Frequently Asked Questions

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Pricing, Ordering, and Restrictions

1. How do I place an order?
   
   First, apply to the Sun Startup Essentials program. Upon verification and approval into the program, you will receive an email that contains the code to gain access to the Sun Startup Essentials Catalogue. To view pricing or place an order,
   
   
   • Go to the Sun Startup Essentials Catalogue, find the right products you want to buy, click on I WANT TO BUY button;
   • Fill out the form provided and click SUBMIT.
   • Sun will contact you within 2 business days.
     
     
2. I have logged into the specialty store, but it looks like the normal pricing. Whathappened to my promised discounted hardware?
   
   If you entered in your login and password and do not see "Sun Startup Essentials" at the top of the page and in the right hand navigation bar, but instead see a world map, then there was a problem with the login. Please try again using link provided here Sun Startup Essentials Catalogue and your login and password.
   
   If you still have a problem, please contact us for help with your account.
   
   
3. I have logged in and it doesn't look like any of the hardware has been discounted? What happened?
   
   Please check to see if the parts end in "SU". If they do not, then you are in the wrong catalogue. Please refer to question number 2 above for more information.
   
   
4. Where do I find equipment pricing?
   
   Specific system pricing, discounts and purchase limits are accessible in the Sun Startup Essentials Catalogue. Use the login information sent with your acceptance letter.
   
   
5. How long will it take to receive the products I have ordered?
   
   Lead times for delivery vary depending on product and credit status.
   
   
6. Is there a maximum or minimum purchase quantity or amount?
   
   The maximum purchase amount is GBP 75,000 for each year (12 months from acceptance into the program) the startup qualifies for the program. There is no minimum amount.
   
   
7. Are refunds or exchanges available?
   
   This program offers highly discounted equipment and does not allow for exchanges or refunds.
   
   
8. When does the term for the annual purchase limit begin and end?
   
   Annual purchase limits begin on the date of your approval into the program, and continue for 12 months. These limits are reset upon approval of your annual review at which time your eligibility will be re-evaluated. Your company must reapply annually, and if it meets program criteria, it will enjoy the benefits for another year.

Product-Related

1. What types of hardware and software are available?
   
   A wide range of hardware configurations and options are available, including CoolThreads technology-based T1000 and T2000 servers, Sun Fire x64 servers featuring Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron processors, Sun StorageTek direct attach storage, x64 and SPARC workstations, and monitors. Software includes:
   • Solaris 10 Operating System
   • Sun Java Enterprise System
   • Sun development tools such as NetBeans, Sun Studio Development Tools (Sun Studio, Java Studio Creator, Java Studio Enterprise), and Cool Tools

   New products and services are under consideration for inclusion in the program, so be sure and check back for the latest offering. An up-to-date product listing is always available.

2. Is software included when I buy hardware?
   
   If you purchase Sun Startup Essentials systems (servers or workstations), you receive a Sun Developer Network All Access Kit. This includes many of Sun's most popular tools, technologies, and software previews. Note: software is not pre-loaded, and is subject to the standard click-though license agreements that come with the software.
   
   
3. What warranty support is included?
   
   Standard Warranty Support options apply to all products sold within this program. See:
   
   Hardware:
   http://www.sun.com/service/warranty/product_warranty_chart.xml
   
   Software:
   Please refer to http://www.sun.com/service/support/warranty/index.html
   
   
4. More questions?
   
   You can send questions to the Sun Startup Essentials team.

FAQ on Startups Ask Sun

1. What is Startups Ask Sun?
   
   Startups Ask Sun is a set of free resources such as email technical and engineering support, Web based training and forums. Startup companies approved in the Sun Startup Essentials program can request technical assistance from experts at Sun. Startups Ask Sun engineers are highly experienced in various products and technologies.
   
   
2. Who is eligible for using Startups Ask Sun?
   
   All startup companies approved for the Sun Startup Essentials program are eligible for Startups Ask Sun.
   
   
3. How much does Startups Ask Sun cost?
   
   It's free for startup companies approved into the Sun Startup Essentials program. Please be advised, this service is offered AS-IS and on best effort basis. Resolution to the problem is not guaranteed. When resolution to the problem is beyond the scope of this email support, our experts will advise on fee-based support options based on the complexity of the issues.
   
   
4. Is there a limit on number of questions that a customer can send to Startups Ask Sun?
   
   No
   
   
5. How quickly can I expect answers from the Startups Ask Sun team?
   
   Startups Ask Sun email support is provided on best-effort basis only. However, someone from the team will make every effort to respond to your questions by the next business day.
   
   
6. What type of questions can Startups Ask Sun help with?
   
   Questions can range from:
   • High level architecture
   • Design and coding
   • Systems and Storage configuration, specifications, How-Tos
   • Sanity checks, workarounds and best practice guidance
   • Performance tuning and scalability testing
     
     
7. Which products are covered by Startups Ask Sun email support?
   
   Startups Ask Sun can help answer questions related to all Sun products including Solaris, systems, storage and Java Enterprise System. Additionally, we offer expertise on Apache web server, MySQL, Perl and other open source applications on the Solaris platform.
   
   
8. Can Startups Ask Sun team help me determine what systems and storageI should buy for my workloads?
   
   Yes, Startups Ask Sun is the right team to help you to purchase the right equipment forbest performance of your products and services.
   
   
9. Can I file bugs and escalation through Startups Ask Sun?
   
   The Startups Ask Sun team is unable to file bugs and escalations. Please consider Sun Developer Expert Assistance program or Sun service plans for developers and software for escalating bugs. Service plans information is available at http://www.sun.com/services

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