Appendix B. Contacting Cisco for Support

No one is an expert at every aspect of networking or Cisco routers and switches. There comes a time when you have to admit that you are having trouble configuring or troubleshooting your Cisco equipment. That's when you need to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

Before you reach the point of contacting the TAC, you should be consistently preparing good documentation of your network and the troubleshooting efforts you've taken. Most problems are easy to fix, but the difficult problems require documentation of all the steps that are taken to solve the problem.

Although there is always a warranty on new equipment, it is still a good idea to keep a current Cisco maintenance contract. Different contracts cover replacement of any failed components , the configuration, and even onsite help if needed. If you don't have an existing maintenance contract, warranty, or service contract, you will be billed for TAC's services.

TAC has information about certain codes that isn't available to the general public. Cisco can access a lot of information quickly, and can save you time you'd otherwise spend in lengthy searches for the answers you need. TAC is available to you via email, fax, phone, and the Cisco Web site, Cisco Connection Online (CCO). Figure B.1 shows the Technical Support homepage of the Cisco CCO Web site.

Figure B.1. The Technical Support home page on the Cisco CCO Web site.