Product support lifecycle

1. The life cycle of software products/versions has a beginning and an end.
2. An official release date is the beginning of a life cycle for products that have not been certified. From that date on:
   • the distribution is made available for download;
   • technical support is available to users.
3. The end of the life cycle for uncertified products/ versions coincides with the date on which the developer discontinues support for a specific version. When this happens:
   • the distribution becomes unavailable for download;
   • virus database updates are no longer released;
   • No technical support is available for the product version
4. The support life cycle for a certified product/version starts on the date that the respective certificate becomes valid. Information about certificates is available in the Licenses and certificates section on the Doctor Web site.
5. Unless stated otherwise, a certified product’s support life cycle ends 12 months after the respective certificate has expired.
6. Product/version life cycle end dates are published on Doctor Web's official website.
7. These dates are reviewed annually and are subject to change. Official statements about changes made to those dates are published in the News→Dr.Web products section on the Doctor Web site.
8. The support life cycle is divided into the following phases.
   • Full — updates affecting all aspects of product/version functionality are released. Technical support is provided only for the latest version.
   • Limited — only updates patching critical vulnerabilities in the product/version are released. A product/version automatically enters this phase after a newer version has been released. This phase continues for 12 months.
   • Basic— only virus database updates are released for the product/version.
     Due to legal restrictions, all certified products only go through the basic phase.
     When a Dr.Web software version reaches the end of the Limited phase, it switches to the Basic phase. The Basic phase for uncertified products/versions continues for 36 months. The Basic phase end date for certified versions coincides with the end of the complete support life cycle for such products/versions.
   • The Special phase is in effect throughout the entire technical support period as stipulated in the Technical Maintenance Agreement (if this period is provided under the Agreement).
9. Doctor Web strongly recommends that products going through the Limited and Basic support phases be upgraded to the Dr.Web products/versions for which full support is currently available.
10. If a Dr.Web user contacts Doctor Web about an issue affecting a software version whose support life cycle is in the Limited or Basic phase and the issue has already been fixed in a fully supported Dr.Web version, the user will be recommended to upgrade their software to the newer version. The same recommendation will be made to the user when a compatibility issue between Dr.Web and other software cannot be resolved or if the Dr.Web software’s design prevents an error fix from being applied to the application.
11. If a support request is related to a certified Dr.Web software version, the Technical Support Service can recommend that the client either
    a) upgrade to the latest uncertified software version with full support or
    b) wait until a newer Dr.Web version that incorporates a fix for the specified issue gets certified.

The list of technical support services that are available for a Dr.Web software version depending on its life cycle phase:

+/- — the availability of technical support is at the discretion of Doctor Web.