Quickstart for Web-based help content

What is web-based help content delivery and how to configure it.

Definitions

Remote help
Help content that can be accessed or downloaded from the ibm.com Web site.
Local help
Help content from your local computer after you download the content from the Web.
Intranet help
Help content from your intranet server. The content is initially downloaded from the Web.
Local help updater
When you use local or intranet help, this utility helps you download initial content or updated content from the Web.
Local help updater site
A Web site containing compressed files of the help contents of your product to be used to populate either local or intranet help when you do not have an Internet connection.
Remote help web site
The ibm.com site where the information center for your product is hosted. This site can be accessed from a browser or from the product help system.

Introduction

Your product offers help content on the Web and only a limited number of help topics are installed with the product. By default, your product connects to the Web and accesses help content directly from an information center. If you need to access the help when you are not connected to the Internet, you can download the help and access it locally. Alternatively, you can connect to an information center on an intranet server if your system administrator hosts an information center on an intranet server.

During installation, you can choose from three access options for help, but you can change the way get help content at any time:
  • You can access help content from the Web.
  • You can download help contents to your computer and access content locally.
  • You can access help content from an intranet server.
The three help content options.

Accessing help content from the Web

You can access help content from the Web by using Remote Help. This method provides the smallest installation footprint and helps ensure that you have access to the most current information. This access method is selected by default during installation.

If you select this option, then you will be linked to your product information center through an ibm.com® Web site. You can access the Web-based help for the product only when you are connected to the Internet. When you are disconnected, you will have access to a limited number of help topics that are installed with the product.

Note: You need to have an internet connection to use this help option.

Install the product with the default setting for help content and start the product. When you need help, click Help > Help content. Nothing more is required.

Accessing help content from your local computer

To access help content on your local computer, you can first download help contents to your computer so that you can work while disconnected from the Internet. To download the help and use local help, complete these steps.

Important: If you select this method, you must connect to an update site where you can choose the help content and features to download. The help is not automatically downloaded when you install the product. For disconnected users, the product comes with an update site in the form of a help archive file. If you are a disconnected user, see Installing help content from an archive file to learn how to install help from the archive file. Other update site files are available at http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rationalsdp/documentation/updatesites/.

After you download the information center content that you need, it will be available when you work while disconnected. You can update the content when changes are available.

  1. Install using the Local Help option.
  2. Start the product and follow the steps in Installing help content using the Local Help System Updater.

Accessing help content from an intranet server

Depending on company support, you might be able to access help content from your internal intranet servers. This method assumes that your intranet administrator has set up a link to a server behind your firewall where product help content is installed. By selecting this option, you must provide the link to your intranet server. Administrators must make scheduled updates to the help content.

The administrator needs to perform the following steps:
  1. Follow the steps in Setting up an intranet server for help content.
  2. Download the help to the intranet server by following the steps in Installing help content using the Local Help System Updater
  3. Provide the following information to your users:
    • Name (product name Help)
    • Host
    • Path
    • Port
The user needs to perform the following steps:
  1. Install use the Intranet help option and use the information provided by your administrator to configure the help:
    • Name (product name Help)
    • Host
    • Path
    • Port
  2. Start the product.
  3. Click Window > Preferences.
  4. Click Add; then name the intranet connection, specify the address for the intranet server that contains the help content, and then click OK.
  5. Click OK to close Preferences.

Whether you access Web-based help content, download and use help content locally, or connect to your intranet to get help, click Help > Help content to open help topics and find solutions.

To change the way that your products access help content, see Changing the way you access help content.


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