IBM WebSphere Process Server, Version 6.0, Release Notes

(C) Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2005. All rights reserved. US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.

This document contains release notes for:

Description
Supported hardware and software
Important installation and upgrade information
Updates, limitations, and known problems
IBM Software Support

Description

Based on service-oriented architecture (SOA) and as a single, simplified programming model, WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0, is the next-generation business process server that delivers and supports all styles of integration based on open standards to automate business processes that span people, workflows, applications, systems, platforms, and architectures.

New in WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0:

Base applications

For WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment-related information, see the release notes for that product.

Announcement letters

Supported hardware and software

For supported hardware and software requirements for, see WebSphere Process Server detailed system requirements.

Important installation and upgrade information

Before you upgrade from WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0.0 to version 6.0.1, read this important information:

Refer to the following Web sites for installation and configuration information for WebSphere Process Server, Version 6.0:

Updates, limitations, and known problems

Updates, limitations, and known problems about WebSphere Process Server, are documented in the form of technotes on the IBM Software Support Web site at http://www.ibm.com/software/integration/wps/support.

As limitations and problems are discovered and resolved, the IBM Software Support team updates the knowledge base. By searching the knowledge base, you can quickly find workarounds or solutions to problems that you experience. The following link launches a customized query of the live Support knowledge base. To create your own query, go to the Advanced search page on the IBM Software Support Web site:

View release notes for WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0.0
View release notes for WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0.1
View the latest information and critical fixes for WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0.0
View the latest information and critical fixes for WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0.1

IBM Software Support

IBM Software Support provides assistance with product defects. This section describes the IBM Support Assistant tool, how to contact IBM, and how to get help from IBM.

Note: To submit problems to IBM Software Support, you must have an active software maintenance contract. See Contacting IBM Software Support for information.

IBM Software Support provides assistance with product defects. If you encounter a problem with WebSphere Process Server, Version 6.0.1, follow these steps:

  1. Download and launch IBM Support Assistant and search the support information for a solution.
  2. If you cannot find the information you need, submit the problem to IBM using the Service component of IBM Support Assistant or by contacting IBM Software Support.

    Note: To submit problems to IBM Software Support, you must have an active software maintenance contract. See Contacting IBM Software Support for information.

IBM Support Assistant

WebSphere Process Server, version 6.0.1, includes IBM Support Assistant, a tool that helps you use various IBM Support resources from within the offering. It includes the following components to help you with software questions:

IBM Support Assistant, version 2.0, is a stand-alone utility. It includes an installation program and a user guide. Follow these steps to use IBM Support Assistant:

  1. Download and install IBM Support Assistant from the IBM Support Assistant download page.

    Some IBM products include IBM Support Assistant on the installation media. For the latest information on IBM Support Assistant, see the IBM Support Assistant technote on the IBM Software Support site.

  2. Start IBM Support Assistant from the Start menu on Windows(R) operating systems or with the startisa.sh command on all other platforms.

    On Windows operating systems, IBM Support Assistant opens in its own window. On all other platforms, it opens in a Web browser.

  3. Download and install an IBM Support Assistant plug-in for WebSphere Process Server:
    1. Click Find Plug-ins to view search links that can be used to find plug-ins for specific IBM products.
    2. Select WebSphere to initiate a search for all WebSphere product plug-ins.

      This list is also available from the IBM Support search page.

    3. Select WebSphere Process Server to open the download page for the plug-in.
    4. Download and install the plug-in.

To learn more about how to use the IBM Support Assistant, click the User Guide tab in the IBM Support Assistant window.

Contacting IBM Software Support

If you cannot resolve the problem using IBM Support Assistant, contact IBM. However, before you submit a problem to IBM Software Support (through IBM Support Assistant or directly), ensure that your company has an active IBM software maintenance contract, and that you are authorized to submit problems to IBM. The type of software maintenance contract that you need depends on the type of product you have:

If you are not sure what type of software maintenance contract you need, call 1-800-IBMSERV (1-800-426-7378) in the United States. From other countries, go to the "Contacts" page of the IBM Software Support Handbook at http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/guides/contacts.html and click the name of your geographic region for phone numbers of people who provide support for your location.

Submitting a problem report to IBM Software Support

To submit a problem to IBM, first determine the business impact of the problem and gather background information about it. The background information helps IBM Software Support representatives find a solution more quickly. The following sections guide you through the tasks for submitting a problem.

Determine the business impact of the problem

When you report a problem to IBM, you are asked to supply a severity level. Therefore, you need to understand and assess the business impact of the problem that you are reporting. Use the following criteria to determine the severity level:

Severity level Description
Severity 1 The problem has a critical business impact: You are unable to use the program, resulting in a critical impact on operations. This condition requires an immediate solution.
Severity 2 This problem has a significant business impact: The program is usable, but it is severely limited.
Severity 3 The problem has some business impact: The program is usable, but less significant features (not critical to operations) are unavailable.
Severity 4 The problem has minimal business impact: The problem causes little impact on operations, or a reasonable circumvention to the problem was implemented.

Describe the problem and gather background information

When describing 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. To save time, know the answers to these questions:

Submit the problem

You can submit your problem to IBM Software Support in one of two ways:

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 and a fix is delivered. IBM publishes resolved APARs on the Software Support Web site daily, so that other users who experience the same problem can benefit from the same resolution.