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Carsten, I have cloned to larger drives without issue. Once cloned, I've been able to expand the partition to utilize the larger space too. I label the source/destination slots. I'm amazed at how insignificantly they mark the slots from the factory!
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I agree with Randy on the value of a "bare metal backup." Your data is, of course, important, but the OS and all installed applications would take a long time to reinstall on a new drive one at a time. On my work computer (I work from home), all source code is stored in an offsite GIT server, all documents and code are copied to a company network drive in California (I'm in Colorado), and a G4L image is made once a month. That image is then installed on a backup computer here and tested. I just got a higher speed DSL, so I'm going to try uploading the G4L image to the company network drive. I've used G4L for maybe 20 years and have needed to a restore once. Having a bare metal backup seems to prevent things from going wrong. It's a bit like the time I did not buy insurance on a rental car when going to the NAB convention years ago in Dallas. That one time I did not have insurance, I got hit by a bus.
Backups are good!
HaroldComment
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Disposing of a perfectly working server which the manufacturer was refusing to support because <enter your lame excuse here. (Hint: using the word "DCI" in it will make it more plausible)>.Originally posted by Sean McKinnon View Post
Fixed by A SINGLE LINE of terminal command.Comment
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When I said that there could be a whole class of people who repair and maintain equipment, this is what I refer to.Originally posted by Marco Giustini View Post
Yes, I understand that the days of the "Fix-it Shop" are gone, but for the niche market. What I'm talking about is people like us who know what that "single line of terminal command" would be. They are people who have deeper knowledge of the way things work and who aren't beholden to manufacturers and corporations that only want to turn a quick profit. They want to help make things better and they should get paid for it.
There's an old joke about the office manager who calls a repair service to fix a broken photocopier.
The repair technician walks in, takes one look then gives the copier a swift kick. It immediately starts working perfectly!
The tech hands the manager a bill for $200.
The manager complains, "Two hundred dollars and all you did was kick it?"
The tech points to the invoice which says:
"Service call -- $100."
"Knowing where to kick it -- $100."
We are the people who know where to kick it and we should be recognized for it!
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I don't think it's unethical to ask a reasonable fee for a technical solution of a problem, even if the solution is just a single line on a terminal. Before you can come to the conclusion what the fix is, you first need to do a diagnosis. He/she doing the diagnosis needs a certain level of knowledge. Acquiring this knowledge requires a lot of time and money. Executing the diagnosis also requires time from this knowledgeable person. So, all in all, it's not unreasonable for a service company or even GDC to ask for an appropriate fee to fix this. Even if the bill amounts to e.g. $250 to $500, this may still be considered reasonable, given the time invested into a technical solution by technically skilled people.
What I think is unethical, is to discount the whole machine and force a customer into buying new hardware for, what is essentially an easy fix. That's the kind of practice we should all reject, no matter if you're an end-user, work for a service company, or even if you are a manufacturer.Comment
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I second your opinion (BS, according to someone else) 100%, Marcel.
I wouldn't expect GDC to repair that server for free - even though it's a single command: as pointed out already, it takes years of study to say "yeah, just type xxx yyy zzz and it'll work". I may argue when the costs are artificially inflated to force the customer to buy more products, but that's an entirely different matter.
And to be honest I wouldn't expect GDC to repair their systems by digging into Linux - but I really do not see why they should not provide an installer/replacement HDD for an older system. If DCI forbids it - which I doubt - then DCI needs to change their rule or the manufacturer needs to change the way the software works to allow for a resolution that doesn't involve replacing the whole server. Heck, it's a computer, it's just a matter of developing.Comment
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I knew it! We're insane for providing FREE support. Hmm. Maybe I should head off to work on a new rate schedule.Originally posted by Marcel Birgelen View Post
Cough up the one line fix and make the customer happy for heaven's sake.
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First off, anyone that wants to charge for their knowledge is okay by me. If you can get it, more power to you. Unfortunately, the internet has cut way into the ability to hoard knowledge. And I don't want to that to be taken negatively. Knowledge is something one acquires. Part of knowledge is experience which is what one does with the information. You can YouTube how to fix your car all you want, but it doesn't make you a mechanic.
That said, I hold a manufacturer to a higher standard when it comes to supporting the product. Since the digitization of cinema, a different business model has come about. In the film days, NOBODY would have thought to try and charge for troubleshooting over the phone or some friendly advice. We didn't have software updates that require continue work (on everyone's part). Most film machines, and their accessories pretty much have a multi-decade run without significant additional effort except maybe turrets or overcoming some environmental material issue.
Enter the digital people and they expect/want this notion of charging for their buggy software and continual updates for their buggy software. Their products are relatively short lived (film projector life>50 years, digital projector/server life...much less). I sympathise with the digital people in that it cost money to generate continual software updates but they forget, this isn't a typical software company model. Their software only runs on their product (projector or server). When a theatre buys a server, they are buying the server...they are not thinking that they are also buying a software product. In my mind, the server company should factor in supporting that server for the life of the server with necessary software to address any bugs and adapt the product to current industry requirements. New features that may go beyond that is fair game to charge for.
The various server manufacturers have adopted different strategies, I've noticed. Furthermore they have adjusted their strategies over time too.
Some have taken the approach I would have taken, if I was in charge of the product line: Software and tech support are included in the product for the life of the product. Others have taken a bit more aggressive approach but a bit more sneaky. They charge less for a product, but put a finite support time frame on the product before you have to pay for the mere support (or really, the possible need for support...more of an insurance model). And, as an added middle-finger to the customer/service company, they encrypt their logs to prevent self-help.
The money has to be there somewhere. There is no magic. Either you pay for it up front, or you pay for it as you go or, unfortunately, you pay for it when you are desperate.Comment
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To be fair... Maybe we shouldn't condemn GDC until they issued some kind of formal refusal. Clearly Paul shouldn't have to fight for help. And, without knowing exactly what was said any by whom in what context, I suppose a little benefit of the doubt isn't out of the question.Originally posted by Paul Gabriel View Post
The good news is that he is back up and running.Comment
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I wouldn't blame GDC for offering a replacement OS disk as the solution for the problem instead of fixing it. There is an argument for a new disk: Maybe the current disk has issues, it comes with a new, upgraded OS and it probably fits a standard procedure at GDC. In the end, the issue is resolved at a reasonable price.And to be honest I wouldn't expect GDC to repair their systems by digging into Linux - but I really do not see why they should not provide an installer/replacement HDD for an older system. If DCI forbids it - which I doubt - then DCI needs to change their rule or the manufacturer needs to change the way the software works to allow for a resolution that doesn't involve replacing the whole server. Heck, it's a computer, it's just a matter of developing.
I give a whole lot of support for free, but I think that's part of the "giving and taking" between you and a customer. It also depends on what your core business is. A little-bit of goodwill can land you that bigger job, where the real beef is, instead of some measly billable hours for some support jobs. But, like Steve pointed out, it depends on what your business model is. In the end, support costs money and it has to be factored into the cost of the product. You're running a business, so technically, you can't give anything for free. What you spend on paying for your support team, you have to make back somewhere else.I knew it! We're insane for providing FREE support. Hmm. Maybe I should head off to work on a new rate schedule.
Cough up the one line fix and make the customer happy for heaven's sake.
If this product was under active warranty, then the situation would be entirely clear. Now, this product isn't, so you can't expect GDC to repair the thing entirely for free. If they do so, then, GREAT. Great service! If they don't, well, then that is how it is. Product obsolescence is something different. That's more like a manufacturer simply deciding the product you bought isn't worth their time anymore. No matter how important it is for your daily operations or how small the fix is. But there are also limitations to how far you can go in this.
Let's say we're 20 years down the line from now and somebody asks you or rather your company a question about a JNIOR Series 3, do you still honor those support calls? Do you still have the resources in-house to answer them? I guess you can reasonably claim that this hardware is now obsolete and you can't support it anymore. On the other hand, like Steve pointed out, we've had film projection gear running for > 50 years... So what's reasonable and what's not? I guess it's not always a binary situation.Comment
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That is a good point Marcel, in that one should describe the life of the product. Say discontinuation + 5-10 years or so and it would probably depend on the nature of the product. There will be a point where the knowledge base on legacy product is so thin to non existent that it would be impossible to provide adequate support. However, it should be a bit better spelled out. One of the larger server companies is pretty good about announcing a product end of life and how long they indeed to support it with parts/tech support beyond that so people can reasonably prepare and know where they stand (and the support time from isn't some silly 6-month or 1-year...it is measured in years).Comment
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Like I alluded to earlier there really isn't an obvious approach to this that is an all around win-win at least not for any extended period. The first JNIOR3 shipped in 2005 and the last in 2014 I believe. I remember designing the 310 prior to that with the 10 year life in mind. That 10 years seemed to me to be... like forever. Here we are 15 years later and those early units are still in use. We still freely support them as far as we can from the software and configuration perspective. When the hardware fails, well the optimum solution is not repair but replacement with a new JNIOR4. But here we are talking about a $400 solid-state item that lasted 15 years AND the replacement JNIOR4 is the same price. Yeah, we have NOT raised the JNIOR pricing at all, ever, since 2005. But, this isn't a $20K+ high end system which is where the support question becomes much more critical.
To be transparent, you know we have 100,000+ of these things everywhere. Even in Mongolia. I wonder how they keep the camels quiet at the drive-ins? Kevin and Tony field maybe 2-3 support calls a week. Mostly simple stuff simply resolved. So we don't feel the pain of any real cost. We have a lot of recurring issues like the Dolby/Doremi password bug which are quick to diagnose and resolve. Often customers just need to update. So I wonder how I might approach this topic myself if I were a GDC or other company on that level? I can understand how Paul would be unhappy with that response.
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Bruce, what is this Dolby/Doremi password bug you are speaking of? I guess it's never bit me.Comment
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It is detailed in another thread...It has to do with how the Doremi integrated JNIOR device handles the password to the JNIOR.Comment
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This whole thread is why theater owners need to amortize their digital equipment off over ten to 12 years tops. Those who do not are very foolish. I have several customers that took this heed in the beginning of digital.
MarkComment
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