Global Support FAQ

Sign into our customer portal at https://go.netgate.com to request TAC support. TAC ENTERPRISE customers can also utilize telephone support for urgent issues. Please keep in mind you must have a valid TAC subscription on each appliance for which you are requesting assistance. TNSR customers can get technical assistance using their order number or serial number from their Netgate appliance.

TAC Lite is a commitment we make to all of our customers to enable you to get online and confirm network connectivity when you purchase a Netgate appliance with pfSense Plus software. From the out-of-box experience to connecting your new Netgate firewall to the Internet, to getting one client online and pinging outside the network, we’re here for you. Customers who purchase a Netgate appliance do not have to purchase a subscription and have TAC Lite free of charge for the life of the appliance.

For customers without a Netgate appliance, TAC Lite will ensure you get timely software updates in addition to the other benefits offered to Netgate appliance customers. 

• Zero-to-Ping (ZTP) - Setup wizard, one WAN, one LAN
• pfSense Plus software updates as they are released
• Best practice advice for writing firmware to install media
• Hardware troubleshooting (Netgate appliance only)
• Netgate firmware upgrade via package (Netgate appliance only)
• Assistance with backing up and restoring the config (ACB)
• Package Installation (NOT configuration)
• Firmware requests for validated Netgate appliances (NDI or Serial Number)
• Add users or reset to factory defaults
• Config conversion from one pfSense appliance to a Netgate appliance
• Troubleshooting and isolation of potential software bugs
• Pointers to online documentation on how to solve their problem as supplemental information, so the Netgate customer is more educated
• Access to free training at https://www.netgate.com/training
• Access to community forums at https://forum.netgate.com 

Any request for assistance not included with TAC Lite will require a more comprehensive TAC subscription (PRO or ENTERPRISE). Netgate is not responsible for the configuration or functionality of third-party hardware such as wireless access points, and switches.

Configuration files from pfSense Plus 21.05.1 can be restored into pfSense CE 2.7. pfSense Plus 21.05.1 and pfSense CE 2.7 share the same config version. The config files are not backward compatible

The firewall will continue to run without the ability to update. If you need to reinstall your operating system, you will be unable to migrate to any version of pfSense Plus from pfSense CE. If the subscription expires, you will also not be able to update the packages you have installed.

Please visit our TAC Lite subscription page to upgrade from the free version to the paid version.

If you purchased a Netgate appliance, you automatically have TAC Lite that will remain active for the life of the appliance.

We can transfer a subscription to a new NDI (Netgate Device ID) one time as a courtesy. After that, a new paid subscription is required. TAC Lite subscriptions on Netgate appliances are not transferable to a non-Netgate appliance or VM.

Yes, each TAC Lite subscription is associated with a single firewall. Environments with multiple firewalls will need to maintain separate subscriptions.

To upgrade your subscription, select from TAC PRO or TAC ENTERPRISE, pick the duration of the subscription, and enter your Netgate Device ID (NDI). Once paid, your subscription will be upgraded. There are no prorated refunds for the existing TAC Lite subscription.

The TAC team supports packages maintained in-house and others that have been proven to work well with our software. Packages include snort, suricata, haproxy and more. For a complete list of supported packages and their requirements, please see the Supported Packages page.

No activation is necessary. In order to submit a TAC request at https://go.netgate.com, we require Netgate Device ID (found on the dashboard of your pfSense software) or the serial number (for Netgate appliances) depending on the product you have. TNSR subscriptions do not require activation.

Yes, we can troubleshoot and resolve issues with pfSense and TNSR software on non-Netgate devices. For guidance pertaining to non-Netgate devices or appliances, we can only provide a minimal level of assistance as it pertains to connectivity to pfSense and TNSR software - given there are hundreds of vendors, products, and DIY builds that can interface with pfSense and TNSR. Generally speaking, we will only be able to provide technical assistance for non-Netgate products at a high level while troubleshooting issues with pfSense and TNSR software. If you need end-to-end integration or have more complex requirements than what is outlined herein, we encourage you to submit a request to professional.services@netgate.com for an assessment as to how we can help.

TAC Pro subscriptions come with a 24-hour initial response Service Level Agreement (SLA) and TAC Enterprise subscriptions come with a 4-hour SLA. We strive to get to every request as quickly as we can, and in most cases, our initial response will be well within the SLA requirement.

Each problem is different. The time required to troubleshoot and resolve requests varies greatly depending on the specifics and complexity of the issue. We will work as fast as we can to get your problem resolved.

Our Technical Assistance Center (TAC) operates 24x7x365. The initial response SLA and methods are stated under each TAC subscription offer.

The Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support team can only officially support the current release of pfSense Plus and one release prior. Anything older will be considered best effort. Therefore, it is in your best interest to consider upgrading as soon as possible.

TAC is unable to provide support on pfSense CE. If you have pfSense CE, you will need to migrate to pfSense Plus in order to receive support. 

Documentation on how to migrate from pfSense CE to pfSense Plus can be found here.

A TAC subscription applies to a single installation. You will need to have a valid TAC subscription for each install you request assistance with.

Yes, you can purchase a TAC subscription at any time by going to the Netgate Store.

Please note that by electing to wait to purchase a TAC subscription until you have a critical event will delay service as each purchase gets entered into our systems.

The TAC Enterprise subscription should meet your needs, it includes phone TAC support with 4-hour initial response SLA as well as the ability to make requests through our customer portal at https://go.netgate.com.

Yes. As long as you have a valid Technical Assistance Center (TAC) subscription for the platform you are using, you may contact us as many times as needed. Subscriptions are on a per-install basis.

It stands for Service Level Agreement (SLA) and it is the maximum amount of time you can expect to wait for an initial response to your service request. We strive to address incoming requests within minutes, but initial response times may fluctuate depending on the call volume.

No. The TAC subscription only covers technical assistance for pfSense and TNSR software. It does not extend the hardware warranty of products purchased from Netgate. Extended warranties are available at the time of purchase at shop.netgate.com.

Yes! TAC Subscriptions can be purchased in 1, 2, or 3-year terms.

Yes! Anyone in your organization may make a TAC request. We track eligibility based on the Netgate Device ID (NDI), a unique number displayed in the System Information widget on the dashboard of the firewall GUI. We can also verify eligibility based on your order number or serial number.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• pfSense installation, deployment and configuration support
• Firewall and NAT rule configuration and troubleshooting
• Preventative solutions and best practices consultation
• pfSense configuration review
• Site-to-Site and Remote Access VPN configuration and troubleshooting
• Supported package installation, configuration and troubleshooting
• Firewall service configuration and troubleshooting, e.g. DHCP, DNS Resolver, etc.
• Connectivity configuration and troubleshooting, e.g. Multiple WANs

Common issues addressed by professional services (NOT included with TAC support, contact Netgate sales for professional services needs):

• Network architecture design
• General consulting
• Firewall conversion
• Network security services
• High-availability configuration
• Other project-related tasks
• pfSense training
• Implementation