Customer Support

Warranty & Support Agreements

SonicWALL's warranty and support agreements provide technical assistance during standard coverage hours, typically 8x5 or 24x7. A SonicWALL technical specialist will work remotely with you to diagnose and identify software and hardware not performing to documented specifications. Support also includes general assistance regarding use and implementation on a limited basis. SonicWALL's warranty and support offerings do not include step-by installation or configuration of products or services. If you need installation or configuration assistance, SonicWALL will refer you to a certified value-added reseller or offer you one of our Professional Services.  

Warranty and support agreements provide for replacement of failing hardware returned to SonicWALL's factory. The replacement product may be new, or like-new. In the event of product obsolescence, SonicWALL reserves the right to replace failing product with a product of like or better features and functionality.

Repair and Return

Contact SonicWALL’s Customer Support Center if you think you have a hardware problem. The support specialist will log your case and determine with you whether a replacement unit is required.  If so, you will be provided with a Returned Material Authorization (RMA) number for your reference. SonicWALL will ship you a replacement unit via pre-paid, next-day airfreight to the address that you specify. Routine RMA orders are filled on the day that they are received if the RMA is processed before 12:00 PT (4:30 PM in Europe). You will be asked to provide a credit card number or billing authorization to secure the return of the defective unit to SonicWALL.  In Europe, an RMA Purchase Order Fax form can be used instead of a credit card.

SonicWALL will automatically transfer the registration information and subscription services to the replacement unit.  The replacement unit will include instructions for returning the defective unit to SonicWALL. Shipping is paid by SonicWALL. Please make sure that the RMA number is included with your shipment and that you return the defective unit to SonicWALL within 30 days. After 30 days you will be billed the retail price of the new unit.

Product Warranty

In addition to being extremely reliable, SonicWALL products are recognized for being easy to install, configure and manage. SonicWALL Warranty Support enhances these features with:

Note: SonicWALL E-Class appliances do not include warranty support

*8:00 am - 5:00 pm local time is defined as follows: In North America: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Mountain Standard Time (MST) In Latin America: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Local Standard Time in the country where the product is deployed In Europe, Middle East and Africa: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm GMT +1 In Asia Pacific: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Local Standard Time in the country where the product is deployed In Japan: 5:00 pm - 2:00 am UTC/GMT Note: Warranty support and hardware warranty begin on the date of product registration. Telephone fees may apply for phone assistance. Telephone numbers and hours of operation vary by geographic region and are subject to change.

Support Services Reinstatement

SonicWALL requires continuous coverage for support agreements. Appliances with an expired warranty or support agreement are considered to be “out of support compliance.” Support Services Reinstatement provides the opportunity to bring these appliances back into compliance and up to date.  Generally, new agreements are retroactively activated to the expiration date of the most recent warranty or support agreement.

Customers with appliances that have an expired warranty or support agreement who purchase SonicWALL Support Services Reinstatement and a new one-, two- or three-year support agreement receive a full 12/24/36 months of support from date of activation. Also included in SonicWALL Support Services Reinstatement is a single firmware update, allowing you access to the most current firmware features. 

Product Lifecycle

SONICWALL PRODUCT LIFECYCLE
SonicWALL's approach to product lifecycle management includes four post-release phases, Last Time Buy (LTB), Active Retirement Mode (ARM), Limited Retirement Mode (LRM) and End of Support (EOS).

Last Time Buy (LTB)

Last Time Buy (LTB) is advanced notification to SonicWALL customers and partners that SonicWALL intends to start the end of life process. The duration of this phase is variable and depends on numerous factors including material availability, SonicWALL and channel inventory and end-user demand. Last Time Buy is informational only. Products in this phase are active.

Active Retirement Mode (ARM)

Active Retirement Mode (ARM) is a statement by SonicWALL that it is no longer actively manufacturing or selling the product. Products in ARM are removed from all price lists and marketing collateral. Support contracts for products in this phase will remain on price lists and will continue to be available. During this time SonicWALL will release a limited number of firmware updates, new features and bug fixes. The duration of this phase is typically two years beginning one day after the last day to order.

Limited Retirement Mode (LRM)

Limited Retirement Mode (LRM) is a statement by SonicWALL that it will no longer develop or release firmware updates or bug fixes for these products. Depending on inventory, technical capability and customer demand, SonicWALL will continue to offer support agreements on products. LRM is a discretionary phase in the product lifecycle process.

End of Support (EOS)

End of Support (EOS) is a statement that SonicWALL no longer offers support for the product, and all remaining unique inventory or materials will be removed. 

Questions about specific products should be directed to: Products@sonicwall.com.

Software and Feature Lifecycle

SonicWALL Software and Feature Lifecycle

The table below details important information regarding support for software releases and features on SonicWALL products. The dates provided are in keeping with SonicWALL's stated End of Life/End of Support policies.

SonicWALL Aventail Software Support EOS Schedule

SonicWALL provides support for the SonicWALL EX-SSL VPN Series (Aventail) software to those customers with an active SonicWALL support contract.  SonicWALL encourages all customers to remain on the latest maintenance release of a fully supported version. Keeping up with the latest maintenance release offers a proactive model for avoiding known issues and allows your organization to take advantage of all the resolutions provided in the latest maintenance release.

Click to view the End of Support schedule for the SonicWALL EX-SSL VPN Series (Aventail) software versions.

Security Services

SonicWALL will provide telephone and Web-based support for active security services regardless of the appliance upon which the subscription is activated. Support for security services is limited to the subscription and does not include issues related to the operation of the appliance, firmware or software updates/upgrades or hardware replacement.

Support and updates/upgrades for SonicWALL Global Management System (GMS) require a valid GMS support agreement, regardless of the appliance(s) that GMS is used to manage.