Keysight EEsof EDA Support Policy

Support Policy Summary

Provision of software defect repairs and product enhancements

• Entitlement: Customers with a valid support contract will be provided with codewords for the latest major software release that will allow this release and any updates of the release to be run. The features that are made available to customers depend on the specific configuration of software purchased. For more information, follow the links in the table below.

• Supported Computer Configurations, Software Release and Operating System Versions: Keysight EEsof aims to support a broad range of hardware and software configurations that address the majority of customer needs. A comprehensive list can be found at Software Versions, Computer Platforms, and Operating Systems.
• Defect Repairs: Keysight will provide software defect repairs on the current shipping major release. Defect repairs are not provided as standard on older releases and customers should generally aim to move to the latest shipping version of a release as quickly as is practical. This enables customers to gain access to the latest improvements to our software products. Defects and enhancement requests reported to Keysight through Keysight EEsof Technical Support will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and a decision on whether the issue will be addressed or not and schedule for delivery will be determined typically within two weeks of submission. A Technical Support engineer will act as customer point-of-contact and will work with R&D to analyze the issue and determine a resolution plan. Customers will be provided with a unique ID for their submitted defect or enhancement to facilitate the tracking of the issue through to resolution. Customers will be notified through email when their defect or enhancement has been addressed and the fix made available in the latest shipping release. This process is referred to as Closing the Loop.
• Hotfixes: In cases where customers encounter a software defect that represents a major source of impediment to utilizing Keysight EEsof products and cannot be worked around, Keysight can rapidly turn around a fix for the issue, typically within a two week window. This software patch is known as a hotfix. Such cases should be escalated by customers through their Technical Support point-of-contact.

Technical Support Service

• Entitlement: Keysight provides technical support services to customers who have a valid support contract on the respective platform for which technical support is requested (ADS, IC-CAP, GoldenGate, Genesys, SystemView, EMPro). Entitlement is checked at the platform level (valid support contract for environment) and this is carried out by a customer’s first point-of-contact with Keysight (Call-coordinator). A Technical Support service will be declined as standard for any customer without a valid environment license. Customers can be put in contact with their sales representative in these cases.
• Contact Points & Hours of Operation: A technical support service request can be initiated through the contact points and hours of operations found at any Keysight EEsof Web page (be sure to have your local country/region selected). Click the Talk with an Expert link and then select the Support Specialists tab.
• Scope: Technical Support is provided by Keysight Technical Support Engineers to assist customers in solving problems with the use of Keysight EDA software products. Technical Support Engineers typically have an application focus and have a deep knowledge of how to exploit product capability to solve the most advanced customer problems. Technical Support Engineers are trained on the most up-to-date developments with our products and have a tight link and coordination with our R&D teams. Where a software defect is encountered, the Technical Support Engineer will work with the customer and R&D to identify any workaround that is available and to determine if the defect will be repaired and, if so, what the target release will be for that repair. Product or application training is not provided as part of the technical support service nor is design assistance on a customer’s project. Training or consulting services can be purchased separately.
• Service Level: A Keysight Technical Support Engineer will provide a first response to a service request typically within 4 hours of receipt by Keysight of the request. A first response means that an initial technical assessment will be provided based on all information supplied by the customer and any initial information that could be helpful to the customer will be provided including any known solution or workaround to the problem. The first response also includes the setting of expectations on actions that will be taken by Keysight as next steps with a future follow-up date/time identified that will be communicated to the customer. For customers participating in our University program the initial response time is typically within 24 hours and support is provided by email only.
• Supported Hardware, Software Releases and Operating System Versions: A complete technical support service will be offered on the current shipping major release and two prior major releases as standard. Technical Support will be offered on a reasonable effort basis for older releases that are not obsolete. Software is qualified through Keysight’s Quality Assurance department on specific hardware and operating system configurations. These are chosen to cover the majority of customer needs. Technical Support will be provided on a reasonable effort basis for non-standard configurations and service may be declined in these cases if a customer issue cannot be replicated with available hardware. For a full description of supported hardware, software versions and operating systems, refer to Software Versions, Computer Platforms, and Operating Systems.
• Operability with 3rd Party Software: A complete technical support service for operation of Keysight EEsof EDA products with 3rd party tools will only be provided on standard software configurations that have been fully qualified by Keysight’s Quality Assurance department. A reasonable effort service level will be provided for other configurations and service may be declined if a customer problem cannot be replicated. For more information on supported links with 3rd party tools, refer to Software Versions, Computer Platforms, and Operating Systems.
• Obsolete Releases: When a release is made obsolete, this means that no software maintenance, technical support or updated codewords will be provided. Perpetual codewords are issued at the point of customer acceptance to remain on the obsolete product at which point the trade-in value for the existing product is lost. For help with upgrading to the latest release of software, please fill out and submit the Keysight EEsof EDA Sales Assistance form.
• Escalation: Customers can escalate technical or business issues through their technical support contact point. A response from first and, if necessary, second-level manager will be provided typically within 24 hours of escalation initiation.

Knowledge Base Access

Customers that have a valid support contract will be provided with access to Keysight’s on-line knowledge base that contains up-to-date information on "tips-and-tricks", e-learning to help customers build skills in using Keysight’s EDA products, and examples that help tap into the capability of our products and jump-start customer projects. For more information, refer to the Keysight EEsof EDA Technical Support & Knowledge Center.

University Program Scope

Technical Support is offered by Keysight Technologies to University Program participants at the service level defined in the previous section. Each University participating in the program needs to identify a primary point of contact (typically University Professor for relevant department) that will be the initiator of service requests. One delegate can also be named as optional who also can act on behalf of the primary point-of-contact. Service requests placed by University members other than primary and secondary points of contact will be declined. For more information on Keysight EEsof's University Relations Program, refer to the Keysight EEsof EDA University Donation Program.

ITAR Data Handling (US Customers Only)

Keysight provides International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data handling for Defense customers in the United States using EDA products. Note that this support policy is contingent upon the customer having a valid support agreement in place with Keysight Technologies.