Accelerite constantly strives to produce the very best quality software, however it is virtually impossible to test against every scenario and software environment. From time to time, issues may arise which impact product performance or functionality. Accelerite customers can work to address these situations through their Accelerite Support Agreement and by using the Accelerite Support Portal.

Accelerite lets you choose the right technical support program to meet your needs, options including our free web-based communities, our network of solutions providers and of course technical support direct from Accelerite.

The Accelerite support programs provide our customers with the tools and knowledge needed to identify the technical issue they have experienced. Once identified, Accelerite will be able to recommend a resolution path for the issue; from updating to the latest hotfix or service pack to product upgrades or migrations for older, outdated products. In some situations, Accelerite may determine that an escalation is required in order to further isolate the issue and potentially resolve it with a newly created hotfix. Accelerite's technical support representatives will tell you the appropriate steps to resolve any technical product issues you experience.

For the purpose of this policy, the following support definitions apply:

1. General troubleshooting of an issue to isolate potential causes
2. Issue resolution through existing hotfixes or known workarounds

1. Resolving an issue through product code modification
2. Typically delivered via hotfixes or service packs

Accelerite products progress through three lifecycle phases

When Accelerite initiates a product or release through these lifecycle phases, an announcement is made on the Notice of Status Change (NSC) date and the Product Matrix Table {create as a hyper link} is updated to include the specific dates for End of Sales (EOS), End of Maintenance and End of Life. For definitions of the various lifecycle dates, refer to Lifecycle Definitions

Plan and prepare for your maintenance and support needs.

1. Mainstream Maintenance
   1. Begins on the General Availability (GA) date of a release and transitions to the next phase on the End of Maintenance (EOM) date.
2. Extended Maintenance
   1. Begins on the End of Maintenance date and transitions to the next phase on the End of Life (EOL) date.
3. End of Life
   1. Begins on the End of Life date.

Maintenance and support during each phase

Upon General Availability, products are fully supported and maintained until the End of Maintenance date. Accelerite will provide code-level maintenance in the form of minor versions, hotfixes, hotfix rollup packs or service packs when Accelerite determines they are required to resolve issues with the product. The release of a Minor Version, Service Pack or Hotfix Rollup Pack may define a new maintenance baseline. Accelerite customers may be required to upgrade to a Minor Version, Service Pack or Hotfix Rollup Pack to receive continued maintenance. Technical support is offered through various avenues as specified in the Software Support Programs and Hardware Support Programs sections of our web site.

After a product release reaches it End of Maintenance date, it is considered to be in the Extended Maintenance Phase. During this phase, technical support continues as before but code-level maintenance will be limited to security-related issues deemed critical by Accelerite. Security issues will be corrected through hotfixes compatible with the current maintenance baseline. This maintenance baseline is dictated by the current Minor Version, Service Pack or Hotfix Rollup Pack. Security issues could be related to publicly identified security vulnerabilities, other security vulnerabilities, or Microsoft's publicly released security updates.

The decision to enter a particular product into the Extended Maintenance Phase is intended to balance the need for orderly customer transitions with the desire to provide customers with the most current, functionally superior and stable solutions available through new products or newer versions of existing products. The lifecycle for Accelerite products is influenced by customer desires for new capabilities and constantly evolving technologies, including enhancements to existing products as well as migrations to newer platforms.

Once a product release reaches its End of Life date, the customer may continue to use the product within the terms of product licensing agreement but the available support options will be limited. While there may be historical information in the Knowledge Center or other online resources, it is no longer updated and is provided on an as-is basis. The customer will be using the product within the terms of the product license as-is. Extended Support is available on most product lines to extend the maintenance period by up to two years. Extended Support is only available to customers that purchase the Extended Support product; in order to receive Extended Support please coordinate with your Accelerite Account Manager.

Summary Table