I don’t normally find the need to rant too often, believing cool, calm and collected gets you through most issues but sometimes the time comes to shine the light on the things that bug you.
Today, that is HP’s Website
Let’s start with Support & Drivers: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/support-drivers.html
Let’s try find the latest drivers for one of HP’s Blade Servers, the BL460, not an obscure product.
No luck…and I know this search hasn’t been working for months.
Try BL490
Ah, that works, so you do know about blade servers.
Let’s try 460.
Ah, that’s better, so you can find 460 but not BL460
Now I’ve also spotted that you have a HP Solution Demo Portal. http://h20324.www2.hp.com/SDP/Content/Booth.aspx?ID=63
I’d like to find out more about Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager.
Click on Infrastructure Software & Blades Demo Environment and click on Details.
HP users please login to request the live demo. All other users, this demo requires scheduling and resources. Please contact your local HP sales rep to schedule a demo. If you do not have a local HP sales rep click here (http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/contact_us.html)
I’m logged on…so, am I an HP user or not? What’s an HP user?
An email has arrived…
Welcome to the HP Solution Demo Portal (Americas), your online resource for pre-recorded and live demo content from HP and our partners. Your account is activated and ready for immediate use. Thank you for using HP Solution Demo Portal (Americas).
Your login information is: Email: ***********
To update your account information at any time, please visit: HP Solution Demo Portal (Americas) and click “Account details”.
OK, so this should work now, back to the site…no, I’m still not an HP User. Maybe I need to check my account information, so off to HP Solution Demo Portal (Americas) Great…won’t be seeing that Demo then!
HP Insight Control for VMware, say I want to download it to have a look. https://h20392.www2.hp.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=HPICE
Receive for Free must then be the Download link.
Now, I have to fill in a form with my address details…not the end of the world as this is common practise before downloading…but hang on, I downloaded a different version yesterday and have already filled in the form, why are my details not saved? Next, onto the HP Support Forums:http://h30434.www3.hp.com/ Ah, I’m now seeing where their priorities are:
- Welcome to the Forum!
- Notebook Computers
- Desktop Computers & Monitors
- Printers and All-In-Ones
- Other HP Products and Technologies
Nothing to do with Servers, Storage or Networking.
Actually, now I see on the right, under Other HP Communities, Enterprise Business Community, maybe that’s where a Forum on say Servers or Flex-10/Virtual Connect would be.
Then try HP Networking
Nothing I can see Flex-10 / Virtual Connect related.
Up a level, try Converged Infrastructure.
Ah, there’s the Blade Connect Community Forums!
Community Home > Converged Infrastructure > Blade Connect Community Forums > Server Blades
OK, I’ve found the HP Community for for everything to do with Blades, networking and servers and it looks pretty comprehensive.
But I also want to find info on other servers, these are actually here.
Community Home > Business Support Forums > Servers > ProLiant Servers - Netservers
Confusing as Blade Servers are also Proliant Servers.
Come on HP, you are a massive technology company and your website is the face you show your customer.
All websites are going to have the odd issue and that is understandable. The problem with the HP website is that it doesn’t seem to evolve and improve. Why do I always have to use Google to search the HP site to find anything? I’m concerned the somewhat caotic organisation of the website is indicative of how other management software is being designed, sometimes bloated, sometimes disorganised, sometimes looking old and tired.