Options for accessing help content

There are three options for help content delivery. To help familiarize you with the options for help content delivery, several definitions are provided. Then the help and delivery systems are introduced.

Introduction

This product offers help content on the web and only a limited number of help topics are installed with the product. By default, your product connects to the web and accesses help content directly from an information center. If you must access the help when you are not connected to the Internet, you can download the help and access it locally. Alternatively, you can connect to an information center on an intranet server if your system administrator hosts an information center on an intranet server.

During installation, you can choose from three access options for help, but you can change the way get help content at any time:
  • You can access help content from the web.
  • You can download help content to your computer and access content locally.
  • You can access help content from an intranet server.
The three help content options.

Accessing help content from the web

You can access help content from the web by using Remote Help. This method provides the smallest installation footprint and helps ensure that you have access to the most current information. This access method is selected by default during installation.

If you select this option, then the help is provided by the product information center through an ibm.com® website. You can access the web-based help for the product only when you are connected to the Internet. When you are disconnected, you have access to a limited number of help topics that are installed with the product.

Note: You must have an Internet connection to use this help option.
Installation:
  1. Install the product with the default setting for help content, and start the product.
  2. When you need help, click Help > Help content. Nothing more is required.

Updating contents: The content is always the latest information that is available.

Accessing help content from your local computer

To access help content on your local computer, you must first download help content to your computer so that you can work while disconnected from the Internet. If an Internet connection is available when you start the product, local help is downloaded automatically at startup, if a more recent version exists on the Internet. To download and use local help when an Internet connection is unavailable after initial setup, complete these steps.

Important: If you select this method, you must connect to an update site from which you can choose the help content and features to download. The help is not automatically downloaded when you install the product.

After you download the information center content that you require, it will be available when you work while disconnected. You can update the content when changes are available.

Installation:
  1. Install your product using the Local Help option.
  2. Start the product, and download the help content as described inDownloading help content without an Internet connection.

Updating contents: If you have an Internet connection, the content is automatically updated when the product starts, but not more than once a day.

Accessing help content from an intranet server (Enterprise solution)

Depending on company support, you might be able to access help content from internal intranet servers. This method assumes that your intranet administrator has set up a server behind your firewall where product help content is installed. By selecting this option, you must provide connection information (host name, port number, help path, method access method of http or https) to that server. Administrators must make updates to the help content to keep it updated with the latest content.

Installation:

The administrator must complete these tasks:
  1. Setting up an intranet server for help content
  2. On the intranet server, if you do not have an Internet connection, download the help content as described inDownloading help content without an Internet connection.
  3. Providing the following help server connection information to users:
    • Name, for example, product-name Help. Users can enter any name.
    • Host
    • Path
    • Port
The user must complete the one of these steps:
  • Install the product with the Intranet help option and provide the connection information, or.
  • Start the product, and change the content access method as described in Changing the location of help content

Updating contents: If the help intranet server has an Internet connection, the content is automatically updated when the help is started, but not more than once a day.

Whether you access web-based help content, download and use help content locally, or connect to your intranet to get help, click Help > Help content to open help topics and find solutions.

Remote help
Help content that you access that is stored on the ibm.com website.
Local help
Help content that is stored on a server that hosts the product.
Intranet help
Help content that is stored on an intranet server. The content may be downloaded to the intranet server from the web.
Local help updater
When your product is configured to use local or intranet help, this utility helps you download initial content or updated existing content.
Watched folder
If you put a compressed update site file in the watched folder, install_dir/sdp/help/updates, the help content in the file is installed locally at start up using the local help updater.

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