The IBM Support Assistant (ISA) helps you to resolve questions
and problems with IBM software products by providing access to support-related
information and troubleshooting tools.
ISA is available at no charge to install on your computer; you then install
the relevant product plug-ins. ISA
has a built-in user guide, and the ISA download package includes an
installation and troubleshooting guide. This topic contains a brief
overview of the features of ISA Version 3; you can find more detailed
information on the ISA Web page.
Search
ISA provides a tool that searches
multiple sources of product information, and returns the results in
the following categories:
- IBM software support documents
- IBM developerWorks
- IBM news groups and forums
- Google Web search
- Product information center
Product Information
The product information
component directs you to the appropriate IBM Web sites for
WebSphere® Event
Broker or another product that you
have selected, as shown in the following example
(the WebSphere Message Broker plug-in provides support information
for WebSphere Event
Broker):

Tools
If diagnostic tools are available
for WebSphere Event
Broker, or any other product
plug-in that you have installed on ISA, you can access them through
the Tools component. More tools might be made available, so check
for updates periodically.
Service
Use the Service component to perform
the following tasks:
- Collect diagnostic data automatically
- Send files to IBM Support for problem determination
- Create and submit a new problem report
- View or update an existing problem report
Two data collectors are supplied for the
WebSphere Message Broker plug-in:
- A general runtime data collector (to run for run time problems)
- A general toolkit data collector (to run for toolkit problems)
Run the appropriate data collector before you open a PMR, so
that you can send the collected data to IBM with the PMR.
You
can use the problem submission tool to enter your entitlement information
once, and save it for future sessions. You can then create a problem
report and attach the collector file at the same time.
Updater
Use the Updater component to perform
the following tasks:
- Install and uninstall product plug-ins and tools
- Upgrade the ISA when an updated version is available
As well as WebSphere, product plug-ins are available for other
products, such as
DB2®, Lotus,
Rational, and Tivoli. You can also choose from a number of diagnostic
tools that are common to all products.