Google Search Appliance: Technical Support Services Guidelines (Previous Version)

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  1. Support Services.
    1. Service Addenda. Google will provide Customer the TSS for the Appliance as indicated in the Ordering Document. The levels are further described below. If the Ordering Document does not identify a TSS level, then Google will provide Standard Support. In addition to the two available TSS levels, Customer may order other, optional, TSS offerings as provided by Google.
       
      Support Level Described In:
      Standard Support Addendum A
      Premium Support Addendum B
      Optional Support Offerings Addendum C
    2. Characterization of Requests. Upon receiving a Request from a Customer Contact, Google will determine the Priority level of the Request, and whether or not a Request is a Feature Request. Google will characterize a Request in its sole discretion.
    3. On-Site Maintenance. Google reserves the right to perform on-site maintenance of the Appliance, as deemed necessary by Google. On-site maintenance is offered at the sole discretion of Google, and does not form a standard part of the TSS offering. In order to receive this on-site TSS, Customer must respond within two Business Days to any request for access by Google Technical Support Personnel, and will arrange the site visit(s) at the parties' mutual convenience.
    4. Google Enterprise Support (GES) Site. If the URL for the GES Site or any procedure associated with the GES Site is changed in the future, Google will notify Customer Contacts via e-mail prior to making the change.
    5. Support Hours. Google will only process Requests during Hours of Operation. Any Requests received outside the Hours of Operation will be logged and processed at the beginning of the next Business Day unless: (a) the request is a Priority 1 Request; (b) Customer is entitled to Premium Support; and (c) Customer requests Premium Support following the process described in these TSSG.
    6. Software Subscription Service. Customer is entitled to receive Updates during the Support Period. Updates will be made available on the GES Site. Google Technical Support Personnel may notify Customer Contacts via e-mail when Updates for the Appliance become available.
    7. Hardware Support Service. Google reserves the right to provide a replacement Appliance as part of an Appliance Update. Any Requests which are related to the Hardware will be handled as follows:

      a. Hardware Issue. If Google Technical Support Personnel determine that a bug, error, or malfunction is caused by the Hardware or a Hardware-related Software failure, Google will determine, in its sole discretion, whether to provide a replacement Appliance rather than repairing the Appliance.

      b. Repair. If Google Technical Support Personnel decide to repair the Hardware, either Google will ship one or more replacement parts as required to repair the Appliance and provide instructions to Customer to exchange the parts, or Google Technical Support Personnel will arrange a visit to the Customer site. In case a visit is arranged, the visit will be scheduled at the earliest mutual convenience of both parties.

      c. Replacement. If Google deems it necessary, Google will ship a replacement Appliance with a comparable hardware configuration, and typically with the most recent Software version installed, to Customer.

      d. Expedited Replacement. If Customer is experiencing Serving Downtime and Google decides a replacement Appliance is necessary, Google will use commercially reasonable means to ensure expedited delivery of the replacement Appliance to Customer.

      e. Hardware Damage. TSS includes repair or replacement of Hardware that is defective or damaged when Customer receives it, as determined in Google's sole discretion. Normal wear and tear during shipment does not constitute defective or damaged Hardware.

  2. Accessing Support.
    1. Google Enterprise Support (GES) Site. Only Customer Contacts are entitled to access the GES Site, located at http://google.com/enterprise/portal, or such URL as Google may provide periodically. The GES Site contains the Software Updates, security advisories, and the web form for submitting TSS Requests.
    2. Google Enterprise Document Center. Documentation related to the Appliance is published publicly at http://code.google.com/apis/searchappliance/documentation/ or such URL as Google may provide periodically.
    3. Access to Support. Only Customer Contacts may submit Support Requests, and must do so following the instructions provided by Google at the time of purchase. In Google's sole discretion, the submission process may consist of submission of a web form through the GES Site, e-mail, or a telephone call. If the instructions to open a Support Request change in the future, Google will notify the Customer Contacts via e-mail in advance of any such change.
    4. Support Hours and Target Initial Response Times. Google will make commercially reasonable efforts to respond to Requests submitted by Customer Contacts within the target initial response times set forth in the table below.
       
      Support Level Standard Support Premium Support
      24x7 Pager Support for Priority 1 Request Not available 1 Hour
      Priority 1 First Response: Web/Email/Telephone 2 Business Hours 1 Business Hour
      Priority 2 First Response 4 Business Hours 2 Business Hours
      Priority 3 First Response 1 Business Day 4 Business Hours
      Priority 4 (Feature Request) First Response 2 Business Days 1 Business Day
    5. Language. All TSS provided by Google to Customer pursuant to these TSSG will be provided in English.
  3. Customer Obligations.
    1. First Level Support; Escalation. Customer Contacts will provide initial support to the end-users of a Customer Appliance. Before making a request to Google, Customer Contacts will make reasonable efforts to resolve the issue using the Documentation and other material provided by Google.
    2. Customer Contacts. If Customer wants to change the Customer Contacts, Customer will notify Google via TSS Request at least five Business Days before the date upon which Customer desires the change to take effect.
    3. Diagnostic Information. When making each Request, Customer will provide at least the following diagnostic information: (i) unique appliance identification number (e.g. T1-.../T2-.../T3-.../U1-.../U2-...etc.); (ii) a description of the problem, the configuration, and details of the Customer's network; (iii) data or logs as requested by Google; (iv) a detailed description of the attempted troubleshooting steps; and (v) timely responses and follow-up communication, via e-mail or telephone, to answer questions and make reasonable effort to assist Google Technical Support Personnel as requested.
    4. Internet Access. Customer Contacts may be required to download Updates located on the Internet in order to provide a Fix to resolve a Request.
    5. Remote Support Access.

      a. Required. Customer will provide Remote Support Access to Google. Customer will set up and verify the preferred Remote Support Access connection method as part of the initial installation of the Appliance.

      b. Use. If Google determines that Remote Support Access is required to resolve a Request, Google Technical Support Personnel will connect to the Appliance via Customer's designated Remote Support Access method. Google Technical Support Personnel will not access the Appliance via any other means other than as set forth in these TSSG.

      c. Methods. Customer can designate one of the following Remote Support Access methods, which are fully described in the Documentation: (i) modem, (ii) direct SSH connection, (iii) SupportCall, (iv) Standard VPN Connect, (v) GoToAssist™ or other approved desktop screen sharing method for customers that qualify for Collaborative Support, or (vi) any other method of Remote Support Access listed in http://code.google.com/apis/searchappliance/documentation/remote_access.html or such other URL that may be listed in the Documentation.

      d. Exception. Customers who have purchased the Disconnected Support option, described in Addendum C, "Optional Support Offerings," do not have to provide Remote Support Access.

    6. Physical Access to the Applianceat the Customer site.

      a. Access if Required. Customer agrees to provide Google Technical Support Personnel with full and timely physical access to the Search Appliance if Google determines, in its sole discretion, that physical access to the Appliance is necessary to resolve a Request.

      b. Scheduling. Google will make commercially reasonable efforts to schedule a site visit at the earliest mutual convenience of both parties. If Customer cannot provide the required access within ten Business Days of Google's request, the Google Technical Support Personnel will close the Request.

      c. Because of Disconnected Support. If physical access is required due to Customer's selection of Disconnected Support, as defined in Addendum C, Customer will be responsible for all costs associated with any site visits, including and not limited to materials, actual travel, and out-of-pocket expenses.

    7. Installation of Updates. During the Support Period, Customer will use a version of the Software and Connector Software which Google supports. If a Fix is required to resolve a Request, Google Technical Support Personnel may require Customer to download and install a supported Update. Google will make commercially reasonable efforts to provide a Fix for a supported Software version. In some cases, a Fix may require Customer to download and install the most recent Software version.
    8. Supported Software and Connector Software. Google will generally support Software and Connector Software versions for at least two years from the date that they are released on the GES Site. But Google may, in its sole discretion, stop providing TSS for Software and Connector Software versions at any time if necessary. If Google does so fewer than two years after Google releases a Software or Connector Software version on the GES Site, Google will make commercially reasonable efforts to inform Customer at least 30 days in advance.
    9. Return of Replaced Unit. If Google ships a replacement Appliance to Customer, Customer must ship the replaced Appliance back to Google or to Google's designated recipient for receipt within forty-five days of the date Google shipped the replacement unit to Customer. Customer will follow instructions for return as provided by Google Technical Support Personnel. If Customer and Google mutually agree in writing that Customer will not return the replaced Appliance, Customer must follow the Hardware Replacement Procedure for Non-Return Units then in effect and available from Google upon request.
    10. Installation and Configuration of Hot Back-Up Failover Appliance. In order for Customer to receive Premium Support (See Addendum B) Customer must purchase a Hot Backup unit and configure it as a Failover Appliance for each production Appliance. In order to be eligible for 24x7 TSS, Customer must install the Failover Appliance, synchronize its configuration with the primary (production) Appliance, and operate the Failover Appliance in the same production environment and in such a way that it is available for immediate failover purposes. 24x7 TSS may be refused if Priority 1 requests are made without deployment of the Failover Appliance as set forth in this section.
    11. Notification of Appliance Location. If an Appliance is moved from the shipping location, Customer will provide Google with the country where the Appliance has been moved. Failure to provide this information will not invalidate TSS, but may impact Google's ability to provide timely delivery of replacement components.
  4. Additional Services.

    TSS not included in these Guidelines must be purchased from Google, or from one of Google's partners. These additional TSS are subject to availability and will be purchased pursuant to a separate agreement. Requests for assistance with XSL coding, other than basic variable changes, are not included in TSS.

    Support Level Standard Support Premium Support
    Remote Support by approved VPN Included Included
    Remote Support by approved desktop screen sharing connection Purchase separately as Collaborative Support package Included
    Disconnected Support Purchase separately as Disconnected Support package Purchase separately as Disconnected Support package
  5. Definitions.

    Capitalized terms not defined here have the meaning set forth in the Agreement.

    "Admin Console" means the web based administrative console through which Customer can configure and administer the Appliance, and link to Google's online help center.

    "Agreement" means the Google license agreement for the Google Search Appliance, and the applicable Ordering Document, which references these Guidelines.

    "Business Day" means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a regional holiday as listed at http://google.com/support/enterprise/go/holidays or such other URL that may be listed on the GES Site. For: (a) Appliances located in Europe, Middle East and Africa, refer to the Google Enterprise Support Holidays in EMEA; (b) Appliances located in the Asia Pacific region, refer to the Google Enterprise Support Holidays in Asia Pacific; and (c) Appliances located in the Americas region, refer to the Google Enterprise Support Holidays in the Americas.

    "Business Hour" means a time period of one hour within the Hours of Operation.

    "Connector Software" means certain proprietary computer programs in binary executable and script form only, as well as proprietary software data, as such may be modified from time to time, that is made available to Customer to be installed on separate hardware. Connector Software includes the components "Google Connector Manager for Google Search Appliance", "Google Sharepoint Connector for Enterprise Search Appliance", "Google Documentum Connector for Enterprise Search Appliance", "Google Filenet Connector for Enterprise Search Appliance", "Google Open Text Livelink Connector for Enterprise Search Appliance", and other such components for which Google may, in its sole discretion provide TSS. The Connectors which are provided on the Appliance are covered by these TSSG.

    "Customer Contacts" means up to six search system administrators or technical employees designated by Customer in writing who are allowed to contact Google for TSS.

    "Documentation" means Google proprietary documentation in the form generally made available by Google to its customers for use with the Appliance, including documentation provided via the Admin Console help center.

    "Failover Appliance" means a secondary Appliance deployed by Customer as described below in "Addendum B: Premium Support." A Failover Appliance is only considered to be in production when it is in use as a failover device for a Production Appliance.

    "Feature Request" means any suggestion made by Customer to Google Technical Support Personnel that is unique to a Customer Contact and is unrelated to a Fix, Priority 3 Request, Priority 2 Request, or a Priority 1 Request. These include Requests by Customer Contact to incorporate a new feature or enhance an existing feature of the Software, Connector Software, or Hardware. Feature Requests are categorized as Priority 4 Requests.

    "Fix" means a correction, fix, alteration, Update, or workaround that solves a Priority 3 Request, Priority 2 Request, or Priority 1 Request.

    "Google Enterprise Support Site" (or

    "GES Site") means the online TSS portal provided by Google for use by its Customers, and which includes Software Updates, security advisories, and the web form for submitting TSS Requests (currently at http://google.com/enterprise/portal, or such other URL as may be updated by Google from time to time), and related public content hosted elsewhere and directly linked from the URL provided.

    "Google Enterprise Support Telephone" (or

    "GES Telephone") means the telephone number provided by Google to Customer (or such other telephone number as may be updated by Google from time to time).

    "Google Technical Support Personnel" means the Google representative responsible for handling TSS requests.

    "Hardware" means the tangible physical components of the Appliance, including the media on which the Software is pre-loaded (but excludes the modem available upon request to be shipped by Google for remote access to the Appliance).

    "Hours of Operation" means either: (a) for Appliances located in Europe, Middle East and Africa, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on Business Days; (b) for Appliances located in the Asia Pacific region, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Japan Time on Business Days; or (c) for Appliances located in the Americas, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Business Days.

    "Ordering Document" means a Google order form, or a Google quote, either of which will contain at least the type of TSS provided, as well as the Support Period.

    "Preview Features" means any feature marked as "Preview" in screens displayed by the Software (such as the Admin Console), in Google's Documentation, or in pages in the GES Site.

    "Priority 1 Request" means any error, bug or malfunction that causes a failure or imminent failure of a Production or Failover Appliance resulting in the Appliance being largely unusable for its intended purpose.

    "Priority 2 Request" means an error, bug, or malfunction that causes significant system degradation, without causing a Priority 1 issue, of a Production Appliance or Failover Appliance. A Priority 2 Request results in the Appliance being usable but impaired.

    "Priority 3 Request" means an error, bug, or malfunction that affects use of the Appliance but is not: (a) a Priority 2 Request; (b) a Priority 1 Request; or (c) a single question regarding features of the Hardware or Software or Connector Software, excluding Feature Requests. A Priority 3 Request can be filed regarding either a Production or a Failover Appliance.

    "Production Appliance" means an Appliance that is used in a production scenario (serving results to Customer's end-users).

    "Remote Support Access" means a Customer-enabled remote network connection to the Appliance for use by Google to diagnose or correct, or both, a Priority 3 Request, Priority 2 Request, or Priority 1 Request from Customer, as described in the "Customer Obligations" section above.

    "Request" means a Feature Request, Priority 3 Request, Priority 2 Request, or a Priority 1 Request.

    "Serving Downtime" means a failure of the Appliance to provide any search results to Customer and its end-users.

    "Software" means certain proprietary computer programs in binary executable and script form only, as well as proprietary software data, as such may be modified from time to time, that is installed on the Hardware.

    "Support Period" means two years from the date of shipment of the Appliance by Google, unless otherwise specified in the Agreement or Ordering Document.

    "Update" means enhancements to functionality and modifications to the Software or Connector Software that are made generally available to customers as part of TSS during the Support Period.

Addendum A: Standard Support

Standard Support consists of:
  1. Google Enterprise Support (GES) Site access
  2. Software Subscription Service (Software Update)
  3. Hardware Support Service
  4. Standard Response
  5. Remote Support Access via Standard VPN Connect
  6. Use of GES Telephone only for reporting Priority 1 Requests during Hours of Operation
  1. Standard Response. Google will make reasonable commercial efforts to respond to Priority 1, 2 and 3 Requests as set forth in Section 2.4 above. Google Technical Support Personnel may require Remote Support Access to conduct diagnostic tests to determine how Priority 1 and 2 Requests may be resolved, and will make commercially reasonable efforts to provide a Fix for the Priority 1, 2, and 3 Requests.
  2. Standard VPN Connect. Standard VPN Connect support requires Customer-purchased and Google-approved software with 24x7 accessibility to the Appliance. Customer must request Google's approval of any specific Customer VPN solution for purposes of Remote Support Access under these TSSG.
  3. Preview. Google will support features marked as "Preview" under these TSSG, however these features may take longer to provide Fixes for, and Google may require the Appliance to be updated to a future or pending release for Fixes to be made available to the Preview feature.

Addendum B: Premium Support

Premium support applies to all Appliances for which Customer purchases Premium Support. Premium Support consists of:
  1. Google Enterprise Support (GES) Site access
  2. Software Subscription Service (Software Update)
  3. Hardware Support Service
  4. Premium Response (as set forth below)
  5. 24x7 Pager Support for Priority 1 Request
  6. Remote Support Access via Standard VPN Connect
  7. Collaborative Support (Desktop Screen Sharing)
  8. GES Telephone for reporting any Request during Hours of Operation
  1. Premium Response.
    1. Response Time, Process, and Fixes. Google will make reasonable commercial effort to respond to Priority 1, 2, and 3 Requests as set forth in Section 2.4 above. Google Technical Support Personnel may require Remote Support Access to conduct diagnostic tests to determine how the Priority 1 and 2 Requests may be resolved, and will make commercially reasonable efforts to provide a Fix for the Priority 1, 2, and 3 Requests
    2. 24x7 Pager for Priority 1 Requests only.

      a. Requirements; Response. The 24x7 Pager may only be used for Priority 1 Requests and requires Remote Support Access, which has been previously established and successfully tested, to the affected Appliance(s). Eligibility for 24x7 Premium Support requires pre-launch deployment of the provided Failover Appliance in a redundant configuration with the Production Appliance. Google will make reasonable commercial efforts to respond to Priority 1 Request pages as set forth in Section 2.4 above.

      b. Definition; Instructions. Customer may only use the 24x7 Pager for a Priority 1 Request which affects both the Production and Failover Appliances, making the production search application effectively unusable at the time TSS is requested. Specific instructions for issuing a Priority 1 Request via 24x7 Pager are provided by Google at time of sale, and documented in the GES Site. They may be updated from time to time by notification to Customer Contacts.

  2. Standard VPN Connect. Standard VPN Connect support requires Customer-purchased and Google-approved software with 24x7 accessibility to the Appliance. Approval of any specific Customer VPN solution for purposes of Remote Support Access under these TSSG will be requested by contact with Google.

Addendum C: Optional Support Offerings

Customer may elect to purchase additional Google TSS offerings, which are described below.
  1. Collaborative Support. Collaborative Support offers Remote Support Access using Google-approved desktop screen sharing methods described in the Documentation. Approved methods include GoToAssist™, made available from Citrix Systems, Inc. Google Technical Support Personnel will work with the Customer Contact to schedule a collaborative support session. At a mutually agreed upon time, Google Technical Support Personnel will direct the Customer Contact to login to a web portal. The Customer Contact will be asked to download the GoToAssistTM thin-client while logged into the web portal. If the Customer Contact does so, Google Technical Support Personnel will then be able to begin a remote-support session with the Customer Contact. Collaborative Support is included as part of the Premium and Disconnected Support Service Levels.
  2. Disconnected Support.
    1. Generally. When providing only Disconnected Support, Google will not have Remote Support Access to the Appliance for TSS during the Term of the Agreement, unless the Remote Support Access is requested by Customer. Google will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide TSS without Remote Support Access. A Customer with Disconnected Support, at its sole discretion, may request Collaborative Support. Disconnected support applies to all Appliances for which Customer purchases Disconnected Support.
    2. Onsite Support. If Google determines, in its sole discretion, that an on-site visit is required to resolve Customer's Support Request, Customer may then request on-site TSS. On-site TSS will be scheduled by Google, subject to Google's resource availability and Google's standard terms for such services. Customer will be responsible for all costs associated with on-site TSS at Google's then current rates. In order to receive on-site TSS, Customer must provide Google with full and timely access to the Appliance at reasonable times. Failure to provide this access will relieve Google of any obligation to provide on-site TSS. Onsite TSS is not an included component of the TSS offering.
    3. Hardware Replacement Procedure for Non-Return Units. Under the Disconnected Support model, all Hardware replacements will be handled via the following Hardware Replacement Procedure for Non-Return Units:

      a. Certifying Software Removal. If Google notifies Customer the Hardware needs to be replaced, Customer will erase the Software from its Appliance in compliance with the removal process provided by Google. Customer will certify, in the form requested by Google, the removal of the Software within thirty Business Days of Google's notification.

      b. Hard Drive Destruction. Google will determine, in its sole discretion, whether the hard drive of an Appliance slated for replacement should be destroyed. If required to do so by Google, Customer will destroy the hard drive of the Appliance to be replaced. Google may also require Customer to: (i) allow a Google engineer to inspect the interior of the Appliance to be replaced to determine which components were responsible for the defective performance; and (ii) then to observe the physical destruction of the hard drive contained therein. Once Google decides an Appliance must be replaced, Customer will not use it further, and Customer's use of the Appliance in violation of this restriction is at Customer's sole risk.

      c. Replacement Appliances and License Keys. Google will ship to Customer a replacement Appliance with only a temporary use license. Upon Google's receipt of the replaced Appliance, or certification that the Software has been erased as required, Google will issue Customer a license key that enables the Software for use with the replacement Appliance for the remaining Term of the license granted pursuant to the Agreement.

      d. Hardware Replaced Due to Customer's Breach. If Google determines, in its sole discretion, that the Hardware must be replaced due to Customer's use of the Appliance in violation of the Agreement, Customer will be responsible for the costs of the replacement Hardware, as well as all costs associated with the TSS and destruction of the existing Hardware in Customer's possession. All such costs will be at Google's then current rates.

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