Service and support overview

Service and support options can be used to ensure that your system and applications are ready when you need them.

The following figure illustrates the service and support that you can use when a problem or failure occurs.

Figure 1. Service and support overview

Electronic Service Agent overview
Electronic Service Agent is an IBM i function that collects system inventory for software and hardware and provides an automatic problem-reporting function. It helps predict and prevent hardware errors by early detection of potential problems. It also reports software errors. In addition, if PM/400 is collecting performance data, that data also sent as part of the inventory. Electronic Service Agent™ downloads fixes and automatically submits problems to IBM when appropriate.
Connectivity
To make the service environment available, your system must have connectivity to IBM.
Universal Connection
With Universal Connection, you control how your business connects to IBM support services.
Problem reporting
Your system can help isolate the cause of system-detected hardware problems and some software problems.
Fixes
Fixes can help you correct problems and maintain the system.
Remote support
In some cases, an IBM service representative can connect directly to your system to determine the sources of a problem.

Parent topic: Service and support