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BMC Helix Subscriber Information

This space provides BMC Helix customers with information about service activation, licensing and entitlements, and operational policies and processes.
Release notes and notices
updated 06 Dec

Learn what’s new or changed for a Helix product by selecting the enhancements page for the release or the patch page for updates or fixes.

Release note availability

The latest release or patch information is available on the day of the product release.


Related topics

BMC Helix Platform Release Calendar

BMC Service Management Helix documentation


BMC Helix Innovation Suite

Releases

Patches
None


BMC Helix Digital Workplace

Releases

Patches

None


BMC Helix Remedy

Releases

Patches




Getting started

 


Onboarding services

 

On premises to Helix subscription migration, customization, integrations

Operations

 

Services provided, from activation to decomission

Policies

 

Service policies such as availability and upgrades

Helix core services

 

BMC service offering descriptions

Optional services

 

Custom services

Support information

 

Service levels and support
PDFs

 This topic describes and links to PDFs and other documents that support this product release.

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If the ready-made PDFs of this space do not satisfy your requirements, you can create a custom PDF for a specific topic, a topic and its children, or a group of topics with a specific label. For information about how you can export a custom PDF from this space, see Exporting to PDF and other formats.

Related topics

FAQs and additional resources


 


Frequently asked questions

 

This topic provides information that supplements the BMC Helix Subscriber documentation. It contains the following sections:

BMC Helix FAQs

This section provides answers to frequently asked questions about BMC Helix services.

 

 Who is using BMC Helix services today?

BMC provides Helix services to hundreds of customers worldwide. These customers are across multiple industries and include many global customers with complex security, compliance, integration, and performance requirements.

 Do you monitor BMC Helix environments?

Yes. BMC SaaS Operations monitors all customer environments. For more information, see Security. 

If you use the i.onbmc.com support portal, you can see a real-time view of your service status and performance metrics by navigating to the Service Catalog > Other Services > Service Status Dashboard option within the portal. 

 What happens if I experience a service issue?

BMC frequently resolves potential issues before they are impactful. Other issues are immediately commences restoration of the service. For more information, see the BMC Helix Incident Response policy. 

 How long after a release is generally available will BMC Operations upgrade a customer's environment?

BMC targets 30 days before General Availability (GA) to notify customers concerning a new release. After GA, BMC works with customers on their desired timelines for upgrades. Customers do have some flexibility, but the overall goal is to have all customers upgraded to the new version in the 60 days after GA. For more information, see BMC Helix Upgrade policy.

 Will my customizations and integrations be preserved through upgrade?

Yes. You will have an opportunity in user acceptance testing to determine if those customizations still make sense. If they do not, they can be disabled so that the out-of-the-box code runs instead.  For more information, see BMC Helix Customization policy.

 What if I need to change my logic in a customization after upgrading but before it goes into production?

BMC SaaS Operations supports your minor adjustments made to customizations as a part of the upgrade process. The general rule is that anything that takes less than one day to complete is considered a minor customization. If a more significant change to logic is required, you should work with BMC SaaS Operations to understand the impact. If a major change to the customized code is required, you can choose to implement it on an "as-is" basis, implement a small workaround, or disable the customized code and promote the change. Any major changes to the customization can then be scheduled for implementation after the upgrade through the regular change control process. For more information, see BMC Helix Upgrade policy.

BMC Support FAQs

This section provides answers to frequently asked questions specific to BMC support.


 Which support portal do I use?

See Helix support overview to determine which portal you will use, and also for registration instructions.

 How do I access the BMC Support portals?

You will use either BMC Support Central or the i.onbmc.com support portal depending on which services you purchased. Registration is required for both portals. See Helix support overview to determine which portal you will use, and also for registration instructions.

 What login credentials do I use to access my support portal?

Access to either portal first requires registration through BMC Support Central. You will log in using the credentials you set up during that registration process.  Your username is usually your employer-provided email address. Access to i.onbmc.com requires one additional registration step. See Helix support overview for details.

 How do I register for access to the portal?

To register for access to the portal, see Registering for the support portals. Note that registration for i.onbmc.com is a two-step process.

 What do I do if I can't access the portal; for example, if I'm not registered or my password doesn't work?

 If you are having trouble accessing either portal, contact your Business Relationship Manager or have a co-worker submit an incident on your behalf. You may also initiate a live chat (during business hours) from the BMC Support Central site.

 Can I access the portal on my mobile device?

The i.onbmc.com portal is available from a mobile device. BMC Support Central is not. To download the i.onbmc.com portal on an Android device, open a browser on the device and go to xxx. To download i.i.onbmc.com on an iOS device, go to the Apple app store and search for "BMC i.obmc.com". Follow the download prompts from there. , you may download the app to your device from https://myportal-myit.onbmc.com/download/myportal after following the prompts. Go to Supported devices and browsers and select the BMC Helix Digital Workplace services link to view mobile device compatibility for this portal.

Submitting a Request for Change (RFC) FAQs

This section provides answers to frequently asked questions specific to submitting an RFC from the support portal.


 What information do I need in order to submit an RFC?

RFCs are submitted through the i.onbmc.com support portal using the Request a Change offering. This form contains all the information needed to effectively plan, manage, track, and fulfill an RFC. Required fields are denoted in the form. If you are using Support Central to request a change, see Change documentation for a complete list of the information you must provide. Failure to provide the required information will result in scheduling delays for your request.

 If I submit an RFC, how soon will it be scheduled?

Scheduling is based on the date and time you request from the Requested Window Start Date and Requested Window Start Time fields. If there are any conflicts or concerns with these inputs, BMC SaaS Operations will contact you. BMC requires a minimum of 24 hours' notice for RFC scheduling.

 After I've submitted the RFC, can I cancel it?

Yes. If you are using the i.onbmc.com support portal, view the RFC by navigating to the My Activity > Requests menu. Select the RFC and then select Cancel Request. You will only be able to cancel the request from this menu if you are the original submitter or the request was submitted on your behalf. If you did not submit the RFC, you must navigate to the Service Catalog > Service Request Report option. Select the request from the report and click on the Requst ID to open the request. At the top you will see a Cancel Request button. Upon confirmation, the status of the RFC changes to Cancelled.

If you are using BMC Support Central, you may cancel the case by opening it and selecting the Cancel button.

 Can I relate this RFC to an existing request?

Yes. If you are using the i.onbmc.com support portal, fill out the Related REQ Number(s) field. This field allows you to input one or more related requests; for example, the REQ for a change in the QA environment may be related to an RFC for the same change in the Production environment.

If you are using BMC Support Central, you have state the related request as plain text. 

 I used to submit my RFCs via a Microsoft Word template. Will the communication method change?

No. Email communication will continue, with the added benefit of communication through the RFC request within the portal.

 Can I choose the type of change I'm submitting?

No. Although you may summarize the type of change in the Summary field, BMC SaaS Operations actually determines the type of change and categorizes it in the internal change management system. Customer input is no needed for this field.

 If my change contains a customization, do I still need Customization Review Board (CRB) approval before submitting the RFC?

No. BMC allows you to opt out of CRB review and approval, assuming the customization was designed and developed using BMC recommended best practice guidelines. See BMC Helix Customization policy for more information.

 After I've submitted the RFC, can I change the implementation date and time?

Yes. Customers may add a comment to the RFC form requesting an adjustment to the date and and time originally requested.

 If my change contains a customization and I obtain CRB approval, will BMC provide ongoing support for this new code?

No. Regardless of whether or not you have CRB approval, it is your responsibility to maintain your customizations on an ongoing basis. For additional information, see the BMC Helix Customization policy.

 How will I be notified that BMC has scheduled my requested change?

BMC will first review the RFC inputs for completeness. Every effort will be made to schedule the requested change based on the date and time you requested. If there are any issues with the RFC scheduling, BMC SaaS Operations will contact you with a suggested alternate date and time. You will then have the option to accept or reject the proposed change window. If you need to reject it for any reason, please provide a reason for rejection, or another alternate date and time that works for you.

 Who do I contact if I have questions about my RFC?

You may add a comment to the original RFC request and the assigned Support Manager can contact you.

 Can I view my scheduled RFCs from the portal?

Yes. If you are using the i.onbmc.com support portal, navigate to the Service Catalog > Change Calendar option to see your scheduled change in the calendar view. If the RFC is not yet scheduled, you can view it under the My Activity > Requests menu. This menu will show you all requests that you have submitted, including incidents, service requests and change requests. To view RFCs submitted by a co-worker, select Service Catalog > Change Calendar (calendar view) or Other Services > Service Request Report (list view). Various filtering options are available from the list view.

If you are using BMC Support Central, you can only view RFCs that you submitted.

 Can I view my scheduled RFCs in a change calendar?

Yes. If you are using the i.onbmc.com support portal, go to the Service Catalog menu, scroll down to the Other Services section. Select Change Calendar. This option will display a calendar view of all scheduled (past 90 days plus future) changes.

Additional resources from BMC

The following hyperlinks provide additional information that you might find helpful:
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