NetIQ Support Guide and Technical Support Information
Our goal is to provide optimal value from your NetIQ products throughout the product's lifecycle. From initial installation to on-going support, the NetIQ Worldwide Support Team empowers you to maximize your investment with the support services we provide. In addition to conventional support methods, we offer web-based support tools such as knowledge bases, white papers, product documentation, user forums and an online service request management portal to provide you with the flexibility of accessing support in the way that best suits your needs.
Your input is extremely important to us! We continually improve and add value to our service by maintaining a strong focus on the feedback we receive from our customers through surveys, advisory boards and user forums. Your feedback allows us to continually enhance our support services including online service request management and technical knowledge search capabilities.
Note
The following document applies to all supported geographic regions with the exception of Japan.
Web-Based Self-Service
To access web-based self-service, please visit www.netiq.com/support.
Web-based self-service resources include the NetIQ Knowledge Base, Service Request Manager, NetIQ Qmunity (hosting forums and Product Notifications) and additional online documentation. (The NetIQ Knowledge Base and some online documentation are "unlocked" resources and do not require a purchase.) Listed below are the most commonly used resources.
All customers have access to the following web-based tools and unlocked areas.
Knowledge Base
Access a wealth of technical information including answers to known issues and information on best practices through articles with proven solutions to address your needs.
To access the NetIQ Knowledge Base:
- Go to https://srmanager.netiq.com/eservice_ENU/start.swe.
- Select Documentation, Articles or Advanced Search (for both documentation and articles)
- Type a question in the My Question is field.
- Click Search
Evaluation Support
NetIQ provides evaluation support for 30 days from the date of the trial download installation or longer as may be agreed by NetIQ. Use of "unlocked" web-based resources is encouraged during the evaluation period. In the event that additional support is required, please see 'Contact Information' below.
Contact Information
Includes contact information for Support, Maintenance Renewals, and a complete listing of our phone menus that can help you to reduce the amount of time it takes to contact the product support team that can help you.
To access support contact information:- Go to www.netiq.com/support.
- Navigate to Contact NetIQ on the lower right hand section of the web page.
- Select your Country, and then choose Additional Contact Information under Support.
Note about locked resources: NetIQ Customers / Partners with a current maintenance contract must first create a "MyNetIQ" account and then request access to locked areas. Information on creating a MyNetIQ account can be found at www.netiq.com/support/accessinfo.asp.
Service Request Manager (SRM)
Allows you to open a service request online, update and view existing service request statuses online and receive notifications when your service request has been updated by Technical Support. When opening a new request, SRM will request basic information on the nature of the problem (product, version, severity, description and category).
To access SRM:- Go to www.netiq.com/support.
- Click Submit a Service Request under "Contact Support Options" on the right hand side of the page and login with your MyNetIQ account.
- Create a New Service Request.
NetIQ Qmunity
NetIQ's use of the latest technology has a new location for Product Notifications and speaking with your peers—the NetIQ Qmunity. The Qmunity is a central location to be notified of new releases, find customer-posted content, blog about your innovations and share your thoughts and ideas. Signing up is free and your peers are posting right now! Find us at community.netiq.com/default.aspx.
You will need to join Qmunity and subscribe to the various updates, customer comments and post blogs. This only takes a simple step by joining here: community.netiq.com/user/CreateUser.aspx?ReturnUrl.
Once signed in, be sure to browse and join the various groups for blogging updated, product notifications and other nifty tricks to helping your environment.
Other Online Services
Additional resources are available by selecting a product under View Options for a Specific Product. Note that these options may vary by product and are not limited to the options detailed below. Some of these resources are freely available; others require access to locked resources (eSupport):
White Papers
Best Practices, Specific technology and environments, integration and a host of topics relevant to your NetIQ product deployments.
Documentation
Product specific documentation including release notes, Installation Guides, User Guides, and Administration Guides among others.
Knowledge Depot
The Knowledge Script® Depot (does not apply to all products) features Knowledge Scripts, Reports, and Operator Console plug-ins that address specific needs. Most were developed and contributed by NetIQ customers. Refer to the NetIQ Qmunity for more details.
Diagnostic Tools
Product specific diagnostic tools (does not apply to all products) that gather log files, environment specific information, registry settings, etc.
Hotfixes
The latest information and downloads for product specific Hotfixes.
Upgrades
The latest information and downloads for product specific Service Packs, Upgrades and Releases.
Phone NetIQ Technical Support
To ensure that we can address your issue quickly and efficiently, please have the following available:
- NetIQ product registration numbers.
- Support Service Request number if you are calling about an existing case.
- Have access and permissions to the computer where the affected product is running and have a copy of the product documentation at hand.
NetIQ provides one number to call for support regardless of product. These numbers are differentiated along the following geographic lines.
Note: Essential Care Plan excludes certain company recognized holidays. Contact your Account Team for further information.
North America
Premium and Platinum Care Customers (24x7)
The number to call is provided to you in your Premium and Platinum Care support packages. Both toll and toll free numbers are available.
You can call this number Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 7:00pm CST, excluding holidays ("Normal Hours").
EMEA (Pan-European)
Premium and Platinum Care Customers - (24x7)
The number to call is provided to you in your Premium and Platinum Care support packages. Both toll and toll free numbers are available.
You can call this number Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm GMT, excluding holidays ("Normal Hours").
APAC
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Essential Care Customers (+1-713-418-5540)
You can call this number Monday through Friday from 9:00pm to 8:00am GMT, excluding holidays ("Normal Hours").
Phone Menus
Our phone menus are designed to provide efficient call routing. When your call is received, you will be prompted to make the menu selections to route your call to the appropriate Technical Support Engineer.
To help you navigate through our phone menu, we have created a visual representation of the menu. You will find the link to this diagram online under the "Contact Support" section of the support web page. This link provides direct access to the menu diagram. Download the phone menu from our Web site.
| Location | Phone Menu |
| North America and APAC |  Download Phone Menu |
| EMEA | Download Phone Menu |
Email NetIQ Technical Support
Important Note: NetIQ fully encourages customers to use our online service request logging tool "Service Request Manager". Customers can open a service request online, update and view service request status online, and receive notifications when we have updated your service request.
NetIQ accepts email requests at the following email Support@NetIQ.com When using this direct method of support contact, please include the following information for prompt replies:
- Product name and version number (in the email subject line).
- Service request number if this is a continuation of an existing request (in the email subject line).
- Company name, contact's name, and phone number.
- Brief description of the problem.
Issue Escalation
NetIQ technical escalations are managed through the technical support engineer working on the case. The technical support engineer can engage the appropriate support resources such as senior support, development, product management, quality engineering and Technical Support management while continuing to effectively interface with the customer. This time proven approach has yielded the best results from a customer perspective by providing consistent and accurate accounts of the situation to management and customers and ultimately minimizing the overall resolution time cycle.
Escalation Requests
Customers may escalate at anytime for either technical or customer service reasons. Upon your request, the support engineer working the case, the Technical Team Lead, and the appropriate management staff will be notified. During normal business hours, you should receive a reply in one (1) hour or less.
NetIQ accepts escalation requests at the following e-mail address: TSEscalationSSMProducts@NetIQ.com
Note: If you do not receive a timely response from the escalation method described above, please call the NetIQ Technical Support line and request to be transferred to a manager.
Customer Satisfaction and Feedback
At NetIQ, we value your input and continually make improvements based on your feedback. We consistently measure customer satisfaction using the following methods:
Support Feedback
Our online support service offerings provide a means for overall customer feedback. To submit your comments regarding support in general or an incident in particular, please see Chapter 1, Part 2 of this document for contact information.
Please do not hesitate to e-mail or phone the management team at anytime with your comments. (Please see Chapter 1, Part 2 of this document for phone numbers.)
Service Request Severity / Response Times
The table below outlines the available severity levels of service requests, the recommended method of contact for each severity level and associated targeted response time. Please note that these are targeted response times and not indicative of resolution times. Targeted response times only apply to service requests submitted during Support hours. Responses to existing issues may require a call back when the Support Engineer is otherwise engaged.
| Severity Level | Description | Contact Method | Response Times |
|
System is inoperable, not functioning; data is lost. | Phone |
Premium Care: Essential Care: |
|
Business outage or significant impact threatening future productivity. Very difficult to work around; system is somewhat usable. | Phone |
Premium Care: Essential Care: |
|
Problem impact is high; production is proceeding but in an impaired fashion. Workarounds are available. | Service Request Manager or Phone |
Premium Care: Essential Care: |
|
Issue does not have significant current productivity impact. Examples: product enhancements, usage questions, and cosmetic problems. | Service Request Manager or Phone |
Premium Care: Essential Care: |
* Important Note: After hours Premium and Platinum Care support request calls are processed by a 24 hour paging service. This can delay the normal response of 'immediate' but you will receive the targeted response time for a call back will be within an hour.
Product Updates
General product updates are developed, tested and released by NetIQ to address known issues, platform currency and additions to product functionality. These updates are commonly referred to as Hotfixes, Service Packs and Upgrades and are available from each product's support page.
To access product updates:
- Go to www.netiq.com/support.
- Select a product name from the drop down list under Select a Product.
- Once the screen refreshes, select Hotfixes, Service Packs, or Product Upgrade download if available. All of these downloads will require you to login with your MyNetIQ account.
When the resolution of a support issue requires a hotfix or patch, these can also be made available through the following mechanisms:
- E-Mail from Support Engineer
- FTP Site (client assigned password-protected)
Scope of Support
NetIQ Technical Support is intended to assist, troubleshoot and resolve specific issues resulting from use of NetIQ products on a supported platform which meets the technical pre-requisites set by NetIQ. Issues arising from a need for training, implementation services, and customization (scripting) are not generally included with Technical Support and may be referred to our Professional Services and Knowledge Services organizations to contract for the services appropriate to the need.
Technical Support for supported products is available via a variety of contact methods, which include a product knowledge base, online support request and telephone support during scheduled support hours for current software versions. The current support status information for each product can be found on each of the product landing pages under "Version Support." Technical Support reserves the right to request that a customer upgrade to the current version to resolve a known problem or technical issue. The provision of technical support does not imply that NetIQ will fix software defects or make changes to the software.
The following items are NOT generally supported:
- Operating systems and third-party applications.
- Alterations, customizations or revisions to the NetIQ software made by the customer or NetIQ Professional Services teams (unless otherwise agreed) or any third party.
- Escalations from personnel other than the named Technical Account Contacts.
- Continued support for issues, which NetIQ has provided corrections not implemented by the customer or data requested from the customer but not provided.
- Enhancement requests.
- Alpha or Beta versions of NetIQ software.
- Free or no-cost NetIQ software products and tools.
Product Life Cycle
All products go through the following phases during its lifecycle; the length of each phase may vary according to the specific product. These phases include:
- Beta - new product, pre-release (optional)
- General Availability (GA) - new product version releases
- Continued Support - for previous product
- Sunset - period for the previous product version
Supported Products
The level of technical support available during a product's lifecycle varies depending upon the lifecycle phase that the product is in. The current support status information for each product can be found at www.netiq.com/support/. (Information at this link regarding support status is described as "Current", "Supported", "Withdrawn" and "End of Life" with equivalent terms noted below.)
Beta
During a product beta program, NetIQ may provide support during normal working hours for the product - see your sales representative for additional details. Beta code is only available to customers with a current support plan agreement and is provided on an "as-is" basis.
General Availability: "Current"
For all products in this phase of the lifecycle, NetIQ will provide support and maintenance offerings, which will allow you to choose the most appropriate level of support for your organization. Maintenance offerings may consist of maintenance releases, service packs and/or hotfixes. Hotfixes and service packs are not available for all products. Support services include, but are not limited to Knowledge Base, online support, and phone support during business hours; 24x7 phone support is available to customers who have purchased a Premium or Platinum support plan.
Continued Support: "Supported"
Once a new version becomes available, NetIQ will no longer actively develop new fixes or service packs for the previous release (note; hotfixes and service packs are not available for all product lines). Technical Support reserves the right to request that the customer upgrade to the current version, which is only available with a current support plan agreement.
For an additional 12 months, NetIQ may offer limited support on that version answering usage questions only. Providing technical support during this period does not imply that NetIQ will fix software defects or make changes to the software.
Sunset Period: "Withdrawn"
Following the end of the published version support availability time period, NetIQ will no longer provide support for the previous version (see "Support Withdrawal Date" in the above referenced Knowledgebase Article). Knowledge Base articles will remain available for a period beyond this withdrawal date. NetIQ will not accept support requests for products for which support has been withdrawn or for products available at no charge.
End of Life Products: "End of Life"
Effectively, NetIQ no longer sells these products. NetIQ will continue to offer technical support for the Products until the earlier of (1) the expiration date of your maintenance contract, or (2) the date selected as "End of Life" for the product. During such period, NetIQ will continue to provide the same level of technical support you currently enjoy with the following exceptions:
- If a product defect is found and verified, NetIQ Technical Support will document and evaluate the defect.
- Where a workaround for the issue exists, NetIQ will not provide programmatic fixes for the Products. Workarounds that may cause performance issues, scalability issues, or are labor intensive for the customer are considered valid workarounds.
- In the event that the issue requires functional enhancements to the product, please be advised that NetIQ will not provide further enhancements for the Products. This means that NetIQ will not develop additional features and/or functionalities for the Products.
Providing technical support during this period does not imply that NetIQ will fix software defects or make changes to the software. Please contact your local NetIQ sales representative if you have questions regarding products in this phase: www.netiq.com/about netiq/contactus.asp
Maintenance Renewal
NetIQ's Maintenance Renewal Sales Team is dedicated to providing responsive, high-quality assistance with your maintenance agreement renewals and related inquiries. This ensures continued access to technical support and product updates.
General Questions and Answers
- How do I reach NetIQ for assistance regarding my Maintenance Agreement renewal or related issues?
E-mail the NetIQ Maintenance Renewal Sales Team at MaintenanceRenewalWW@NetIQ.com. Please include your contact information as well as the specific products in question. - How will I know if my organization's Maintenance Agreement is near expiration?
The Maintenance Renewal Sales Team will provide notification to your organization approximately 60 to 90 days prior to the expiration of the then current maintenance term ("Expiration Date"). This notification will include your annual renewal charges for the forthcoming year. - If I have purchased multiple NetIQ products with varying maintenance start and end dates, is it possible to align the Expiration Dates?
Yes, NetIQ offers you the option of co-terminating the Expiration Dates for all licenses owned by your organization. Simply contact your respective Maintenance Renewal Sales Representative directly, or e-mail your request to MaintenanceRenewalSales@NetIQ.com. - After I receive my renewal invoice for Maintenance Renewal, what's next?
From the invoice sent by the Maintenance Renewal Sales Representative, your organization may either pay directly with a check or submit a valid Purchase Order. The payment or purchase order is due prior to the Expiration Date; if the invoice contains multiple licenses with varying Expiration Dates, the payment or purchase order is due prior to the Expiration Date of the most current Expired License(s). - Can I purchase new licenses if we currently own identical licenses with expired maintenance?
Maintenance must be brought current on the Expired Licenses prior to purchasing additional licenses for the same NetIQ software. Re-instatement fees may apply (see (4) below). - What is Platinum Care Support?1
NetIQ Platinum Care Support Program takes our existing Premium support services detailed herein, and extends them to help you truly maximize product value beyond implementation, including: - Consultant on Demand services - for access to NetIQ product experts when you need them for real-time assistance with specific tasks and overall product utilization. Additional terms apply; please contact your account representative for details.
- Remote upgrade planning assistance - to identify issues preemptively and to minimize problems during the upgrade or migration process.2
- Remote health checks, performed quarterly - to provide timely, collaborative recommendations for meeting of business goals, by helping to ensure utilization of the latest product features and alignment with your current business needs and technical structure.3
- An annual capabilities assessment - to further maximize efficiency and product utilization through targeted workshops and to assist in developing comprehensive roadmaps for future growth based on shortened long-term business goals.4
- Two (2) Complimentary vouchers for public training classes - to access specific product training - when you need it - to update skill levels and accelerate product utilization and value.5
- Can I pay my Maintenance Renewal in 3 or 6 month increments instead of 1 year increments?
Maintenance can only be renewed in 12 month (minimum) or greater increments once the initial first year maintenance has expired.
Termination & Cancellation of Maintenance
After the initial Maintenance Period, you may cancel maintenance at any time. However, in doing so your organization will be subject to the then current NetIQ re-instatement policy regarding the licenses in which maintenance was cancelled. If maintenance is cancelled prior to the Expiration Date, NetIQ will honor the remaining (fully paid) maintenance term through the Expiration Date. At that time, the maintenance on the licenses will be canceled and subject to the then current NetIQ re-instatement policy. In-term cancellations will not result in a refund of the unexpired Maintenance.
Non-Payment
If no payment or purchase order is received by the Expiration Date, maintenance on the licenses is terminated, and your organization will be subject to the then current NetIQ re-instatement policy.
If no payment or purchase order is received by the Expiration Date, access to authenticated online support areas will automatically expire and cannot be reinstated until a renewal order has been completed.
Re-instatement Policy
Your organization may re-instate NetIQ Maintenance with the following considerations:
- All backdated maintenance must be paid for in full. The term of backdated maintenance is from the Expiration Date to the current date.
- A re-instatement fee will be imposed equal to 50% of the backdated maintenance charge (Re-instatement fee).
- Your organization must also purchase and pay for an additional 12 months of maintenance on all licenses being re-instated.
Premium & Essential Care Plan Comparisons
| Support Plan Features Online Support | Essential | Premium | Platinum |
| eSupport | |||
| Online Support Documentation |  |
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| Online Support Request Submission | |
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| Qmunity forums, notifications and alerts | |
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| Online Release Notes | |
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| Online KnowledgeBase | |
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| Support Services | |||
| Authorized NetIQ product experts | 4 | 10 | 12 |
| Support Engineer access via telephone Monday - Friday (excluding holidays) |
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| Targeted initial response time | 4 business hours | 1 business hours | 1 business hours |
| 24x7x365 toll-free number | |
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| Remote Diagnostics (WebEx/GoToMeeting) | |
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| Priority queuing (telephone, tickets and e-mail) | |
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| Remote Health Checks (performed quarterly) | |
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| Annual Capabilities Assessment | |
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| Vouchers for NetIQ product training | |
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| Remote Upgrade Planning Assistance | |
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| Consultant-on-Demand services | |
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| Product Maintenance | |||
| Hotfixes and inline releases | |
|
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| Service packs | |
|
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| New versions | |
|
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| Access to beta program | |
|
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Additional Terms and Conditions
- Disclaimer of Warranties; Limitation of Liability. THE SERVICES DESCRIBED HEREIN ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS AND NETIQ MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED (EITHER IN FACT OR BY OPERATION OF LAW), OR STATUTORY, AS TO ANY MATTER WHATSOEVER. NETIQ EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR PURPOSE, QUALITY, ACCURACY, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. NETIQ DOES NOT WARRANT THAT ITS SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE. NETIQ OR ITS SUPPLIERS WILL NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE SERVICES PROVIDED HEREUNDER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OF BUSINESS, EVEN IF NETIQ IS APPRISED OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGES. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL NETIQ'S TOTAL LIABILITY OF ALL KINDS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE SERVICES PROVIDED HEREUNDER, REGARDLESS OF THE FORUM AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANY ACTION OR CLAIM IS BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO NETIQ UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR THE PREVIOUS TWELVE MONTHS.
- Miscellaneous. This policy represents the complete agreement concerning the subject matter herein and supersedes (i) all prior agreements and representations with respect to its subject matter; and (ii) prevails over any conflicting or additional terms of any order, acknowledgment, or similar communication between the parties. If any provision of this policy is held unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible so as to affect the intent of the parties, and the remainder of this policy shall continue in full force and effect. You may not assign this policy or any of your rights or duties under this policy without the prior written consent of NetIQ, and any such purported assignment shall be null and void. Subject to the foregoing, this policy shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of your successors, administrators, heirs, and assigns. If you purchased maintenance anywhere except Europe, the Middle East or Africa, this policy is governed by the laws of the United States and the State of Texas, without reference to its conflict of law principles and without regard to the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the parties hereby consent to the jurisdiction of the courts located in Harris County, Texas, U.S.A. in any action arising out of or relating to this policy, and agree that any action arising out of or relating to this policy shall be maintained in the same jurisdiction. If you purchased maintenance in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, this policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of Ireland and you hereby agree that for the benefit of NetIQ, and without prejudice to the right of NetIQ to take proceedings in relation hereto before any other court of competent jurisdiction, that the courts of Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine any suit, action or proceedings that might arise out of or in connection with this Agreement and for such purposes you irrevocably submit to the jurisdiction of such courts. In the event of a dispute arising out of or in connection with this policy, NetIQ shall be entitled to recover its reasonable expenses, costs and attorneys' fees, in addition to all other appropriate relief.
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1 Platinum Care Support is not available in all regions please contact your sales representative for more information.
2 Includes up to a maximum of sixteen (16) hours for one NetIQ product during the term of your Platinum Maintenance contract. Excludes Exchange Migrator and Domain Migrator.
3 Includes up to a maximum of eight (8) hours of analysis. Must be used during the term of your Platinum Maintenance contract.
4 Includes up to a maximum of three (3) days on-site at your facilities. Costs and expenses borne by NetIQ. Not available in Asia. Pacific region. Must be used during the term of your Platinum Maintenance contract.
5 Must be used during the term of your Platinum Maintenance contract. Good for NetIQ training classes only. Classes held at NetIQ facilities. You are responsible for all travel and expense costs.
