As of July 1996, Red Hat Software put a new Technical Support system online. The support system automatically routes questions to support technicians. This document describes how to use the Red Hat Software technical support system.
In order to receive technical support for your Red Hat Software product, you have to register it. Every official Red Hat product comes with a Registration Card. Your product registration number appears on both the detachable mail-in portion and on the top portion of this card. The product registration number uniquely identifies a product which you have purchased (such as Red Hat Linux) that includes 30 days of free installation technical support by fax or email.
Registering via the Web
You can register your Red Hat Software product online at Red Hat's World Wide Web site at http://www.redhat.com/support/register/. Choose Register a Product. Please enter all applicable information, and please be accurate with the system information. This information will aid in solving problems and answering questions more quickly and easily, and incorrect information benefits neither us nor our customers. Also, make sure the electronic mail address you give is correct. All support correspondence will be sent to that address. If this should change, please login to the registration pages and edit this information.
Registration has changed. There will be no more annoying support ID numbers to remember. If you don't have a current login to the support database, you will need to create one. Simply enter a name at the Support Login and click on the Create Login button to begin registration of your product. If you were already registered for support before August 14, 1997 you can login in by using your email address as your Support Login and your former support/customer ID as the password. The password can be changed once logged in. If you don't remember it, follow the steps as if you never had a login, and re-enter the registration numbers and information.
If you don't have access to the World Wide Web, but you do have access to Internet mail, you can send registration details to register@redhat.com. Please include the following information:
Although a mail-in portion is provided with your registration card, we do not recommend registering via fax or snail mail if you have access to either the World Wide Web or Internet mail; if you do so, your registration is likely to be delayed considerably. If you do wish to register via fax, fax a copy of your registration card to Red Hat Software at +1-919-361-2711.
Technical support is a black art: in most cases, support technicians rely solely on communication with the customer to solve installation problems on hardware the technicians have never physically seen. It is extremely important, therefore, to state your question clearly and concisely, including detailed information such as:
Red Hat's support system is email-based and is partially automated; for this reason, it is important to make sure you send support questions in the correct format, so that your message will be recognized and routed to an appropriate support technician. In order to receive technical support for your Red Hat Software product, you must first register it.
Submitting trouble tickets can be sent in the traditional email way, or can be initiated via the World Wide Web. After providing the information for the registration, you will have a new menu allowing you to edit your registration information or open a trouble ticket. Hurry and login now to open a ticket on the Web! http://www.redhat.com/support/register/
To open a support ticket via email, all you need to do is send the support system a message with a Subject: of [registration #nnnn nnnn nnnn nnnn], where nnnn nnnn nnnn nnnn is the registration number of the product for which you are requesting support. For example, if your registration number is fffe 0fff ff00 ff00, the subject line should read:
Subject: [registration #fffe 0fff ff00 ff00]
The square brackets, the number sign, and the word `registration' must be present. If you wish, you may add explanatory text to the subject line:
Subject: [registration #fffe 0fff ff00 ff00] CD-ROM problem
Once you've opened a ticket, support responses come to you with the support ticket number in the subject line:
Subject: [ticket #12015] CD-ROM problem
To correspond about the same problem, simply send a reply with the same subject:
Subject: Re: [ticket #12015] CD-ROM problem
If you feel that the problem has been solved the ticket can also be closed by your. Simply add close tag. to the same subject:
Subject: Re: [close ticket #12015] CD-ROM problem
Once your problem is solved or your question answered, the technician handling your support ticket can close the ticket. This can also be done by you via the website. Either method will result in a message from the support system stating the ticket is closed and contain a summary of the problem and the solution. You can open a new ticket for your next support question. All past correspondence will be saved in the database under the old ticket number and can be accessed with your account at any time.
The address for Red Hat's Technical Support System is support@redhat.com; all support questions should go there. There are also several related addresses: