Table of Contents
+ +One of the most difficult to answer questions in the information technology industry is, “What is +support?”. That question irritates some folks, as much as common answers may annoy others. +
+ +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: +“Oh, Linux? We do not support Linux!”. 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. +
+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. +
+ + + +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. +
+ + +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. +
+ + + +In the open source software arena there are two support options: free support and paid-for (commercial) +support. +
+ + + + + + + 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. +
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+ 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 web site. The public mailing list that can be used to obtain
+ free, user contributed, support is called the samba list. The email address for this list
+ is at mail:samba@samba.org. Information regarding the Samba IRC channels may be found on
+ the Samba IRC web page.
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+ + + + + 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. +
+ + + + When you stumble across a Samba bug, often the quickest way to get it resolved is by posting + a bug report. 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. +
+ + 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. +
+ There are six basic support oriented services that are most commonly sought by Samba sites: +
Assistance with network design
Staff Training
Assistance with Samba network deployment and installation
Priority telephone or email Samba configuration assistance
Trouble-shooting and diagnostic assistance
Provision of quality assured ready-to-install Samba binary packages
+ + + Information regarding companies that provide professional Samba support can be obtained by performing a Google + search, as well as by reference to the Samba Support 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. +
+ + 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. +
+ + 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 it is supported. +