The help system is packaged
as a web archive (WAR) file that is deployed on your application server.
It starts and stops when you start or stop your product. The help
system contains help content that can be updated manually. You can
also configure the help system to serve the help content from the ibm.com® website, so the content
is always up-to-date. The third option is to have the help content
served by an intranet server.
Definitions
The
following definitions are used in help content delivery:
- Local help
- Help content that resides on a local server that hosts the product
or an intranet server. You can also access help from your computer.
- Remote help
- Help content that rides on the ibm.com website or another
official information center site such as jazz.net.
- Intranet help
- Help content that resides on an intranet server. The content is
initially downloaded to the intranet server from the web.
- Local help updater
- When your product is configured to use local or intranet help,
this utility helps you download initial content or update existing
content either from the help updater site or from a downloaded updater
compressed file (see the next definitions).
- Help updater site
- The ibm.com site where
the information center for your product is hosted. This site can be
accessed with a browser or, if your product is configured to use remote
help from the product help system. This site can also be the source
for the local help updater.
- Help download site
- The website (http://download.boulder.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rationalsdp/documentation/updatesites/)
contains compressed files of the help content for your product, which
you can optionally use to update either local or intranet help. The file has this format: prod_coden.n_updateSite.zip,
where prod_code is the product code and n.n is
the version number.
Introduction
This product
offers help content that can be updated independently from product
updates. By default, your product is configured to access help content
locally, which means that the help web archive (WAR) file contains
all your help content and is installed when your product is installed.
There are three options for help content access, including local access:
- You can access content that is on the server that hosts the product.
- You can access help content that is on the web.
- You can access help content that is on an intranet server.
Accessing help content on the product
server
If your administrator configured this option, or
if your product came configured with this option, help content is
on the server the hosts your product.
Administrator:
installing and configuring: Install the product. Nothing else
is required if your help either includes all the content locally or
if the help is configured for remote help.
Administrator:
updating content: If remote help is not configured, the content
is updated manually using either Help updater site or the Help download site.
User:
accessing help: Browse to the product and start using it. When
you need help, click to open the Help in a window. Nothing more is required.
Accessing help content from the web
If
your administrator configured this option, or if your product came
configured this way, then you are linked to your product information
center through an ibm.com website.
You can access the web-based help for the product only when you are
connected to the Internet. When you are disconnected, you can access
a limited number of help topics. For more details, see the Help contents
topic under Reference.
Note: You
must have an Internet connection to use this help option.
Administrator:
installing and configuring:- Install the product.
- Start the product and the help.
- Delete the existing help content in the help WAR using the local
help updater.
- Configure remote help to point to the public information center
for the product.
Administrator: updating content: No action necessary;
the content is always the latest information that is available.
User:
accessing help: Browse to the product and start using it. When
you need help, click to open the Help in a window.
Accessing help content from
an intranet server (Enterprise solution)
Depending on company
support, you might be able to access help content from 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 specify the
link to your intranet server. Administrators must make scheduled updates
to the help content.
Administrator: installing and configuring:- Install the product on the product server.
- Install and configure the intranet help as described in Delivering help content from an intranet server.
- Start the product.
- Delete existing content from the help using the local help updater.
- Configure the remote help to use the intranet server by using
the information that you used in step 2.
Administrator: updating content: The content is
updated manually on the intranet server using either Help updater site or the Help download site.
User:
accessing help: Browse to the product and start using it. When
you need help, click to open the Help in a window. Nothing more is required.