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From: ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Digital Equipment Service(DEC): Is it as bad elsewhere?
Message-ID: <7944@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 1-Feb-85 14:30:20 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.7944
Posted: Fri Feb  1 14:30:20 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Feb-85 09:06:39 EST
References: <927@druxj.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
Lines: 33


> I can't understand why DEC doesn't have diagnostics which
> run under UNIX and give meaningful results, after all a 
> portion of the community does run UNIX on their VAXs.
> 
Although they don't have UNIX diagnostics, they are unable to fix
the problem using the VMS and standalone versions.

> Secondly, DEC seems to be slow to escalate the problem if
> a solution is not readily apparent to the personnel
> on site.
DEC has a rather inane approach to new user training.  Rather
than putting new people in an apprentice position to an experienced
engineer they just send him out cold as the first line support and
if he can't fix it in a day, he is supposed to call for help.
These first line servicemen are constantly breaking more than they
fix.


> Is this problem pretty widespread and if so are there any
> reasonable solutions?
> 
Another one of their fiascos was that they replaced the floppy drive
in a 780 twice before realizing that the floppy disk itself wasn't even
one for the VAX (it was UNIVAC microcode).

We don't let the DEC people on site except for machine installation
(and they can't do that any better).  We won't even let this one
person in the room (she's by far the worst).  Fortunately, she zapped
her self good trying to PM one of our VMS machines, and went out on
disability.

-Ron