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Services and Guidelines

References and Guidelines

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Upon purchasing NVIDIA Enterprise Support, the customer should be aware of the following default general terms and conditions unless their support contract explicitly states otherwise:

  • The customer is entitled to the terms and conditions of their Support Contract in terms of NVIDIA Support response time, case escalation, shipping replacement, etc.
  • Purchasing Enterprise Support entitlement means the customer agrees to allow NVIDIA to perform troubleshooting and diagnostics to determine the root cause of the issue and take appropriate actions to resolve the problem
  • Local business hours for many sites are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
  • For customers with Enterprise Business Critical support or additional support entitlements, service representatives may be available after local business hours

Details for terms and conditions are unique to each NVIDIA solution and contract. Please review the Terms and Conditions for additional support details.

Enterprise Services Datasheets

Here are links to Enterprise Services datasheets:

Software Policy

Each of NVIDIA’s products and their associated software components have term limitations on software maintenance. NVIDIA generally provides software maintenance on all GA latest versions and one previous version. Exceptions are addressed by specific contracts only.

All of NVIDIA’s software has runtime requirements. Certain NVIDIA software also has certified hardware requirements. NVIDIA will support software deployed according to applicable runtime and hardware requirements. Software deployed with runtimes or hardware that does not meet the specified requirements risks not being supported.

Networking Switch Support

NVIDIA Networking switches come with multiple “Network Operating Systems (NOS)”. NVIDIA Hardware and Software Support is available for various networking switch configurations. Spectrum Switch hardware support will be provided by relevant NVIDIA Enterprise support SKUs. Linux Switch NOS is open source, we do not guarantee support and there is no SLA.

See table below for NVIDIA Switch Support offerings. For OEM product support please contact the OEM provider.

Support ProductNetworking Operating System - NOSHardware Support IncludedNOS Software Support Included
InfiniBand Switch — Managed with NOSMLNX-OS / NV-OSYesYes
InfiniBand Switch — Unmanaged (Firmware only)Firmware onlyYesLimited
NVIDIA Spectrum Ethernet SwitchCumulus LinuxYesYes
NVIDIA Spectrum Ethernet SwitchOnyxYesYes
NVIDIA Spectrum Ethernet SwitchONIEYesNo
NVIDIA Spectrum Ethernet SwitchLinux Switch NOSYesNo1 — Community Only
NVIDIA Ethernet Switch with SONiCSONiCYesLimited
Cumulus Linux Software used with non-NVIDIA Hardware2Cumulus LinuxNoYes

InfiniBand Unmanaged Switch software support is limited to the Switch Firmware.

Software Updates

NVIDIA continually enhances its products to meet production challenges. Customers should regularly update NVIDIA solutions to ensure maximum protection and performance. Updating software minimizes the possibility of encountering an issue that has already been addressed in a previous version.

To check for available software updates including patches and upgrades, the customer can go to NVIDIA Enterprise Support Portal and the NVIDIA Licensing to check for updates.

Some NVIDIA software products may notify customers via release notes on product updates that require customers to perform an upgrade.

Some NVIDIA software products offer long-term support (LTS) for customers with use cases that require API (Application Programming Interface) and ABI (Application Binary Interface) stability over an extended period of time, in addition to support on feature bugs and security vulnerabilities. Contact your NVIDIA representative for LTS details on NVIDIA solutions.

Enterprise Support and Services for Cloud Offerings

NVIDIA Enterprise Support and Services are available for NVIDIA cloud offerings.

Limited Hardware Warranty — Networking Switches, Adapters, Cables, and Transceivers

A limited hardware warranty applies to NVIDIA branded networking switches, adapters, cables, and transceivers when the product does not have an active support service entitlement. This one-year limited warranty consists of factory Return Material Authorization (RMA) for the customer’s hardware, and no other services. If the hardware under warranty encounters issues for which there is warranty, NVIDIA will assist the customer remotely to determine if an RMA is needed.

If NVIDIA determines the hardware needs an RMA, a Factory RMA will be issued. For Factory RMA, the customer returns the defective hardware to NVIDIA and upon receipt of hardware NVIDIA will ship the replacement hardware.

For Factory RMA under the limited hardware warranty and upon approval of RMA:

  • NVIDIA will arrange and pay for shipping of defective hardware from customer to NVIDIA as long as the NVIDIA approved carrier is used and the goods are cleared for export.
  • Customer will arrange and pay for shipping of replacement hardware from NVIDIA to Customer.
  • The customer is not charged for repairs.

Shipping and Repair Cost Policy: Unless noted otherwise, NVIDIA is responsible for shipping costs from the customer to NVIDIA and from NVIDIA to customer as long as the NVIDIA approved carrier is used and the goods are cleared for export, and the customer is not charged for repairs. Equipment being returned to NVIDIA must be shipped within 10 days of the arrival of the replacement equipment.

For further details, please refer to the applicable terms and conditions documents or reach out to your NVIDIA Account manager or NPN partner.

If the NVIDIA branded networking switches, adapters, cables, and transceivers under the limited hardware warranty are determined unfixable by NVIDIA within 90 days of shipment from NVIDIA, NVIDIA will process the replacement as Advanced RMA, see Advanced Return Material Authorization (ARMA); the Shipping and Repair Cost Policy above applies.

If the NVIDIA branded networking cables or adapters are under an active support service entitlement, and an RMA is approved, the Shipping and Repair Cost Policy above applies.

To submit a support case for a limited warranty, customers can use the Webform Case Submission link as covered in Access to NVIDIA Enterprise Support.

Extended Warranty — ConnectX Adapters, Cables, and Transceivers

The Extended Warranty program is now limited to NVIDIA Networking ConnectX adapters, cables, and transceivers sold to Enterprise Customers. This warranty is tailored for system administrators that are self-sufficient in supporting their NVIDIA Networking ConnectX adapters, cables, and transceivers, but who would also like to augment support for hardware troubleshooting and replacement for hardware components in a timely manner.

The Extended Warranty entitles customers to hardware support with Advanced RMA only. It does not include software support.

Third Party Products

NVIDIA Enterprise Support does not include warranty, repair service, support, or any other services for third-party products, with the exception of qualified non-NVIDIA products under NVIDIA Coordinated Support Service. NVIDIA Support Services may at times act as a problem handover facilitator between the customer and the vendor to obtain the third-party service or support that the customer may be entitled to receive under their agreements with those vendors. It is the customer’s responsibility to buy and pay for warranty or service contracts for third-party products. NVIDIA is not responsible for the performance of other vendors’ products and services, and NVIDIA is not responsible for any service claims related to those third-party products.

Support Coverage and Limitations

NVIDIA Enterprise Service Entitlement indicates the parameters of the services provided and the period of support coverage. When moving the physical location of NVIDIA equipment, the customers must confirm that the support entitlement and services are available at new location. Customers are responsible for moving and ensuring that equipment is in working condition at the new location. Damages incurred due to physical movement of NVIDIA equipment will not be covered by Enterprise Support.

OEM and Consumer Support

Use the NPN Partner finder for partner and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) support.

Use the Consumer Support webpage for NVIDIA Consumer Support.

Language

All support and other services will be provided in English unless otherwise specified. All related documents will be provided in English.

Footnotes

  1. Linux Switch NOS related questions will be directed to internal NVIDIA community support alias, which includes engineering and other Linux Switch Experts. Responses to the customer support questions are on best effort basis. ↩

  2. Customers who purchase Cumulus Linux Software for use with non-NVIDIA HW need to provide proof of support when opening support cases. The proof of support can either be the PAK-ID (unique identifier) or the Entitlement Certificate. OEM Ethernet Switch with Spectrum ASIC (HPE, Lenovo, other), or non-NVIDIA Ethernet Switch based on Broadcom ASIC (support through December 2025 - see Cumulus Linux Hardware Compatibility List and Support Policy for details). ↩