IBM Extended Support
IBM Extended Support provides additional years of support once products have reached their completion of Base Support for a specific version or release.
- Up to 4 years of support for specific product version or release that has reached its base support completion date
- Year 1 of Extended Support (Initial Extended Support) includes: Support for usage, existing and new critical bug fixes unless stated otherwise in the Product Lifecycle for the Program or otherwise announced by IBM
- Years 2-4 of Extended Support (On-Going Extended Support) includes: Support for usage and existing fixes only, no new security fixes
- S&S (Base Support) entitlement may include Red Hat Extended Update Support (EUS) or Red Hat Extended Lifecycle Support (ELS) Term 1 for select Red Hat products. If you purchase Extended Support, your entitlement to Term 1 for select Red Hat Products remains determined by your S&S (Base Support). Contact your Subscription and Annuity Representative for eligibility.
- Allows additional time for a customer to migrate to a newer support version of the same product*
- Standardize across IBM software product life cycle for a consistent experience
- Enhance customer value by providing both existing and new fixes for mission critical workloads for the extended support period
- Support for routine Usage and How-to questions
- Basic Troubleshooting
- Access to documentation, technical notes and other online product material
- Standard SLO’s apply (example 24x7 severity 1)
- Unlimited number of technical support incidents
- Existing code patches and fixes
- Critical defect fixes in the first year unless stated otherwise in the Product Lifecycle for the Program or otherwise announced by IBM
- Active IBM Subscription & Support (S&S)
- Sustained Support
For Extended and Sustained Support assistance, please contact your Subscription and Annuity Representative. You can also use the email addresses provided below for assistance:
- NA: NASS@us.ibm.com
- Europe: europess@us.ibm.com
- AP: apss@us.ibm.com
- Japan: Japanss@ibm.com
Extended Support – Comparison with Base & Sustained Support
| S&S | Extended | Sustained | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle Phase | Base Support | Transition Support for a Version/Release | Completion of Base Support of Last Version. The product is no longer commercially available, and all versions are no longer supported under Base Support |
| Prerequisites | Product License | Active S&S or Sustained Support | Product License |
| Length of time | 2/3/5 years based on Lifecycle | 4 years | 5 years |
| User need | Provides Customer full support during the base support period | Provides Customer additional time to migrate to a newer version of same product | Provides clients an option for support instead of choosing to go unsupported and go to a competitor. |
| Enhancements | Yes | No | No |
| Unlimited Technical Support Case Access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New Defect Support | Yes | Critical Defect Support 1st year only | No |
| Usage & How to Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New Security Fixes | Yes | Includes Defect Support for First Year | No |
| Access to Existing Fixes in FixCentral | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-Help and Product Documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes |