Diagnosing and fixing problems: Resources for learning

Operating Systems: i5/OS
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Diagnosing and fixing problems: Resources for learning

In addition to the information center, there are several Web-based resources for researching and resolving problems related to the WebSphere Application Server.

The WebSphere Application Server support page

The official site for providing tools and sharing knowledge about WebSphere Application Server problems is the WebSphere Application Server support page: http://www.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/support.html. Among the features it provides are:

A search field for searching the entire support site for documentation and fixes related to a specific exception, error message, or other problem. Use this search function before contacting IBM Support directly.
Solve a problem links take you to specific problems and resolutions documented by WebSphere Application Server technical support personnel.
The Download links provide free WebSphere Application Server maintenance upgrades and problem determination tools.
The fix packs and refresh packs for the WebSphere Application Server for i5/OS products are also provided in the group PTF for the WebSphere Application Server product. The WebSphere Application Server group PTF also includes other i5/OS group PTFs which are necessary for running your application servers. For more information see the PTFs page.
- fixes are software patches which address specific WebSphere Application Server defects. Selecting a specific defect from the list in the Fixes by version page takes you to a description of what problem the fix addresses.
- Fix packs are bundles of multiple fixes, tested together and released as a maintenance upgrade to WebSphere Application Server. Refresh packs are fix packs that also contain new function. If you select a fix pack from this page, you are taken to a page describing the target platform, WebSphere Application Server prerequisite level, and other related information. Selecting the fix list link on that page displays a list of the fixes which the fix pack includes. If you intend to install a fix which is part of a fix pack, it is usually better to upgrade to the complete fix pack rather than to just install the individual fix.

Accessing WebSphere Application Server support page resources

Some resources on the WebSphere Application Server support page are marked with a key icon. To access these resources, supply a user ID and password, or register if do not already have an ID. When registering, you are asked for your contract number, which is supplied as part of a WebSphere Application Server purchase.

WebSphere Developer Domain

The Developer Domains are IBM-supported sites for enabling developers to learn about IBM software products and how to use them. They contain resources such as articles, tutorials, and links to newsgroups and user groups. You can reach the WebSphere Developer Domain at http://www7b.software.ibm.com/wsdd/.

The IBM Support page

IBM Support has documents that can save you time gathering information needed to resolve this problem. Before opening a PMR, see the Must gather documents for information to gather to send to IBM Support.