IBM® Software Support provides assistance with
product defects.
Before you begin
To take advantage of unique Support features, see the WebSphere® ESB support
page. The Support Page contains the latest information on fixes and
downloads, educational resources, and commonly encountered problems
and their solutions.
Before contacting IBM Software
Support, your company must have an active IBM software
maintenance contract, and you must be authorized to submit problems
to IBM. The type of software maintenance contract
that you need depends on the type of product you have. For information
about the types of maintenance contracts available, see "Enhanced
Support" in the Software Support Handbook site listed
in the Related Topics section.
To contact IBM Software
Support with a problem, perform the following steps.
Procedure
- Define the problem, gather background information, and
determine the severity of the problem. For help, see the "Contacting IBM" in
the Software Support Handbook.
- Gather diagnostic information. When explaining
a problem to IBM, be as specific as possible. Include all
relevant background information so that IBM Software
Support specialists can help you solve the problem efficiently. For
information that IBM Support needs in order to help you solve
a problem, see the WebSphere ESB MustGather
technote.
Tip: You can use the WebSphere ESB plug-in
for the IBM Support Assistant to capture data and send
it to IBM.
Note: If you are able to determine
that the problem is purely with underlying WebSphere Application
Server functionality, consider requesting assistance specifically
from the WebSphere Application Server Support team
rather than the WebSphere ESB team.
For information that IBM Support needs in order to help
you solve a WebSphere Application Server problem, see
the WebSphere Application Server MustGather
Technote.
- Submit your problem to IBM Software
Support in one of the following ways:
- Using IBM Support Assistant: See the "IBM Support
Assistant" topic.
- Online: Open a service request on the IBM Software
Support site using the Electronic Service Request (ESR) tool.
- By telephone: For the telephone number to call in your country
or region, go to the contacts page of the IBM Software
Support Handbook on the Web and click the name of your geographic
region.
What to do next
If the problem you submit
is for a software defect or for missing or inaccurate documentation,
IBM Software Support creates an Authorized Program Analysis Report
(APAR). The APAR describes the problem in detail. Whenever possible,
IBM Software Support provides a workaround that you can implement
until the APAR is resolved. Support will work and communicate with
you on the progress and deliver the fix once it is completed. Additionally,
once completed, IBM will also publish the resolved APARs on the Software
Support Web site, so that other users who experience the same problem
can benefit from the same resolution.