SUSE Support: Online and Always On

Remember that time in our lives when we had a question we had to look it up in a *gasp* encyclopedia or even ask a person? Those days seem long gone and the typical response now is “Google it!”  While the SUSE Support team is always available, let’s not forget our amazing online resources — resources that are “always-on.”  In fact, you can think of them as SUSE’s version of Google for open source answers!

These resources are put together with true collaboration from our partners, customers, and community.  So let’s talk about some of these online resources and how they can help you to keep your infrastructure up and running smoothly.

Community Support

SUSE has curated discussion forums that are monitored by our team, but community-run.  From SUSE Linux Enterprise discussions to Kubernetes and Containers, there’s a forum for everyone.  And, our forums are super active.  They are a great place to discuss and obtain answers in regard to a number of SUSE products and open source solutions.

Whether you want to ask questions, respond to any forum message or tell us about your latest adventure with your SUSE product, forums are the place for you.  Extend a helping hand to one of your fellow users by jumping into the conversations.  Don’t be shy. Even if you are not sure of your answer, the input from multiple sources gives the person asking the question options. While not “official” support from SUSE, the participants share so much experience and technical expertise, they are a great place to get some good free advice.

And while our forums are not officially monitored, you’ll be sure to recognize our support engineers actively participating in them.

Knowledge Base Support

So what exactly is the SUSE Knowledge Base?  And how official is it?  The answer is totally official!  The knowledge base is where you will find links to articles, patches, technical information documents (TIDs), product documents and Common Vulnerability and Exposure (CVE) documents.

You can access the knowledge base in two ways:

• From any product page, select the Support link in the green box. That link will take you directly to the knowledge base for that product.
• From the main navigation bar, select Support & Services, then select the Knowledge Base under Support Resources. That link will allow you to choose from a list of products.

Chat Support

Finally, let’s not forget chat.  Simple issues need simple responses and accessing support via chat is simple and quick.

Get real-time access to the SUSE team and have the option to allow your engineer to connect to your system for improved troubleshooting and easier walk-through directions. You can grant full viewing access to your desktop. Chat support is available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Bomgar CHAT client (now called Beyond Trust) must be downloaded and port 443 must be opened to use chat support.

Always-On and Online

So when you have a burning question at 3 in the morning, you have access to a number of options.  Options that are online and always on.  Need additional help?    Be sure to check out the SUSE Technical Support Handbook.  And, of course, if you do want to talk to a person, pick up the phone!  Our follow-the-sun Team is always on and available to support your needs.

Isn’t it nice to know that you can always get an answer? Our team is here for your team — always on, experienced and treating you like family!