Research your question or problem

What is your first step when you're unable to easily solve a problem with HCL Z and I Emulator for Web? Whether you're a new user looking for introductory information, or an experienced user looking for information on a specific subject or help resolving a problem, HCL's Web-based support can help you solve or work around your problem.

• Part 1: Consult available documentation explains various considerations to keep in mind while searching for support information.
• Part 2: Search HCL Web sites for a solution provides links to simplify and speed your searches.
• Part 3: Report problems to HCL explains how to gather appropriate problem information and efficiently create a formal service request so that the HCL Support team can respond as quickly as possible.

Part 1: Consult available documentation

Several resources in Z and I Emulator for Web and on the Internet can help you solve Z and I Emulator for Web problems. The most important resources are listed first:

1. Review the available Z and I Emulator for Web documentation:

   Visit the Z and I Emulator for Web online Infocenter at https://zieweb.hcldoc.com/help/index.jsp. It contains all the product documentation, including step-by-step tutorials, white papers, brochures, information about how to access service updates, and a link to Hints and Tips. It includes a PDF library with documentation formatted for easy print as well as a search function to help you find the information you need.

   The following documentation is available in the online Infocenter or within the product as described below:

   • The Readme, in HTML format, is installed with Z and I Emulator for Web. The Readme contains information that became available too late for inclusion in the publications or the Help.
     • On Windows platforms, you can access the Readme by clicking Start > Programs > HCL Z and I Emulator for Web > Infocenter > Readme.
     • On S/390, AIX, Linux, HP-UX, and Solaris platforms, you can access the Readme in the /HCL/ZIEForWeb/ZIEWeb/en/doc/readme directory as readme.html.
     • From the Z and I Emulator for Web CD, you can access the Readme as readme.html from the \readme\xx directory, where xx is the two-letter language suffix for your country or region. See the Planning, Installing, and Configuring Z and I Emulator for Web guide for a list of supported languages and their corresponding language suffixes. For example, the language suffix for English is en, so the directory on the CD is readme\en.

     The Readme is provided with the base version of the product, and with each service update or Manufacturing Refresh Pack. The Readme is updated with additional information. These updates allow you to see all the updated information from the base product version to the latest service update in one file.

   • The online help is installed with Z and I Emulator for Web. The online help defines the fields and panels on the user interface and their associated values. It also documents the steps necessary to perform various tasks and provides some conceptual information about Z and I Emulator for Web. The online help is available in HTML and PDF format.
   • The Planning, Installing, and Configuring Z and I Emulator for Web guide is installed with Z and I Emulator for Web. It provides the information to install Z and I Emulator for Web and configure it so that you can use sessions. This guide is available in both HTML and PDF format.
   • The Host Printing Reference is installed with Z and I Emulator for Web. It explains how to configure 3270 and 5250 host printing. This guide is available in HTML format only.
   • The Macro Programming Guide is installed with Z and I Emulator for Web. It describes how to create Z and I Emulator for Web macros for automating user interactions with a 3270 or a 5250 host application or for passing data between a host application and a native application. This guide is available in both HTML and PDF format.
   • The Web Express Logon Reference is installed with Z and I Emulator for Web. It provides an overview of Web Express Logon as well as detailed steps for implementing this feature in your environment. This reference is available in both HTML and PDF format.
   • The ZIE Host Access Toolkit Getting Started guide, which provides the information needed to install the ZIE Host Access Toolkit. This guide is available in HTML and PDF format.
   • Host Access Beans for Java, which describes how to use the Host Access Beans for Java to provide emulator functions as a set of JavaBeans. Documentation for this API is supplied in HTML format.
   • Host Access Class Library (HACL), which explains how to use the core set of Java classes and methods that allow the development of platform independent applications that can access host information at the data stream level. Documentation for this API is supplied in HTML format.
   • Z and I Emulator for Web J2EE Connector, which explains how to use the Z and I Emulator for Web J2EE Connector, a Java programming interface that conforms to the J2EE Connector Specification version 1.0 from Sun Microsystems and the Common Client Interface (CCI) infrastructure. Documentation for this API is supplied in HTML format.
2. See if there is a new product update that might resolve the problem.
3. Search the HCL support sites for product support information (downloads, technical notes, etc.). Searching HCL Web sites for a solution provides a convenient starting point for product-related HCL support site resources. Here are some tips on how to effectively use the various search engine fields:
   • Product Versions: It is also recommended that you select All versions from the Versions list.
   • Multiple Keywords: When searching HCL support sites, you can use Boolean expressions and parentheses with your keywords, such as :aaa AND (bbb OR ccc). When searching the Internet (non-HCL sites), you must use whatever boolean syntax that site requires (usually very similar).
   • Why search the HCL support sites from HCL Support pages or this article, rather than a wider Internet search? Most HCL support documents such as technical notes and support downloads are not static Web pages - their contents are stored in a database and the Web page for each document is actually dynamically generated when requested. Hence most Web search engines cannot access or cannot index these documents. Since the HCL support documents are specifically created with particular product information, if you only search the generic Web then you will likely miss most of the really significant HCL product support documents.

   Part 2: Report problems to HCL

   If you experience a problem that you cannot find a resolution to in any of the local or Web-based support documents, you might need to request assistance from HCL's software support product specialists.

   Prerequisites

   • Follow the steps outlined above to search product and support documents locally and on the Internet to determine whether you have encountered a known problem.

   Prepare your problem description and support request. Be as specific and complete as possible. The following steps help you outline and describe your problem:

   1. Complete the Worksheet for preparing to call HCL Support. This worksheet helps capture any messages or other diagnostic information produced. You might also want to either copy, print, or capture the screens and workflow that leads to the problem.
   2. Determine the business impact so that you can assign a severity level and priority level (set them to the same value) to your problem report:
      • Severity 1 - Critical business impact. You are unable to use the program, resulting in a critical impact on operations. This condition requires an immediate solution.
      • Severity 2 - Significant business impact. The program is usable but is severely limited.
      .
      • Severity 3 - Some business impact. The program is usable with less significant features (not critical to operations) unavailable.
      • Severity 4 - Minimal business impact. The problem causes little impact on operations or a reasonable circumvention to the problem has been implemented.
   3. Submit your support request, known as a PMR (Problem Management Report) to HCL Software Support in one of the following ways:
      • Electronically, by going to the Submit and track problems Web site.
      • Call HCL directly. For the telephone number in your country, refer to the Support contacts Web site.

Other sources of HCL support, service, and education information

• HCL Software Support home page
• HCL Software Support Guide