Contacting IBM Software Support

Grade the severity of the problem, describe the problem and gather background information, then report the problem to IBM® Software Support.

Before you begin

Ensure that your company has an active IBM software subscription and support contract, and that you are authorized to submit problems to IBM:

If we use IBM distributed software products (including, but not limited to, Tivoli, Lotus, and Rational® products, as well as Db2® and WebSphere products that run on Windows or UNIX and Linux operating systems), enroll in Passport Advantage® in one of the following ways:
- Online: Go to the Passport Advantage and Passport Advantage Express® web site, then click the Subscription and Support tab.
- By telephone: Go to the Software Support Handbook, click Contacts, then Worldwide contacts.
If we use IBM eServer software products, we can purchase a software subscription and support agreement by working directly with an IBM marketing representative or an IBM Business Partner. These eServer products include, but are not limited to, Db2 and WebSphere products that run in zSeries, pSeries, and iSeries environments.
You might also have an IBMLink, CATIA, Linux, S/390, iSeries, pSeries, zSeries, or other support agreement.
If you are not sure what type of software subscription and support contract you need, call 1-800-IBMSERV (1-800-426-7378) in the United States or, from other countries, go to the Software Support Handbook, click Contacts, then Worldwide contacts.

About this task

Follow the steps in this topic to fully describe the problem and contact IBM Software Support.

If the problem that you submit is for a software defect or for missing or inaccurate documentation, IBM Software Support might create an Authorized Program Analysis Report (APAR). The APAR describes the problem in detail. Whenever possible, IBM Software Support provides a workaround for you to implement until the APAR is resolved and a fix is delivered.

IBM publishes resolved APARs on the IBM product support web pages daily, so that other users who experience the same problem can benefit from the same resolutions.

Procedure

Determine the business severity level for the problem.

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

Severity	Effect on business
Severity 1	Critical effect on business: You are unable to use the program, resulting in a critical effect on operations. This condition requires an immediate solution.
Severity 2	Significant effect on business: The program is usable but is severely limited.
Severity 3	Some effect on business: The program is usable with less significant features (not critical to operations) unavailable.
Severity 4	Minimal effect on business: The problem has little effect on operations, or a reasonable workaround to the problem has been implemented.

When deciding the severity of the problem, take care not to understate it, or to overstate it. The support center procedures depend on the severity level so that the most appropriate use can be made of the center's skills and resources. A severity level 1 problem is normally dealt with immediately.

Describe the problem and gather background information.
You might find the information you need in your own in-house tracking system for problems. You can also use the IBM Support Assistant to collect data automatically, as described in the next step, and we can use a Problem reporting sheet.
Be as specific as possible. Include all relevant background information so that IBM Software Support specialists can help you to solve the problem efficiently. To save time, know the answers to these questions:
- What was the source of the problem within your system software; that is, the program that seems to be the cause of the problem.
- What software versions were you running when the problem occurred?
- Do we have logs, traces, and messages that are related to the problem symptoms?
- Can the problem be re-created? If so, what steps led to the failure?
- Have any changes been made to the system? For example:
  - Hardware changes
  - Operating system upgrades
  - Networking software updates
  - Changes in the level of licensed programs
  - PTFs applied
  - Additional features used
  - Application programs changed
  - Unusual operator action
  - Regenerations
- Are you currently using a workaround for this problem? If so, be prepared to explain it when you report the problem.
See also Extra inputs needed when reporting z/OS problems.
Report the problem to IBM Software Support.
We can submit a problem report in one of three ways:
- Use the IBM Support Assistant. To collect data automatically and submit a request to IBM Software Support, open the IBM Support Assistant and click Service. For more information, see IBM Support Assistant (ISA).
- Submit a New service request online.
- Telephone the support center for your country. To find the number to call, go to the Software Support Handbook, click Contacts, then Worldwide contacts. Your first contact at the support center is the call receipt operator, who takes initial details and puts your problem on a queue. You are then contacted by a support center representative.
When you contact the support center, whether by telephone or electronically, you need to state the name of your organization and your access code. Your access code is a unique code authorizing you to use IBM Software Support, and you provide it every time you contact the center. This information is used to access your customer profile, which contains information about your address, relevant contact names, telephone numbers, and details of the IBM products at your installation.

The support center needs to know whether this is a new problem, or a further communication regarding an existing one. If it is new, it is assigned a unique incident number. A problem management record (PMR) is opened on the RETAIN system, where all activity associated with your problem is recorded. The problem remains open until you are in agreement with the support center that it has been resolved and can now be closed. Make a note of the incident number. The support center expects you to quote the incident number in all future communications connected with this problem.

You might be asked to give values from a formatted dump or trace table, or to carry out some special activity, for example to set a trap, or to use trace with a specific type of selectivity, and then to report the results. You will be given guidance by the support center on how to obtain this information.

What to do next

We can inquire any time at your support center on how your PMR is progressing, particularly if it is a problem of high severity.

How your problem is then progressed depends on its nature. The representative who handles the problem gives you guidance. The possibilities are described in What happens next.