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PS4100 End of Life or Support Info
I work at an MSP and we recently picked up a new client with a PS4100 EqualLogic array that is fully populated with twelve 1TB 7.2k drives. They are asking if the array is out of its support lifecycle and I cannot find any EOS or EOL info for ANY EqualLogic arrays online. They are also asking if the capacity can be increased by replacing all of the drives with larger ones but if the unit is EOS/EOL then it won't be worth the cost or the time.
I also have a client with a PS4100X that is asking if they should renew support or not depending on if the unit is going EOS soon and I don't have a clear answer for them. It appears support CAN be renewed for the 4100X but there is no info on what the date is that support can no longer be extended after. I don't know why Dell does not have any of the EqualLogic lifecycle info documented online.
Does anyone have this info for these arrays or know of a place to view this info online?
Thank you,
Steve
dwilliam62
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January 8th, 2019 10:00
Hello Steve,
If you go to Support.dell.com you can enter the Service tag for each array and see the ship date of each array. Support is possible for up to seven years from that ship date.
The 4100 has been end-of-sales since the introduction of the 4210 models several years ago.
re: Drive upgrade. If you want to get or keep support then you cannot just replace all the drives with larger ones.
Also, the drives have to be specifically coded for EQL array use when they are made. You cannot use OEM, or other non-EQL drives in them. They will not work. There's no way to make them work either.
Regards,
Don
Supernaut2018
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January 8th, 2019 11:00
Thank you Don. I would not do the drive replacement without 1st renewing support on that array but I did think that replacing all of the drives with larger capacity drives that are specifically coded for EQL array use (part numbers provided by EqualLogic support) is a supported option for expanding the array. Is there a reason why I should think otherwise or were you just making sure I didn't try to slam a bunch of generic disks into the array and then try to get support?
I had done the tag lookup but am surprised the "ship date" is 2014 for the PS4100 array with the 12 bays full of 7.2k drives. Based on that date and what you've stated about the 7 years from purchase (I also got this 7 year response from an Eq. support tech) then they should be able to renew support through 2021. I will get an official renewal quote for it from the warranty extension team but if you think that seems off also (2021 for the 12 bay PS4100) then please let me know what else I might be missing.
Steve
dwilliam62
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January 8th, 2019 12:00
Hello Steve,
Re: Upgrades. Dell/EQL has never supported changing the model number after purchase. So if you were to replace all the drives it would no longer be eligible for a support contract. Same goes for controllers. I.e. no GbE controller upgrades to 10GbE.
Re: Contract. Assuming you are the registered owner I would expect that you would be able to extend the contract. If you bought it used for example then I'm not sure you can. I would definitely get a formal quote. They will be able to answer any contract related questions much better than I can.
Regards,
Don