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Call Home

August 1, 2023

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What is Call Home on a NetScaler appliance?

Call Home monitors, and notifies critical events on a NetScaler appliance. By enabling Call Home, you can automate the error notification process. You not only avoid calling NetScaler support, raise a service request, and upload system data before NetScaler support can troubleshoot the issue, but also identify and resolve issues before it occurs.
Is Call Home enabled by default on a NetScaler appliance?

Yes, Call Home is enabled by default on the appliance. If you upgrade to the latest software from an older version where Call Home was disabled by default, the upgrade process automatically enables the feature. If you later choose to disable it, the updated setting is remembered for all further upgrades. For information, see Call Home.
What are the pre-requisites for Call Home to work?

Access to an Internet connection.

Note: If your NetScaler appliance does not have an Internet connectivity, you can configure a proxy server through which NetScaler can generate System Logs and upload it to the Citrix technical support server (CIS).
What are the benefits of using Call Home?
- Monitor hardware and software error conditions.
- Notify about the occurrence of critical events that impact your network.
- Send performance data and System Logs to Citrix to:
  - Analyze and improve product quality.
  - Provide real-time troubleshooting information for proactive issue identification, and faster issue resolution.
Which release of NetScaler software supports Call Home?

NetScaler release 10.0 and later.
What NetScaler platform models support Call Home?

Call Home feature is enabled by default on all NetScaler platforms and all appliance models (MPX, VPX, and SDX).
- NetScaler MPX: All MPX models.
- NetScaler VPX: All VPX models. In addition, it is supported on VPX appliances that obtain their licenses from external or central licensing pools. However, the feature remains the same as for a standard VPX appliance.
- NetScaler SDX: Monitors the disk drive and assigned SSL chips for any errors or failures. The VPX instances, however, do not have access to the Power Supply Unit (PSU) and therefore their status is not monitored. In an SDX platform, you can configure Call Home either directly on an individual instance or through the SVM.
Should I configure SNMP alarm for Call Home to notify error conditions?

No, you need not configure SNMP for Call Home to monitor error conditions, because SNMP and Call Home uploads are independent of each other. If you want to be notified each time an error condition occurs, you can configure the CALLHOME-UPLOAD-EVENT SNMP alarm to generate an SNMP alert whenever a Call Home upload happens. The SNMP alert notifies the local administrator about the occurrences of critical events.
How do I contact a technical support?

For all critical hardware-related events, Call Home automatically creates a service request to NetScaler. For other errors, after you review the System Logs, you can contact the NetScaler technical support team to open a service request for further investigation. To contact support, visit https://www.netscaler.com/resources/support.
What error conditions does Call Home monitor in a NetScaler appliance?

Call Home supports monitoring of the following events in a NetScaler appliance:
- Compact flash drive errors
- Hard disk drive errors
- Power supply unit failure
- SSL card failure
- Warm restart
- Memory anomalies
- Rate limit drops
Do you need a separate license for Call Home?

No, Call Home does not require a separate license. You can enable it in all NetScaler platform licenses.
What data does Call Home send to NetScaler support server and how frequently is it sent?

Call Home collects and sends two types of data to the CIS. They are:
- Basic System information (running NetScaler version, deployment mode (standalone, HA, cluster), hardware details and so on). It is sent at the time of Call Home registration and as part of periodic heartbeats. The heartbeat is sent once every 30 days, but you can configure this interval anywhere from 1 to 30 days. However, a value of less than 5 days is not recommended, because frequent uploads are usually not very useful.
- An abbreviated version of the show tech support bundle when there is an error condition. It is sent upon the first occurrence of a particular error condition since the appliance was last started. That is, a reoccurrence of the same error condition does not trigger another upload unless the appliance was rebooted after the previous occurrence.
Can Call Home generate and upload system logs through a proxy server?

Yes. If your NetScaler appliance does not have direct Internet connectivity, you can configure a proxy server and upload System Logs to the Citrix technical support server (CIS).
Can I review Call Home data before it is sent to CIS?

Unfortunately, you cannot review Call Home data before it is sent to CIS. Call Home does not collect any other data in addition to the data that you will provide when contacting the NetScaler support team.
How secure and private are the Call Home uploads?

Call Home provides data security and privacy in the following ways:
- Uses a secure SSL/TLS channel to transfer data to Citrix servers.
- Uploaded data is reviewed only by authorized personnel and is not shared with any third party.

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Call Home

August 1, 2023

Contributed by:

August 1, 2023

Contributed by:

Call Home

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