README FILE FOR THE AMERICAS - VERSION 8.1

GENERAL
* This is version 8.1 - '8' for the 8th year of production (of the classic spreadsheet)
* Feedback and any problems see "Application Support" section for further details.
* This version is for Microsoft Excel and it will run on Excel '97 and 2000 - see
  ENABLING MACROS section below if the tool does not run correctly.
* The configurator will not run with Excel viewer - a full version is required.
* It is not possible to interact with other Excel spreadsheets whilst the Wizard is running.

SOME CHANGES MADE IN THIS RELEASE (8.1):-
- New BladeCenter,Blade hs20, x225TopSellers, e325, x225, x235, x335, x345 models added. 
- Withdrawn products actioned.
- Latest prices incorporated.


OVERVIEW INSTRUCTIONS RELATED TO MAJOR FUNCTIONS:-

Application Support
===================
If you need application support or would like to send feedback, please send e-mail 
to cfgtools@us.ibm.com 
	
If you send e-mail, please include:
   - In the subject of the mail: xSCA  Support- version X.X. where X.X is the 
     version in  which you are working on.
   - Your name
   - Your Job TIitle
   - Your e-mail address
   - Type of report : Select one: "How to Use", "Problem Reporting" , "Feedback", 
     "Other"
   - Comments 
   - Any other pertinent files

Send e-mail Button
==================
This is available from the 'Manage Quote' screen in the Wizard.
This starts up your mail client, using the optionally supplied e-mail address.
From the Mail client the User can add previously saved Quote files.
The e-mail address field can be set as the default address for future e-mails.

BladeCenter Module
==================
Select 'BladeCenter' from the Home Screen and select a BladeCenter (currently
only one model available). 
Prompt asks if it is a new or existing BladeCenter.
New BladeCenter: 
 Add a Blade (colour of the unconfigured Blade 
 is shown as yellow) and click on the added Blade in the BladeCenter graphic 
 to select it (a red border is added to show which Blade has been selected). 
 Then click on 'Configure Blade' at the bottom to enter the Blade configuration 
 module. When configuration of the Blade is complete you are returned to the 
 BladeCenter screen (colour of Blade is now green). Repeat this process until 
 all added Blades have been configured. You are then allowed to click 'Next' 
 on the BladeCenter screen to complete the configuration of the BladeCenter 
 and add it to the Quote in the normal way.
Existing BladeCenter:
 Enter details of the existing configuration.  On the BladeCenter screen the
 existing Blades will show as Blue in the BladeCenter graphic.  Proceed as 
 above to add new Blades.

New Quote Functions - Exporting
===============================
On the Manage Quote screen there is a button labelled 'Export'.  Click the 
'Export'button to display the 'Export the Quote' screen.  From here, navigate
to the destination sub-directory, then enter a filename for the quote that 
you are exporting.  Select 'Text Files (*.txt)' or 'Excel Files (*.xls)'
from the 'Save As Type' option.
Choose 'Save' to complete the quote export process. An xSeries Configurator 
Wizard question will appear asking whether you wish to clear the prices in the 
exported version of the quote.  Select ‘Yes’ to remove selected prices and 
‘No’ to retain all prices.

Importing
=========
Wizard - On the 'Home' screen, click 'Manage Quote'.  From 'Manage Quote', 
click the 'Import' Button to display the 'Import Quote' screen.  Search 
through the file structure to find the .txt or .xls quote that you wish to
import and click on this file. 
Then select 'Open' to import (or 'Cancel' to exit from importing your 
quote). When importing a quote, a message will inform you that any adjusted 
price settings will be disabled.  To re-enter adjusted price (discount/uplift)
percentages, please use the 'Discounts/Uplifts' button situated on the 'Manage 
Quote' screen.
Classic - On the 'Quote' sheet, click on the Import Quote button, then follow
steps as for Wizard.

Reloading
=========
When a configuration has been added to the quote, it is possible to reload it 
back into the wizard or classic.  
Wizard - Select one of the components in the configuration which you wish 
to reload and click the 'Reload' Button on the 'Manage Quote' screen.  
If no configuration is selected and there is more than one configuration, the 
'Reload a Configuration' menu showing all of the configurations found on the 
quote will appear.  Highlight the configuration to be reloaded and click 
'Select' to reload, or 'Cancel' to exit without reloading.  When a 
configuration is reloaded, the user will be placed at the first screen of the 
configured system.
Classic - On the 'Quote' sheet, click on the Reload button.  Select the 
configuration to be reloaded from the list of configurations displayed and 
double click on the name or click on the OK button.  When the configuration
is reloaded the User will be placed at the top of the relevant sheet.
NOTE: Configurations created in the Wizard can only be reloaded in the Wizard.
Similarly Classic configurations can only be reloaded in the Classic.

Refresh prices
==============
If loading from a previous version which may now contain pricing that is not 
up to date, click 'Refresh Prices' from the 'Manage Quote' screen, or the 
'Refresh Prices' button on the Quote sheet. This will replace all prices 
with those found in the latest version of the configurator.

Importing between versions
==========================
If you are importing a configuration created using an earlier version of the 
tool, a message box will appear when the file is imported, informing you that 
this discrepancy exists and that the information may no longer be valid.
Please note that configurations cannot be imported into a configurator from a 
different geography, i.e. a system configured and exported in AMcfg??.xls 
cannot be imported into EMcfg??.xls.

Deleting
========
To delete a configuration from the quote, select one of the components in the 
configuration that you wish to delete and click the 'Delete' button from the 
'Manage Quote' screen.  Click 'Yes' from the 'Delete Configuration' window to 
permanently delete the selected configuration, or 'No' to exit without deleting.  
If no configuration is selected and there is more than one configuration, 
highlight the desired configuration from the 'Delete a Configuration' menu and 
click 'Select' to identify the configuration to be deleted, or 'Cancel' to exit 
from the 'Delete a Configuration' process.


TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USAGE
* The Terms and Conditions can be found in Excel by clicking on Help on the Home
  Screen. In Lotus, by scrolling down on the Main sheet.

OVERALL INSTALLATION AND USAGE - EXCEL VERSION
* Double-click on the zip package and extract the file to a sub-directory of your 
  choosing.
* Either run the file under Excel or double-click from Explorer and the configurator 
  will start.
* The first screen that appears ask you to select either the classic spreadsheet 
  interface or the new wizard module.
* You can tick a box before doing this, so that if the file is subsequently saved, 
  this first screen will not appear again.
* When in operation, look for onscreen messages that are either present all the 
  time or appear when you take an action.
* Also look for guidance from the Help selection at the top of each screen (not 
  all screens have help at this time).
* 'Model Specification' on the System Selector screen, will give more details of 
  your selected system unit.
* When in the options screens - rightclick on an orderable option to get more details.
* The 'Find out more about...' and '....Homepage' links on System Selector screen 
  use Internet Explorer.
* The 'Feedback' link on the Home Screen uses a declared Mail Client such as 
  Microsoft Outlook.

ENABLING MACROS
If the macros in the file do not function and you were not prompted to enable macros
when opening the file then follow the appropriate steps:
EXCEL 97:
* Start Excel (if not already open)
* Click on 'Tools' on the toolbar and select 'Options' from the dropdown list
* Select the 'General' tab
* Tick the 'Macro Virus Protection' tick box
* Click 'OK'
* When you next load the configurator you should be prompted with a box asking
  whether to enable macros, select this option and the configurator should now
  be fully operational.
EXCEL 2000
* Start Excel (if not already open)
* Select 'Tools' from the top menu, then from this list, choose 'Macros' and 
  then 'Security' from the following menu
* Select the 'Security Level' tab from the top of the menu
* Select 'Medium' from the options available
* Whenever you open a workbook containing macros an option to continue with or 
  without macros will appear.
* To run the configurator succesfully, choose the 'Enable Macros' button.

CLASSIC MODE
* This mode selection takes you to the spreadsheet where there are buttons for 
  navigation between the various sheets (Go-To button).
* There is also a button on the Main sheet for changing your country selection, 
  which enables loading of your required country data. 
* After the country selection, configurations will be made using that country's 
  part numbers and prices.  
* Within a product sheet, start by selecting a system unit model (enter '1' in 
  the Qty column), then scroll down to select options.
* Enter quantities against the required options - look for advisory messages 
  that are either already present or appear.
* Also check for guidance on the righthand side of the sheet.
* 'N/A' in the price field means that the product is not available for the 
  selected country
* When a configuration has been completed, clicking 'Add xxxxx values to Quote' 
  will copy your selections to a separate Quote sheet.
* The Quote sheet can be copied and pasted out to another spreadsheet, or printed.

WIZARD MODE
* This is the new user interface for the configurator and provides a more guided 
  and controlled route to achieve your configuration.
* The sequence of options categories is similar to the classic, but invalid 
  selections are highlighted or not allowed.
* Operation should be intuitive - look for the next step and any onscreen messages.
* More function is provided for the Quote than in the classic and other configurator 
  functions are improved.
* New features such as the Find-a-Part lookup function and the File Import facility 
  are also provided. 
* The Help content and the information in this Readme file will be improved over 
  time.

In the meantime - Questions and Feedback please! to:- psg_configure@uk.ibm.com