Choosing a communications method for remote support

Edit online

You must choose method for connecting your server to support system through the Remote Support Facility (RSF):

  • A direct connection from the Hardware Management Console (HMC) to the internet. This method is fast, reliable, and uses the external customer firewall to control the connection.
  • An indirect connection from the HMC to the internet by using a proxy server. This method has the advantages of the direct connection plus it allows your enterprise the added control of the proxy. Potential additional advantages include the possibilities of logging and audit facilities using the proxy server.

The following information is designed to provide your networking team with the information they need to enable the HMC to connect securely to the internet.

Security characteristics of Remote Support Facility communications include:

  • Remote Support Facility (RSF) requests are always initiated from the HMC to IBM®. No inbound connections are ever initiated from the support system.
  • All communications between the HMC and IBM are secured using Transport Layer Security (TLS). This includes data encryption and host verification.
  • Data sent to IBM consists solely of hardware problem information and configuration data. No application or customer data is transmitted.