Abstract: A computer system is coupled to a remote service provider over a network. The computer system, in response to certain events, may generate an error package, which is transmitted to the remote service provider over the network. The error package includes system logs and may include other pertinent data. The remote service provider receives and unbundles the package, and analyzes the system logs. If it is determined that an error is present, an annotated log is returned to the computer system, and a user is prompted with the corrective action. According to another embodiment of the invention, an error catalog is generated and incorporated into the source code of the operating system of the computer system.

Abstract: A system and method for pre-selecting disks based on their characteristics for use with of a volume within a storage system such that only those disks that have suitable characteristics for the volume are selected. Characteristics of the volume and disks are obtained via a registry which accesses configuration data tables stored in the storage system. A program pre-selects those disks that qualify. The selected disks are then displayed to a user to enable the user to only have valid disks to choose from to perform, for example, a volume creation or volume expansion operation.