Frequently Asked Questions
YES Certification Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the purpose of YES Certified?
A: The main goals of YES Certification are:
- Help customers easily identify and purchase hardware solutions that have been tested for compatibility and are supported in a SUSE environment—including SUSE Linux Enterprise products—in native and virtualized mode.
- Help Hardware Vendors deliver and market solutions that work well and are easily supported in a SUSE environment.
- Solve hardware and SUSE Linux compatibility problems before they reach the customer, reducing support costs.
- Ensure that both products are fully supported by both the partner and SUSE for the life of the combined products.
- Help increase sales.
Q: Why should products in my network be YES Certified?
A: Information technology is a critical asset for any business and deploying compatible and supported hardware protects and enhances your valuable information technology assets. For hardware, SUSE works closely with companies, helping them to achieve YES Certification. If you call SUSE for end-user or system integrator support and your network incorporates YES Certified products, SUSE technicians can reference existing support documentation such as YES Certified bulletins and Technical Information Documents. If the error persists, technicians can duplicate the situation in a SUSE lab or work with the product vendor, leveraging the relationship that was developed during the testing process, to resolve the problem. In short, YES Certified is the first line of hardware interoperability assurance for SUSE customers.
Q: What are YES Certified bulletins?
A: SUSE publishes a YES Certified bulletin documenting tested product configurations. These bulletins detail what products were used in testing—such as versions of SUSE products—network adapters, controller devices, and supported drivers. Bulletins also indicate specific product configuration, the date of the testing, special network configuration information or other related information important to product interoperability in a SUSE environment. For example, a bulletin can tell you if a particular server using a particular device and driver handles memory over 1 TB correctly. This information may be in the form of a configuration note or a line item indicating whether certain functionality is supported.
Q: What products are not eligible to be YES Certified?
A: Component Hardware: SUSE does not create individual bulletins for individual motherboards, individual LAN devices, individual storage devices, or any removable or remote storage devices. Vendors cannot move a motherboard from a YES Certified system into a non-tested system and expect that second system to be considered YES Certified. YES Certification is run against complete systems, not the motherboard or individual devices.
System Components: While SUSE does test system components as part of the complete computer system, during YES Certification, SUSE does not specifically test products such as cabling, power supplies, and some types of I/O cards. These components may affect system performance, but in most cases do not have a direct effect on support of the operating system.
Undefined Test Criteria: As new technologies emerge products will be developed that do not fall into any of the SUSE standard testing categories but have a direct interface to the SUSE Linux Enterprise operating systems. In these cases, SUSE does not offer YES Certification testing until we can define or develop specific compatibility testing criteria for that new technology. If there are technologies that you would like to see being tested, contact SUSE at certifications@suse.com.
Q: Which SUSE Operating System versions are eligible for YES Certification?
A: YES Certification tests are only available for current versions of released products, (including service pack levels) which receive full support from SUSE.
Note: Products cannot be YES Certified with any release of openSUSE or SLE Liberty.
Q: Does my company need a formal relationship with SUSE to participate in YES Certification?
A: Yes, becoming a SUSE One Partner is required, along with signing the associated addendum that corresponds the level of participation.
Q: What is the difference between the YES Certified and other certification programs?
A: YES Certified is for hardware solutions. Because these products interact directly with an operating system, SUSE has developed rigorous compatibility tests to ensure very high levels of compatibility between hardware and the operating system.
Hardware Vendors participating in YES Certification agree to a close relationship with SUSE, with the goal of delivering seamless support to customers. Through the joint support agreement, SUSE and the partner can work together on resolving issues while maintaining a consistent interface with the end customer. In addition, YES Certified configurations are documented and published as official YES Certified bulletins on the SUSE YES Certified Bulletin Search.
Q: If I swap components in a YES Certified system, is it still considered YES Certified?
Products using the YES Certified logo are tested in specific configurations which are documented in YES Certified bulletins. Customers should check these bulletins to verify the computer system they receive is the same as the system that was tested. If the computer system is modified in any way, its YES Certification may no longer apply.
In general, vendors are allowed to swap some tested components for another similar tested component. They may also swap components such as cabling and power supplies. Vendors are not allowed to swap any non-tested components or low-level components such as motherboards or BIOS. The only exception to this rule is that a vendor may exchange memory within certain limitations. Buyers should make sure that, if such a modification takes place, the dealer tests the system thoroughly for system integrity. For Specific guidelines pertaining to swapping components, please refer to the Hardware Component Exchange section of this document.
Q: Where do I download the latest System Certification Kit (SCK)?
A: SUSE One partners can download the latest SCK (including tools and documentation) from the YES System Test Tools webpage.
Q: Where do I get support for running the SCK?
A: Depending on the YES Certification program level a partner participates in, support ranges from documentation to an assigned Partner Engineering contact per below:
- 100 Level – Documentation, training videos and email
- 250 Level – Documentation, training videos, email, and 1⁄4 shared Partner Engineer
- 500 Level – Documentation, training videos, email, and 1/2 shared Partner Engineer
- 1000 Level – Documentation, training videos, email, and a dedicated Partner Engineer
Q: Where do I find the SCK training videos?
A: SCK training videos are in the Partner Engineering playlist under the SUSE YouTube channel.
Q: Why should my products be associated with the YES Certified logo and what is the value proposition of the logo as it would appear on my product?
A: For partners, YES Certified means your product can achieve instant credibility in the crowded Hardware Vendor marketplace. For users YES Certified means peace of mind.
In many cases, government agencies and quality-conscious enterprises require that products in a bid be tested for compatibility and achieve a compatibility status—allowing these organizations to stipulate that all bidders' products meet specified exacting standards of quality and interoperability.
In addition, when your company invests time and money to complete YES Certified testing, the technical expertise you gain is likely to show up in reduced post-sales support. Since your company engineers have already worked with SUSE to test your products on SUSE Linux Enterprise software, your staff has plenty of real-world experience when it comes to installing and supporting your products on SUSE platforms. Testing reduces the amount of post-sales support calls because problems are found and fixed before your product ships, saving you time and money.
The YES Certified logo is a valuable trademark of SUSE and recognized around the world as the mark that indicates a product's Support of SUSE technologies. When the YES Certified logo is tightly integrated with your corporate and product messages, you can achieve maximum value from your partnership with SUSE.
Q: Where do I get the YES Certified logo for use on my product website, packaging, and promotional material?
A: YES partners should receive the YES Certified logos as part of a welcome kit. They can also be requested by contacting certification@suse.com
Q: How do I join the SUSE One Partner Program?
A: To learn more about the SUSE One Partner Program and to initiate the process of joining, visit the SUSE One Partner webpage.
3C Frequently Asked Questions
: What is the advantage of 3C to SUSE partners?
A: Additional supported configurations can receive YES Certified bulletins with no additional testing.
Q: What is the advantage of 3C to SUSE customers and end users?
A: Increased availability of compatible products that are YES Certified.
Q: Who qualifies for a 3C bulletin?
A: A SUSE One Partner who YES certifies a hardware system may issue a 3C bulletin for another vendor if the vendor is also a member of the SUSE One Partner program with the appropriate signed YES Certification contracts. In addition, SUSE One Partners can create 3C bulletins for their company when system configuration and naming conventions meet 3C bulletin requirements. For example, the same system may have a different product name in different regions/countries.
Q: What are 3C parent and child bulletins?
A: A 3C parent bulletin is a bulletin for which full certification testing was completed. A 3C child bulletin is a bulletin that is created from a parent bulletin as allowed by the 3C policy.
Q: Does a 3C bulletin look different?
A: No, but 3C child bulletins list the 3C parent bulletin number.
Q: Can a 3C child bulletin be created with a component/ driver certified with a different OS/version than the 3C parent?
A: No.
Q: Can a 3C child bulletin be created with a component/driver certified with a different support pack than the 3C parent?
A: No.
Q: Can a 3C child bulletin be created with a component/driver certified with a different kernel architecture than the 3C parent?
A: No.
Q: Can a 3C child bulletin be created with a component/driver certified with a different kernel than the 3C parent?
A: No.
Q: What if a kernel update or security update was needed in the 3C parent certification?
A: A configuration note will be required on the 3C bulletin stating the exact updated kernel and drivers used in the 3C parent certification.