Network Deployment (Distributed operating systems), v8.0 > Troubleshoot and support > Troubleshoot help from IBM
Use IBM Support Assistant
IBM Support Assistant is a free troubleshooting application for researching, analyzing, and resolving problems using various support features and tools, allowing you to find solutions using the same troubleshooting techniques used by the IBM Support team, and allowing you to organize and transfer troubleshooting efforts between members of your team or to IBM for further support.
IBM Support Assistant v4.0 enhancements...
Remote System Troubleshooting Explore file systems, run automated data collectors and troubleshooting tools, and view the system inventory Activity-based Workflow Choose from support-related activities, or use the Guided Troubleshooter for step-by-step help with analysis and resolution. Case Management Organize your troubleshooting data in "cases"; then export and share these cases with other problem analysts or with IBM Support. Improved Flexibility Add your own search locations, control updates by hosting your own update site, get the latest product news and updates. The IBM Support Assistant V4.0 consists of the following three distinct entities:
IBM Support Assistant Workbench Client-facing application, installed on workstation, that enables you to use all the troubleshooting features of the Support Assistant such as...
- Search
- Product Information
- Data Collection
- Managing Service Requests
- Guided Troubleshooting
The Workbench can only perform these functions locally, for example, on the system where it is installed (with the exception of the Portable Collector). To use ISA features on remote systems, install the Agent Manager and Agent. The Workbench has a separate download and this is all that is required to get started with the Support Assistant.
IBM Support Assistant Agent Install on every system that you troubleshoot remotely. Once installed, it registers with the Agent Manager, and you can use the Workbench to communicate with the Agent and use features such as...
- remote system file transfer
- data collections
- inventory report generation
IBM Support Assistant Agent Manager Install ONCE in your network. Provides a central location where information on all available Agents is stored and acts as the certificate authority. All Agent and Workbench instances register with the Agent Manager. Any time an ISA Workbench needs to perform remote functions, it authenticates with the Agent Manager and gets a list of the available Agents. After this, the Workbench communicates directly with the Agents. The Agent and Agent Manager can be downloaded in a combined installer, separate from the Workbench.
IBM Support Assistant v4 has the following functions:
Search interface and access to the latest product information Search multiple knowledge repositories with one click and gives you quick access to the latest product information so that you spend less time looking for the solution and more time building skills and solving problems. Troubleshooting tools Choose to be guided through your problem symptoms or view a complete listing of advanced tooling for analyzing everything from logs to memory dumps. Access to local and remote systems Explore, transfer data, and run diagnostic tooling not only on the system but on any other system where the IBM Support Assistant Agent is installed. Automated data gathering and efficient support Run automated, symptom-specific data collectors. This data can then be attached to an IBM Service Request so that you can get support from the experts at IBM Support.
IBM Software support: IBM Support Assistant (ISA)