SDB:Registration issues

From openSUSE

Version: 10.0 -

FAQ

You are trying to register your copy (boxed version, not download) of openSUSE. But you run into problems. This article intends to be a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for such registration issues.

Why do I need to register?

With purchasing a boxed version of openSUSE, you also get the entitlement to up to 90 days of "free" installation support. We need to be able to verify the validity of your support claim, which is why you need to go through the registration process. By registering your copy, we know not only that you are entitled, but also when your entitlement starts and ends (90 days after registration, but latest 90 days after the release of the next version of openSUSE). For more details see

http://support.novell.com/products/suselinux/conditions.html

What do I have to do to register?

Simply go to

http://www.novell.com/activate

You will be asked to login with the user name and password of your Novell account. If you don't have a Novell account yet, you will have to create one first. Just follow the link provided. After successful login you will be prompted to enter the registration code. That's all you need to do. After successful registration you should receive a confirmation e-mail that will also provide you with your Contact ID. The Contact ID will be asked for when you phone us for installation support.

Where do I find this "activation code" or "registration code" that you're talking about?

It is a white sticker on the backside of the little box that carries the installation DVDs/CDs. It's a combination of 14 digits and letters. Something like 5597A240B216B4.

I cannot find the registration code. I must have replaced the box or have thrown it away already ...

Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. The entitlement to "free" installation support is directly tied to your registration which is only possible with this registration code.

When calling in for free installation support, the support engineer asks for my Contact ID. But I don't know what he is talking about.

You should have received an confirmation e-mail shortly after successful registration. In this confirmation e-mail you should also have been provided with a so called "Contact ID". This is a unique identifier that allows the support engineers to check if you are entitled for support. You might simply have overlooked the confirmation e-mail or at least the Contact ID. Check again in your inbox. It typically should arrive within one hour after registration.

I have checked and I am positively sure that I have never received a confirmation e-mail even though I think I have successfully registered. What now?

Check in your SPAM folder. The confirmation e-mail might be there. And there is also the chance that the e-mail never arrived - in particular if you have misspelled your e-mail address. If you have been using an existing Novell account then possibly you have changed your e-mail address since and the confirmation e-mail has been sent to the address that you had specified when creating the Novell account.

I have double checked and the confirmation e-mail never arrived. What can I do?

Not to worry. Instead of the Contact ID, the support engineers can also validate your support entitlement by checking on the registration code. Just provide that to them instead. Once they have found you in the data base, they can also provide you with your "Contact ID" (which will make it easier for the next time that you might call in for installation support).

The support engineer could not find me in the data base. Even though I gave him my registration code.

It seems like you're not yet (successfully) registered. Keep in mind that processing and syncing the registration detail across the systems can take some time. So if you have just registered prior to calling for the installation support, please wait a few hours and try again. If it is already at least a day ago, then something must have went wrong with the regsitration. Please try registering the activation code once more. The system will come back with an error message in case that it was already registered.

On attempting to register my copy of openSUSE as described above, I receive an error message.

Please call our installation support and provide them with your name, your registration code and with the exact error message that you received. They will follow up on this internally and get back to you once the problem is resolved.