What This Guide Covers

This article addresses the An automatic refresh of the contract data failed alert on Dell EMC Unity storage arrays. It provides software-level troubleshooting steps to restore automated contract data synchronization between the Unity system and Dell's backend entitlement services, ensuring continued support visibility and **preventing unnecessary operational disruptions** without requiring hardware intervention.

 

 

Quick Fix Summary

- Verify and restore outbound network connectivity from the Unity management interface to Dell's Secure Remote Services (SRS) endpoints over HTTPS (port 443).

- Manually trigger a contract data refresh in Unisphere under Settings > Remote Support > Support Contracts to re-synchronize entitlement data.

- Validate DNS and NTP configuration on the Unity system to ensure hostname resolution and accurate time synchronization, both of which are required for secure communication with Dell's entitlement services.

 

 

Overview

 

Dell EMC Unity systems periodically communicate with Dell's backend support infrastructure to automatically refresh contract and entitlement data. This process validates the system's active support agreement, warranty status, and feature licensing. The data is displayed in Unisphere and is also leveraged by CloudIQ and Secure Remote Services (SRS) for proactive support and alerting.

 

When this automatic refresh fails, Unisphere generates an alert indicating that the system was unable to retrieve updated contract information. While this alert **does not impact storage data services** (block, file, or vVol operations), it may affect the accuracy of support entitlement visibility, proactive case generation, and CloudIQ reporting. Resolving the issue promptly ensures full support coverage transparency and uninterrupted remote support capabilities.

 

 

Error Indicators

 

Indicator | Details

 

Primary Alert Message | `An automatic refresh of the contract data failed`

 

Alternate Messages | `Unable to retrieve support contract information`, `Contract data is out of date`

Unisphere Location | Alert appears under System > Alerts or Settings > Remote Support > Support Contracts

 

Alert Severity | Warning or Notice

 

CloudIQ Impact | Contract status may show as Unknown or Not Available

 

Recurrence | Alert may recur at each scheduled refresh interval (typically every 24 hours) until resolved

 

Support Contract Display | Contract details in Unisphere may show stale data or "Last Updated" timestamp significantly in the past

 

 

Possible Causes

 

Cause | Description

Network connectivity disruption | The Unity management interface cannot reach Dell's SRS gateway or entitlement service endpoints due to firewall rules, proxy changes, or network outages

 

DNS resolution failure | The Unity system cannot resolve the hostnames of Dell's remote support servers

 

NTP time drift | Significant clock skew causes SSL/TLS certificate validation failures during the secure connection to Dell's services

 

Proxy misconfiguration | Corporate proxy settings on the Unity have changed, expired, or require re-authentication

 

SRS/Connectivity Hub disruption | The Secure Remote Services gateway or Connectivity Hub intermediary is offline, misconfigured, or has been decommissioned

 

Expired or unlinked support contract | The support agreement associated with the system's serial number has expired or is not properly linked in Dell's entitlement database

 

UnityOE version compatibility | Older Unity Operating Environment versions may have known issues with contract refresh endpoints that have been addressed in later releases

 

 

 

Troubleshooting Steps

 

Step 1 — Manually Trigger a Contract Data Refresh (Confirmed Fix)

 

1. Log in to Unisphere using an account with Administrator privileges
2. Navigate to Settings > Remote Support > Support Contracts
3. Click Refresh or Update Now
4. Observe the refresh status:

   - Success — Contract data is updated and the alert should auto-clear

   - Failure — Proceed to Step 2 for network diagnostics

5. If successful, verify:

   - Contract Type (e.g., ProSupport, ProSupport Plus)

   - Expiration Date is current and valid

   - Last Updated timestamp reflects the current date/time

 

 

 

Step 2 — Verify Outbound Network Connectivity

 

The Unity management interface requires outbound HTTPS access to Dell's remote support infrastructure.

 

Check connectivity from Unisphere:

1. Navigate to Settings > Remote Support > Connectivity
2. Review the connection status:

   - Connected — SRS gateway is reachable

   - Disconnected — Network path is blocked or misconfigured

 

Check connectivity via UEMCLI (SSH):

bash

 Verify remote support connection status

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /sys/support/config show

 

 Verify management interface network configuration

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /net/if show

 

 

Required outbound access:

 

| Destination | Port | Protocol | Purpose |

|-------------|------|----------|---------|

| Dell SRS Gateway endpoints | 443 | HTTPS | Contract data, remote support, call-home |

| Dell Connectivity Hub (if used) | 443 | HTTPS | Intermediary gateway for air-gapped environments |

| DNS servers | 53 | UDP/TCP | Hostname resolution for Dell endpoints |

| NTP servers | 123 | UDP | Time synchronization |

 

Firewall verification:

- Work with your network team to confirm that the Unity management IP has unblocked outbound HTTPS (443) access to Dell's SRS endpoints

- Common Dell SRS gateway FQDNs include endpoints in the `*.emc.com` and `*.dell.com` domains

- Refer to the Dell SRS network requirements document for the complete list of required endpoints

 

 

 

 Step 3 — Validate DNS Configuration

 

1. In Unisphere, navigate to Settings > Networking > DNS
2. Verify that at least one primary and one secondary DNS server are configured
3. Confirm the DNS servers are reachable and resolving external hostnames

 

Via UEMCLI:

bash

 View DNS configuration

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /net/dns show

 

 View configured DNS servers

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /net/dns/config show

 

 

Test resolution (if SSH service access is available):

bash

nslookup esrs.emc.com

 

If DNS resolution fails:

- Update DNS server addresses in Unisphere under Settings > Networking > DNS

- Ensure the management network has a valid default gateway configured

 

 

 

Step 4 — Validate NTP Configuration and Time Synchronization

 

SSL/TLS connections used for contract data refresh require accurate system time. A clock drift of more than a few minutes can cause certificate validation failures.

 

1. In Unisphere, navigate to Settings > Management > NTP
2. Verify:

   - NTP is enabled

   - At least one NTP server is configured and reachable

   - System time is accurate

 

Via UEMCLI:

bash

 View NTP settings

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /net/ntp show

 

# View current system time

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /sys/time show

 

 

If time is significantly off:

- Correct the NTP server addresses

- If NTP servers are unreachable, temporarily set the time manually, then restore NTP:

 bash

  uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /sys/time set -time "2024-01-15 14:30:00"

 

 

 

 

Step 5 — Review and Update Proxy Settings

 

If the Unity system accesses external services through a corporate proxy:

 

1. In Unisphere, navigate to Settings > Remote Support > Proxy Settings
2. Verify:

   - Proxy address and port are correct

   - Proxy authentication credentials (if required) are current and valid

   - The proxy supports HTTPS CONNECT for outbound TLS connections

3. If proxy settings have recently changed in your environment:

   - Update the proxy address, port, and credentials in Unisphere

   - Click Test Connection to validate

 

Via UEMCLI:

bash

View proxy configuration

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /sys/support/proxy show

 

Update proxy settings

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /sys/support/proxy set -addr <proxy_IP> -port <port> -user <proxy_user> -passwd <proxy_password>

 

 

 

Step 6 — Re-enable or Reconfigure Secure Remote Services (SRS)

 

If the SRS connection has been disrupted or the Connectivity Hub has been changed:

 

1. In Unisphere, navigate to Settings > Remote Support
2. Check the Remote Support Status:

   - If Disabled — Click Enable and follow the configuration wizard

   - If Disconnected — Click Reconnect or Re-configure

3. If using a Connectivity Hub (Gateway):

   - Verify the gateway appliance is powered on and accessible

   - Confirm the gateway IP address configured on the Unity is correct

   - Test connectivity to the gateway

4. Accept the EULA if prompted during re-enablement
5. After re-establishing the connection, return to Support Contracts and trigger a manual refresh (Step 1)

 

 

 

Step 7 — Verify Support Contract in Dell's Portal

 

If all connectivity is healthy but the refresh still fails:

 

1. Go to [Dell Support](https://www.dell.com/support)
2. Enter your Unity serial number or service tag
3. Verify:

   - The system is registered under your Dell account

   - The support contract is active and not expired

   - The serial number matches the Unity system's actual serial

4. If the contract appears expired or unlinked:

   - Contact your Dell account representative or Dell ProSupport to renew or re-link the contract

   - After the contract is updated on Dell's backend, trigger a manual refresh on the Unity (Step 1)

 

Check serial number via UEMCLI:

bash

uemcli -d <Unity_IP> -u admin -p <password> /sys/general show

 

 

 

Step 8 — Clear the Alert After Resolution

 

Once the contract data has been successfully refreshed:

 

1. Navigate to System > Alerts in Unisphere
2. Locate the contract refresh failure alert
3. The alert should auto-clear after a successful refresh
4. If the alert persists, manually acknowledge or clear it:

   - Select the alert

   - Click Acknowledge or Delete

5. Monitor over the next 24–48 hours to confirm no recurrence at the next scheduled refresh cycle

 

 

Additional Notes

 

-📘 Non-impacting alert — This alert does not affect storage data services (LUNs, file systems, replication, or snapshots). It is an informational/management-plane alert related to support entitlement visibility only.

- 🔄 Refresh frequency — The Unity system typically attempts to refresh contract data once every 24 hours. After resolving the root cause, the next automatic cycle should succeed without further intervention.

- 🔒 Air-gapped environments — In environments where the Unity has no direct internet access, a Dell Connectivity Hub (formerly ESRS Virtual Edition gateway) must be deployed as an intermediary. Ensure the gateway itself has outbound HTTPS access to Dell's services.

- 📋 UnityOE updates — Dell periodically addresses remote support connectivity improvements in Unity Operating Environment updates. Verify your system is running the latest recommended OE version under Settings > Software and Licenses > Update Unity.

- ⚠️ Multiple alerts — If this alert appears alongside other remote support alerts (e.g., "call-home failure" or "remote support connectivity lost"), address the underlying network connectivity issue first, as all remote support functions share the same communication path.

- 🛠️ Support bundle — If the issue persists after all steps, generate a support bundle via Settings > Service > Collect Service Information and contact Dell ProSupport with the collected data for advanced diagnosis.

 

 

References

 

Resource | Link

 

Original Dell Community Thread| An Automatic Refresh of the Contract Data Failed in EMC Unity https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/unity/an-automatic-refresh-of-the-contract-data-failed-in-emc-unity/647f71e7f4ccf8a8def8c603

Dell EMC Unity Support Page | Dell Support – Unity https://www.dell.com/support/home/product-support/product/unity-all-flash

Dell Secure Remote Services (SRS) Documentation | Dell SRS https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000125498)

Dell CloudIQ Portal| CloudIQ https://cloudiq.dell.com

Dell Product Registration| Dell Support Home https://www.dell.com/support

 

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Affected Systems

 

Category | Details

 

Storage Platform | Dell EMC Unity 300, 350F, 400F, 450F, 500F, 550F, 600F, 650F; Dell EMC Unity XT 380, 380F, 480, 480F, 680, 680F, 880, 880F

Management Interface | Unisphere (browser-based), UEMCLI (CLI), REST API

UnityOE Version | All versions (update to latest recommended)

Remote Support | Dell Secure Remote Services (SRS), Connectivity Hub (formerly ESRS-VE Gateway)

Cloud Services | Dell CloudIQ

Network Requirements | Outbound HTTPS (443), DNS (53), NTP (123) from Unity management interface