Installing help content locally from a downloaded archive file

If you must access help content from a computer that does not have an Internet connection, you can install the help content from a file that you can obtain from the IBM® Local Help System Updater website. You must download the help content file by using a computer that has Internet access and copy the file to the computer without Internet access.
Before you begin

Typically, this task is done on a computer where the product is installed. If you are installing the help on an intranet server where the product is not installed, you must first deploy the help system infrastructure on that server. Then, you can install the local help.

About this task

For this help configuration, you use the Local Help Updater to install local help content on your computer from a compressed archive file. The archive file can be on your computer or on a shared server on your network, as shown in this graphic.

The image shows the download of an updateSite.zip archive file to a local server, and installation of local help from that archive file.
This task can be used to install help content on your computer or on a server.
Procedure
  1. On a computer with Internet access, open the Rational® help download site and download the compressed help content file for your product and version. The file has this format: product_abbreviation.version_updateSite.zip.
  2. If the computer you downloaded the compressed help content file to is not the one you are deploying the help content to, copy the compressed archive file to that computer. Do not extract the file.
  3. Open your product and click Help > Local Help Updater.
    Note: You can also access the Local Help Updater by opening the following Help Administration page URL in a browser: http://server:port/help-name/updater/admin.jsp. Then, select the Update Help Content tab.
  4. On the Local Help Updater page, click the Add internal site iconAdd internal site icon.
  5. In the Add Internal Site window, select Local, enter a Name for the help content, and click Browse to select the compressed archive file that you downloaded.
    Note: You must enter a name that uses English characters only and does not include punctuation. Double-byte characters are not supported.
  6. Click OK in the Add Internal Site window.
  7. In the Available content section of the Local Help Updater page, expand the site that you added. The list of sites in the Available content section are filtered to display your Favorites by default, which includes internal sites you added or public sites that you installed content from. When the available content list is not filtered, internal sites are added to the end of the Available content list.
  8. Select the help content features to install, and click Install.
  9. When the installation finishes, verify the installation by opening the help in the product by clicking Help > Help Contents.
Results

The help that you selected is installed and is available from your product.

What to do next
If you downloaded the help to either a server or your computer:
  • Optional: You can choose to enable automatic updates. By default, the Automatic Updates option is not selected in the Local Help Updater. If you select the Automatic Updates option, you receive updated content from the site and the sites in the Favorites Sites list when the help archive file is restarted and an internet connection exists. If you choose to leave the Automatic Updates check box cleared, you can manually update content.
If you downloaded the help to a server and the product was installed by using IBM Installation Manager:
  • If other users are accessing this help content from the products that were installed on their computers with IBM Installation Manager, provide them with the server, the port, and the path to the help system. Ensure that the server you provide is not localhost.
    Example: http://server.ibm.com:8080/help-name/index.jsp
    • Server: server.ibm.com
    • Port: 8080
    • Path: /help-name

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