Technical Tip: FortiCompanion to Technical Support

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Description	This article describes how to make the best use of Fortinet’s Technical Support Services.
Scope	FortiCare.
Solution	FortiCare Technical Support Service contracts include access to: Support.fortinet.com. Fortinet Technical Assistance Center (TAC) with 24x7x365 availability for critical issues, including resolution of technical tickets. Maintenance and feature release software updates. Replacement of defective hardware on the purchased service level. For a more detailed description, refer to the Fortinet Service Terms and Conditions and specific Service Descriptions available via the Support Portal. The FortiCompanion to Technical Support guides the following areas: 1.01 Information Sources for Technical Support. 1.02 Fortinet Global Technical Support teams. 1.03 Best Practices for accessing technical Support services. 1.04 Information about the Software Download Center. 1.05 FortiCare Ticket creation via Support Portal. 1.06 FortiCare Ticket handling SLA. 1.07 FortiCare Ticket Resolution Process. 1.08 FortiCare Ticket escalation and priority changes. 1.09 Tracking Customer Satisfaction. 1.10 Tracking Hardware and Software Life Changes. 1.01 Information Sources for Technical Support. FortiCare Services provides a wealth of information in various formats, designed to assist in deploying and maintaining Fortinet products. The following technical sites have RSS feeds available to stay updated with the evolving security landscape. URL Resource Community Fortinet has a knowledge-centered approach made available through the community platform. This is continuously maintained with a Knowledge Base and forum, enabling answers for many problems to be available instantly through a powerful search capability that spans multiple repositories. With an active community, technical notes and tips, troubleshooting steps, and guides are constantly updated through external and internal technical resources. Documentation Fortinet product documentation, including admin guides, reference manuals, release notes, hardware manuals, quick-start guides, and cookbooks. Video Guides These free videos, tailored for learning at the viewer's pace, provide information to assist with becoming proficient with Fortinet technology. FortiGuard Center The FortiGuard Security Portal provides summaries of the latest internet threats, security advisories across popular vendor technologies, and access to the latest publications. Details can also be found about specific malware through the encyclopedia, with a database of over 4 million records. Finally, the signature database can be accessed for specific security services such as antivirus, intrusion detection, and web filtering. 1.02 Fortinet Global Technical Support teams. Technical support is delivered via Fortinet Global Technical Assistance Centers. Each geographical region has a Center of Expertise, supplemented by regional support centers providing regional and local language support. A number of Enhanced Technology Technical Assistance Centers (eTAC) that specialize in key products are also hosted in regional support centers. Fortinet’s Global Technical Assistance Centers are located worldwide to provide 24/7 support, ensuring timely assistance for customers across different time zones. The assignment of tickets to the appropriate support team and automated management alerting enable Fortinet to ensure that product experts focus on debugging and solving the most complex requirements within SLAs. For customers who require faster problem-solving with a proactive and personalized level of assistance, Advanced Support tiers provide a range of service packages, helping customers to maximize the value of support solutions. Region Center of expertise Regional Support Centers Americas Vancouver (Canada) Ottawa (Canada), Sunnyvale, Plano, Atlanta, Sunrise, Chicago, and Concord (USA), Bogota (Colombia), Mexico City (Mexico), Uberlandia (Brazil) Asia Pacific Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) Bangalore (India), Manila (Philippines), Beijing (China), Seoul (South Korea), Sydney (Australia), Tokyo (Japan) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa Sophia Antipolis (France) Lisbon (Portugal), Dubai (UAE), Frankfurt (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), Saudi Arabia, Tel Aviv (Israel) 1.03 Best Practices for accessing technical Support services. For easy access to information for many support queries, the Fortinet Community site is a valuable resource, boasting over 150,000 members and 65,000 discussions. Visit the Fortinet Community. To allow for the best skillset allocation for Priority 3 or Priority 4 issues as per Fortinet's priority definitions, it is recommended to open a web ticket or to use Fortinet's chat service. Start here: Web Ticket and Chat Service. For critical issues categorized as Priority 1 or Priority 2, such as complete network loss or ongoing instability, it is required to contact Fortinet technical support immediately via phone using Fortinet's global toll-free numbers. Reach out here: Technical Support Contact. For continuous access to the full array of Fortinet resources, self-service tools offer additional options through the Support Portal, including viewing Customer Support Bulletins and managing assets. Explore more at https://support.fortinet.com. 1.04 Information about the Software Download Center. In the Software Download Center, there are three types of Firmware releases available for each product: Major Release: 7.x.x. Contains major changes to functionality and is generally available every three years. Minor Release: x.1.x. Contains minor changes to functionality and is generally available every 12 months. Patch Release: x.x.3. It contains bug fixes to customer-reported problems and is generally available on a rolling four to eight-week window, depending on the product and stage of the product lifecycle. Fortinet provides details on new features, bug fixes, and upgrade instructions in the Release Notes associated with all new versions and patches to assist customers through the process. It is required to consult this documentation as part of a change control program. Access to firmware images is available after logging in to the Support Portal using the software and firmware Download Center. FortiOS requires that an active FortiCare contract entitlement is in place to upgrade firmware to a higher major or minor release. Without a registered active contract, the system will block the upgrade except for a patch release to allow for security updates. 1.05 FortiCare Ticket creation via Support Portal. If online information (Technical Tip: Information Sources for Technical Support) does not resolve a request, it may be necessary to open a technical support ticket to consult with Fortinet's technical expertise. To create a ticket, it is required to log in to the Support Portal or to initiate a chat session for Priority 3 or 4 issues. Priority 1 or Priority 2 new issues or escalations require telephone contact. Customers with FortiCare Essential support contracts are required to use online channels for technical support requests. Ticket priority and definitions. Priority Definition and Customer/Fortinet Responsibilities Priority 1 Any technical ticket created for an incident that causes a total loss or continuous instability of mission-critical functionality in a live or production network environment. Examples are: Catastrophic impact on mission-critical functionality. An outage impacting multiple active user sessions or critical traffic. A significant loss of connectivity. A vital security flaw affecting active business services. The customer and Fortinet commit to dedicating technical resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year by telephone and remote sessions. If a workaround is accepted, a Priority 1 ticket will be reclassified as Priority. Workarounds may include: Reverting configuration changes. A firmware upgrade or downgrade. Replacement of the hardware. A change to the configuration. Priority 2 A technical ticket is created for an issue that causes a significant impact on mission-critical functionality in a live or production network environment. Examples are: Serious loss or frequent instabilities of mission-critical functionality impacting active user sessions. Loss of redundancy of a critical component impacting live business services. The customer and Fortinet commit to dedicating technical resources eight hours a day, on business days, for Priority 2 tickets. If a workaround is accepted by the customer, a Priority 2 ticket will be reclassified as Priority. Priority 3 Any technical ticket created for an issue in the customer network that has minimal impact on business operations. An example is occasional or intermittent instabilities of core functions. A Priority 3 ticket may also cover any outstanding troubleshooting or investigation for a Priority 1 or Priority 2 incident for which a workaround has been accepted. Fortinet and the customer will assign resources during local business hours until a resolution or workaround has been provided. Priority 4 Any technical ticket created for additional information, including basic pre-existing configuration assistance, errors in documentation, or minor defects that do not impact business services. Fortinet and the customer will assign resources during local business hours until a resolution or workaround has been provided. When creating a technical support ticket, it will be requested to provide a specific set of data to facilitate ticket resolution. To troubleshoot complex incidents, our support teams must fully understand the network topology and role of the Fortinet devices. Providing device configuration and all available log files provides a good starting point for investigating an issue and, therefore, should be attached to all new support tickets. Refer to this article: Technical Tip: Ticket Creation via the Support Portal for examples of information to provide per product family. 1.06 FortiCare Ticket Handling SLA. FortiCare Service contracts include SLAs to ensure communication for a timely initial response and transparency during the ticket resolution process. The Initial Response Time is the time before a qualified TAC representative contacts the customer. The Update Frequency Interval is the length of time between updates by the ticket owner when a Fortinet action is pending. FortiCare Support ESSENTIAL PREMIUM ELITE (FortiGate only) ELITE (Other products) Initial Response Time P1: n/a P1: 1 Hour P1: 15 Mins P1: 15 Mins P2: n/a P3: Next Business Day P2: 1 Hour P3: Next Business Day P2: 15 Mins P3: 2 Business Hours P2: 15 Mins P3: 4 Business Hours P4: Next 2 Business Days P4: Next 2 Business Days P4: 4 Business Hours P4: Next Business Day Update Frequency Interval P1: n/a P1: 6 Hours P1: 3 Hours P1: 3 Hours P2:n/a P3: 3 Business Days P2: Daily P3: 3 Business Days P2: 12 Hours P3: Each Business Day P2: 12 Hours P3: Each Business Day P4: 5 Business Days P4: 5 Business Days P4: Every 3 Business Days P4: Every 3 Business Days 1.07 FortiCare Ticket Resolution Process. Once a ticket is created, a ticket number will be assigned, and the incident will be assigned to a technical support engineer by the ticket priority. An initial response will be received either by telephone or email. Each ticket update is logged in the Support Portal. Based on the nature and complexity of the incident, the ticket may be escalated internally, in which case this will be indicated. The technical support engineer will focus on providing a resolution and a workaround to reduce the business impact. During the ticket resolution process, the technical support engineer may: Suggest configuration changes. Request access to the appliance for troubleshooting purposes. Replicate the scenario in the lab. Log a bug when the root cause has been identified as a software defect. If a ticket solution has been isolated to a defect, the technical support engineer will open a bug report with the engineering group. A bug ID will be assigned and reported back to you in the ticket. Once the defect is resolved, it will typically be incorporated into the next patch release. The ticket resolution process requires constant communication and collaboration. To facilitate closure, there is an automated mechanism to prompt for updates. When a customer action is pending, the system will send a reminder email after three days, with a second reminder email after seven days. If during these 10 days, there is no response, the ticket will move to the status 'Pending Close Confirmation' on the eleventh day, when an email requesting feedback will be sent. If no response is received for a further five days, the ticket will be automatically closed on the following day. If feedback is not possible within the notification period, you may contact the TAC engineer to inform them when you can provide an update. Ticket Status Definitions. Each time a change is made to the status of a ticket, you will be automatically notified. The ticket status definitions can be viewed on the Support Portal as outlined below. Status Definition Registered A new ticket has been opened and is pending assignment. The action is with Fortinet. Researching The engineer is researching the technical data and will contact you to discuss their findings. The action is with Fortinet. PendCustFB The TAC has requested additional information to continue the analysis and is awaiting feedback. The action is with the customer. RcvdCustFB This is set automatically whenever you update the ticket. The action is with Fortinet. On Hold You have agreed with the TAC to suspend the ticket resolution process temporarily. A ticket will typically be placed on hold when a customer needs to plan for the capture of additional information or perform other actions in a production environment. On-hold tickets commit a follow-up date. PendCloseConf If a ticket has been in the status PendCustFB for more than 10 days, then it is automatically changed to PendCloseConf. If no response is received to this status change within five days, the ticket will be automatically closed. PendBugFix A bug fix request has been submitted to engineering, and a bug number (bug ID) has been communicated. WaitGARelease A bug fix has been created by engineering and is awaiting incorporation into the next General Availability (GA) release. Resolved-PendGA A patch has been provided. The ticket will remain open until this change has been incorporated into the next GA release. Solution Provided A solution was provided, and awaiting confirmation to close the ticket. Closed The problem is resolved, and the ticket has been closed. A closed ticket cannot be reopened. 1.08 FortiCare Ticket escalation and priority changes. In certain circumstances, the conditions surrounding an incident may change. This may include a recurrence of the problem, an aggravating business impact, or the need for immediate focus on ticket analysis and resolution from both Fortinet Support and the customer. To allow for this dynamic environment, Fortinet support incorporates the processes of ticket priority increase and ticket escalation that allow for a reassessment of how a ticket is being managed. Increasing Ticket Priority: One method of gaining additional focus on a ticket is to increase the priority and therefore change the associated SLAs. Depending on the ticket priority, this can be achieved either through the Support Portal or by a telephone call to Fortinet support. P4 → P3 Update the ticket in the Support Portal indicating the new business impact. P3 → P2 P2 → P1 Customers must telephone the TAC for all P1 and P2 tickets, including creation and all requests for raising the priority. Customers are not entitled to escalate a ticket to P1 or P2 on a product that only has a FortiCare Essential support contract. Escalating to TAC Management: Before considering an escalation, customers will have all of the prerequisite items in place to support the request and enable rapid ticket resolution. Typical factors to consider are: Whether it has been verified that all relevant information has been provided in the ticket and communicated to Fortinet Support. Whether the increased business impact or extended deadlines caused by the incident have been clearly documented in the ticket. Whether management has been informed of the situation and their availability to engage has been assured, if necessary. Whether the appropriate level and availability of technical resources within the organization that are available to work with technical support designated. This is key, as collaboration is required immediately for P1 incidents. Once the escalation conditions have been met and checklist items validated, customers should take one of the designated escalation paths: Telephone the Technical Support Center quoting the relevant ticket number. The customer service representative will connect with a duty manager. If a call is currently active with a technical support engineer, request to speak to a duty manager to discuss the concern. Request a duty manager call back via a ticket update. The duty manager will reach out within the SLA of the ticket. Escalating a ticket ensures it receives attention from support management. Note that requesting an escalation will ensure focus on the ticket, but may preclude an accelerated resolution time depending on the issue's complexity, nor does it imply that the ticket's priority will be automatically increased. As required, a technical plan of action will be co-developed to resolve the technical issue. The assigned manager will provide updates to all relevant internal stakeholders, including the account team and upper management, regarding the ticket's progression. The escalation will have been resolved when the following conditions have been met: Agreed objectives have been accomplished. A monitoring phase has passed without incident. A workaround has been implemented, and a final solution has been accepted. It is agreed that the ticket has been resolved. 1.09 Tracking Customer Satisfaction. Fortinet aims to provide best-in-class support services. As a result, our customers' opinions matter. One of the ways of communicating directly with support management is by submitting a Customer Satisfaction Survey, which takes just a minute to complete. The survey tracks support experience via two metrics: customer satisfaction and customer effort. Customer satisfaction captures the overall opinion of how a ticket was handled, and customer effort relates to the ease of working with Fortinet support teams. To evaluate an effort, the customer should ask themselves the question:'Is there anything that would have made it easier for us to resolve the problem?'. The survey can be initiated at any time via the Support Portal through the 'Rate Our Service' button on the 'Ticket Survey' menu option. The survey is automatically sent with each ticket update and upon ticket closure. In addition to the two ratings described above, there are two further options: Free-format field to provide any feedback is important for Fortinet to hear. A checkbox requesting a management call-back, whereby a Fortinet support manager will contact the customer within 10 business days of the request. The Customer Satisfaction Survey is Fortinet's tool for obtaining customers' feedback. The information collected is shared every week with all levels of support management, including Fortinet executives, and is a vital tool for driving improvements within the global support and service organization. 1.10 Tracking Hardware and Software Life Changes. To ensure Fortinet provides innovative solutions to users, products are periodically discontinued. When this occurs for hardware products, a public communication, including a transition plan, is made available. The appliance then enters the end-of-life phase, during which it is possible to purchase up to 60 months of technical support services. For firmware, the life cycle is 36 months from the release date of the minor or major software. Fortinet may designate specific firmware versions as a Long Term Software (LTS) release, which extends the lifecycle based on the purchase and registration of specific support service contracts. All information regarding end-of-life announcements is stored in an article on the Support Portal, together with the Hardware and Software Life Cycle Policy. It is recommended that all users ensure to are familiar with the process. Related article: Technical Tip: FortiCompanion to RMA