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.

Definitions

Remote help
Help content that can be accessed or downloaded from the ibm.com Web site.
Local help
Help content from your local computer after you download the content from the Web.
Intranet help
Help content from an Intranet server. The content is initially downloaded to the intranet server from the Web.
Local help updater
When you use local or Intranet help, this utility helps you download initial content or updated content from the Web.
Help updater site
The ibm.com site where the information center for your product is hosted. This site can be accessed with a browser or from the product help system. This site is also the source for the local help updater.
Help download site
The Web site (http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rationalsdp/documentation/updatesites/) contains compressed files of the help content for your product to be used to populate either local or intranet help. The file has the format prod_coden.n_updateSite.zip, where prod_code is the product code and n.n is the version number.

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 need to 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 you will be linked to your product information center through an ibm.com® Web site. You can access the Web-based help for the product only when you are connected to the Internet. When you are disconnected, you will have access to a limited number of help topics that are installed with the product. For more details, see the Help contents reference topic under Reference.

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 the product is started, local help is downloaded automatically at startup. To download and use local help when an Internet connection will not be available after initial setup, complete the following 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 need, 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. See one of these topics:Downloading help content from the Help updater site or Downloading help content from the Help download site.

Updating contents: If you have an internet connection, the content is automatically updated when the product starts up, 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 link to a server behind your firewall where product help content is installed. By selecting this option, you must provide the link to your intranet server. Administrators must make scheduled updates to the help content.

Installation:

The administrator needs to perform the following tasks:
  1. Setting up an intranet server for help content
  2. On the intranet server, Downloading help content from the Help updater site or Downloading help content from the Help download site
  3. Providing the following information to users:
    • Name (product name Help)
    • Host
    • Path
    • Port
The user must perform the following steps:
  1. Install the product with the Intranet help option.
  2. Start the product, and change the content access method. See one of these topics:
  3. Changing from remote help to help content on an intranet server or Changing from local help to help on an intranet server

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.


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