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 Message Broker or
another product that you have selected, as shown in the following example:

Tools
If diagnostic tools are available for WebSphere Message 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.