HELP!!!! We've just upgraded to a new version of Tomcat and our http://www.mycom.com/servlet/ProductionServlet no longer works, the site's down and our client is going mad. See here for the explanation

The example above is a common support issue. While Open Source Software has the attraction of zero licencing costs, the freedom to view the code and the elimination of vendor 'lockin', in many cases no formal support mechanism is in place. Tomcat is no exception to this rule, commercial software providers have an obligation to provide up to date documentation, to fix bugs, and support their product, open source developers, many of whom are working for nothing, have no incentive to do so. So poor documentation, (or worse, out of date) uncommented changes in features, no true support apart from mailing lists and no accountability are often characteristics of Open Source Serving.

Some of the most common support requirements are outlined below:

Incident support is also available for those who have a 'one-shot' support request.

Table 1.

Contact +44 01491 413606, e-mail tomcatsupport@nameonthe.net