On-Premise Maintenance

What are the benefits of an On-Premise maintenance contract?

1. Both minor and major version software updates.

A maintenance contract entitles the licensee i.e. you) to upgrade MailArchiva to any version of the software whose build date is within the start and expiry date of the contract. For instance, it is not permissible to install a version of MailArchiva whose build date exceeds the expiry date of the maintenance contract. 

2. Email & telephone technical support

Which version of MailArchiva am I entitled to use?

An issued license includes a "paid_period_end" date field. This field specifies the expiry date of the maintenance contract. This expiry date is also shown in Configuration->About. When a maintenance contract is renewed, a new license file is issued with an updated  "paid_period_end" that corresponds with the end date of the new support contract. Any version of MailArchiva whose build date does not exceed the installed license file's paid_period_end date may be used. If a version of MailArchiva is installed whose build date exceeds the installed license's paid_period_end field, the license will show as invalid. In this case, it is necessary to renew your support contract before upgrading and/or downloading and installing a new license file.  When receiving a new license file after upgrading your support contract,  please remember to install the new license file to ensure that the server can stay current.

Why is it important to have a maintenance contract in-place?

To receive technical support, especially in the event that something goes wrong with your server. For example, assistance may be needed at some point when recovering from a power outage or hard disk corruption. Furthermore, to receive product updates, bug fixes and patches. For instance, MailArchiva incorporates hundreds of dependent libraries. We keep track of the CVE vulnerabilities reported in those libraries on an ongoing basis and will update the software as necessary. Without a valid support contract in place, systems could be exposed from a security perspective. Furthermore, MailArchiva integrates with many third-party systems such as Microsoft Exchange and Office 365. Frequent updates to these third-party products (for example, Microsoft mandating the use of OAUTH IMAP authentication) may break integration compatibility with MailArchiva. In such situations, access to software updates will be necessary to restore compatibility.
 

Why does the license show as expiring in one year in Configuration->About?

It is this way since 1 year support is included with the initial purchase. The subscription expiry date indicates when the maintenance contract is due to expire. After this date, new versions of software cannot be downloaded,  unless a new license is obtained from the Stimulus Software business portal. New licenses are accessible to those companies with valid support contracts in place.

Will MailArchiva continue to function after the maintenance period has expired?
 

That much is obvious. However, software updates will be inaccessible, and in the event that a vulnerability is exposed and a software update is needed,  it will be necessary to repurchase the product.

Anything to do after the subscription expired?

If access upgrades & technical support are needed, the support contract must be renewed before it expires.

Can the subscription still be renewed if support is skipped/not purchased?

No, it cannot. To reinstate the service, the product will need to be repurchased.

Do you provide ad hoc support instead of paying the 20% annual support fee?

 

Ad-hoc support is unfortunately not available. Customers are required to have a valid support contract in place in order to benefit from tech support & upgrades.

Can support be purchased for fewer mailboxes than licensed for?

No. The maintenance renewal must be for the same number of mailboxes as originally purchased. Furthermore, its worth noting that support contracts are tied to a specific license. If a given license has no valid support contract associated with it, then support will not be provided for that server, nor will the server be able to receive product updates.