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-<!DOCTYPE preface PUBLIC "-//Samba-Team//DTD DocBook V4.2-Based Variant V1.0//EN" "http://www.samba.org/samba/DTD/samba-doc">
-
-<chapter lang="en-US">
-<title>Samba Support</title>
-
-<para>
-<indexterm><primary>support</primary></indexterm>
-One of the most difficult to answer questions in the information technology industry is, <quote>What is
-support?</quote>. That question irritates some folks, as much as common answers may annoy others.
-</para>
-
-<para>
-<indexterm><primary>customers</primary></indexterm>
-The most aggravating situation pertaining to support is typified when, as a Linux user, a call is made to
-an Internet service provider who, instead of listening to the problem to find a solution, blandly replies:
-<quote>Oh, Linux? We do not support Linux!</quote>. It has happened to me, and similar situations happen
-through-out the IT industry. Answers like that are designed to inform us that there are some customers
-that a business just does not want to deal with, and well may we feel the anguish of the rejection that
-is dished out.
-</para>
-
-<para>
-One way to consider support is to view it as consisting of the right answer, in the right place,
-at the right time, no matter the situation. Support is all that it takes to take away pain, disruption,
-inconvenience, loss of productivity, disorientation, uncertainty, and real or perceived risk.
-</para>
-
-<para>
-<indexterm><primary>provided services</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>services provided</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>customer expected</primary></indexterm>
-One of the forces that has become a driving force for the adoption of open source software is the fact that
-many IT businesses have provided services that have perhaps failed to deliver what the customer expected, or
-that have been found wanting for other reasons.
-</para>
-
-<para>
-<indexterm><primary>consumer expects</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>problem resolution</primary></indexterm>
-In recognition of the need for needs satisfaction as the primary experience an information technology user or
-consumer expects, the information provided in this chapter may help someone to avoid an unpleasant experience
-in respect of problem resolution.
-</para>
-
-<para>
-<indexterm><primary>free support</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>paid-for support</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>commercial support</primary></indexterm>
-In the open source software arena there are two support options: free support and paid-for (commercial)
-support.
-</para>
-
- <sect1>
- <title>Free Support</title>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>user groups</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>mailing lists</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>interactive help</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>help</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>mutual assistance</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>assistance</primary></indexterm>
- Free support may be obtained from friends, colleagues, user groups, mailing lists, and interactive help
- facilities. An example of an interactive dacility is the Internet relay chat (IRC) channels that host user
- supported mutual assistance.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>mailing list</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>deployment</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>subscription</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>IRC</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>project</primary></indexterm>
- The Samba project maintains a mailing list that is commonly used to discuss solutions to Samba deployments.
- Information regarding subscription to the Samba mailing list can be found on the Samba <ulink
- url="https://lists.samba.org/mailman/">web</ulink> site. The public mailing list that can be used to obtain
- free, user contributed, support is called the <literal>samba</literal> list. The email address for this list
- is at <literal>mail:samba@lists.samba.org</literal>. Information regarding the Samba IRC channels may be found on
- the Samba <ulink url="http://www.samba.org/samba.irc.html">IRC</ulink> web page.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>free support</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>qualified problem</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>requesting payment</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>professional support</primary></indexterm>
- As a general rule, it is considered poor net behavior to contact a Samba Team member directly
- for free support. Most active members of the Samba Team work exceptionally long hours to assist
- users who have demonstrated a qualified problem. Some team members may respond to direct email
- or telephone contact, with requests for assistance, by requesting payment. A few of the Samba
- Team members actually provide professional paid-for Samba support and it is therefore wise
- to show appropriate discretion and reservation in all direct contact.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>bug report</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>problem report</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>code maintainer</primary></indexterm>
- When you stumble across a Samba bug, often the quickest way to get it resolved is by posting
- a bug <ulink url="https://bugzilla.samba.org/">report</ulink>. All such reports are mailed to
- the responsible code maintainer for action. The better the report, and the more serious it is,
- the sooner it will be dealt with. On the other hand, if the responsible person can not duplicate
- the reported bug it is likely to be rejected. It is up to you to provide sufficient information
- that will permit the problem to be reproduced.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>purchase support</primary></indexterm>
- We all recognize that sometimes free support does not provide the answer that is sought within
- the time-frame required. At other times the problem is elusive and you may lack the experience
- necessary to isolate the problem and thus to resolve it. This is a situation where is may be
- prudent to purchase paid-for support.
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
- <sect1>
- <title>Commercial Support</title>
-
- <para>
- There are six basic support oriented services that are most commonly sought by Samba sites:
- </para>
-
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem><para>Assistance with network design</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>Staff Training</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>Assistance with Samba network deployment and installation</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>Priority telephone or email Samba configuration assistance</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>Trouble-shooting and diagnostic assistance</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>Provision of quality assured ready-to-install Samba binary packages</para></listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>commercial support</primary></indexterm>
-<indexterm><primary>country of origin</primary></indexterm>
- Information regarding companies that provide professional Samba support can be obtained by performing a Google
- search, as well as by reference to the Samba <ulink
- url="http://www.samba.org/samba/support.html">Support</ulink> web page. Companies who notify the Samba Team
- that they provide commercial support are given a free listing that is sorted by the country of origin.
- Multiple listings are permitted, however no guarantee is offered. It is left to you to qualify a support
- provider and to satisfy yourself that both the company and its staff are able to deliver what is required of
- them.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>commercial support</primary></indexterm>
- The policy within the Samba Team is to treat all commercial support providers equally and to show no
- preference. As a result, Samba Team members who provide commercial support are lumped in with everyone else.
- You are encouraged to obtain the services needed from a company in your local area. The open source movement
- is pro-community; so do what you can to help a local business to prosper.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-<indexterm><primary>unsupported software</primary></indexterm>
- Open source software support can be found in any quality, at any price and in any place you can
- to obtain it. Over 180 companies around the world provide Samba support, there is no excuse for
- suffering in the mistaken belief that Samba is unsupported software &smbmdash; it is supported.
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
-</chapter>
git.samba.org / kai / samba-autobuild / .git / blobdiff