Novell Support Policies
Logging Service Requests
Maintenance Requirements
Novell Maintenance complements your product purchase with the critical combination of product updates, support and training. Maintenance is an important component of Novell's buying programs and is part of our ongoing commitment to help you successfully support your Novell solutions.
In order to receive support from Novell, you must have a current subscription or proper maintenance coverage for your product. Learn more +
Terms and Conditions
In order to receive support, you must agree to the Terms and Conditions of the Master Services Agreement. When you register your products on Novell Customer Center, you have the opportunity to read and agree to the terms electronically.
You can also read the Terms and Conditions of the Master Services Agreement for your location here:
Customer Handbook
Novell has policies and procedures around the logging, tracking and handling of support issues—to understand these policies and procedures please refer to the Novell Technical Support Customer Handbook.
Definition of a Service Request
A Service request is defined as assistance with one issue, problem, or question relating to the use or installation of a Novell product, regardless of the number of communications required.
Read other Frequently Asked Questions.
How to register a Service Request
For Severity 1 issues, contact your local support center. Your issue is considered severity 1 if your production server/system is completely down and is not operational, or the operation of a mission critical application is severely impacted by the problem and work cannot reasonably continue.
For all other issues, please submit your service request online. As part of the process, you choose your preferred response method:
- Chat - Request real-time access to Novell support engineers. Using this technology, you can also allow your support engineer to connect to your system for improved troubleshooting and easier walk-through directions. You can even grant full control of your desktop or server so that he or she can work directly on your problem, with no assistance from you required. Chat support is available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
- Email or call back - Request support via a call back or email and a Novell support engineer will contact you within the response time parameters of your support agreement.
Service Request Severities
Severity 1 (High) = System down situation. The production server/system is completely down and is not operational, or the operation of a mission critical application is severely impacted by the problem and work cannot reasonably continue. No procedural work around exists.
Severity 2 (Medium) = Limited functionality. There is limited use of the production server, application, or system. Some features work, but others do not. The production server or application is subject to periodic interruptions in service and is considered unstable after service has been restored. This is the most common type of service request.
Severity 3 (Low) = An error that does not cause a significant portion or feature of the software to be inoperative and yet is not an irritant only. Sometimes used if there is a general question about a product.
Level/Scope of Support
Level 1 Support means problem determination, including provision of compatibility information, installation assistance, usage support, on-going maintenance and basic troubleshooting.
Level 2 Support means problem isolation, including efforts to duplicate customer problems, isolate a problem area and provide resolution for problems not resolved by Level 1 Support. Resolution may include reasonable work-arounds.
Level 3 Support is essentially Error resolution, which means technical support designed to resolve complex problems in the resolution of product defects which have been identified by Level 2 Support.