Run the IBM Support
Assistant Data Collector tool with the user ID for which you configured
your WebSphere Server
instance. Depending on what collection you are running,
you are asked for additional information to complete the data collection
activities. A script might require additional configuration information,
information about the sequence of events leading up to the problem
you are dealing with, or for your preferences regarding how it completes
the collection. At each step, the choices are presented as numbered
lists and you input the number of your selection and press the enter
key. When input is required, prompts are displayed at which you enter
your response and press the enter key. You can find collection details
for each WebSphere Application
Server problem type in their corresponding MustGather documents.
The
tool has a silent collection capability for recording your responses
from a console mode session in a file and uses the file to drive subsequent
instances of the same collection script. When running in this mode,
you are taken to an ordinary interactive session, where you supply
the responses to the script prompts. In addition to influencing the
current collection, however, your responses are also saved in the
file that you named. When the interactive session completes, you can
use this response file to start the same script in the future without
the need for explicit user input.
The response file is a plain text file, so you can edit
it to change the responses as needed. The file looks very much like
a Java properties file, with
comments that start with #, and a series of key-value pairs. You can
add pauses to a response file using one of the following two keys:
- PauseScriptTime=X, where X is a positive integer
representing the number of seconds a script pauses. If anything other
than a positive integer is found, an error message is written to both
the console and the log, followed by a message telling the user to
hit the enter key when they are ready for the script to proceed.
- PauseScript=user-defined message - this string
is printed to the console, along with a message to hit the enter key
you are ready for the script to proceed.
When using response files, remember that sensitive information,
such as user names and passwords, might be stored in these files.
It is important that you manage these files in a manner that prevents
unauthorized access to sensitive information. Note that passwords
are not encrypted.
Tip: If you are not able to provide
root or administrator access to the user to run the collection scripts,
make sure that the user ID has administrator privileges for your WebSphere Server, for example, startServer, stopServer,
and wsadmin commands.
By default, the
version of the tool (and the various subcomponents) is printed to
the console from which it was launched.