[f-nsp] Is it just me ...

Fri Feb 4 20:30:20 EST 2011

Yeah, it's pretty much after being bought.  I used to like the fact that we
could buy direct from them.  The kp worked.  They used to produce things
like command reference manuals.  I got bit a couple of times with buggy
releases of software but not anything I couldn't get sorted out.

I think one thing they don't fully appreciate is that the SAN stuff and the
WAN stuff can be converged in hardware but it can't be converged as easily
when it comes to people.  Systems engineers are the ones most often messing
with the SAN and network engineers with the WAN.  They have different
skillsets.  When they go to the support site, they want to see "their"
stuff.  Right now there is so much SAN stuff that I have to mentally wade
through the page to get to what I want.  I don't really give a rat's pair of
hips about the latest SAN switch. It's just clutter.

There are generally three reasons I am going to their website:

1. Something is broken and I am checking docs and software release notes to
see if the problem I am having has been addressed in a newer software
release or is a known problem.
2. I am checking for newer software releases and checking through the
release notes to see if any bugs have been discovered that might bite me.
3. I am making my usual once per quarter perusal of the product line to see
if anything new catches my eye.  (like hey, when did the FCXe come out?)

In case number 1, an unresponsive website or one cluttered with a bunch of
stuff I don't need and no real easy link to get to what I do need is
frustrating.  At that point I am in a jam, I have to literally update people
every 5 minutes on status and I don't have time to waste waiting 30-90
seconds for a page to load on a website while I see if this problem is
something that has been noted already and fixed.  I generally don't call TAC
until I am pretty sure my stuff is right.

In case number 2 not being able to even see the stuff is a letdown.  It says
that my vendor doesn't care about me.  A vendor has no better potential
friend than the line engineers out there working on their stuff.  They
should treat us like their friend.  Heck, they should treat us like one of
the family.  They should be bending over backwards sending us CDs with
documentation and tips and application briefs and case studies and giving us
ideas and showing us examples of how to do things that spark ideas among us
and result in us using more of their gear.  I get email practically weekly
from other vendors whose stuff I don't even buy inviting me to webinars and
seminars or sending me case studies, etc.  A vendor has no better potential
advocate in the customer organization than the engineers who use their gear
every day.  The engineers are the way in the door and the LAN market is WAY
different than the SAN market.  They are the 800lb gorilla in the SAN
market.  The LAN market is well-served by lots of different vendors.  If you
want that business, you need to compete for it and one way to do that is to
treat the customer line engineer like they are valued.

Sorry for going off in public like that but man, I was really frustrated and
it was not the first time I had that trouble with the site and it just feels
like the organization just doesn't really give a hoot.  The customers'
engineers seem sometimes to be a low priority.  Individuals at Brocade have
always treated me well and I really like them, but the corporate culture
displayed by the things like documentation and the website or anything
having to do with self support of the gear seems to get short shrift.

On Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 7:16 AM, Joseph Jackson <jjackson at aninetworks.net>wrote:

> This is after they were bought by Brocade right?  I worked with a local SE
> in las vegas when they were foundry and we were buying serverirons and some
> fastirons.  Their support was pretty good back then this was before brocade
> happened tho.
>
>
> Joseph
>
>
>
> On Feb 4, 2011, at 6:51 AM, Clayton Zekelman wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Absolute garbage.  Took them weeks to acknowledge they had the FES9604
> software loaded in to the database wrong, so NOBODY could download it.
> >
> > It took some rather heated calls to our sales rep and support before they
> even looked at.  They just kept telling us we were doing it wrong.
> >
> > Their support stinks too - about a year ago we had a new out of the box
> switch with a failed 10G uplink port.  Took them 3 weeks to replace it even
> with a service contract.
> >
> > They're a frustrating company to deal with.
> >
> > ----- Original Message ---------------
> >
> > Subject: Re: [f-nsp] Is it just me ...
> >   From: Gerwin Krist -|- Digitalus Webhosting & Webdesign <
> gerwin at digitalus.nl>
> >   Date: Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:59:19 +0100
> >     To: foundry-nsp at puck.nether.net
> >
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> Yes indeed it's crap :-) It took me 3 weeks to get access to the
> software downloads on the KP website.
> >> I hope they migrate the stuff quick, really hard to find stuff if you
> need something :)
> >>
> >>
> >> On 02/04/2011 10:26 AM, Gerald Krause wrote:
> >>> Am 04.02.2011 01:00, schrieb George B.:
> >>>> Or is Brocade's support website absolutely the most worthless piece of
> >>>> junk ever created in the history of the WWW?
> >>>>
> >>>> I get logged into this new "My Brocade" crap and can't even locate
> where
> >>>> to find software updates, release notes, etc.  I see some links that
> >>>> look like they SHOULD take me there, but they redirect back to the old
> >>>> Foundry site and gets redirected back to My Brocade.
> >>>>
> >>>> And that is if I wait through the 30-60 seconds it takes the page to
> >>>> load just to show me that what I am looking for is not there.
> >>>>
> >>>> Did Cisco design this site for Brocade?
> >>>>
> >>>> Foundry was REALLY easy (even if it was slow),  click "Software",
> click
> >>>> your product line, and there you are ... done.
> >>>>
> >>>> I have spent a good 45 minutes lost in twisty-turny tunnels on the
> >>>> Brocade site and I still haven't found what I am looking for (latest
> 5.1
> >>>> code and release notes).
> >>>
> >>> I had the same issue some weeks before and got this message last week
> >>> from Brocade after trying to reach the MyBrocade Support:
> >>>
> >>> ---8<---
> >>> Hello Gerald,
> >>>
> >>> Sorry for the late reply.  For your question regarding downloads, the
> >>> latest downloads for all IP products can be found at KP.  Mybrocade has
> >>> downloads, but not the latest versions.
> >>>
> >>> MySupport is in the works of merging all IP docs from KP.
> >>> ---8<---
> >>>
> >>> MyBrodace is still useless for me :-/ (we have only ServerIron and
> >>> NetIron systems) but the old KP is working.
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Gerald
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> foundry-nsp mailing list
> >>> foundry-nsp at puck.nether.net
> >>> http://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/foundry-nsp
> >>>
> >>
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