How to Access and Use SUSE Technical Support

Guidelines for how to use and get the most from the technical support you receive with your SUSE Subscription, Premium Support, Academic program, PartnerNet or Technology Partner Support.

• Leveraging Self-Help Resources
  • Search the Knowledgebase
  • Subscribe to Patch Notifications
  • Participate in Support Forums
• Using Customer Center to Access Technical Support
  • Create a Login and Activate Your Subscriptions
  • Add to or Update Authorized Contacts
  • Manage Products and Services
  • Open a Service Request
  • After Hours
  • Information to Include in Your Service Request
  • Checking the Status of Open or Resolved Service Requests
  • Closing a Service Request
• How to Escalate a Service Request
• Resolving Multi-Vendor Issues
• How to Report a Software Defect, Request a Product Enhancement or Report a Security Vulnerability
  • Software Defects
  • Product Enhancement Requests
  • Security Vulnerabilities
• Support Delivery Information
  • Product Support Lifecycle
  • Hours of Coverage and Target Response Times
  • Hours of Coverage and Response Time Targets for Premium Support Engineers
  • Severity Level Definitions
  • Number of Authorized Support Contacts
  • Support Level Definitions
  • Customer Data
• Customer Satisfaction Surveys
• Additional Support Options Available
  • Premium Support
  • Long Term Service Pack Support
  • Technical Subscriptions
  • Consulting
  • Training
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with Expanded Support
• For More Information

Subscribe to Patch Notifications

Through RSS feeds and customized email notifications, you can receive the information you need to keep your systems optimized and secure. Keep your products current with the latest patches, service packs and product version updates. Many known issues can be avoided by effectively managing patch releases and ensuring your products are kept up-to-date. Be familiar with SUSE's Product Support Lifecycle to be aware of how long SUSE will patch and maintain your product. If a defect is found in an older service pack or patch, you may be asked to update to the current release as part of the troubleshooting process. If you need a longer timeframe on a specific service pack, consider Long Term Service Pack Support.

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Asia Pacific

Please call the number for your country listed below to submit a service request by phone:

• Australia: +800 8008 0045
• China, Northern: +86 800 810 6500
• China, Southern: +86 800 810 6500
• Hong Kong: +800 8008 0045
• India: +91 80 400 22990
• Indonesia: +800 8008 0045
• Japan: +81-3-5797-8777
• Korea: +800 8008 0045
• Macau: +800 8008 0045
• Malaysia: 1800 801 925
• New Zealand: 00800 8008 0045
• Philippines: +800 8008 0045
• Singapore: +800 8008 0045
• Taiwan: +800 8008 0045
• Thailand: 001800 611 2781

For any country not listed call (USA) +1-801-861-4000

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Please call the number for your language listed below to submit a service request by phone:

• English: +31 10 286 4440
• Spanish: +31 10 286 4441
• German: +31 10 286 4442
• French: +31 10 286 4443
• Italian:+31 10 286 4445
• Polish: +48 22 537 50 97 (8 a.m.–6 p.m. CET)

After Hours

If you experience a Severity 1 (Critical) issue outside business hours, and have access to 24-hour coverage, it is recommended that you telephone for support (rather than logging a service request through Customer Center).

NOTE: Scheduled Standby is a chargeable service that can be pre-arranged in blocks of four hours during and outside business hours. This service gives you direct access to a SUSE engineer on a standby basis. When you have a scheduled product upgrade or network maintenance task for which you'd like some added insurance, you can have an experienced support engineer standing by. We require a minimum of three business days of notice to arrange for this service.

Information to Include in Your Service Request

WHAT is the problem?

• Which version of the SUSE product (or products) is having the problem?
• Which service pack level is loaded?
• What error messages (if any) are returned?
• What troubleshooting steps have already been performed?

WHERE does the problem occur?

• What is the environment?
• On which sites, servers, directories or clients does the problem occur?
• Where does the problem not occur?

WHEN does the problem occur?

• When did the problem first occur?
• Were changes made prior to the problem occurring? If so, what (installation of products, service packs, network changes, and so forth, for example)?

WHAT is the extent of the problem?

• Is a workaround available?
• What is the business impact of the problem?

SupportConfig Tool

Background information such as log files and configuration of your SUSE Linux system can be provided easily by running the supportconfig tool which is installed by default on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Run the command 'supportconfig' without options to create a local archive to review and eventually upload to us. If you have already opened a service request and received a number, you may run the command as 'supportconfig -ur ' to create and automatically upload the information. The archive will appear in your Service Request after a few minutes. This process also enables us to do some automatic examination, so you will find an HTML report attached to the SR which will give you some indication of already known issues (including security vulnerabilities) and links to the SUSE knowledgebase.

More information on supportconfig can be found in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SP3 Manual as well as online. Learn more about required data.

Checking the Status of Open or Resolved Service Requests

You can access the most current information on your service requests from the Customer Center at www.suse.com/mysupport. After you log in, a list of your service requests and the current status of each is made available. Select one to view its details (which can include current status and detailed descriptions of the actions taken by the support engineer). To display all service requests created under your account(s) (by yourself or other authorized contacts), click the All SRs tab.

Get Help Creating and Managing Service Requests in Customer Center

Closing a Service Request

SUSE has a policy of closing service requests only upon mutual agreement with you. Unless otherwise agreed upon, service requests are closed as soon as you confirm the issue is resolved to your satisfaction. Service requests with no customer response for two weeks may also be closed.

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If you have logged a service request, but are not satisfied with the support or advice provided, you may request escalation assistance by contacting:

• A customer service representative (CSR) via the support center telephone numbers.
• Your Service Account Manager (SAM), if your support agreement provides for one.

Critical Situation Handling Procedure

In exceptional circumstances, where a mission critical component is down, causing a major business impact, we can declare a critical situation. We define a critical situation as "…one or more support Service Requests whose timely resolution will minimize or prevent a major financial loss to one of SUSE's customers (or SUSE)." A critical situation is the highest level of escalation, raising the service request visibility to the executive levels within SUSE.

When you have an issue involving SUSE products that is creating a major, adverse impact to your business, we want to ensure that the proper resources are quickly involved so we can resolve the issue in a timely manner. We have internal escalation procedures that involve specialized and focused levels of technical and management personnel working together to speed resolution.

There are several things you can do during a critical situation that will enable SUSE to help you more effectively. Please follow these guidelines when reporting a critical situation:

• There are several things you can do during a critical situation that will enable SUSE to help you more effectively. Please follow these guidelines when reporting a critical situation:
• Have an authorized contact open the service request by phone. Do not use email or the Customer Center to open a critical service request.
• At the beginning of your initial call, indicate the critical nature of the situation. If the issue did not start out as critical, but has since become such, notify SUSE with a phone call. Information on the level of impact the particular critical situation is having on your business operations is extremely helpful. Be ready to provide SUSE with all relevant information: contact ID, product versions, patch levels, configuration, troubleshooting steps performed, and so forth. (It may be helpful for you to call from the site where the critical situation is occurring.)
• If you have a SAM, notify him or her as soon as possible regarding the critical situation. This is a vital step in ensuring that the appropriate resources are ready to help you.

Should a service request become critical, authorized contacts should notify their support engineer; ASE, PSE, or DSE; and/or SAM to make them aware of the business impact. The support engineer will be able to coordinate all of the relevant technical resources needed to progress a problem to resolution. Where additional escalation assistance is required, the SAM can help facilitate this process. Following this communication process

After they are approved, critical situations are reviewed on a daily basis by the SUSE Technical Support team, which will initiate regular action plan updates from the assigned support engineer (or SAM) to all appropriate management contacts within your organization until the critical situation is resolved.

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We are a founding sponsor and remain an active member of the Technical Support Alliance Network (TSANet)—a global, vendor-neutral, not-for-profit industry support alliance. This organization creates an industry infrastructure, allowing members to collaborate and work on multi-vendor customer issues without "finger pointing." TSANet follows industry-standard support policies and obligates members to collaborate on issues to isolation or resolution (or both).This process gives the customer a seamless interface in solving complex multi-vendor problems among two or more vendors.

TSANet allows the assigned engineer to work directly with an engineer from another vendor to solve support issues. Think of it as a behind-the-scenes mechanism that expedites resolution, often without the customer even being aware it is being engaged. TSANet is a direct vendor-to-vendor contact; however, customers should have appropriate support entitlement with both vendors prior to the interaction. TSANet allows its members to work on your behalf and not waste time duplicating support incidents with multiple vendors. More information on TSANet, including a list of participating members, is available at: www.tsanet.org

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Product Enhancement Requests

SUSE is committed to creating highly functional, user-friendly software. Listening to our customers is an integral part of that commitment. Please help us improve our products by submitting your feedback and requests by opening a Service Request.

Security Vulnerabilities

SUSE's presence in the software security field is continuously contributing to the high degree of trust and confidence that users value in Open Source Software. Do your part to contribute to the unprecedented reputation of our product by reporting any observed vulnerabilities. Learn more about SUSE Security.

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Product Support Lifecycle

SUSE provides technical support on products for the time period specified in the Product Support Lifecycle. The Product Support Lifecycle defines the duration and levels of support customers can expect to receive as products mature. If you need to extend your support and engineering coverage, consider Long Term Service Pack Support.

Hours of Coverage and Target Response Times*

When registering service requests, SUSE has defined targets for the maximum response time to respond when a service request is logged. A response is defined as the time between creation of the service request and the initial communication between the assigned engineer and your company. Response times vary according to the subscription level, Premium Support program or Partner program you have:

*If you have purchased a Premium Support Engineer, refer to the response times in the Premium Support programs table.

**Local 12x5 Support Center hours are as follows: Americas 6 a.m.–6 p.m. MT, APAC 7 a.m.–7 p.m. from your local country, EMEA 8 a.m.–8 p.m. CET, LATAM 8 a.m.–5 p.m. UTC-3 (Argentina time zone)

***The target response time applies to the period when support is available. For example, a Standard subscription Severity 1 service request logged at 6 p.m. will have a target response time of before 10 a.m. the following business day.

Hours of Coverage and Response Time Targets for Premium Support Engineers

If you have a Premium Support Engineer (ASE, PSE, or DSE) or Advantage Service Requests, you may contact the engineer by telephone for any level of severity, not just Severity 1 issues. You may also use Customer Center to open a service request with your engineer via chat or email for any severity except Severity 1.

¹ Standard or Priority subscription or Partner program required before purchasing these services.

² The target response time applies to the period when support is available. For example, a Standard subscription Severity 1 service request logged at 6 p.m. will have a target response time of before 10 a.m. the following business day.

³ Although the Advantage team and Assigned Support Engineers (ASEs) are only available 12x5, customers with Priority subscriptions (24x7 coverage) may open service requests after hours, and partners without a Priority subscription my use one of the Advantage or ASE Service Requests after hours. In both cases, the service request will be assigned to a Technical Support Engineer in the Support Center, but upon request may be transitioned to the ASE or Advantage team during normal business hours.

⁴ Customers with Standard subscriptions receive 12x5 hours of coverage for their PSE or DSE. Customers with Priority subscriptions receive 24x7 hours of coverage for their PSE or DSE. Partners receive 24x7 hours of coverage. You may contact your PSE or DSE after hours for Severity 1 issues or occasional special projects that are scheduled in advance. You may contact your PSE or DSE after hours for Severity 1 issues or occasional special projects that are scheduled in advance. PSEs and DSEs are GEO based resources and do not respond to global requests.

Severity Level Definitions

The severity of a service request is defined when created, and can be set electronically by the customer creating the service request, or by a customer service representative over the telephone. SUSE has defined four severity levels:

Number of Authorized Support Contacts

Support Level Definitions

Customer Data

Customers and partners acknowledge that SUSE may need access to certain software, hardware, data, third party software or other information or material to adequately troubleshoot and test issues. Lack of access to reproduce a customer’s environment may prevent SUSE from reproducing and isolating an issue.

Customers and partners will take responsibility for all data provided to SUSE. SUSE assumes to have consent and permission to troubleshoot with data provided. Customers and partners will not provide data that is alleged to be confidential or proprietary.

Customers and partners acknowledge that data provided may be altered or damaged in the course of testing and troubleshooting, and will take all appropriate measures to back-up the applicable data prior to providing it to SUSE.

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At the closure of each service request, you will receive an invitation to complete a survey regarding your experience (unless your service requests are serviced by an ASE, PSE or DSE, in which case surveys may be conducted less frequently). The survey measures your satisfaction with the overall service request process, as well as in specific areas such as resolution effectiveness, SUSE product quality and support engineer performance. Surveys are delivered in one of eight languages, as specified during the service agreement setup. We encourage your participation in completing this survey to detail your experience on each opened service request. Rest assured, we take customer satisfaction and feedback seriously, and we use this information to determine where improvements can be made.

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Premium Support

When your IT environment is truly business-critical, you need to be sure you can get help, quickly, from people who understand your environment and business needs. You can get that extra assurance with Premium Support, available to help you get the most from your IT investment:

Technical Subscriptions

Technical subscriptions are the ultimate resource for IT professionals. A comprehensive collection of the technical resources you need to keep your systems updated, get training on your products, and troubleshoot even the toughest technical issues. Technical Subscriptions are delivered monthly on CDs and DVDs, providing you to access anytime, anywhere. You can also access the same resources anytime through the Subscriber portal. Compare available subscriptions, activate your subscription, manage usage, and access the subscriber portal to make the most of this valuable resource.

Training

Get the most from your product investment by training your staff to leverage features that will help you stay ahead of the competition, and by ensuring your environment is optimized and stable when managed by knowledgeable staff.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with Expanded Support (Includes Red Hat Support)

If you are running more than one type of Linux in your environment, choose the #1-rated Linux support for your mixed Linux deployment. We will support both your SUSE and Red Hat environment with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with Expanded Support.

Hours of coverage and response times are determined by your subscription level.

Support is provided for versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux currently in Red Hat Production Phase at the time the customer signs up for Expanded Support until product end of life per official policies posted by Red Hat.

Patches and updates are binary compatible to those published via Red Hat Network.

Training for migration to SUSE Linux Enterprise from other Linux platforms is available.

More detailed questions are answered in Frequently Asked Questions.

If you have a question, view Frequently Asked Questions to see if we have an answer. For more information about SUSE technical support, training and certification, or consulting, contact your local SUSE sales representative or partner, or visit: www.suse.com/services

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