Support requirements

Linux is one of the best-documented operating systems. Information is available in the form of man-pages (manual pages), HTML documentation, or simple READMEs. Help and problem descriptions are also available online. If you have problems with SUSE LINUX, you should first always consult our support database. This contains the latest information and instructions for your SUSE Linux operating system.

If you do not find a solution to your problem in any of these information sources, we will be happy to provide you with support in the following areas:

• Installation on a typical, private, standalone PC or laptop with a single-processor system, with at least 128 MB RAM and 2 GB free space on the hard disk
• Resizing of a single Windows partition that covers the entire hard disk
• Installation of an internal IDE or SCSI CD or DVD-ROM drive
• Installation on the first or second hard disk in an IDE-only (/dev/hda or /dev/hdb), SCSI-only system - excluding RAID or on supported S-ATA controllers without RAID function
• Integration of a standard keyboard and a standard mouse
• Configuration of the graphical user interface without configuration of the hardware acceleration function of the graphic card
• Installation of the boot manager in the master boot record (MBR) of the first hard disk or on diskette without modification of the BIOS mapping
• Configuration of the Internet connection with supported PCI ISDN card, external serial modem (not USB) or a DSL connection based on a supported PCI network adapter and PPPoE
• Support for the software selection "Standard System"
• Upgrade of the base system from a direct predecessor version
• Kernel updates (only official SUSE update RPMs)
• Installation of official bug fixes and security updates from ftp.suse.com or one of the SUSE FTP mirrors via YOU or manually

You can find a detailed list of our free support services here

Important:

We will always try to help you as quickly and accurately as possible. A detailed question reduces our workload and the time required. Therefore, you should clarify the following points in advance and be sure to have the following information to hand before you pick up the receiver:

• What program/version is involved? During which operation does the problem occur?
• What exactly is the problem? Try to formulate the description of the problem as a concrete when/then statement (for example, when I press the button "xy", then ...)
• Which hardware are you working with (graphics card, monitor, printer, ISDN card etc.)?

Further information on installation support:

1. Your support entitlement depends on a valid and active registration code. In order to register your code, you first need to create an account for yourself in our customer portal. Further information regarding our customer portal can be found in the Portal FAQ.
   Further advantages of the registration code: By storing your personal registration code with us, you can purchase the next version of SUSE LINUX as a Professional Update Version at the update price. For this reason, you should register for each edition of SUSE LINUX. This also applies if you perform an update or purchase the product directly from us.
2. The registration code is non-transferable.
3. The entitlement to free installation support relates to initial installation and one system only.
4. SUSE LINUX hardware support is a prerequisite for us being able to provide the relevant support.
5. We cannot provide free installation support for the Live CD (only available with SUSE LINUX 9.1 Personal).
6. There are no guaranteed response times for support requests.

Time period for installation support

As the development of Linux has intensified in recent years, we can only offer this service for a limited period for our products. We therefore offer this support for a specific period and version. With every version of SUSE LINUX you buy, you receive a 14-character registration code that enables you to put questions to our support department, once the code has been registered for you.

Free support is available to owners of SUSE LINUX 9.1 Personal for a total of 30 days. We offer this service for 60 days for SUSE LINUX Professional Update Version and 90 days for the Professional Version.

The current version of SUSE LINUX Professional 9.2. For the preceding version, SUSE LINUX AG offers free installation support for a maximum of 90 days after publication of the latest release. The following table shows how long we will be offering support for your versions, and when this service will expire:

For SUSE LINUX versions for which free support has expired, or for subjects that go beyond the scope of the free support, we can offer you chargeable advanced support services.