WebSphere Application Server V7.0: Concepts ... - IBM Redbooks

6.10 IBM Support Assistant
IBM Support Assistant V4.0 (ISA) is a free tool that is intended to help you
research, analyze, and resolve problems using various support features and
problem determination tools. Using IBM Support Assistant you should be able to
determine the cause for most your problems faster and find solutions in a shorter
time. Therefore, the availability of your installation is increased. ISA provides you
many different tools for problem determination and materials collections. It allows
you to organize and transfer your troubleshooting efforts between members of
your team or to IBM for further support. The IBM Support Assistant consists of
the following three distinct features:
► IBM Support Assistant Workbench
The IBM Support Assistant Workbench, or simply the Workbench, is the
client-facing application that you can download and install on your
workstation. It enables you to use all the troubleshooting features of the
Support Assistant such as Search, Product Information, Data Collection,
Managing Service Requests, and Guided Troubleshooting. The Workbench
can only perform these functions locally. For example, on the system where it
is installed (with the exception of the Portable Collector). The following Web
page lists and describes the tools available in ISA:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=3455&uid=swg27013116
► IBM Support Assistant Agent
The IBM Support Assistant Agent, or simply the Agent, is the software that
needs to be installed on every system that you need to troubleshoot remotely.
After an Agent is installed on a system, it registers with the Agent Manager
and you can use the Workbench to communicate with the Agent and use
features such as remote system file transfer, data collections, and inventory
report generation on the remote machine.
► IBM Support Assistant Agent Manager
The IBM Support Assistant Agent Manager, or simply the Agent Manager,
needs to be installed only once in your network. The Agent Manager provides
a central location where information about all available Agents is stored and
acts as the certificate authority. For the remote troubleshooting to work, all
Agent and Workbench instances register with this Agent Manager. Any time a
Support Assistant Workbench needs to perform remote functions, it
authenticates with the Agent Manager and gets a list of the available Agents.
After this, the Workbench can communicate directly with the Agents.
226 WebSphere Application Server V7.0: Concepts, Planning, and Design