WebSphere support

You can attach files to your Problem Management Record (PMR) to provide the IBM engineer more information to better assist you. Once you submit your PMR with the file attachment, you no longer have access to the file.

To attach a file to a new PMR:

1. Log in to ESR.
2. Open a new PMR by selecting Open a new problem report from the left side of the page.
3. After selecting a product and component, you will be taken to the Open a new problem report form.
4. Select the Problem Description tab.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page
6. Attach a file in the "Attach relevant files" field.
7. Press the Submit button.

To attach a file to an existing PMR:

1. Log in to ESR.
2. Open an existing PMR by selecting Electronic Service Request or Search problem reports from the left side of the page.
3. In the Updates section of the form, attach a file in the "Attach relevant files" field located at the bottom of this page.
4. Press the Submit button.

ESR's outbound e-mail text can be sent in English (default), Japanese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, German, Italian, French, Korean or Brazilian Portuguese.

To receive ESR's outbound e-mails in one of the languages listed above, in Managing My profile for ESR, select your preferred language in the "Language" field then press Submit to save your changes.

ESR's user interface (UI) text can be presented in English (default), Japanese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, German, Italian, French, Korean or Brazilian Portuguese.

To view ESR's interface in one of the languages listed above, change your browser settings to your preferred language. Refer to your browser's help section to learn how to change this setting.

ESR provides local language support for problem submission in designated languages to the extent those languages are supported for voice access.

Manage your name, phone numbers, e-mail address, notification preferences when your Problem Management Record (PMR) or Authorized Caller/User records are updated, set your language preference for e-mails you receive from ESR, and manage your Primary product/component list. To access your profile, perform these steps:

1. Go to the >IBM Software Support Web site.
2. Select the Open service request link from the support task navigator.
3. Click ESR.
4. Sign in to ESR using your IBM ID and password.
5. Click My profile for Electronic Service Request located at the left of the page.
6. Update your information.
7. Click Submit.

A user who is already registered and listed as an Authorized Caller/User on a valid software support contract can request to be added to additional contracts by completing the Caller Self-Nomination form using the following steps:

1. Click My profile for Electronic Service Request located at the left of the page.
2. Click Request additional contracts located at the right of the My profile for Electronic Service Request page.
3. Complete the Caller Self-Nomination form.
4. Click Submit

An e-mail will be sent to your PSTC, who can then decide whether to approve or deny your request, at which time you will receive an e-mail informing you of their decision.

To open a new Problem Management Record (PMR) in ESR, follow these steps:

1. Go to the IBM Software Support Web site.
2. Select the Open service request link from the support task navigator.
3. Click ESR.
4. Sign in to ESR using your IBM ID and password.
5. You will access the Electronic Service Request home page.
6. Click Open a new problem report.
7. Select a product and a component by doing one of the following:
   • If you have saved products and components to your primary list, you can:
     • Select a product from the drop down list
     • Select a component from the drop down list
     • Click Go
     • Proceed to step 8
   • If you have not saved products and components to your primary list, then you can:
     • Under the Search my products heading, click on the drop-down arrow in the Select a Contract (optional) field. Highlight your Contract number/IBM Customer number.
     • Click Go.
     • Select a product from the drop-down list.
     • Click Continue.
     • Select a component from the drop-down list.
     • Optionally save the product and component to your primary list by checking the Add to my primary product/component list box.
     • Click Continue.
8. If a list of contracts is displayed, you must select one before proceeding.
9. Under the Contact Information tab, make sure the information is correct. Note: Information updated here will be reflected in all of your existing PMRs as well as in your Electronic Service Request profile.
   • Alt. Email - Provide a second e-mail address where an IBM engineer can write to you.
   • Alt. Contact - Allow an alternate/backup person to be kept informed of updates regarding your PMR by selecting a name from the Alt. Contact drop down list. This list consists of all Authorized Callers and STCs associated with the IBM customer number you are submitting the PMR against. You can have a different Alternate Contact for each PMR. Email will be sent to the person each time the PMR is updated if their PMR Notification Preferences are set to receive emails. PMR Notification Preferences are located under My profile for Electronic Service Request.
10. Click the Problem Description tab and complete the PMR.
11. Click Submit or save the PMR in draft mode by clicking Save as unfinished. Your draft PMR will be available for five days.

You can run reports on electronic and voice PMRs and then download the report to a spreadsheet or print it.

To do this, follow the steps under Searching problem reports.

You can search for an electronic or phone Problem Management Record (PMR) by report/PMR number, a keyword or IBM Customer Number to allow you to update, view the status and history of your PMRs, download a PMR report to a spreadsheet or print it.

Search for PMRs from the page you are taken to after signing in to ESR (ESR's home page) or from the Search problem reports page which can be accessed from the left side of the page. Both pages contain the same searches.

To search for a PMR for updating, viewing or reporting, follow the steps below:

1. Sign in to ESR using your IBM ID and password. You will be taken to the ESR home page.
2. Search from the ESR home page or the Search problem reports page. Both pages contain the same searches, as follows:

   Search problem reports submitted on line - This search returns only PMRs that were submitted through ESR. It will not return PMRs submitted by phone. This search may return results faster because it is only searching against those PMRs that were submitted through ESR.

   • Enter keywords (a keyword is a word that is in the PMR)
   • Click Go
   • Proceed to step 3

   Find any problem report - These searches returns PMRs that were submitted through ESR and the phone. This search may take a little longer than searching for problem reports submitted on line because it is searching against all PMRs that were submitted through ESR and the phone.

   • Search by report number
   • Enter a report/PMR number (a report/PMR number is the number assigned to your PMR. You should have received an email that contains this number)
   • Click Go
   • Proceed to step 3
   • Search problem reports under a customer number
   • Enter keywords (a keyword is a word that is in the PMR)
   • Select one customer number
   • Click Go
3. You will be taken to the Search Results page in which 20 PMRs will be displayed at a time. If there are more than 20, the number returned will be listed on this page. Example: 1-20 of 39 reports. From this page, you can:
   • Click Next to view more.
   • Sort the PMRs by clicking each column heading
   • Click a report number to open the PMR for updating or viewing.
   • Save your report to a spreadsheet by selecting Spreadsheet-friendly format
   • Refine your search using the reporting criteria listed below then clicking Update list.
     • Show your reports only
     • Show all reports by customer number
     • Show open and closed reports
     • Show open reports only
     • Show closed reports only
     • Show reports within a specific time period
     • Show reports up to today's date
     • Enter more keywords
   • Customize your results by clicking Customize list further, which allows you to add or remove columns, as well as assign information items to columns, including:
     • Contact name
     • Customer number
     • Date modified
     • Date submitted
     • Problem number
     • Severity
     • Short description
     • Status