METHOD OF PROVIDING SERVICE-PROVIDER-SPECIFIC SUPPORT LINK DATA TO A CLIENT IN A STORAGE CONTEXT

A method of providing service-provider-specific link data to a client computer includes (a) at a storage management server (SMS), the SMS being configured to provide management services for a data storage system, sending an identification number of the SMS to a database application, (b) at the SMS, receiving, from the database application, a set of link descriptors, the set of link descriptors identifying a set of link addresses (LAs) to a particular remote storage support server (RMSS) of a plurality of RMSSs, the particular RMSS being associated with the identification number, (c) at the SMS, integrating system-specific status information into the LAs of the set of LAs, thereby generating the service-provider-specific link data, and (d) at the SMS, sending the service-provider-specific link data to the client computer to allow the client computer to display links to a user which allow the user to receive service-provider-specific support services from the service-provider.