How can I access Cisco technical support?

The Cisco® Technical Support Website (www.cisco.com/techsupport) provides online documents and tools for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. The Cisco Technical Support Website is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Do I need a password to log on to the Cisco Technical Support Website?

You can view many technical support documents online without a user ID and password, but to access most of the online tools, a Cisco.com user ID and password are required.

How do I get a Cisco user ID?

If you have a valid Cisco service contract, you can obtain a Cisco user ID and password at: www.cisco.com/register. If you have forgotten your contract number, go to the Cisco Service Contract Center at: www.cisco.com/public/scc.

What does my service contract entitle me to?

With a service contract you have access to Cisco's comprehensive suite of support services. These services can help you improve the overall efficiency of your network operations and network performance, and benefit from Cisco's engineering knowledge and experience base, leading practices, and innovative, Web-based tools.

For more information about Cisco support service options, go to: www.cisco.com/en/US/products/index.html.

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How do I submit a service request?

The fastest way to create S3 and S4 service requests and submit them to the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) is to use the online TAC Service Request Tool (tools.cisco.com/ServiceRequestTool/create/). After you describe your situation, the TAC Service Request Tool recommends resources for an immediate solution. If your issue is not resolved via these automatic solutions, your service request will be assigned to a Cisco TAC engineer.

For S1 or S2 service requests — if your production network is down or severely degraded — or if you do not have Internet access, contact the Cisco TAC via telephone. Cisco TAC engineers are assigned immediately to S1 and S2 service requests to help keep your business operations running smoothly.

To submit a service request via telephone, use one of the following numbers:

• Asia-Pacific: +61 2 8446 7411 (Australia: 1 800 805 227)
• EMEA: +32 2 704 55 55
• USA / Canada: 1 800 553 2447

For a complete listing of Cisco TAC contacts, please visit:
www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts

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What information do I need to provide when submitting a service request?

Whether submitting a service request online or by telephone, you need to provide the following information:

• Service and support contract number and product serial number. If you have forgotten your contract number, go to the Cisco Service Contract Center at www.cisco.com/public/scc.
• Network topology and explanation
• Output from show tech command, if applicable or available, and all other relevant output
• Description of problem and symptoms (only one problem description per service request)
• Software versions and types of equipment

Does Cisco prioritize service requests?

Cisco uses a sophisticated call routing process to get you the right resources as quickly as possible.

To ensure that all service requests are reported in a standard format, Cisco has established service request severity definitions.

• Severity 1 (S1)—Your network is "down" or there is a critical impact to your business operations. You and Cisco will commit all necessary resources around the clock to resolve the situation.
• Severity 2 (S2)—Operation of an existing network is severely degraded, or significant aspects of your business operation are negatively affected by inadequate performance of Cisco products. You and Cisco will commit full-time resources during normal business hours to resolve the situation.
• Severity 3 (S3)—Operational performance of your network is impaired while most business operations remain functional. You and Cisco are willing to commit resources during normal business hours to restore service to satisfactory levels.
• Severity 4 (S4)—You require information or assistance with Cisco product capabilities, installation, or configuration. There is little or no effect on your business operations.

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What can I expect from Cisco when I create a service request?

When you create a service request, you will:

• Receive prompt, courteous service from a TAC Engineer qualified to solve the problem.
• You will receive assistance by telephone or electronic mail for information related to product use, configuration, and troubleshooting.
• Response will be within one hour for all calls received during standard business hours and for S1 and S2 calls received outside standard business hours. Standard business hours are defined as Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time.
• Response will be no later than the next business day for S3 and S4 calls received outside standard business hours.
• You will receive automated service request status updates at regular intervals.
• Receive a comprehensive solution to your problem. Furthermore, Cisco will not close your service request until you are satisfied that your network is returned to the performance levels attained prior to the discovery of the problem. If at any time you are dissatisfied with the level of service, you may choose to escalate your service request.
• Receive workaround solutions to reported Cisco software problems using reasonable commercial efforts. In some cases, Cisco will implement a patch to the software. When Cisco asks you to upgrade software to resolve a problem, you will usually receive information about the specific software problem. However, to speed resolution, you may elect to upgrade without receiving the specific information. If this is the case, Cisco will still attempt to identify the software problem.

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What does Cisco expect from me during the service request resolution process?

When you create a service request, you can facilitate the resolution process by:

• Setting the severity of the service request accurately based on the effect on your organization. This will allow Cisco to allocate the appropriate resources to resolve problems.
• Using the Cisco online resources before creating the service request. The online resources available at the Cisco Technical Support Website (www.cisco.com/techsupport) can be used to resolve the majority of S3 and S4 service requests.
• Creating a separate service request for each unrelated technical problem. This allows Cisco to better isolate, troubleshoot, diagnose, and solve each distinct problem. It also allows more accurate service request tracking in the TAC Service Request Tool.
• Providing information about your network and applications, and reasonable access to the network, equipment, or both through the Internet or modem. This will enable Cisco to more quickly and accurately diagnose and correct the problem. (For information on how to enable remote access to your network, please review the remote access guidelines.)
• Using the latest release of Cisco software, if required to correct a reported software problem.

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How can I update and track the status of my service request?

You can check the status of your service request or provide updates using the TAC Service Request Tool. Each time you update your service request, an alert is sent to your Cisco TAC engineer. Your changes are captured in the service request history.

Service request status is defined as follows:

• Customer Updated—The service request has been updated.
• Customer Requested Closure—You requested that the service request be closed.
• Cisco Pending—Your Cisco TAC engineer is currently investigating the issue. No workaround has been found at this time.
• Close Pending—Your Cisco TAC engineer has provided you with a solution to your issue. Contact the assigned engineer if you think the problem has not been solved.
• Customer Pending—Your Cisco TAC engineer has requested information from you and is waiting for your response. No workaround has been identified at this time.
• Release Pending—Your Cisco TAC engineer has submitted a request to Cisco Development Engineering for investigation.
• Service Order Pending—Your Cisco TAC engineer has sent you a hardware replacement.

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How can I escalate a service request?

If you feel that progress on your service request or the quality of service is not satisfactory, Cisco encourages you to escalate your request to the appropriate level of Cisco management. You can do this by asking for the TAC Duty Manager. The TAC Duty Manager will take ownership of the problem and provide you with updates.

The Cisco TAC Duty Manager can be contacted using the telephone numbers at: www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts.

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What is a Service Order and how is one created?

A Service Order is a system-generated number that is used as a coalition point for all information pertaining to the authorization of a product return. During the troubleshooting process, you and the TAC engineer assigned to assist you may determine that a service part replacement or onsite field engineer is required to resolve your service issue. The TAC engineer generates a Service Order on your behalf for the identified replacement part or field engineer. Delivery is based upon the terms of your contract.

How can I check the status of my Service Order?

Enter your Service Order number, purchase order number, TAC service request number, TAC task, or "ship-to" ID, and the Service Order/RMA Status tool (www.cisco.com/techsupport/status) will provide an update.

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What resources are available at the Cisco Technical Support Website?

The Cisco Technical Support Website provides product and technology support, online tools, and software downloads. This information is categorized and presented in four sections: Product Support, Technology Support, Tools, and Downloads at: www.cisco.com/techsupport.

On the homepage of each section is a full listing of topics, displayed alphabetically in the left navigation bar. Use this navigation bar to quickly access the section's complete collection of technical content as well as move between sections.

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Product Support

The Product Support home page (www.cisco.com/techsupport/products) provides links to information about hardware and software, implementation and configuration, and verification and troubleshooting for the following Cisco products:

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Technology Support

The Technology Support home page (www.cisco.com/techsupport/technologies) provides links to helpful information about planning and design, implementation and configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization for Cisco technologies, including:

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Tools

The Tools home page (www.cisco.com/techsupport/tools) provides links to online tools and utilities. In addition to calculators and software download utilities, tools are available for troubleshooting, configuration, installation, assessment, and service request management. Most online tools require a Cisco.com user ID and password for access.

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Downloads

The Software Center home page (www.cisco.com/techsupport/downloads) provides links to information about software products and downloads, specific file access, and releases. Registered Cisco.com users can also link to other software-related technical support applications such as the Software Advisor, Software Search Tool, and Cisco IOS Upgrade Planner—online tools to investigate hardware and software issues and ensure compatibility.

How often is the content on the Technical Support Website updated?

Cisco continually posts the latest technical support information on the Cisco Technical Support Website.

If you are a registered Cisco.com user with a valid service contract, you can also sign up for product-specific e-mails from the Product Alert Tool (www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/Support/FieldNoticeTool/field-notice). The Product Alert Tool offers you the ability to set up one or more profiles to receive instant e-mail notifications of new field notices, product alerts, or end-of-life information for the products that you have selected.

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Who can help me learn how to use the Cisco Technical Support Website?

The best way to learn how to use the Cisco Technical Support Website is to attend Cisco Technical Support Seminars. These free, online seminars show you how to find the technical information necessary for designing and supporting your networks, enhancing your networking skills, implementing and configuring products and networks, and troubleshooting network issues.

View Cisco Technical Support seminar offerings at: www.cisco.com/techsupport/seminars.

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What other Cisco training resources are available?

The following training resources provide opportunities to enhance your technical knowledge and become more self-sufficient in resolving technical support issues:

• Technical Support Seminars—Live and recorded online seminars teach you how to use the tools and documentation located on the Cisco Technical Support Website to resolve technical support issues.
• Cisco Learning Connection—Acquire the advanced skills of Cisco TAC engineers in networking fundamentals, IP routing, LAN switching, and voice. Look for the TAC branded content (CCT-TAC) on the Cisco Learning Connection Website.
• E-Seminars—Discover how Cisco products and technologies provide solutions for current commercial Internet, telephony, and network business trends.

You can view more information about these training resources at:
www.cisco.com/techsupport/training

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Are there discussion forums I can join?

Yes. Networking Professionals Connection (www.cisco.com/discuss/networking) is an online community for networking professionals to share questions, suggestions, and information about networking solutions, products, and technologies.

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