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Altiris eXpress

Helpdesk Solution 5.6 SP1
User Guide

Summary of Contents for eXpress Altris eXpress Helpdesk Solution 5.6 SP1

Page 1: ...Altiris eXpress Helpdesk Solution 5 6 SP1 User Guide...

Page 2: ...tered trademark licensed to Altiris Inc in the United States and a trademark of Altiris Inc in other countries Altiris eXpress Altiris Vision Application Mgmt Solution Application Metering Solution As...

Page 3: ...0 Chapter 3 Helpdesk Overview 21 Architecture 21 Helpdesk Solution Consoles 22 Workers and Worker Queues 23 Contacts 24 Work Items 25 Assets 25 Integration with Microsoft Systems Management Server SMS...

Page 4: ...ry Results 79 Retrieve Queued Item 80 Contacts 80 New Contact 82 Assets 84 New Asset 85 Recents 87 My Helpdesk Console 88 Work Item Request NT User 91 Work Item Request User 92 Work Item Request Guest...

Page 5: ...n 123 Delete Bulletin 123 Sources 124 View Source 124 New NS Source 125 New SMS Source 125 Edit Source 126 Import from Source 127 Configure Helpdesk 128 Delete Work Items 130 Delete Contacts 133 Delet...

Page 6: ...to Altiris documents are hypertext links to those documents For these links to work the target document file must be in the same location as the source document If viewing PDF documentation from our...

Page 7: ...ur Support engineers who will help you with your questions Support Contact Information Altiris is a global organization with operational centers in the following geographies Americas in Lindon Utah co...

Page 8: ...Preface Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 8...

Page 9: ...entify worker performance schedules histories TCO and other business critical information Access e mail alerts or help desk issues remotely from desktops or handhelds Maximize worker efficiency by sch...

Page 10: ...er things being equal Scenario Here is a Helpdesk satellite scenario The primary Notification Server and master Helpdesk server resides in Albuquerque with satellites in Milpitas Atlanta and another i...

Page 11: ...kets from any browser or CE device Use a self help console to reduce the number of incoming calls to the help desk Report business critical information via the web Quickly install and configure Helpde...

Page 12: ...S file system Microsoft IIS 5 0 IIS 5 0 requires webs to be hosted on NTFS Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is recommended SQL 7 0 approved MSDE is not recommended Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 0 or greater...

Page 13: ...he following tasks Create a Helpdesk user on the Windows server running Notification Server Create Helpdesk user queues Configure Helpdesk Create Helpdesk accounts Using eXpress is easy Most of the wo...

Page 14: ...r more information see Install Prerequisite Software to Notification Server on page 15 Operating System one of the following Windows 2000 Server recommended Windows Advanced Server with Windows Intern...

Page 15: ...es Wizard checks the computer to make sure it has the needed prerequisite software installed such as Windows 2000 XP Internet Information Services IIS and SQL 7 or 2000 or MSDE If the required softwar...

Page 16: ...e the file in When the download is completed click Open When using Internet Explorer 5 click Run this program from its current location and click OK c When asked if you want to install unixdbsetup exe...

Page 17: ...n run the Software Prerequisites Wizard again 8 If necessary install Windows 2000 XP Internet Services as follows a On the Windows toolbar click Start Settings Control Panel Add Remove Programs b In t...

Page 18: ...Altiris eXpress Notification Server 5 5 Install Wizard will start Read the information on the screen and then click Next 5 On the License Agreement screen read the License Agreement click I accept th...

Page 19: ...is Web site the Browse For Folder dialog box appears Browse to the CD or the directory where the Solution Center is located and click OK 9 Click Helpdesk and Problem Resolution 10 Click Helpdesk Solut...

Page 20: ...and See Configure Helpdesk on page 128 for more detailed instructions Step 4 The Configure Helpdesk Command When you finish the Configure Helpdesk Command the Helpdesk Solution basic setup is now comp...

Page 21: ...ification Server provides security for console views and functions as well as reports For more information about Notification Server see the Altiris eXpress Notification Server User Guide on the produ...

Page 22: ...sk Solution Administrator Console The Admin console provides full access to the Worker console as well as the following administrator functions Setup and configure Setup and configure queues Manage as...

Page 23: ...to a queue Workers are able to run queries to list work items assigned to queues as well as retrieve work items from queues A worker has a specific queue that is assigned to the worker The worker can...

Page 24: ...on is stored in the database as well Contacts are associated with work items Contact information includes the following Name NT ID if applicable E mail Pager email Phone Cell phone Pager Location Orga...

Page 25: ...ferences section in the Admin console A work item may be a current issue to be solved or a task planned to be done in the future A planned work item is given a start date and a due date The date and t...

Page 26: ...can create collections that will not advertise a program to machines with open work items if desired SMS resource information can be imported into Helpdesk Solution and associated with the work items...

Page 27: ...e 32 Localization page 33 Prerequisites Server Helpdesk Solution requires the following Altiris eXpress Notification Server 5 5 SP2 or later Microsoft 2000 Server Advanced Server with SP2 with a CD RO...

Page 28: ...ll be used Beside the Helpdesk Solution files the NET Framework and MDAC 2 7 components may have to be installed This will happen automatically You may have to reboot the system after the installation...

Page 29: ...is recommends you choose the same account you supplied when you installed Altiris Notification Server That account should not be the account of a real user and it should be set so that the password ne...

Page 30: ...stallation Helpdesk Setup Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 30 3 Enter a domain user and password a Click More Info for more information 4 Click Next 5 You will receive the following confirmation 6...

Page 31: ...nneeded policies to prevent excess notifications For information on policies see Notification Policies on page 140 During the initial installation the user installing Helpdesk creates the first worker...

Page 32: ...oved Anytime Notification Server is being updated to a newer version along with Helpdesk Solution Notification Server should be upgraded before upgrading Helpdesk Solution IMPORTANT Beta releases are...

Page 33: ...pecified languages however database values in the drop down lists work item titles and comments will not Information from other components such as error messages from SQL Server is displayed in the co...

Page 34: ...ough Helpdesk Solution works from any web browser it works best with Internet Explorer 6 0 or later 2 Select the one of the supported languages from the drop down list Spanish French German Portuguese...

Page 35: ...cation Server Web Administration Console under the Solutions tab then Helpdesk Solution Policies Notification Policies For more information on using Notification Policies see the Altiris eXpress Notif...

Page 36: ...ves adds Reports to track changes to computers Work item Activity Trend Work item activity and trend analysis reports Worker Performance Worker activity reports Console Security This section contains...

Page 37: ...do not expect the users of the consoles in that entry point to use it We recommend that all environments use Integrated Windows Authentication for tighter security Workers with Internet Explorer 4 01...

Page 38: ...ed to Helpdesk contacts and therefore can participate in e mail notification and other Helpdesk activities Anonymous access and Integrated Windows Authentication are enabled for this entry point These...

Page 39: ...e web directory created under the installation location Following is the directory structure Altiris recommends creating local NT groups on the server with IIS adding domain accounts to those groups t...

Page 40: ...with NTLM and will always be prompted Entry Points Helpdesk uses a number of custom elements in entry point web config files to define the behavior of the Helpdesk consoles that are supplied through...

Page 41: ...equired depending on the value of workerMode The five entry points web config files that ship with Helpdesk demonstrate all useful combinations of attributes workerMode worker winUser guest user worke...

Page 42: ...other text editor to change the allowSelfEnrollment from no to yes and save the file This will cause Helpdesk to restart and apply the new setting Administrators should be sure to limit access to the...

Page 43: ...is a change from previous versions of Helpdesk which managed several cookies Licensing From the time you install this solution you have 7 days to register the product and obtain an evaluation license...

Page 44: ...Description page 51 Add New Work Item page 52 View or Edit Work Items page 53 Additional Work Item Information page 54 Attachments page 55 Attach Page Field Description page 56 Link Work Items page 5...

Page 45: ...Query Results page 79 Retrieve Queued Item page 80 Contacts page 80 Contacts Home page 80 View Contacts page 81 Find Contacts page 81 Find Contacts Page Field Description page 82 New Contact page 82...

Page 46: ...n console http server name aexhd admin Default aspx Helpdesk Worker console http server name aexhd worker Default aspx My Helpdesk console http server name winuser Default aspx Work item request NT Us...

Page 47: ...menus if any is described below Commands Work Items Worker report Default page for the Helpdesk Worker console New work item Lets workers create a new work item See New Work Item on page 50 Find work...

Page 48: ...orker find work items using simple or advanced searches See Find Work Items on page 66 Work item queries Displays the query list See List Query on page 71 Last query results Displays the results of th...

Page 49: ...rved for bulletins Bulletins keep workers and users updated on system maintenance outages pending problems or other Helpdesk information The Worker Report Worker Displays the computer network ID and w...

Page 50: ...alized with the Closed status Held Lists the number of work items with the status as Hold Closed Lists the number of work items with the status as Closed New Work Item The New work item page lets you...

Page 51: ...les Notifications sent to workers queues or other contacts to inform them of work items Attach Attach files to a work item Attachments List of files attached to a work item Linked to List of other wor...

Page 52: ...s check boxes that you want associated with this work item Default rules will be pre selected by the administrator Additionally the administrator can lock down notify rules to prevent workers from mak...

Page 53: ...item number used as reference for problem resolution and tracking purposes is displayed in the upper left hand corner of the page The information you entered when adding a New work item in addition to...

Page 54: ...s link work items together and send an e mail about the work item Workers can also associate one Asset and one Contact to the work item and edit their respective data Each of these options are availab...

Page 55: ...f the file to attach When you select a file to upload the file path will appear in the Upload file box 4 Type a description of the file to attach in the Description box Note If you type in the Descrip...

Page 56: ...printer needs moving from one office to another the same office move as stated in work item 4 Scott links work item 6 to work item 4 Worker Kathi reopens work item 2 to edit the record Work item 3 is...

Page 57: ...urrent item Unlink a work item 4 Click OK the most recent work item selected will be linked Link Page Field Description Page Items Item Description Keep current Default option the current work item is...

Page 58: ...information or to answer a question E mails are also sent when work items change using the Notify rules feature See Notify Rules on page 112 To Send E Mail Messages 1 Click Work items New work item 2...

Page 59: ...eeds updating or you want to select a different contact click Select to find a contact from the Helpdesk s database When you select a contact the information will populate this page 4 Update the form...

Page 60: ...me of the new contact Department Type the Department name of the new contact Organization Select Organization from the drop down list Title Type the Title of the contact s position Employee ID Type th...

Page 61: ...and phone number If a phone number is not specified for the contact the text message phone unspecified will be displayed next to the contact s name The contact selected from the drop down list will b...

Page 62: ...drop down list displays the contacts who have been associated with the currently selected asset Recent contact Find contact Type search criteria in any of the text boxes click Find at the bottom of th...

Page 63: ...item The Items list at the bottom of the page shows all work items currently associated with the same asset To View Asset Properties 1 Click Work items New work item 2 Click View asset properties 3 I...

Page 64: ...list will be populated Additionally a results count option will be added and automatically selected to indicate the number of matches The data presented in the drop down list will be a combination of...

Page 65: ...et When an asset is selected the system will determine if there are any contacts associated with the asset This is done only if a contact has not been selected from the Contact drop down list The Cont...

Page 66: ...iated with the work item Find Work Items Find Work Items Simple Tab The Find work items page lets you find works item by using specific search criteria Helpdesk Solution offers a simple and advanced s...

Page 67: ...by number in descending order For details see Sort Work Item List on page 89 Find Work Item Simple Field Description Page Items Item Description Title Type the Title of the work item Match all words...

Page 68: ...w or Edit next to the work item you want to view or edit 6 The Save query link at the bottom of the page allows you to save the search criteria of the query that produced the results on the page The S...

Page 69: ...ce MSSearch must be installed using an advanced options available during the MS SQL installation Additionally this service can be activated post install If successful a full text index is created on t...

Page 70: ...CONTAINS in detail http msdn microsoft com library psdk sql ts_ca co_2y2h htm If full text searching is enabled the user can override FREETEXT or CONTAINS searches by checking Disable full text search...

Page 71: ...Field Description New Query The New query page allows you to select a pre defined query from the drop down list and edit the query string to produce the results you want Page Items Item Description A...

Page 72: ...e the query a name in the Name box 5 Click Save 6 Workers may view the Last query results run by selecting the option Work items Last query results listed below Commands or Last query results listed b...

Page 73: ...l_reference like SMS wild card character for partial string matching assigned_to_worker_name mdavis Datetime Examples workitem_modified_on 12 11 00 10 10 00 AM workitem_modified_on 12 11 00 10 05 00 i...

Page 74: ...eated_by_worker_id uint workitem_start_on datetime only date part is in db e g 11 10 00 workitem_due_on datetime only date part is in db e g 11 10 00 workitem_modified_on datetime workitem_modified_by...

Page 75: ..._by_worker_email string modified_by_worker_phone string modified_by_worker_cell_phone string modified_by_worker_pager string modified_by_worker_location string workitem_priority_lookup_value string wo...

Page 76: ...intermediate page where the worker can provide numeric data The resolved parameter will not be quoted Example prompt_number prompt workitem_number prompt_number Enter work item number lower boundary p...

Page 77: ...itialized with the current date and time The resolved parameter will be quoted Example prompt_datetime prompt workitem_modified_on prompt_datetime Work items modified after prompt_date prompt The para...

Page 78: ...e system They cannot delete the default shared queries that come with Helpdesk Solution 1 Click Work items Queries Delete queries 2 Select the check box next to the query Name you want to delete 3 Cli...

Page 79: ...results listed below Common tasks 3 Click Refresh to re run the query the Items list will update the results 4 The Save query link at the bottom of the page allows you to save the last query The Save...

Page 80: ...elpdesk Admin console For more details see List Workers on page 135 1 Click Work items Retrieve queued item listed below Commands OR 2 Click Retrieve queued item listed below Common Tasks 3 Click View...

Page 81: ...om the Assets or Items list if any to view or edit assets or items information Find Contacts The Find contacts page lets you find an existing contact already entered into the Helpdesk database To Find...

Page 82: ...ge Items Item Description Name Type the Name of the new contact NT ID Type the NT ID of the new contact E mail Type the E mail address of the new contact Phone Type the Phone Number of the new contact...

Page 83: ...new contact Organization Type the Organization the new contact is associated with Title Type the job Title of the new contact Employee ID Type the Employee ID of the new contact VIP Select the check...

Page 84: ...tly viewed or edited by the current worker Workers can also link to the Find assets New assets and Delete assets pages To Use the Assets Home Page 1 Click Assets Assets home 2 Select one of the follow...

Page 85: ...system To Find an Asset 1 Click Assets Find assets 1 Type the search criteria in the form on the page 2 Click Find Note The results from the Find are displayed in the Assets list at the bottom of the...

Page 86: ...unique ID Location Type the physical Location of the asset Manufacturer Type the Manufacturer of the asset Model Type the Model type of the asset Serial Type the Serial of the asset Asset tag Type th...

Page 87: ...ge allows workers to access the most recent entries of Work items Contacts and Assets To Use the Recents Page 1 Click Recents on the left hand menu the above page appears OR 2 Click Recents then selec...

Page 88: ...ated for all users can be viewed on the bottom of the My Helpdesk Console page To Use My Helpdesk Console 1 Open My Helpdesk console by entering either the complete URL http server name aexhd winuser...

Page 89: ...ork Item on page 50 and Attachments on page 55 2 Click OK to save Sort Work Item List The My Helpdesk Console page will display a list of the work items created by the current user located at the bott...

Page 90: ...he sort order is descending to ascending Edit My Info Users can update their user information once the account is added to the system The following information can be changed Name Title E mail Phone C...

Page 91: ...User console is intended for users with a NT ID authentication through their own internet environment and only want to log a work item This console is similar to My Helpdesk console but only has the...

Page 92: ...If your logon is not in the Helpdesk database access will be denied You can create a user account for this entry point console by doing the following Type your e mail address in the E mail box Click...

Page 93: ...substituting servername and webname with the appropriate values 4 Now you can type the alias name to access the Helpdesk Solution console Example Suppose you work for a company named acme and have a s...

Page 94: ...esolution size of most handhelds Administrative features can be executed on a handheld device by directly accessing the URLs for those features Pocket PC Navigation There is a dropdown for recent work...

Page 95: ...Add New Category page 102 Modify Category page 103 Move Category page 104 Copy Category page 105 Delete Category page 106 Routing Rules page 107 List Routing Rules page 107 Edit Routing Rule page 108...

Page 96: ...it Source page 126 Import from Source page 127 Configure Helpdesk page 128 Delete Work Items page 130 Simple Tab page 130 Delete Work Item Simple Field Description page 131 Advanced Tab page 132 Delet...

Page 97: ...See Categories on page 100 Notify rules Lets you view create or delete notify rules See Notify Rules on page 112 Routing rules Lets you view create or delete work item routing rules See Routing Rules...

Page 98: ...report displays the item count for All workers in the following queries Priority Requested Planned Open Late Overdue Resolved Held Closed 1 Open Admin console by entering either the complete URL http...

Page 99: ...report to go Priority items Lists the number of Open work items with either High or ASAP priority status Requested items Lists the number of work items flagged with the status as Requested Planned it...

Page 100: ...aspx or by entering a shortcut URL alias if created OR 2 Enter through the main entry point Altiris eXpress Helpdesk consoles http server name aexhd then click Helpdesk Admin console 3 Click Admin Ca...

Page 101: ...erarchical structure following a parent child relationship Main topic categories can be created with similar or same like topics created as levels below Example Parent main topic Break Fix Child topic...

Page 102: ...of the screen See the example above 3 Type the name of the Category in the box 4 Select the Position for the new category from the drop down list The option you select determines how the new category...

Page 103: ...ant to edit Note The category you selected is displayed on the bottom of the screen See the example above 3 Type the name of the Category in the box 4 Select the check box to make category status Acti...

Page 104: ...tegory you selected is displayed on the bottom of the screen See the example above 3 Select the Move to category from the drop down list 4 Select the Position for the category from the drop down list...

Page 105: ...of the screen See the example above 3 Select the Copy to category from the drop down list 4 Select the Position for the category from the drop down list 5 Click OK to continue editing categories The c...

Page 106: ...xample above 3 Select the Delete option from the drop down list Delete children Move children to grandparent 4 Click OK to continue editing categories The category list on the Edit categories page wil...

Page 107: ...rading from an earlier version of Helpdesk is identical Routing rules are much more powerful than the old category routing system Administrators can make routing decisions based on any field in the wo...

Page 108: ...ss Order of Routing Rules The Routing rules are processed in the order they are listed You can change the order as needed by following the steps below To Change the Process Order of Route rules 1 Clic...

Page 109: ...routing rule runs it will evaluate this criteria first before evaluating the other criteria based on the drop down list option in step 6 on page 109 If the rule s criteria evaluates to true the assign...

Page 110: ...ntain matches regular expression 13 Enter the parameter associated with the option you selected for step 12 on page 110 in the text box 14 Select the check box for the search to be Case sensitive 15 C...

Page 111: ...es To Delete a Routing Rule 1 Click Admin Routing rules Delete routing rules 2 Select the check box of the Route rule you want to delete from the list and then click Next The following confirmation sc...

Page 112: ...Click Edit next to the specific Notify rule to view or edit rule Default Rules The Helpdesk Solution provides a set of default notification rules they are as follows Notify Rules Provided by Helpdesk...

Page 113: ...quired when adding a notify rule 6 Select or type the following Send to information a Select the check box next to Current contact to send an e mail to the current contact when this rule runs b These...

Page 114: ...check box next to The value of the field then select an option from the drop down list The options are as follows is the same as is not the same as contains does not contain matches regular expression...

Page 115: ...ed to new work items 14 Clear the check box if the rule IS NOT Active Active Evaluate this rule during an item update The rule will be evaluated when work items with that rule are modified and may run...

Page 116: ...r be seen again Caution There is no Undo capability 1 Click Admin Notify rules Delete rules 2 Select the check box next to the Notify rule s you want to delete then click Next 3 The notification rule...

Page 117: ...straight text or complex using HTML and macros List Templates There are three types of e mail templates they are as follows E mail notification Best used for notification rules that deliver long forma...

Page 118: ...bject Type the subject of the e mail message Macro Language is supported for this property 6 Type Select one of the following options from the drop down list a E mail notification Select if the E mail...

Page 119: ...made to a work item assigned to them Thank you An acknowledgement message appropriate for Helpdesk Solution guests Thanks the recipient and confirms the submitted data Guest issue addressed A notific...

Page 120: ...act that is associated with the current work item Note All contact information is available using the WORKITEM macro MANAGEDOBJECT managed_object_field managed_object_field is the name of a field in t...

Page 121: ...w has the workitem_field arguments replaced with the data from that particular work item update Rows are produced in reverse chronological order latest update first so the data in the first row output...

Page 122: ...a useful tool which helps manage the current status of IT resources For example if a specific server is down many users may open the My Helpdesk console to report the problem If a bulletin is publish...

Page 123: ...tem request Anonymous console 5 Clear the check box if you DO NOT want the bulletin to be Active 6 Click OK to save Delete Bulletin 1 Click Admin Bulletins Delete bulletin 2 Select the check box next...

Page 124: ...a source Usually it is auto registered during Helpdesk Solution setup and the auto import policy is active by default The registration process is only necessary if you want to import items from a fore...

Page 125: ...the box 8 Select the check box to Update Helpdesk from this source on a schedule The schedule is set by the main Notification Server even if it is not a source The default schedule occurs every 30 mi...

Page 126: ...e URL in the format http server name AexWebAdmin in the box for Web Admin for SMS Note If the user is viewing object properties for an asset that has been imported from an SMS source a link will be di...

Page 127: ...ers 4 Click All or By name to search for resource 5 If you selected By name type a resource name to search for in the box The wildcard character is supported and is supplied automatically at the end i...

Page 128: ...Helpdesk 2 Type the name of a SQL Server in the box 3 Type the name of the Database in the box 4 Select the check box to Use SQL login instead of Helpdesk trusted connection 5 Type a User name in the...

Page 129: ...5 This database is correctly configured Press Update to refresh the database Press Back to choose another database Press Continue to proceed with this database Note Pressing Update or Continue may dis...

Page 130: ...n one field entry for the search criteria the result will yield a more precise Item list as opposed to searching on one field criteria only Note To search for All items within a field click inside the...

Page 131: ...ategory Select option from the drop down list Scope Select option from the drop down list Pattern Type string Pattern to match during the search Assigned Select Assigned worker group from the drop dow...

Page 132: ...or All items within a field click inside the field and then click Find The result will show all work items present in the Helpdesk database where the search field has be defined with an entry other th...

Page 133: ...next to the contact you want to delete 4 Click Next to continue Page Items Item Description Contact Name Type the Name of the new contact Contact E mail Type the E mail address of the new contact Asse...

Page 134: ...ected contacts to delete 7 Click Finish to delete selected contacts Delete Assets The Delete assets page lets you Find and Delete assets from the Helpdesk systems database Caution Deleted assets are p...

Page 135: ...dit 4 Click New to add a new worker New Worker New worker are also considered contacts Adding a new worker requires filling in the form shown below Here are a few tips to remember when creating a New...

Page 136: ...Active flag for New worker is different than the Active flag for Contacts Workers can still be active contacts but listed as an inactive worker 1 Click Workers New worker 2 Type the Worker information...

Page 137: ...create or update a work item a contact or asset except through a Notification Server policy or other third party contrivance Inactive queues do not show up in the drop down list of workers or queues...

Page 138: ...lution User Guide 138 Edit Queue 1 Click Workers List queue 2 Click Edit next to the queue to edit 3 Edit the box form on the page 4 Click OK to save New Queue 1 Click Workers New queue 2 Type the inf...

Page 139: ...ts For cost reports the amount of time and the worker s hourly rate are used to compute the cost associated with the work item When combined with the inventory data organization location platform comp...

Page 140: ...s can be accessed through the Notification Server Web Administrator by clicking Start Programs Altiris Altiris eXpress Notification Server Web Administration Console then in the left pane selecting He...

Page 141: ...ication Policies provide a powerful tool for managing your SLAs The Helpdesk Solution SLA reports can be accessed through the Notification Server Web Administrator by clicking Start Programs Altiris A...

Page 142: ...shooting Log Files Components that encounter errors while running place messages in a log file in the Altiris eXpress logs folder on the Notification Server computer The log is an XML text file that y...

Page 143: ...al notice 2 licensing 43 links 6 log file 142 M macros email message template 120 N notice 2 notification policies 140 Notification Server 21 P patent 2 Pocket PC 94 prerequisites 27 product version 2...

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