Cisco SMARTnet – Operating System Software Support

Value of CISCO SMARTnet OS upgrades for your business

OS upgrades can help your business benefit from new technology innovations, get a greater ROI, and minimize your cost of ownership while remaining competitive in today’s globalized economic world. The cost of buying new OS releases as compared to having them included in your tech support contract can be many times more expensive.

Getting OS upgrades as a part of your SMARTnet contract will minimize your operating costs while giving you a higher ROI. When efficiently deployed, OS updates also assist you in retaining and extending the value of your IT investment. New OS features contained within your licensed feature set will also enable greater network capacity, Advanced security and regulatory compliance along with improved interoperability.

Feature Set Upgrades

A feature set update is basically a separately licensed and priced software release which contains improved configurations and features which give you additional capabilities. E.g. you must purchase the update from the IP Base to Enterprise Base feature set or from IP Base to Advance Security that includes new feature sets for Cisco 12000 Series Routers and Cisco 2800 and 3800 Series Integrated Services Routers. These specific feature set updates will not be included as part of a Cisco SMARTnet or SMARTnet onsite program.

Software Entitlement with CISCO SMARTnet

You will be entitled to all Cisco OS software upgrades within your licensed feature set for covered hardware. This includes OS bug fixes and maintenance along with all minor and major releases. SMARTnet support for Cisco Unified Computing System™ will give you ongoing downloads of BIOS, drivers, firmware and the Cisco Unified Computing System Manager (Cisco UCSM). Like other servers, Cisco UCS® runs an OS supplied by 3rd-party vendors including Microsoft and RedHat.

For further information and assistance with CISCO SMARTnet and software features, please reach out to our CISCO SMARTnet team here.

Cisco SMARTnet – Online Self-help support and Tools

Cisco’s SMARTnet includes a TAC service request tool, MyCisco tailored online assistance, and wide-ranging troubleshooting tools.

SMARTnet Online Support Resources

  • Software downloads –You get all the latest updates, new patches, and new releases of Cisco software.
  • Software Advisor – Choose suitable software for your network equipment by matching software features to the Cisco OS software releases, comparing Cisco OS software releases, or finding software releases that are supported by your hardware.
  • Bug Toolkit – Find software bug fixes quickly based on the version and associated feature sets.
  • TAC case collection – Interactively identify common issues involving hardware, configuration, and performance issues with resolutions supplied by CISCO TAC engineers.
  • Error message decoder – Find descriptions of console error messages listed in the Cisco Software System Messages guide.
  • Command Lookup Tool – Find detailed descriptions of your particular Cisco OS software, Cisco Catalyst, or ASA commands
  • Output Interpreter – Get prompt troubleshooting analysis and plan your course of action for your router or switch using the collected show command output.
  • Technical documents – You get access to 90,000+ technical documentation, e.g. product and technology integration documents of Cisco and third-party equipment along with troubleshooting guides and release notes.
  • TAC Service Request Tool – Via Cisco’s TAC Service Request Tool, you will be able to minimize the time spent in filing and tracking your service requests.
  • Peer-to-peer online forum – A peer-to-peer online forum will give you the access to share queries, recommendations, and info with other networking professionals.
  • MyCisco – A tailored web portal, “MyCisco,” will help you find the info you need in one place, tailored to your network, like new software releases, latest bug reports and repairs, and troubleshooting tools.
  • Cisco Technical Services Newsletter – You will get this newsletter which will alert you to new technical tools, resources, and SMARTnet subscriber exclusive networking tips on a monthly basis.

Please click here to speak to our dedicated SMARTnet specialists today.