Global Support FAQ
The most frequently asked questions (FAQ) associated with Netgate Global Support
Netgate Global TAC Support FAQ
The Netgate 24/7 Technical Assistance Center (TAC) is a globally-dispersed team of engineers who stand ready to address your technical issues with Netgate offerings, as well as advise on best practices to maximize uptime of your deployment. Take advantage of a TAC subscription today and see what the Netgate TAC can do for you!
General TAC Support FAQ
General TAC Support FAQ
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TAC Lite is a commitment we make to all of our customers to enable you to get online and confirm network connectivity when you purchase a Netgate appliance with pfSense Plus software. From the out-of-box experience, to connecting your new Netgate firewall to the Internet, to getting one client online and pinging outside the network, we’re here for you.
- Zero-to-Ping (ZTP) - Setup wizard, one WAN, one LAN
- Best practice advice for writing firmware to install media
- Hardware troubleshooting (Netgate appliance only)
- Netgate firmware upgrade via package (Netgate appliance only)
- Assistance with backing up and restoring the config (ACB)
- Assistance with upgrading or downgrading between versions as needed
- Package Installation (NOT configuration)
- Firmware requests for validated Netgate appliances (NDI or Serial Number)
- Add users or reset to factory defaults
- Config conversion from one pfSense appliance to a Netgate appliance
- Troubleshooting and isolation of potential software bugs
- Pointers to online documentation on how to solve their problem as supplemental information so the Netgate customer is more educated
- Access to free training at https://www.netgate.com/training
- Access to community forums at https://forum.netgate.com
Any request for assistance not listed above will require a more comprehensive TAC subscription (PRO or ENTERPRISE). Netgate is not responsible for the configuration or functionality of third-party hardware such as wireless access points, and switches.
If you are a customer who needs this assistance, please visit https://go.netgate.com and open a trouble ticket. Please include your order number, Netgate Device ID, and your phone number. Our professional staff will contact you to assist.
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Sign into our customer portal at https://go.netgate.com to request TAC support. TAC ENTERPRISE customers can also utilize telephone support for urgent issues. Please keep in mind you must have a valid TAC subscription on each appliance for which you are requesting assistance. TNSR customers can get technical assistance using their order number or serial number from their Netgate appliance.
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The TAC team supports packages maintained in-house and others that have been proven to work well with our software. Packages include snort, squid, squidGuard, suricata, haproxy and more. For a complete list of supported packages and their requirements, please see the Supported Packages page.
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No activation is necessary. In order to submit a TAC request at https://go.netgate.com, we require Netgate Device ID (found on the dashboard of your pfSense software) or the serial number (for Netgate appliances) depending on the product you have. TNSR subscriptions do not require activation.
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Yes, we can troubleshoot and resolve issues with pfSense and TNSR software on non-Netgate devices. For guidance pertaining to non-Netgate devices or appliances, we can only provide a minimal level of assistance as it pertains to connectivity to pfSense and TNSR software - given there are hundreds of vendors, products, and DIY builds that can interface with pfSense and TNSR. Generally speaking, we will only be able to provide technical assistance for non-Netgate products at a high level while troubleshooting issues with pfSense and TNSR software. If you need end-to-end integration or have more complex requirements than what is outlined herein, we encourage you to submit a request to professional.services@netgate.com for an assessment as to how we can help.
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TAC Pro subscriptions come with a 24-hour initial response Service Level Agreement (SLA) and TAC Enterprise subscriptions come with a 4-hour SLA. We strive to get to every request as quickly as we can, and in most cases, our initial response will be well within the SLA requirement.
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Each problem is different. The time required to troubleshoot and resolve requests varies greatly depending on the specifics and complexity of the issue. We will work as fast as we can to get your problem resolved.
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Our Technical Assistance Center (TAC) operates 24x7x365. The initial response SLA and methods are stated under each TAC subscription offer.
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The Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support team can only officially support the current release and one release prior. Anything older will be considered best-effort. Therefore, it is in your best interest to consider upgrading as soon as possible.
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A TAC subscription applies to a single installation. You will need to have a valid TAC subscription for each install you request assistance with.
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Yes, you can purchase a TAC subscription at any time by going to the Netgate Store.
Please note that by electing to wait to purchase a TAC subscription until you have a critical event will delay service as each purchase gets entered into our systems.
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The TAC Enterprise subscription should meet your needs, it includes phone TAC support with 4-hour initial response SLA as well as the ability to make requests through our customer portal at https://go.netgate.com.
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Yes. As long as you have a valid Technical Assistance Center (TAC) subscription for the platform you are using, you may contact us as many times as needed. Subscriptions are on a per-install basis.
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It stands for Service Level Agreement (SLA) and it is the maximum amount of time you can expect to wait for an initial response to your service request. We strive to address incoming requests within minutes, but initial response times may fluctuate depending on the call volume.
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Yes! Anyone in your organization may make a TAC request. We track eligibility based on the Netgate Device ID (NDI), a unique number displayed in the System Information widget on the dashboard of the firewall GUI. We can also verify eligibility based on your order number or serial number.
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No. The TAC subscription only covers technical assistance for pfSense and TNSR software. It does not extend the hardware warranty of products purchased from Netgate. Extended warranties are available at the time of purchase at shop.netgate.com.
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Yes! TAC Subscriptions can be purchased in 1, 2, or 3-year terms.
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Examples include, but are not limited to:
- pfSense installation, deployment and configuration support
- Firewall and NAT rule configuration and troubleshooting
- Preventative solutions and best practices consultation
- pfSense configuration review
- Site-to-Site and Remote Access VPN configuration and troubleshooting
- Supported package installation, configuration and troubleshooting
- Firewall service configuration and troubleshooting, e.g. DHCP, DNS Resolver, etc.
- Connectivity configuration and troubleshooting, e.g. Multiple WANs
Common issues addressed by professional services (NOT included with TAC support, contact Netgate sales for professional services needs):
- Network architecture design
- General consulting
- Firewall conversion
- Network security services
- High-availability configuration
- Other project-related tasks
- pfSense training
- Implementation