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Table Of Contents
Required Preliminary Information
Where to Find More Information
Opening a Case With TAC
The Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) provides unparalleled technical support service to Cisco customers, partners, and resellers. To best meet customer's needs, TAC provides two types of support:
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Online at the Cisco TAC Web Site www.cisco.com/tac
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When you need help from the TAC, you have three options for opening a case with the TAC:
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The TAC Service Request Tool automates the process of opening a case with TAC. The Service Request Tool is available around-the-clock at the following URL: http://tools.cisco.com/ServiceRequestTool/create/launch.do
The TAC Service Request Tool automatically suggests solutions during the case open process. This provides the opportunity for you to resolve your issue before you actually open a case. If you must open a case, the TAC Service Request Tool allows you to check its status and add updates.
You can also use Technical Documentation and Support web site, a detailed collection of tools and technical documents written by TAC engineers, to analyze common issues and provide solutions that is available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/index.html
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A case may also be opened via email by sending a message to tac@cisco.com.
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There are several different phone numbers to use when calling the TAC depending on your location in the world. The current numbers are listed below:
Asia-Pacific
+61 2 8448 7107
North America
1 800 553 2447
EMEA
+32 2 704 5555
You can also check the TACWeb site for local access phone numbers.
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If you have a priority 1 or 2 case, you should open the case with the GCC via phone.
Information You Will Need
When you open a case with the Cisco TAC, you must provide preliminary information to better identify and qualify the issue. You may need to provide additional information, depending on the nature of the issue. Waiting to collect the following information upon the engineer's request after opening a case inevitably results in resolution delay.
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Required Preliminary Information
For all issues, always provide the following information to TAC. Collect and save this information for use upon opening a TAC case and update it regularly with any changes.
Network Layout
A detailed description of the physical and logical setup, as well as all the following network elements involved in the voice network (if applicable):
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Ideally, submit a Visio or other detailed diagram, such as JPG. Using the whiteboard, you may also provide the diagram through a Cisco Live! session.
Problem Description
Provide step-by-step detail of actions that the user performed when the issue occurs. Ensure the detailed information includes
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General Information
Make sure that the following information is readily available:
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TAC Web
Use TAC Web, a detailed collection of tools and technical documents written by TAC engineers, to analyze common issues and provide solutions. See the presentation covering TAC Web tools and content that is available to help you use this tool at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/public/support/tac/home.shtml
CCO Cases
Opening a case through CCO gives it priority over all other case-opening methods. High priority cases (P1 and P2) provide an exception to this rule.
Provide an accurate problem description when opening a CCO case. That description of the problem returns URL links that may provide you with an immediate solution.
If you do not find a solution to your problem, continue the process of sending your case to a TAC engineer.
Attachments
Attach reports to a case by sending an email to the engineer and attaching a zip file for documents larger than 100 Kb.
At the following URL, use the Manage a TAC Case section, please login link to log in as a registered user:
http://www.cisco.com/public/support/tac/contact.shtml
Cisco Live!
Cisco Live!, a secure, encrypted Java applet, allows you and your Cisco TAC engineer to work together more effectively by using Collaborative Web Browsing / URL sharing, whiteboard, Telnet, and clipboard tools.
Access Cisco Live! at the following URL:
http://c3.cisco.com/
Remote Access
Remote access provides you with the ability to establish Terminal Services (remote port 3389), HTTP (remote port 80), and Telnet (remote port 23) sessions to all the necessary equipment.
Caution
You may resolve many issues very quickly by allowing the TAC engineer remote access to the devices through one of the following methods:
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Ensure that firewalls do not obstruct IOS traffic and PIX traffic during engineer intervention and that all necessary services, such as Terminal Services, start on the servers.
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Cisco Secure Telnet
Cisco Secure Telnet offers Cisco Service Engineers (CSE) transparent firewall access to Cisco CallManager servers on your site.
Cisco Secure Telnet works by enabling a Telnet client inside the Cisco Systems firewall to connect to a Telnet daemon behind your firewall. This secure connection allows remote monitoring and maintenance of your Cisco CallManager servers without requiring firewall modifications.
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Firewall Protection
Virtually all internal networks use firewall applications to restrict outside access to internal host systems. These applications protect your network by restricting IP connections between the network and the public internet.
Firewalls work by automatically blocking TCP/IP connections that are initiated from the outside, unless the software is reconfigured to allow such access.
Corporate networks normally permit communication with the public Internet but only if connections directed to outside hosts originate from inside the firewall.
Cisco Secure Telnet Design
Cisco Secure Telnet takes advantage of the fact that Telnet connections can easily be initiated from behind a firewall. Using an external proxy machine, the system relays TCP/IP communications from behind your firewall to a host behind another firewall at the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC).
Using this relay server maintains the integrity of both firewalls while supporting secure communication between the shielded remote systems.
Figure A-1 Cisco Secure Telnet System
Cisco Secure Telnet Structure
The external relay server establishes the connection between your network and Cisco Systems by building a Telnet tunnel. This enables you to transmit the IP address and password identifier of your Cisco CallManager server to your CSE.
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Your administrator starts the process by initiating the Telnet tunnel, which establishes a TCP connection from inside your firewall out to the relay server on the public Internet. The Telnet tunnel then establishes another connection to your local Telnet server, creating a two-way link between the entities.
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After the Cisco CallManager at your site accepts the password, the Telnet client that is running at the Cisco TAC connects to the Telnet daemon that is running behind your firewall. The resulting transparent connection allows the same access as if the machine were being used locally.
Once the Telnet connection is stable, the CSE can implement all remote serviceability functionality to perform maintenance, diagnostic, and troubleshooting tasks on your Cisco CallManager server.
You can view the commands sent by the CSE and the responses issued by your Cisco CallManager server, but the commands and responses may not always be completely formatted.
Where to Find More Information
For detailed information, refer to the Cisco CallManager Serviceability Administration Guide.
