General product troubleshooting
There are a number of self-help information resources and tools to help you troubleshoot problems.
Record the symptoms of the problem
Depending on the problem, whether it is with your application, your server, or your tools, we might receive a message that indicates that something is wrong. Always record the error message that we see. As simple as this advice sounds, error messages often contain codes that make more sense as you investigate your problem further. You might also receive multiple error messages that look similar, but have subtle differences. By recording the details of each message, we can learn more about the problem.
Sources of error messages:
- Problems view in the workbench
- Console in the workbench
- Log files in your workspace
- Error dialog boxes
Re-creating the problem
Think back to what steps led you to this problem. Try those steps again to see whether we can easily re-create this problem.
If we have a consistently repeatable test case, we can more quickly determine what solutions are necessary.
Consider the following questions:
- How did you notice the problem?
- Was anything done differently that made you notice the problem?
- Is the process that is causing the problem a new procedure, or has it worked successfully before?
- If this process worked before, what changed?
- The change can refer to any type of change that is made to the system. Changes might range from adding new hardware or software to configuration changes we might make to existing software.
- When you noticed the first symptom of this problem, were there other symptoms that occurred around that time?
- Does the same problem occur elsewhere? Does the problem occur on one computer or is it occurring on multiple computers?
- What messages are generated that can indicate what the problem is? What else do we see that indicates there is a problem?
- How often does the problem occur?
Eliminating possible causes
Narrow the scope of your problem by eliminating components that are not causing the problem. By using a process of elimination, we can simplify your problem and avoid wasting time in other areas. Consult the release information that comes with the product and other available resources to help you with your elimination process.
Start with these questions:
- Has anyone else experienced this problem?
- Is there a fix that we can apply?
- Have any fixes been applied or any changes made to the system that can be causing the problem? Does rolling back the fix or the changes solve the problem?
For information about other support resources and tools, see More support resources.
- Registering on the IBM support portal
We must be a registered user on the IBM Support website to download fixes and to submit a problem online to IBM Support Portal.- Accessing release information
The download document for a product release contains information, or links to information, specific to the release, including new features, known problems and workarounds, and troubleshooting information.- Subscribe to product updates from the IBM Support Portal
To receive automatic updates when IBM publishes new support content for our products, subscribe to weekly email updates or RSS feeds. Support content might include information about new releases, fixes, technotes, APARs, and support flashes.- Search online knowledge bases
If we have a problem with your IBM product, search the available knowledge bases to determine whether your problem is known, has a workaround, or if it is already resolved and documented.
- IBM Support Assistant
IBM Support Assistant is a free troubleshooting application that helps you research, analyze, and resolve problems using various support features and tools. With the Support Assistant, we can find solutions yourself using the same troubleshooting techniques that are used by IBM Support. We can organize and transfer your troubleshooting efforts between team members or to IBM for further support.- IBM Education Assistant
IBM Education Assistant is a collection of multimedia educational modules that are designed to help you gain a better understanding of IBM software products and use them more effectively to meet your business requirements.- Getting fixes
A product fix might be available to resolve your problem. We must determine what fixes and other updates are available and install them appropriately.- Contacting IBM Software Support
If the self-help resources do not provide a resolution to your problem, we can contact IBM Software Support. IBM Software Support assists in resolving product issues.
Home