Welcome to IBM Rational Software Support.
As a valued customer, you know that Green Hat is part of IBM Rational software. The Green Hat and IBM teams have worked diligently to ensure your smooth transition to IBM Software Support.Green Hat's products have been repackaged as part of the IBM Rational Quality Management portfolio under the following product names: IBM Rational Test Workbench, IBM Rational Performance Test Server and the IBM Rational Test Virtualization Server. You will see this change reflected in the product list table below, as well as on the various product support pages.
Questions? Find answers to Transition-focused items in the FAQ area below.
We realize that ibm.com is a vast website and at times it is daunting to find the answers you need. We have developed this overview page specifically for our Green Hat clients.
*HOT!* Green Hat Customer Orientation Webcast series: August through September IBM Rational Client Support will be hosting a series of customer oreintation webcasts designed to help you, as Green Hat clients get the most benefit from IBM support resources and products. Click here for a full schedule of the series along with connection information. If you can't join, you can still grab the slide deck here.
Support transition letters:
Green Hat Technical Support Transition Letter Green Hat Technical Support Final Transition LetterDownload the One-Page Support Reference Guide here:
Americas - How to contact support AP - How to contact support EMEA - How to contact supportIBM Rational Support Resources - resources for IBM Rational products to assist you with learning the products, getting help, or just getting started.
IBM Electronic Support Resources - resources for IBM Electronic Support information and access to tools to keep your systems, software, and applications running smoothly.
IBM Rational Green Hat product-specific support pages on ibm.com
| Rational Test Workbench | ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Overview/Software/Rational/Rational_Test_Workbench |
| Rational Performance Test Server | ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Overview/Software/Rational/Rational_Performance_Test_Server |
| Rational Test Virtualization Server | ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Overview/Software/Rational/Rational_Test_Virtualization_Server |
| Rational Green Hat Tester | ibm.com/support/entry/portal/overview/software/rational/green_hat_tester |
| Rational Green Hat Performance | ibm.com/support/entry/portal/overview/software/rational/green_hat_performance |
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Rational Green Hat Virtual Integration Environment |
ibm.com/support/entry/portal/overview/software/rational/green_hat_virtual_integration_environment |
Frequently Asked Questions about IBM Support Processes
Q: What information is required to submit a Problem Management Report (PMR) via email?
A: Clients need to provide their IBM Customer Number (ICN), Contact Information, Product, Product Version, PMR Severity, and detailed problem description. Email messages without the ICN identified may be returned asking to supply that information
Q: I do not know what my IBM Customer Number (ICN) is. How can I find that?
A: To locate your ICN, you may contact the eCare team, your Sales Representative, or your Site Technical Contact (STC). More information on STCs can be found below.
Q: Where can I find downloads and fixes/patches for Green Hat products?
A: Downloads for Green Hat products are located in various places on IBM.com dependent on content. Please review the following on where to find the particular downloads you need: IBM Rational Support Resources: www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27020747
Q: Where can I find the IBM Technical Support Handbook
A: The IBM Software Support handbook can be found at: www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/handbook/home .html
Note: This guide contains important information on the procedures and practices followed in the service and support of your IBM products. It does not replace the contractual terms and conditions under which you acquired specific IBM Products or Services. Please review it carefully.
Q: Where can I sign up for product Newsletters?
A: Product newsletters will now be delivered via the My Notifications feature on ibm.com. You can login and subscribe to the particular products you are interested at: www.ibm.com/support/mynotifications. This functionality allows clients to subscribe to particular products and receive email updates or rss feeds on a daily, weekly, or other option basis. These notifications will include any Newsletters, Technotes, Downloads, or other qualifying recently published support content.
Q: How can I open a technical support request with IBM?
A: A PMR can be opened via web request, email, or phone as noted below:
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Web Access – Case Management
Electronic Service Request (SR), IBM Software Support’s online service request system, is the fastest and most convenient method of accessing IBM support. It allows authorized users to submit, review and update information for any IBM software service request.
The Site Technical Contact (STC) for your company authorizes individuals of your company to use this system. If you have not already been granted access to the ESR site, please contact your STC.
You and your authorized users may access SR by visiting www.ibm.com/software/support/probsub.html and selecting the SR hyperlink.
To learn more about SR, we recommend visiting the SR Help Site at www.ibm.com/software/support/help.html Please notice the SR Site Tours hyperlink at the bottom of the page. These tours provide how-to instructions using screen shots and animation to help you get the most out of our site.
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Email Access
Users may initiate and update support requests by email by sending their request to one of the following email addresses, based on the geography of your company:
-- -- Americas sw_support@us.ibm.com
-- -- Europe, Middle East, Africa sw_support_emea@nl.ibm.com
-- -- Asia Pacific sw_support_ap@au1.ibm.com
To prevent delays in processing your request for support, please include your ICN and the name of the product in the body of the email
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Telephone Access
Users may contact IBM Software Support centers via telephone. Please consult IBM’s Directory of worldwide contacts web page for the telephone number that is local to your area. The directory is located atwww.ibm.com/planetwide
Q: Where is the product documentation?
A: Green Hat product manuals may be found in the IBM Information Center at publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/rsdp/v1r0m0/index.jsp
Q: Where is the System Requirements and Supported Platform information?
A: The Detailed System Requirement pages for each Green Hat product can be accessed in the IBM Support Portal by selecting the appropriate link for the desired product(above), and selecting the Rational Support Resources link.
Q: My colleague received an email recently from IBM about the support transition, but I did not. How come?
A: In order to achieve the widest possible exposure of our support transition plans, we attempted to email every user that had contacted Green Hat Support within the last year. Some users were excluded from the email for one or more reasons, including: 1) the user was associated with an account with an expired maintenance agreement, 2) the user's licenses were purchased from a Business Partner who provides the first-line of support for customer, and 3) the user contact information was the same as the STC contact information (STCs were sent a different email). We also believe some emails were blocked by the end user's spam filters, there were changes in company domains and thus the user's email address, errors in the email address stored in our database, etc.
Q: My company would like to have two Site Technical Contacts (STCs) assigned. Is that possible?
A: Yes, an STC can assign a Secondary STC from within the STC Admin screens. IBM only assigns a single technical contact per customer account. As such, only a single technical contact will be migrated from the Green Hat customer database for each distinct account record. This STC will receive all the official communications from IBM about the support transition. This really breaks down into two pieces of information: 1) the IBM Customer Number (ICN) that end users will need to access IBM Support, and 2) the initial credentials into the IBM Support web portal. This does not mean the STC is the only person who can access IBM Support. The STC merely needs to communicate the ICN to the appropriate end users, as well as invite these end users to access the web portal. The STC may assign up to nine (9) others who can assist with the management of the web site access list. You may change the STC contact information at any time by contacting the eCustomer Care Team.
Q: What are the roles and responsibilities of the Site Technical Contact (STC)?
A: The IBM Software Subscription and Support program requires a Site Technical Contact (STC) be designated to be responsible for the software subscription and support offering at that site. This person is responsible for ensuring that your company's personnel understand how to engage and work with IBM remote technical software support. This includes, 1) communicating to your users the appropriate IBM Customer Number (ICN) they must provide to access IBM Software Support, 2) communicating to your users the features and benefits of the IBM Software Support program, as well as the process for engaging IBM for technical support, and 3) enabling and maintaining the access list of Authorized Callers to IBM electronic (web) technical support capabilities. The STC may assign up to nine (9) "Secondary Site Technical Contacts" who can help manage the access list of Authorized Callers on the web site.
Q: I have heard about a Primary Contact role. What are the roles and responsibilities of the Primary Contact?
A: IBM assigns a Primary Contact role per account. This contact is considered the individual who originally ordered the software, or the "Sold To" contact. The Primary Contact and the Site Technical Contact, may or may not be the same individual. During the transition, this individual will receive a Welcome to IBM letter with instructions and authorization to the IBM