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Carrier 3rd Party Support FAQ
To what class of 3rd party products does this FAQ apply? This FAQ is intended to clarify Nortel's support policy for products that meet both of the following criteria:
Back to top Who Supports 3rd Party devices in my Network? The support of 3rd party devices is the responsibility of the 3rd party and the customer, not Nortel. Are there any circumstances where Nortel will assume support responsibility for a 3rd party product? Exceptions are 3rd party products for which the customer has negotiated a specific support agreement for Tier 1/2 support from Nortel. Nortel offers optional support services for some 3rd party products that are part of a Nortel reference solution or available through Pass-Buy. Ask your Nortel sales rep if they can offer a recommendation on a 3rd party product that has optional Nortel support. Back to top What is Nortel's policy for problems reported on devices that have a Certificate of Compatibility with Nortel? If the problem is with the 3rd party device the customer must contact the 3rd party. Nortel will accept problems on devices that have obtained a Certificate of Compatibility and gone through interoperability testing as part of the Developer Program only when the problem is indeterminate. Indeterminate means that the fault could be with Nortel product or the 3rd party device. In the case of an indeterminate problem Nortel will do fault isolation on these devices and assess the origin of the problem. If the problem is determined to reside with Nortel equipment Nortel will resolve the problem as per the normal Customer Service Report process. If the problem is with the 3rd party device, Nortel will close the problem and it is the responsibility of the customer and the 3rd party to resolve the problem. Nortel will assess additional charges for the diagnosis and fault isolation of problems that are caused by non-Nortel equipment. Back to top What if a device does not have a certificate of Compatibility with Nortel? Prior to acceptance of the problem by Nortel the customer will be required to duplicate the problem on a Nortel client - such as the Nortel Multimedia PC client - or another device that has obtained a Certificate of Compatibility under the Developer Program. Back to top What other options do I have if a device I want to use has not received a Certificate of Compatibility from Nortel? Nortel customers are encouraged to make it a requirement of their 3rd party suppliers that their devices have gone through interoperability testing with Nortel. In addition, Nortel offers a series of professional Integration Services for 3rd party equipment, including a Pre- Deployment Validation service that will provide a customized test plan to meet a customers need for specific end to end testing across a multi-vendor network environment. Ask your Nortel account prime about this service. Back to top What if there are no devices currently approved for deployment with my Software load? Interoperability testing is normally completed against software that is Generally Available. Nortel frequently has a number of vendors that attempt to schedule interoperability testing immediately after a release is GA and you can contact your account prime for information on planned events. For many 3rd parties, commitment to complete interoperability testing is driven by customer requests. Service providers need to make interoperability testing with Nortel a pre-condition for deployment in their networks. Back to top Nortel offers different levels of interoperability. Is the policy the same for Registered and Compatible levels of testing? No, Registered testing is meant to provide a minimum level interoperability testing and provides an indication that a device can interoperate with Nortel at a very basic level. It does not cover more complex call scenarios such as Fax or multi-codec negotiation. Nortel will require that devices have achieved a Compatible level of interoperability testing before accepting problems for fault isolation. Back to top Where can I find a of list devices that have completed interoperability testing with Nortel? Devices that have completed interoperability testing are published on our Developer Program website. Please review the Certificate of Compatibility to determine the appropriate software release. Go to the following link: http://www.nortel.com/developer Click on the link in the left sidebar: "FOR NORTEL CARRIER OR SERVICE PROVIDER CUSTOMERS" After navigating to the above link page click on the link in the right sidebar: "NORTEL COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS AND REGISTERED PRODUCTS" Back to top Does Interoperability Testing (IOT) fully qualify a 3rd party product for Network deployment? IOT is necessary, but not sufficient. Typically additional test and integration activities are required to qualify a device for deployment in a customer's network. Capacity, billing, fault redundancy and feature interaction with the network components specific to the network in question all need to be considered. Nortel can provide the professional services to fully integrate a product into a comprehensive network solution. Keep in mind more than IOT is required for a successful deployment and Nortel can provide these additional services. Back to top A 3rd party device was interop tested on a previous software release. What are the requirements for ongoing testing? Bug fixes, evolving standards and specifications and new features drive product change both on the Nortel side and in 3rd party products. Best practices require ongoing regression of 3rd party products as Nortel and 3rd party products are updated. Nortel is not in position to demand that 3rd parties keep their certification current. Nortel strongly recommends that Service Providers develop a network upgrade strategy that looks at all components in their network. Service Providers must make it a requirement that their suppliers maintain their compatibility release over release. Back to top Are products acquired through the "Passbuy" program supported any differently? No, Passbuy products are treated like any other product that has completed IOT and obtained a Certificate of Compatibility. All Passbuy products are required to obtain a Certificate of Compatibility. Under the pass buy program Nortel acts as a sales agent for certain 3rd party products - the contract for purchase, sale and support are with the 3rd party. Nortel will support the Passbuy product only when the customer has purchased a special support agreement for the Passbuy product. The availability and terms of these separate support agreements vary from product to product. Back to top |
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