Q: Does every Novell product fall into these categories?

A: Most Novell products will fall into one of two categories: Platforms and Operating Systems or Software Services and Applications. There are a few products and/or drivers that may not fall into a designated category. When planning your software strategy, it is important to verify product support schedules on the Novell Support Lifecycle Web site.

Q: If I have multiple Novell products, do they all share the same Support Lifecycle schedule?

A: The Novell Support Lifecycle is designed to be consistent by product categorization and by product family. However, there may be some exceptions to the guidelines. For this reason, it is important to verify product support schedules posted on the Novell Support Lifecycle Web site.

Q: What is General Support?

A: General Support is available for customers paying maintenance on their Novell products. There are two categories of General Support:

• Platforms and Operating Systems
• Software Services and Applications

General Support includes installation and configuration support, feature enhancement requests, software patches and fixes, security updates and Novell Support Advisor. Additional support options are available for purchase, such as assigned Premium Services Engineers and Account Management. See the Support Programs page for more information.

Q: What is Extended Support?

A: Extended Support is a fee-based service request package allowing customers to receive technical support for a product that has exited the General Support phase. Extended Support includes installation and configuration technical support and critical security updates. Extended Support is only available for customers paying maintenance on the current version of the product. Extended Support is intended to be an interim solution for customers who plan to move to the current version of the Novell product, but who need additional time to make the transition. See Extended Support Incident Package for more information.

Q: What is Self-Support?

A: Self-Support includes free and fee-based resources and is available for ten years from the start of General Support. Find out what Self-Support options are available.

Q: What software patches and fixes are available during General Support?

A: During the General Support phase, Novell will make available software defect resolution in the form of support packs, patches, or field test files. Defects are evaluated and prioritized to ensure the most critical issues are remedied. During the General Support phase, customers may also request new or enhanced product features.

As a product moves through its lifecycle, customers should expect Novell to be significantly more discriminating when evaluating software defects and enhancement requests.

Q: What software patches and fixes are available during Extended Support?

A: During the Extended Support phase, Novell will continue to make available critical security updates for maintenance customers who have purchased Extended Support. Non-security related software patches and fixes may be provided if Novell deems appropriate and strategic. Additional software patches and fixes may also be available on a fee-basis. During the Extended Support phase, Novell will not accept requests for warranty support, design changes, new or enhanced product features.

As a product moves through its lifecycle, customers should expect Novell to be significantly more discriminating when evaluating software defects and enhancement requests.

Q: Does Novell offer support beyond the Extended Support phase?

A: Novell offers Self-Support, a variety of free and fee-based options, for ten years from the start of General Support. These resources contain information on Novell's current and discontinued products.

Q: If I already pay maintenance, do I need to purchase Extended Support for my older products?

A: As long as you are paying maintenance on the current version of your product, you can continue to receive support on an older version as long as that product is still in the General Support phase of the Novell lifecycle.

If you wish to stay on older versions even after the product has moved from the General to the Extended Support phase, Novell generally offers an additional option of purchasing an Extended Support incident package, which allows customers to upgrade more slowly and get support for an extended period of time. Customers may purchase Extended Support for an eligible product if they are current on maintenance. To see if Extended Support is available for your product, see the Novell Support Lifecycle Web site.

Q: If I am a Novell partner, do I need to purchase Extended Support for older products?

A: The support Novell provides through partner programs such as PartnerNet is intended for products that are in the General Support phase. Partners who need support for products beyond the General Support phase will need to purchase Extended Support.

Q: Why has Novell divided products into categories?

A: Novell has divided products into categories to accommodate differences in the release cycles.

Q: What does "Current Maintenance Release" in the Support Lifecycle schedule mean?

A: "Current Maintenance Release" is the latest released patch or support pack for the product version listed.

Q: What does "Replacement Product" in the Support Lifecycle schedule mean?

A: "Replacement Product" is the current product which replaces the product listed in the Product Release column of the lifecycle status page.