Describing problems and gathering information

You provide as much information as possible about problems that you report to IBM® Software Support.

When describing a problem to IBM, be as specific as possible. Include all relevant background information so that IBM Software Support specialists can help you solve the problem efficiently. To save time, know the answers to these questions:

• What software versions were you running when the problem occurred?
• Do you have logs, traces, and messages that are related to the problem symptoms? IBM Software Support is likely to ask for this information.
• Can you recreate the problem? If so, what steps were performed to recreate the problem?
• Did you make any changes to the system? For example, did you make changes to the hardware, operating system, networking software, and so on.
• Are you currently using a workaround for the problem? If so, be prepared to explain the workaround when you report the problem.