Configuring your service connection

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IBM® Electronic Service Agent™ can connect to the IBM Electronic Support website through direct Internet (HTTPS) connection, service and support proxy, or HTTP proxy connection paths. IBM Electronic Service Agent uses these connection paths to report problems and send service information to the IBM Electronic Support website. IBM Electronic Service Agent uses IPv4 to connect to the IBM Electronic Support website.

About this task

If you use only a default direct Internet connection, no additional configuration is needed. However, if a direct connection is not always available, you can configure IBM Electronic Service Agent to communicate with IBM using a proxy server. In fact, you can specify up to three proxy servers. IBM Electronic Service Agent uses the connections in the order they appear, so if one service connection is not configured, busy, or unavailable, the next service connection is used.

You can use the IBM Electronic Service Agent graphical user interface to configure your service connection.
Tip: You can also use the esacli connectionSettings command to configure your service connection. For information, see esacli connectionSettings.

To configure your service connection using the graphical user interface, follow these steps:

Procedure

  1. Access and log in to the IBM Electronic Service Agent graphical user interface.
  2. Click Settings menu from left navigation.
  3. Click Connectivity tab.
  4. Select the type of connectivity you want to create or change.
    • Direct connect

      Connecting IBM Electronic Service Agent to the IBM Electronic Support website through a direct HTTPS Internet connection is fast and efficient. This is the default configuration.

    • Proxy

      Connecting IBM Electronic Service Agent through the IBM Service and Support proxy or your HTTP proxy can be fast and easy from your business network, and minimizes the number of systems that are directly connected to the Internet.

      If you decide to use the IBM Service and Support proxy, it should be created on an exit point system. See Common exit point topology for information about using an exit point for IBM Electronic Service Agent. Then go to Creating the IBM Service and Support proxy before specifying the proxy connection type.

  5. To specify a proxy connection type, follow these steps:
    1. In the IP address or host name field, enter the IP address of the proxy server through which you want this system to connect.
    2. In the Port field, enter the port number on which the proxy server accepts connections.
    3. In the Destination user field, enter the user ID to use if the proxy server requires authentication.
    4. In the Destination password and Verify password fields, enter the password to use if the proxy server requires authentication.
    5. Click Add to create or change the service configuration.
      IBM Electronic Service Agent uses the connections in the order they appear, so if one service connection is not configured, busy, or unavailable, the next service connection is used.
    6. To change the order of the connections, select a connection and click Up or Down until the connections are in the desired order.
    7. To delete a connection, select a connection and click Remove.
  6. Click Verify Connectivity to test the service connection.
  7. When you are satisfied with the connection definitions and order, click Save Settings to save the configuration.