these links that contain helpful information.

ASP

ASPs should have the same capability to service products as Hitachi does direct. ASPs are required to train to the same standards as Hitachi’ own engineers and Hitachi provides maintenance documentation, spares and 2nd/3rd level support as part of Hitachi backline fees. 

If the products are provided to customers as part of a solution, refer to the ASP section of the applicable Solution Product Support Plan.

ISP

Independent Service Provider

N/A

 

Attachments

Attachment: 7374_20240807163451_240417300268734.pptx

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https://knowledge.hitachivantara.com/Internal/Product_Support_Plans/Support_Plan_for_VSP_One_SDS_BLOCK
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07/11/2025 07:39:12 PM
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