From: Jake Marshak (jake@xxxxxxxxxxx)
Date: Mon Mar 25 2002 - 17:23:31 GMT-3
I agree, it is pretty tough to find the correct info on CCO regarding
the appropriate service contract to purchase.
For customers without a huge number of routers, you will end up buying
SmartNet packaged maintenance. Each piece of Cisco equipment is
assigned a "category" and you purchase one maintenance package of the
appropriate category per piece of equipment. Each package is valid for
1 year.
You will need to decide what level of service you want. It comes in 3
flavors and for a home lab you probably only need 8x5xNBD (8am to 5pm,
Mon-Fri, next bus day replacement). Here is the link from the product
guide with all the details on the options
(http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/pcat/smss__w1.htm#xtocid8) (yes
there is more on the Doc CD than just IOS commands ;-). Note that all
packages give you 24x7 access to the TAC and CCO (including software).
Finding the correct category for your equipment is not an easy task.
You can look in the QRG
(http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/752/qrg/guide.shtml) which is the book
Cisco resellers use to find the most common part numbers. However, this
only lists current products and only the most popular parts (usually the
8x5xNBD maintenance is the last item listed). The last section of the
part number is the maintenance category (CON-SNT-PKG4 is a category 4).
However, it may just be simpler to call Cisco presales info at
800-553-NETS and get a complete answer. They will also be able to
lookup EOL product maintenance info.
Cisco probably won't sell directly to you, so you will need to find an
authorized reseller. There are a bunch on the web, just search around.
I really don't recommend trying to buy this used or off eBay since you
may get stuck with a used up package. For example here is the listing
off CDW.com (not cheap, but a good baseline) for a 2610.
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/accessories.asp?ProductID=24301
What you will get is just a pretty shrink-wrapped folder with a number
in it. You then go to CCO and activate it by supplying a valid serial
number of you equipment and your contact info. Not very exciting, but
at least now when you fry something you are covered. After that, your
CCO ID will be able to open TAC cases and download software.
I know a few people who have done a Category 1 maintenance on a 770
series router (less than $100) just to get full access to CCO and bug
them with CCIE level questions. (I guess the TAC engineers don't really
check to see why you would be doing BGP on a 770.)
Hope that helps,
Jake
-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Carswell [mailto:acarswell@nc.rr.com]
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 2:16 PM
To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
Subject: Cisco service contracts... contact info?
I'm trying to purchase a service contract for my routers. I've been
poking
around in the Service Contract Center on Cisco's web site, but I can't
find
pricing information or detailed info on what type of contract I should
purchase.
2 requests for the group:
1. What's the best type of contract to purchase? (I cannot make sense
of the
various types)
2. How much do the stinkin' things cost? :-)
Thx
Todd Carswell
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