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Certification Levels

3C Policy for YES Certification Bulletins

3C is a policy whereby additional systems may qualify for YES Certification with no additional testing. This process is carefully managed by this policy, which dictates the rules for creating additional YES Certified products according to the 3C policy.

3C is defined as creating another bulletin from an already YES Certified system that has an existing YES Certification bulletin. YES Certified refers to a computer system that has successfully passed all YES Certification testing on a particular SUSE OS kernel using the appropriate system YES Certification test suite.

3C is the ability to create new YES Certified bulletins that adhere to the hardware component exchange guide. As is the case with all YES Certifications, SUSE approval for these new 3C bulletins is required.

General Rules

  1. SUSE Operating Systems and Products must remain the same in child and parent bulletins.
  2. Both parties (originating and receiving partners) in a 3C bulletin, must be members of the SUSE One Partner program with the appropriate signed YES Certification contracts.
  3. For any system to be YES Certified, the system must be fully supported by the vendor who distributes it and is listed on the YES bulletin.
  4. Hardware components may be removed from the configuration. For example, if the parent bulletin includes three LAN adapters, a child bulletin can include any or all the original adapters.
  5. Additional untested adapters may not be added.

Exchanging or Removing Components

LAN/Storage Changes

To obtain a new bulletin once a system has been certified with a specified operating system, kernel, service pack, and architecture, a LAN or storage component in the system may be removed based on the Hardware Component Exchange Table and under the following conditions:

No additional components may be introduced into the configuration on the bulletin. Example: A certified system with only one HBA cannot add additional HBAs to the configuration. It is allowed to 3C copy an original certified system, with multiple HBA’s, and remove the additional HBA’s, with their associated storage devices; leaving a minimum of a single HBA in the 3C copied bulletin.

Hard disk drive – see the hardware component exchange table.

Optical device (CD-ROM / DVD-ROM / Blu-ray) – see the Hardware Component Exchange Table.

Main board/Daughter board Changes

The 3C copied bulletin must use the same hardware configuration and firmware as the original. Example: a copied bulletin cannot have an added daughter card/board, but a daughter card/board could be removed in the copied bulletin. Additionally, no hardware can be added to a copied bulletin, such as persistent memory modules, but persistent memory modules could be removed from a copied bulletin.

CPU Changes

Any CPU that is socket compatible can be exchanged for another socket-compatible processor if no firmware update is required for the newer CPU. Example: Purley processors would be exchangeable, Cascade Lake to Sky Lake if the system hardware and firmware are the same. The original certification must be completed with all system sockets populated. Example: 2-socket systems must be certified with both sockets populated; 4-socket systems must have all four sockets populated, etc. If all sockets are not populated during the original certification, then the 3C copy cannot list more than the original configuration.

  1. If a new socket compatible CPU requires a firmware update, the firmware exchange policies apply. Re-certification may be required, to consider certified. Note: If a socket compatible processor is officially shipped by the processor manufacturer, after the date of the firmware in the original system, a firmware update is always required to support the new processor.
  2. CPUs can be removed from a 3C copied bulletin if more than one (that the system supports) was certified in the original bulletin.

Changing CPU Speed

CPU speed changes within the same family are eligible for separate bulletins using the 3C Bulletin process without any additional testing.

Changing Number of CPUs

  • If the system configuration changes from a Dual-Core to a Quad-Core CPU, complete the reduced test project to obtain a bulletin.
  • If the system configuration changes from a Quad-Core to a Dual-Core CPU, complete the reduced test project to obtain a new bulletin.
  • If the system configuration changes from one CPU to 2 or more CPUs , complete the reduced test project to obtain a new bulletin.
  • If the system configuration changes from 2 or more CPUs to one CPU, complete the reduced test project to obtain a new bulletin.
  • If the system configuration changes from a Dual-Core to a single core CPU, complete the reduced test project to obtain a bulletin.
  • If the system configuration changes from a single core to a Dual-Core CPU, complete the reduced test project to obtain a new bulletin.

Changing Number / Type of Sockets

Any CPU that is socket compatible can be exchanged. Original certification must be completed with all system sockets populated. The 3C copied bulletin must use the same hardware configuration and firmware as the original. Any change in the type or number of socket(s) used for the CPU requires full recertification.

Examples:

  • Increasing from one socket to multiple sockets
  • Decreasing from multiple sockets to one socket
  • Increasing from multiple sockets to more multiple sockets (e.g., 2 to 4)
  • Decreasing from multiple sockets to fewer multiple sockets (e.g.: 4 to 2)

These are all considered a motherboard change. If a new socket compatible CPU requires a firmware update, the firmware exchange policies apply. 

Changing Number of Cores

Changing the number of cores to or from one requires recertification (e.g., 1 to 4 or 4 to 1). Increasing or decreasing the number of cores (greater than one) does not require recertification (e.g., 2 to 4 or 4 to 2).

Note: Milan and Milan-x processors are considered equal and do not require recertification. A 3C copy can be created between these Milan socket compatible processors.

These CPU policies apply to server, workstation, desktop, laptop, tablets, POS, and edge class systems. Including, x86_64, aarch64, Power and IBM Z CPUs.

Future IoT far edge or tiny devices do not apply; until further/additional investigation is made with these devices.

Changing Number / Type of Sockets

Any CPU that is socket compatible can be exchanged. Original certification must be completed with all system sockets populated. The 3C copied bulletin must use the same hardware configuration and firmware as the original. Any change in the type or number of socket(s) used for the CPU requires full recertification.

Examples:

  • Increasing from one socket to multiple sockets
  • Decreasing from multiple sockets to one socket
  • Increasing from multiple sockets to more multiple sockets (e.g., 2 to 4)
  • Decreasing from multiple sockets to fewer multiple sockets (e.g.: 4 to 2)

These are all considered a motherboard change. If a new socket compatible CPU requires a firmware update, the firmware exchange policies apply. 

Changing Number of Cores

Changing the number of cores to or from one requires recertification (e.g., 1 to 4 or 4 to 1). Increasing or decreasing the number of cores (greater than one) does not require recertification (e.g., 2 to 4 or 4 to 2).

Note: Milan and Milan-x processors are considered equal and do not require recertification. A 3C copy can be created between these Milan socket compatible processors.

These CPU policies apply to server, workstation, desktop, laptop, tablets, POS, and edge class systems. Including, x86_64, aarch64, Power and IBM Z CPUs.

Future IoT far edge or tiny devices do not apply; until further/additional investigation is made with these devices.

Memory Changes

Changing the amount of physical RAM memory in a system – see the Hardware Component Exchange Table.

Persistent Memory

For systems using Intel® Optane™ Persistent Memory 200 Series (which do not have the capability of doing mixed memory modes) you can list whichever mode was tested on the bulletin. 

If both AppDirect mode and Memory mode, of a system configured with Intel® Optane™ Persistent Memory 200 Series, are desired to be listed on a bulletin and only one mode is supported at a time, the system should be configured in AppDirect mode for the Memory Persistence test, then reconfigured in Memory mode before the overnight stress tests are started. This will require the removal of the AppDirect block devices and reconfiguration of the Persistent Memory in the SUT (System Under Test), requiring a reboot. We will then list a configuration note stating that both AppDirect and Memory Modes were tested/certified as separate configurations.

Sample Configuration Note

Persistent Memory: The Persistent Memory in the system was configured and verified separately in 100-percent AppDirect Mode, and then in 100-percent Memory Mode.

 

If a system is tested/certified with Persistent Memory configured in AppDirect Mode (system only supports this mode, at this time), and a firmware update allows the system to support AppDirect and Memory Mode, re-certification is required. (Reduced testing may be applicable)

RAM or System Memory listed on Virtualization bulletins

As of November 30, 2021, only the total amount of physical RAM on the system in the tested configuration will be listed on the bulletin.  If a system has more virtual memory than what SUSE currently has as the documented maximum, then a configuration note will be created on the bulletin indicating the total amount or tested RAM, and the configuration (for example: This system was certified with a single max VM: 384 PB).

Audio/Video Adapter Changes

Audio/Video adapters – see the Hardware Component Exchange Table.

Procedure for Requesting a 3C Bulletin

To obtain a new 3C bulletin once a system has been certified, the following bulletin fields may also be changed, with or without other hardware configuration changes:

  1. Company name, if the system is OEM, the original equipment manufacturer must initiate the 3C process in SBS, not the company that is reselling the OEM system.
  2. Product name/description does not indicate a HW configuration change, only a name or description change.

Note: If other changes are made to a system configuration beyond what is specified in the 3C Policy Details above, a 3C bulletin cannot be created. See the Hardware Component Exchange Table for details.

Once the policy conditions have been met, the SUSE partner that originally certified the system may open a new bulletin submission in SBS. The 3C creation instructions are available in detail in the SBS User Guide (included with the SCK documentation).

  1. Go to https://www.suse.com/nbswebapp/yesCert.jsp and click "Create 3C Bulletin."
  2. Enter the bulletin number of the parent or original bulletin.

Note: Only originally tested bulletins may be used as parents for 3C child bulletins. You may not create a 3C bulletin that is a child of a child.

  1. Enter the changes that are requested for the child bulletin and click submit.
  2. SUSE will review the 3C bulletin submission. If all requirements have been met, SUSE will place the submission in the SBS Final Customer Review state, from which the partner or SUSE may issue the bulletin. If the requirements have not been met, SUSE may reject the bulletin request and clear it from the SBS database.