WebSphere Application Server Support Statement

It is important to IBM that IBM WebSphere Application Server customers have access to information that helps enable them to configure the most reliable operating environments for their WebSphere Application Server-based solutions. To help meet this objective, the WebSphere Application Server Development and Customer Support teams have published information that defines various supported configurations.

Because this list of Supported Products list. the WebSphere Application Server detailed system requirements pages, cannot reasonably describe all the possible configurations, some customers have expressed concerns about the level of support that will be provided for their specific configuration or "other" configurations.

This document provides clarification of the level of support which can be expected for WebSphere Application Server with various combinations of products.

Note: Although the statements in this document reflect the general level of support that can be expected for IBM WebSphere Application Server, the terms and conditions of any specific support offering or agreement you might have with IBM will determine the actual delivered support. Nothing herein shall be construed as supplementing, modifying, or superseding the terms of your license agreement for WebSphere Application Server or any other agreement you might have with IBM, nor shall it create any obligation for IBM to deliver a level of support other than might be set forth in such agreements.

The stated definitions of the following terms can be helpful in understanding the expected support you will receive from both Product and Customer Support perspectives:

• Dependent Product
  A software or hardware product, other than WebSphere Application Server.
   
• Customer Support
  The degree of technical assistance available, or provided to the end-user, for WebSphere Application Server. This may include delivery of corrective service. Customer Support is frequently referred to as Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2).
   
• Product Support
  The degree of corrective service available, or provided to the end-user, for WebSphere Application Server when it may be used in conjunction with a Dependent Product. Product Support is frequently referred to as Level 3 (L3), Development or Change Team.

The following section describes the WebSphere Application Server three (3) categories of configuration (i.e., Supported, UnSupported, and Other), and the Customer and Product Support available in each case.

1. Supported configurations
   The Supported Products list, also known as the WebSphere Application Server detailed system requirements pages, detail certain combinations of specific versions of Dependent Products, normally stating the minimum level of the product that can be confidently used with the WebSphere Application Server product to gain access to its capabilities.
   
   Supported configurations can expect the following:
   • Customer Support (Level 1/Level 2)
     Customer Support provides full support for configurations within this category. Maintenance and Corrective Service are provided under the terms of the product license, to ensure that the product performs within its specifications.
     
     Resources and processes to provide effective and efficient problem determination and resolutions are at their best for this category of configurations. Operational support is delivered as defined under the terms of Passport Advantage or other normal operational support offerings.
      
   • Product Support (Level 3)
     Configurations in this group have been determined by IBM as being capable of providing the level of reliability and performance such that WebSphere Application Server can deliver the functionality as defined in its program specifications. Few, if any, deficiencies or incompatibilities are expected for which a commercially reasonable resolution cannot be made available.
     
     We believe that these configurations offer our customers the best opportunity to realize a very reliable, highly available WebSphere Application Server operating environment.
      
2. UnSupported configurations
   A list detailing certain combinations of specific versions of Dependent Products that differ from the version of those products on the Supported Products list.
   
   UnSupported configurations can expect the following:
   • Customer Support (Level 1/Level 2)
     Customer Support does not provide support for these configurations under the terms of the license or normal fee-based offering. We strongly recommend that a more suitable configuration be defined.
      
   • Product Support (Level 3)
     Development has determined that these configurations most likely do not provide the level of reliability and performance required from a product and customer perspective. This determination is normally based on a technical or functional deficiency or incompatibility between the products involved. Commercially reasonable resolutions to these incompatibilities are not available.
      
3. Other configurations
   
   Any configuration of WebSphere Application Server and Dependent Products that is not included in the Supported Configuration or the UnSupported Configuration lists, that can reasonably be expected to support the reliability, availability, and performance of WebSphere Application Server.
   
   For example, both newer and older releases of a Supported Dependent Product falls in this group, as well as a similar or like (substituted) Supported Dependent Product.
   
   This category includes operating system releases and other co-requisite/pre-requisite products that are beyond publicly documented standard support lifecycles by the respective vendor.  In this context, "standard support" excludes any extended lifecycle phases.
   
   Other configurations can expect the following:
   • Customer Support (Level 1/Level 2)
     Customer Support uses commercially reasonable efforts to provide the same level of support as that provided for a Supported configuration, if it is determined that the problem would also exist in a Supported configuration or if a commercially reasonable resolution to the problem is available.
     
     Resources for commercially reasonable problem determination are applied until a resolution is provided or it is determined that the problem would not exist except for the use of the substituted Dependent Product, and there is not a commercially reasonable resolution available.
     
     If it is determined that the problem would not exist but for the use of the "other configuration", and no commercially reasonable resolution is available, further assistance may be available as defined per the UnSupported category.
      
   • Product Support (Level 3)
     Development has not determined if these configurations belong to the Supported or UnSupported list, therefore, they cannot provide a reliable statement of how they will perform with WebSphere Application Server.  
     
     The ability to perform as specified is based on the extent to which the substituted Dependent Product is programmatically, functionally, and operationally compatible with its equivalent Supported Dependent Product. IBM makes no representation regarding the compatibility, reliability, availability, and performance in this environment.