Querying NMS Documentation Gets Easier in SevOne NPM 7.0
One of the quality-of-life changes to SevOne NPM version 7.0 that is simple yet brings me immense joy, has been the migration of the NMS product documentation from PDF to HTML format. This change was made as part of our journey to combine the SevOne NPM components into a single IBM product.
The documentation changes are threefold.
NMS Appliance Documentation and Guides are now Available Online
This change gives all SevOne documentation a uniform IBM look, feel, and searchability. More importantly, it allows anyone with an Internet connection to browse NMS documentation without needing to first deploy and access their own SevOne environment.
The Advantages of Online Documentation
We all live busy lives. When someone messages me after hours or while I am on PTO with an easy question, I am not going to wait until I am back at my workstation to respond. However, I often need to supplement responses with documentation references, so VPN access to my NMS environment has been a limiting factor.
Moving SevOne documentation onto IBM's website has allowed me to help out in these cases without needing to connect to a VPN and access an NMS appliance, ultimately aiding in solving some issues in minutes rather than hours or days!
NMS API v3 Documentation is Now Available on IBM API Hub
The second major documentation change is that NMS API documentation is now available on the IBM API Hub website. API swagger documentation is still available within the NMS appliance, but starting in NPM 7.0, SevOne users can browse all available REST v3 functions online, providing similar online and self-service benefits as online product documentation.
Real-Time Documentation Updates
As Product Manager of the core NMS appliance and long-time SevOne employee, I have dealt with the challenges and limitations of static PDF documentation for the past 10+ years. I am excited about moving our documentation online because it expedites our software release cycle while providing our customers with a better experience. Being able to correct, update, or add entire new sections of documentation after the code has shipped is satisfying because it enables our customers with the most correct and up-to-date information available.
Call to Action
While I hope it is clear how excited I am about these changes, I understand that software users don't want to experience death by documentation. As we look onward to NPM 8.0 and beyond, the SevOne Product Team will look for ways we can guide users in the product rather than require users to rely so much on complex documentation. If would like to share your experiences with documentation usage, good or bad, or have examples of guided in-product interactions that would make using SevOne NPM easier, please contact me at ryan.wilson4@ibm.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
#Documentation