SmartNet Contract Download Entitlement

CompuVision Admin · ‎09-25-2012

So after talking to over 10 different Cisco employees, getting a 60/40 split in answers and being transfered to every Cisco department I'm officialy at witts end.

Very simple. Cisco 891. Need the latest IOS version. So i fire up the Cisco Service Finder located HERE.

This is a Cisco owned utility to assist in choosing the correct SmartNet contract. So i bring up the product, look down the "OS Updates" column. Great SMBS is the cheapest option that will allow "OS Updates".

So we purchase the contract. Receive the contract. Associate it with our Cisco.com profile. The contract is visible, yet download's don't work. We still receive the new "Additional Enitlement Required" error.

I've spoken to 4 Cisco employees that say SMBS should allow downloads. The service finder says so. Then the reat of the employees I've spoken to tell me SNT level is required. To those employees I have asked why the Service Finder utility states otherwise.. Noone has had an answer.

Noone has any authority. Noone can tell me why 40% of their employees and their own Contract Advisor tool are supposidly "wrong". I'm absolutely fed up with Cisco as of late.

Can anyone shed some light?

Lawrence Searcy · ‎09-25-2012

I looked at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/services/ps2827/ps6193/services_brochure0900aecd80719b71.pdf

in Table 1 to try and understand the difference. It only talks about "Operating system software updates for bug fixes" versus "Ongoing updates and upgrades" for the other two contract types in Table #1. But I found another document that had "Operating System bug fixes as required" instead of the above.

I also found this about SMBS

"This support contract does not provide version upgrades to your OS, but does provide OS updates and patches."

As a TAC engineer, this means to me that if you encounter an issue and open a TAC case, then the TAC engineer will special publish the image if you hit a bug or run into a PSIRT issue.

I think the term "OS Updates" creates unneccesary confusion since it is obviously split between "OS Version upgrades" and "OS software updates" and that why the brochure above says "Ongoing updates and upgrades" under smartnet. What you want to know is which contract provides "upgrades" and which ones only provide "updates".

There is a link at the bottom of the web page called "feedback". I would use that to suggest the document writer either clarify the term "OS Updates" or better provide a pop up that explains the term on the web page. Or perhaps add another column for "OS Upgrades".