Customer Support

Hardware Warranty is the hardware coverage that comes with new SonicWALL appliances. It provides for hardware replacement should it be determined that the appliance is defective. In such instances, SonicWALL will replace the defective appliance via return-to-factory shipment. The hardware warranty period is one year for all SonicWALL appliances.

SonicWALL's support contracts and Warranty Support provide technical assistance 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-step 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.

When two of the same appliance have been associated in an HA pairing, the primary appliance is required to have an active support contract.  The secondary appliance in the pairing, however, does not require a separate support contract.  Instead, it shares the support contract that has been activated on the primary appliance.

When an appliance is added to a Comprehensive GMS contract any remaining support, whether from an 8x5 or 24x7 contract or from Warranty Support, is superseded by the Comprehensive GMS contract and removed.  The appliance is automatically covered under the governing Comprehensive GMS contract.

Before opening a support case you should:

• Use the online help. Every SonicWALL security appliance includes Web-based online help available from the management interface. Clicking the question mark button on the top-right corner of every page accesses the context-sensitive help for that page. Online help can get you the latest answers to frequently asked questions.
• Look in the latest release notes for your product to see if the symptoms you are seeing might be due to a known issue that has been resolved in a more recent version of the firmware.  If so, consider updating your firmware to see if it resolves the symptoms. You will need to have an active support agreement to download the latest firmware version for your product. You can find the latest release notes in the Support section of sonicwall.com.
• Check the product documentation. Read the Getting Started Guide and the Administrator Guide included on the Resource CD that comes with your SonicWALL solution. Or, you can go to the Support Reference Library on sonicwall.com to find a digital version (PDF) of the latest guide, technical note or FAQ you need.
• Perform diagnostics. The system diagnostics in the management interface provides a series of diagnostic tools to help you troubleshoot common network problems.
• If you are still unable to resolve the issue, please review this document prior to contacting SonicWALL, and have the following information ready:
  • The name and serial number of the appliance or software solution
  • Your first and last name
  • Your e-mail address
  • Your telephone number
  • A detailed description of the problem, including when the symptoms first occurred and how frequently they are occurring
  • The severity of the problem
  • A detailed description of the troubleshooting steps you have performed and the results of those steps
  • The firmware version currently running on the product
  • Any applicable log files, screen shots and error messages

If your SonicWALL product is covered under the Warranty Support period or if you have an active 8x5 or 24x7 support contract that you purchased from SonicWALL or one of our partners, you should contact SonicWALL by calling the phone number listed on or Contact Support page or contact your SonicWALL reseller if they are authorized for support fulfillment on SonicWALL products. You may also open a support case through your MySonicWALL.com account.

If the Warranty Support period for your SonicWALL product has expired and you do not have an active support contract, you should contact your local SonicWALL reseller for assistance in purchasing a new support contract.  Once your product is covered under an active support contract you may open a support case.

If possible, you should contact SonicWALL from a location where it is easy for you to access the product.

When you contact SonicWALL to open a support claim you will be asked for some information about your product including the product name and serial number so that SonicWALL can confirm your product is still within a valid support period and identify the level of support to which you are entitled. SonicWALL will ask you to describe the symptoms that your product is experiencing and the troubleshooting steps you have already taken to determine the product is not functioning properly.  You may also be asked to provide some information about the product’s configuration and software/firmware version as well as your network topology and environment.

Upon receiving this information, SonicWALL will then decide if some additional troubleshooting steps are necessary to confirm the product is not functioning properly. SonicWALL will ask you to perform these steps and can answer questions you might have about how to perform the steps. In some instances, SonicWALL may ask you to upgrade to a more current version of software/firmware on your product as part of the troubleshooting.

In order to help minimize the impact of a possible failure, it is important that you assist SonicWALL with the troubleshooting. For example, if a symptom is actually due to a configuration issue and not a hardware failure, sending you a replacement appliance will not resolve the issue and may result in additional network downtime for you.

Once SonicWALL has determined that your product is having a failure covered under Warranty Support or a valid support contract, SonicWALL will send a replacement appliance to you through our Advance Exchange Return Material Authorization (RMA) process.

In most parts of the world where SonicWALL sells products, SonicWALL can send your replacement appliance for delivery sometime during the next business day if your appliance is still within the Warranty Support period or covered under an active support contract. This is contingent upon SonicWALL confirming the product failure and processing the RMA order prior to the shipment cutoff time. To find out the specific shipment cutoff time for your location, please see the “Repairs and Returns” paragraph on the Guidelines and Policies page. In countries where SonicWALL can typically provide next business day delivery, there can be remote locations where delivery will take extra time, so please contact SonicWALL if you want to check on your location.

If your appliance is not within the Warranty Support period or under an active support contract but is still covered under the Hardware Warranty the appliance is required to be returned to SonicWALL’s factory for further evaluation before it can be replaced and shipped back to you. This process may take up to seven or more days to complete.

Warning: When removing or installing an appliance, follow the general installation safety instructions provided in the Getting Started Guide and Administrator’s Guide that shipped with the appliance to avoid injury or damage to the unit.

After you receive the replacement appliance you need to remove the defective appliance and install the replacement unit. You should also verify the replacement appliance has the appropriate software/firmware level loaded and, if applicable, restore the configuration onto the replacement appliance.

Be sure that you remove any accessories, cables and cords that you may have installed in or attached to your appliance before returning the defective unit to SonicWALL. Examples include power supplies (both primary and redundant), modules for a chassis appliance, network and serial cables, power cords and mounting brackets. Refer to the Getting Started Guide and Administrator’s Guide that shipped with your appliance for details on removing accessories, cables and cords.

If you have questions about how to remove or install a part, or if the same or other failure symptoms occur after you replace the appliance, please contact SonicWALL and reference the case number previously given to you.

You must return the defective appliance to SonicWALL, usually in the same box in which you received the replacement unit. The replacement appliance will include instructions for returning the defective appliance to SonicWALL. Shipping is paid by SonicWALL. Make sure that the RMA number is included with your shipment and that you return the defective appliance to SonicWALL within 30 days. After 30 days you will be billed the retail price of the new appliance if the defective appliance has not been returned to SonicWALL.

SonicWALL may repair or replace SonicWALL appliances with:

• New appliances
• Appliances equivalent to the appliances being repaired or replaced but that have been subject to prior use or repair
• Appliances containing remanufactured parts equivalent to new in performance
• Appliances of like or better features and functionality in the event the original appliance has reached obsolescence

The repaired or replaced appliance is covered under the same Hardware Warranty terms and conditions as the original appliance or the remainder of any active support contract, whichever is longer. See “How long is the Hardware Warranty coverage for my SonicWALL product?” above for information on Hardware Warranty period lengths.

If you relocate your SonicWALL product to another country, you can receive the destination country’s standard Hardware Warranty as well as any remaining days of an active support contract for the product if SonicWALL markets or supports the product in that country. Hardware Warranty and support coverage may be limited or denied in situations where the local government restricts the sale or operation of the product or if the service is prohibited in the country.

If you transfer your SonicWALL product to another user, the remaining days of Hardware Warranty for the product are available to that user until the Hardware Warranty expires. With written consent by SonicWALL, if you transfer an active support contract for the product to another user, the remaining days of the active support contract for the product are available to that user until the support contract expires. You may not assign the support contract to another user without written consent from SonicWALL and any attempted assignment without SonicWALL’s consent shall be null and void.

SonicWALL’s Hardware Warranty does not apply to defects resulting from customer- or third-party-supplied software, interfacing or supplies, nor from improper use or operation outside the specifications for the product.

If you are experiencing an issue with a SonicWALL product, SonicWALL may request that you temporarily remove the customer or third-party software, interfacing or supplies to determine whether or not it is causing or contributing to the defect.

Yes, if the modification is not authorized by SonicWALL. As stated in the “Exclusions and Limitations” paragraph of the Support Services Licensing Agreement, SonicWALL is not obligated to repair or replace a product that has been damaged due to unauthorized modification, maintenance or repair.

No. A lightning strike can cause damage by direct means or indirect means. For example, the product may be damaged due to a direct strike or it can be damaged due to transients from strikes elsewhere in your infrastructure traveling into the product through the power cord or over copper-based cabling connected to one or more interfaces on the product. Damage can result from high heat, acoustic shock waves, arcing, high current and transient voltages among other things.

These lightning-induced causes involve environmental conditions that are outside of the published environmental specifications for the product and resulting defects are therefore excluded form coverage as stated in the “Exclusions and Limitations” paragraph of the Support Services Licensing Agreement.

No. When a power surge or power outage occurs, or when power is restored after an outage, your SonicWALL product might be subjected to current and/or voltage that is outside of the published environmental specifications for the products. Because your SonicWALL Hardware Warranty does not apply to defects caused by the product being operated outside of published environmental specifications such as the voltage range, this kind of damage is excluded form coverage as stated in the “Exclusions and Limitations” paragraph of the Support Services Licensing Agreement.

Yes. Go to the main Customer Support page to read frequently asked questions (FAQs), download the latest software and firmware updates, download the latest product manuals and view a variety of information in our Knowledge Portal.

If you have questions that you are unable to answer with this information, you can log into the SonicWALL Customer Support Portal using your MySonicWALL.com account information and submit a Service Request online or you can contact SonicWALL by calling the phone number for your region listed on the Contact Support page. Online and phone assistance is for product-specific questions on product features, capabilities and specifications, and basic configuration and troubleshooting. If your product is covered under Warranty Support or by an active 8x5 or 24x7 support contract, there is no charge by SonicWALL for using this service. Refer to the Support Services page for hours of operation for telephone support.

Advanced topics including network design, consultation and configuration recommendations are not available through this online or phone service, however they are available through other services from SonicWALL or your local SonicWALL reseller. Please see the next question for additional information on services offered by SonicWALL.

For more information on support services for SonicWALL products, please visit the Support Services page. For information on consulting services for SonicWALL products, please visit the Consulting Services page. You can also contact your local SonicWALL reseller who can provide information on SonicWALL services as well as their own services.