MasterCare Support Programs Frequently Asked Questions

If I have a problem, how do I get service support?
There are several ways to contact NetScout’s Global Technical Assistance Center (GTAC):

MasterCare Portal—Search the Knowledge Base
MasterCare Portal—Click on Open a Case to pose a question that goes directly to Customer Support. Check My Stuff to check the status of your case or to modify it with additional information.
Phone options—

Enter your MasterCare ID (Service Contract ID for legacy Network General customers) to route your call to the support engineer most familiar with your environment.
Enter an incident number if one has been issued so that your call gets routed directly to the support engineer assigned to your case.
Leave a voice mail message that is sent directly to the appropriate support engineer as a .wav file.

How long does it take to get a response to a problem or a question?
The time to find a solution depends on a number of factors. The GTAC answers phone calls very quickly, and in many cases the solution is fast and simple. Every incident is given a severity rating as soon as it is reported, and the most severe cases are given the highest priority (see “Who gets first priority?” below.) if they cannot be solved immediately. In some cases NUF (NetScout User Forum) members might find answers in the forum.

MasterCare customers have the additional option of searching the Knowledge Base for answers. Solutions to new problems are posted regularly there, and these solutions appear both in the “What’s New” section of the MasterCare Portal as well as in the MasterCare Newsletter.

Who gets first priority?
Every reported incident or problem is immediately assigned a severity rating:

Severity 1—the server or hardware is completely down with no workaround.
Severity 2—there is a functional outage and no workaround.
Severity 3—there is a functional or system outage but also an acceptable workaround.
Severity 4—there is a minor problem such as a cosmetic change or a problem with a simple workaround. This rating also includes product questions or requests for general information.
Severity 5—a request for a product enhancement.

The support group uses an automatic calculation based on both the severity rating and the length of time the case has been unresolved to set priorities each day.
There are premium support plans which include an on-site engineer (OSE), a remote site engineer (RSE), or a technical account manager (TAM) that have different levels of dedicated support for superior response.

What information do I need when contacting NetScout’s GTAC?
In order to make your communication with our staff a highly satisfactory experience, we request that you supply the following information to help diagnose and solve your problem as quickly as possible:

MasterCare Customers: Have your MasterCare ID (or your Service Contract ID if you are a legacy Network General customer) ready so that you can be routed to a GTAC support person familiar with your network environment to speed up response time. Then all you need is:

Is support available from the NetScout web site?
Yes. You can contact the support group or the NetScout User Forum directly from the web site. MasterCare customers have several additional options that appear on the MasterCare Portal:

Search the Knowledge Base to find answers to your technical questions. If the solution is not there, you can use Open a Case to submit a question and receive immediate acknowledgement of your request with an incident reference number that can be used for tracking the status of your ticket in My Stuff.
Download Software for software, service packs, updates, firmware releases, and patches.
Documentation is the source for the latest technical manuals, migration information, and third-party information.
Sniffer University Learning Community hosts scores of learning modules from flash-based tutorials for self-paced learning to PDF file information. These learning tools provide in-depth information about software and hardware or serve as refresher courses to review features you may have overlooked or forgotten.
What’s New is the first place to look for the latest documentation or additions to the Knowledge Base.
The MasterCare Newsletter is also a source of the latest documents and tech tips.

Where do I find documentation for Network General products?
Network General documentation can be found in two places on the MasterCare Portal page: 1) under nGenius documentation and 2) under Downloads. Accessing Network General documentation requires a login process that includes your Service Contract number or MasterCare ID number.

How do I sign up for training classes to learn more about how to use NetScout products?
Click on the http://www.netscout.com/training/ link to go to the training page. You will find a schedule of courses on the Courses at a Glance link on the upper right corner. Click on the On-Demand Training link to find a description of the courses as well as a link to register for them. If you register for a course, you will receive an immediate email confirmation of your registration request. Self-Paced Training offers two e-learning courses with a listing of system requirements to complete the courses as well as links to register for them.
Tutorials and refresher courses are always available to MasterCare customers from the MasterCare Portal by going to the Sniffer University Learning Community.

What is the NetScout policy for supporting legacy products?
NetScout is committed to providing you with the highest product performance and reliability available. From time to time it becomes necessary to end the production and sale of certain products. The decision to discontinue a product is based on a number of factors, including the availability of hardware components needed to continue production or the introduction of new products with more advanced features and functionality.
NetScout has adopted policy guidelines for product end-of-life that includes the following elements:

Notification of Discontinuation (NOD)—the date that the product has been identified as discontinued. NetScout Partners and customers are notified of the discontinuation. Purchase orders will be accepted until the OPD date, after which time the product(s) will no longer be orderable.
Out of Production Date (OPD)—the product is no longer manufactured and, therefore, no longer orderable. Support and maintenance will be provided until the EOL date. This includes phone support plus bug fixes and patches for Priority 1 and Priority 2 bugs. Feature enhancements may or may not be provided after the OPD date.
End-of-life Date (EOL)—all contracted support will be discontinued on this date. MasterCare renewals cannot be extended beyond this date.

As a general rule, NetScout manufactured hardware is supported for a minimum of three years from the date the product has been discontinued. Software is typically supported for a minimum of two years from the date of discontinuation. Customers are required to maintain the current generally available version of software or two prior releases in most cases.

How do I return equipment for servicing?
The first thing to do is to contact GTAC to confirm whether or not the equipment needs servicing. That contact will create an incident ticket within NetScout’s support system. If GTAC’s troubleshooting procedures determine that the equipment needs to be returned:

GTAC will provide you with an RMA (Return Material Authorization) number and directions on the best method to return the equipment if you are a MasterCare customer or the product is under warranty. You will be responsible for the cost of shipping to NetScout, but NetScout will pay for the return shipment. If the proper packaging is not available to you, GTAC will also provide the packaging.
If the equipment is not under MasterCare or warranty, the RMA administrator will contact you to request a purchase order to cover the cost of the repair.

Can other individuals at my company access the MasterCare Portal?
Yes. In order for them to access the MasterCare Portal, they will need to follow the one-time on-line registration process and provide your company’s unique MasterCare identification number. The Register link appears at the top of the MasterCare Portal page, but the registration page also pops up if a user clicks on ANY secure area marked with a padlock icon.

What if I want extra manuals?
You can select from a variety of nGenius or Sniffer PDF documents on the NetScout site and order extra manuals from Mimeo.com, the leading On Demand Document Services provider. Mimeo Customer Care representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you order before 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (U.S.), you can receive the documents by the following day. Mimeo will print, bind, and mail the documents; and you pay Mimeo directly. Follow these steps:

What if I have a question? Do I need to open a ticket?
Customers who do not have a service contract can always contact GTAC for answers either by phone or by email:

GTAC will open a ticket for all such contacts, and the severity level is typically a 4. NetScout User Forum members can also use that forum to look for answers.
MasterCare customers have those same options plus the ability to search for answers on their own through the Knowledge Base available on the MasterCare Portal. The search aids in the Knowledge Base are often enough to answer most questions. If a MasterCare customer cannot find the answer there, there is always the option of posting a question on the Open a Case tab on the Knowledge Base page. Posted questions automatically generate a ticket so that users can track the progress of getting the answer.

Is there a way to collaborate with other NetScout users?
Yes. The NetScout User Forum (NUF) is the place to discuss NetScout products with peers and to share best practices. This is a dedicated web site led by a volunteer customer-driven Board of Directors and sponsored by engineering rather than marketing. The engineering sponsorship gives NUF a distinctive edge that sets it apart from most other high-tech communities. As a member, you’re encouraged to ask questions and share knowledge about technical details, techniques for accomplishing specific tasks, and tips for applying NetScout products in your environment.
Joining NUF is easy:

Go to http://www.netscoutuserforum.com
Click one of the red Join Now buttons on the page: http://ntweb01.netscout.com/members/registeruser.aspx?s=nuf