What happens next

After you contact the IBM support center, details of our problem are passed to the appropriate support group. The problems are dealt with in order of receipt and severity level.

At first, an IBM support center representative uses the keywords that we have provided to search the RETAIN database. If your problem is found to be one already known to IBM, and a fix has been devised for it, a program temporary fix (PTF) can be dispatched to you quickly. Alternatively, you might be asked to try running your installation using different settings.

If the RETAIN search is unsuccessful, you might be asked to provide more information about your problem.

If the problem requires a change to the code or documentation, an authorized program analysis report (APAR) is submitted. This is dealt with by the IBM support group or change team and provides a means of tracking the change.

It might be necessary to have several follow-up communications, depending on the complexity of the symptoms and the system environment. In every case, the actions taken by you and the support center are entered in the original PMR. The representative can then be acquainted with the full history of the problem before the next communication.