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Obtaining Technical Assistance
Cisco Technical Support provides 24-hour-a-day award-winning technical assistance. The Cisco Technical Support &
Documentation website on Cisco.com features extensive online support resources. In addition, if you have a valid Cisco service
contract, Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) engineers provide telephone support. If you do not have a valid Cisco service
contract, contact your reseller.
Cisco Technical Support & Documentation Website
The Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website provides online documents and tools for troubleshooting and resolving
technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. The website is available 24 hours a day, at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Access to all tools on the Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password. If you
have a valid service contract but do not have a user ID or password, you can register at this URL:
http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do
Use the Cisco Product Identification (CPI) tool to locate your product serial number before submitting a web or phone
Note
request for service. You can access the CPI tool from the Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website by clicking
the Tools & Resources link under Documentation & Tools. Choose Cisco Product Identification Tool from the
Alphabetical Index drop-down list, or click the Cisco Product Identification Tool link under Alerts & RMAs. The CPI
tool offers three search options: by product ID or model name; by tree view; or for certain products, by copying and
pasting show command output. Search results show an illustration of your product with the serial number label location
highlighted. Locate the serial number label on your product and record the information before placing a service call.
Submitting a Service Request
Using the online TAC Service Request Tool is the fastest way to open S3 and S4 service requests. (S3 and S4 service requests are
those in which your network is minimally impaired or for which you require product information.) After you describe your
situation, the TAC Service Request Tool provides recommended solutions. If your issue is not resolved using the recommended
resources, your service request is assigned to a Cisco engineer. The TAC Service Request Tool is located at this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/servicerequest
For S1 or S2 service requests or if you do not have Internet access, contact the Cisco TAC by telephone. (S1 or S2 service requests
are those in which your production network is down or severely degraded.) Cisco engineers are assigned immediately to S1 and
S2 service requests to help keep your business operations running smoothly.
To open a service request by 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: 1 800 553-2447
For a complete list of Cisco TAC contacts, go to this URL:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts
Definitions of Service Request Severity
To ensure that all service requests are reported in a standard format, Cisco has established 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.
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