Robelle Support/Licensing Policies
For Overseas Customers
Robelle is a North American company that deals directly with customers in all over the world.
- What does the annual support fee cover?
- How do I check whether we currently have maintenance on our Robelle products?
- How do I become a supported customer?
- How do I find out which of my CPUs are licensed to run Qedit/Suprtool?
- We're upgrading our CPU. What do we need to do?
- How do we license Qedit/Suprtool on a new, additional CPU?
- What do I need to know for Disaster Recovery Planning?
- What does the 'Unknown HPSUSAN' error mean?
- Can I get updates on Reel tapes?
What does the annual support fee cover?
Robelle support for overseas sites currently includes the following services:
- Technical support by email for
the person you designate as the main Robelle contact:
Our primary support hours are 7am to 3pm Pacific Time, but we may sometimes answer queries at other times. Each primary support contract entitles you to 5 support incidents per year. Beyond that additional fees will be charged.
- An annual update of the software (encoded for each supported system)
with bug fixes and enhancements, distributed by web download
with authorization codes sent by email (tape media at optional charge). When you pay your annual support
renewal, you receive instructions for downloading the current production version.
- Updated documentation in both PDF and HTML-Help format.
- Pre-releases of Robelle software throughout the year upon request to solve
problems at your site. These are distributed by web download with
authorization codes sent by email.
- What's Up DOCumentation? technical newsletter delivered to
you by email.
If you have more than one server, we normally send one software update per company encoded for all licensed systems. It is the responsibility of the customer to re-distribute it within their organization.
E-mail
for more information on purchasing Robelle support:
What questions does Robelle technical support answer?
Technical support answers specific questions about our products Qedit and Suprtool. Tech support helps track down software problems and submits them to the programmers for correction. Tech support records enhancement suggestions and feeds them into the R&D process.Tech support does not provide basic training on the HP 3000 or HP-UX. Tech support expects the customer contact person to have made an effort to check the user manual and the support materials on our web site:
http://www.robelle.com/support/
How do i get help training my staff?
Our web site has the current product manuals, which are available in three formats: PDF, HTML-Help, and Printed (printed manuals can be purchased by credit card and can be shipped anywhere in the world):
http://www.robelle.com/library/manuals
There is a complete Suprtool training course with Powerpoint
slides and handouts. You are authorized to use it and make copies of the material
for your students:
http://www.robelle.com/products/courses/
How do I get help writing scripts?
Tech support can help with specific problems if you get stuck, but it cannot write your applications for you. Consulting services are available at an additional charge, email:
How do I check whether we currently have maintenance on our Robelle products?
Email us at and we will
be happy to check the status of your account. It would be
useful if you could provide your Robelle customer number (see
a previous invoice) or at least your company name and location.
How do I become a supported customer?
If your support has lapsed, or if you purchased the original product license through a third party (for example, as part of an application package), it makes sense to renew support directly with us, as this ensures that you always have the latest versions of our software that are compatible with the newest Database and Operating System features, as well as access to our support service. To arrange to reactivate your support, e-mail us at:
How do I find out which of my CPUs are licensed to run Qedit/Suprtool?
Every product update will be accompanied by a message listing the Model and HPSusan/SPU ID of the CPUs its licensed to run on. If the product is already installed, you can check as follows:On HP 3000 Systems:
Login as MGR.ROBELLE, and run the EXTEND program with a ",VERIFY" entry point to check the licensing options enabled::HELLO {sessionname},MGR.ROBELLE {password, if any} :RUN EXTEND.PUB,VERIFY EXTEND/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1990-1998 (Version 4.0) Filename [none]: qedit.pub{...or Suprtool.pub}On HP-UX Systems:
Login as root, change to the Robelle "bin" directory, and use the Extend program with a "-v" entry point:# cd /opt/robelle/bin # ./extend -v EXTEND/UX/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1990-1998 (Version 4.0) Filename [none]: qedit
{or suprtool}This will list the program version information, followed by a list of HPSusan numbers/SPI IDs of licensed CPUs.
We're upgrading our CPU. What do we need to do?
You need to contact Robelle with the model numbers and hpsusan numbers of the old and new CPUs. The easiest way to do this is with our CPU Change Form. For an HP 3000 MPE server, collect the unique HP SUSAN number as shown by theSHOWVAR HPSUSAN command and
the model name as shown by the SHOWVAR HPCPUNAME command.
For an HP 9000 HP-UX server, collect the unique HP SUSAN number as shown by the
uname -a command and the model name as shown by the model command.
It would be best to make this call before
you schedule the upgrade, since the software will not run on
the upgraded system without new product verification codes.
The licensing and maintenance fees may be different for
your new system configuration and there may be a transfer fee.
Email us at
Once the new CPU is licensed, we can email you product verification codes to enable the software to run on the new CPU.
How do we license Qedit/Suprtool on a new, additional CPU?
To receive a quotation use our
CPU Change Form, or
email our sales department, or submit a purchase order for
an additional CPU:
What do I need to know for Disaster Recovery Planning?
Your Robelle products have a built-in disaster recovery mechanism, which is documented in DISASTER.PUB.ROBELLE. This is a text file which you can print, and file in your "Disaster Recovery" handbook. In short, it shows how you can use the EXTEND.PUB.ROBELLE program to disable HPSUSAN/SPU ID checking in your Robelle program files, by converting them into 10-day expiring demonstration versions which will run on any CPU. This mechanism can only be used once, so if you need more time for testing, you'll need to contact us to make special arrangements. For extended testing, we have a product rental option.For more information, email:
Unknown HPSUSAN.
When you upgrade your computer, the new computer usually has a different HPSUSAN (HP System Unique Serially Assigned Number) or a different model number from the old one. Your Robelle software has a list of authorized HPSUSANs and their sizes, so when you move the Robelle software to the new computer, the software refuses to run. Just contact us to get the new CPU licensed: