# What to include in a support ticket

> The details that let us answer a ticket in one reply: which server, when, the exact error, what you tried, and what never to send.

Source: https://rack4.io/help/what-to-include-in-a-support-ticket · Updated: 2026-11-04

A good ticket says which server, when it happened, what you saw and what you've already tried. With those, we can usually answer in one reply instead of asking questions first. [Open a ticket](https://my.rack4.io/support/new) when you have them; [Open and manage support tickets](https://rack4.io/help/support-tickets) covers how tickets work.

## The short version

1. **Which server.** Pick it under **Server** on the form (or start from **Get help with this server** on its page). We then see its state, plan, addresses and recent actions, so you don't have to copy them in.
2. **When.** The time it started, and your time zone, or UTC if you can.
3. **What you saw.** The exact error text, copied rather than retyped, and the command or page that gave it.
4. **What you expected.** One line is enough: "the site should load", "the invoice should show paid".
5. **What you tried.** Restarted it, rebooted, restored a snapshot, changed the firewall: say so, even if it didn't help.

A subject that names the problem ("SSH times out on web-1 since 10:00 UTC") is easier to act on than "Help". The form suggests help guides as you type it; one of them may already have the answer.

## By kind of problem

| Problem | Also include |
| --- | --- |
| Can't reach the server | What you tried from the [unreachable checklist](https://rack4.io/help/server-unreachable-checklist): the panel's state, the console, ping and SSH output. |
| Slow network | The output of `mtr` and `iperf3` from [Test your network](https://rack4.io/help/test-your-network), run from both ends if you can. |
| Payment or invoice | The invoice number (`R4-` and six digits) and, for crypto, the transaction ID. Never a wallet's seed or private key. |
| Login or 2FA | The email address on the account, and what the login page says. If you can't log in at all, email support@rack4.io from that address and it becomes a ticket. |
| Port 25 or reverse DNS | The server, the domain, and what you've set up already. [Sending email: port 25](https://rack4.io/help/open-port-25) lists what we look for. |
| Abuse report | The address or URL, the time, and the evidence (headers, logs). Reports from outside Rack4 go to abuse@rack4.io. |

## Logs and long output

Put a log or a command's output between two lines that hold only three backticks (```` ``` ````), and it keeps its layout. Copy it from the terminal as it is: the prompt, the command and its output, such as `systemctl status nginx` and the lines it prints.

Send the part around the error rather than a whole file: twenty lines either side is usually plenty. Messages hold up to 10,000 characters; for more, attach the log as a file (up to 10 MB each, 5 to a message; see [Attach files](https://rack4.io/help/support-tickets#attach-files)). A screenshot of an error on the console or in the panel helps too.

## Never send these

- Passwords, including your Rack4 password and the server's root password.
- Private SSH keys (the file without `.pub`), API tokens, 2FA codes and recovery codes.
- A wallet's seed phrase or private key.

We never need them, and we never ask for them. When we need to look at your account, our staff can view the panel as you see it, read-only and for at most 30 minutes; [Sessions and activity](https://rack4.io/help/sessions-and-activity#when-support-looks-at-your-panel) explains it. If you pasted a secret by mistake, change it straight away and tell us in the ticket.

## Next steps

- [Open and manage support tickets](https://rack4.io/help/support-tickets)
- [Support response times](https://rack4.io/help/support-response-times)
- [Service status, incidents and maintenance](https://rack4.io/help/service-status)