The Apple Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base is the primary reference resource that Apple supplies. It is available online and is free to anyone who needs to research issues that involve Apple hardware or software, although access to some Knowledge Base documents is restricted to AASPs, internal Apple personnel, and Apple developers. In this lesson, you'll be logging in to the Apple website as part of learning how to search the Knowledge Base effectively.
The varied natures of these audiences and the differences in their needs have influenced the structure of the Knowledge Base. It can be used a number of ways. Here, of course, we will concentrate on the best way for AASPs and technicians to use this resource.
NOTE
Throughout this book, we will refer you to Knowledge Base documents for more information on various topics. Although we have included copies of these documents on the CD for your convenience, we recommend that you sign in to the Knowledge Base for the most current information.
System Requirements
Access to the Knowledge Base requires the following:
A JavaScript-capable web browser (such as Apple's Safari), with JavaScript enabled
Cookies enabled in the web browser
An Apple ID
Apple ID is an account-management system that Apple requires for all users of the Knowledge Base, Apple Discussions, and the Apple Store. Once you register with Apple and establish an Apple ID, you can sign on to any of those Apple resources.
Cookies in the web browser enable access to these resources. If you have the Apple ID cookies on your system, you will not need to register.
Accessing the Knowledge Base
To perform a basic search of the Knowledge Base, go to www.apple.com/support, enter a term in the Search field, then click the magnifying glass icon. If you click the Advanced Search link (http://search.info.apple.com) near the top of the page, you will see a screen similar to the following:
The following exercise will orient you to using Knowledge Base effectively and efficiently.
Knowledge Base Exercise
1. | Open Knowledge Base. |
2. | Review the Help document for Advanced Search by clicking the Help link in the upper-right corner of the Search box. |
3. | Enter keywords in the search text field and press Return. |
4. | |
5. | Review the document and find the keyword for iMac (Flat Panel). |
6. | Do a new search using that keyword (kimacfp) along with the word specifications. |
7. | Open Knowledge Base document 88297, “iMac (Flat Panel): Technical Specifications.” |
8. | Do a new search for the specifications of a Macintosh system you are using. If you are using an older system, you may need to access the archive portion of the Knowledge Base. You do this by selecting the “Include content created prior to 1997” checkbox prior to performing your search. |