HP (Hewlett-Packard) SP1 User Manual
Altiris eXpress
™
Helpdesk Solution 5.6 SP1
User Guide
Notice
Copyright © 2000-2003 Altiris Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Version: 5.6 SP1
Document Date: March 12, 2003
Bootworks U.S. Patent No. 5,764,593.
RapiDeploy U.S. Patent No. 6,144,992.
Due to the inherently complex nature of computer software, Altiris does not warrant that the Altiris
software is error-free, will operate without interruption, is compatible with all equipment and
software configurations, or will otherwise meet your needs.
The content of this documentation is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change
without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Altiris. Altiris Inc. assumes no
responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this documentation. For
the latest documentation, visit our Web site at www.altiris.com.
Altiris, the Altiris logo, BootWorks, Inventory Solution, LabExpert, PC Transplant, RapiDeploy,
and RapidInstall are registered trademarks of Altiris, Inc. in the United States.
Carbon Copy is a registered 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, Asset
Control Solution, Asset Mgmt Suite, Client Mgmt Suite, Compliance Toolkit,
Conflict Analysis Solution, Contract Mgmt Solution, Deployment Server, Deployment Solution,
Education Mgmt Suite, Helpdesk, Helpdesk Solution, HP Client Manager Software, Lab Mgmt
Suite, Migration Toolkit, Mobile Client for SMS, My IT Forum, Notification Server, Problem Mgmt
Suite, Server Mgmt Suite, Server Monitor Solution, Site Monitor Solution, SW Delivery Solution,
TCO Mgmt Solution, Unix Client for SMS, Unix Inventory Solution, Unix SW Deliver Solution,
Web Admin for SMS, Web Reports and other product names are trademarks of Altiris, Inc. in the
United States and other countries.
Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
HP is a registered trademark of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation.
Compaq is a registered trademark of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation.
All other brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 2
Contents
Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 1: Introducing Helpdesk Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Step 1 - Notification Server Computer Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Step 2 – Install Helpdesk Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Step 3 – The Altiris eXpress .NET Configuration Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Step 4 – The Configure Helpdesk Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
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) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Chapter 4: Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Helpdesk Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Localization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 5: Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Web Administration Console Interface Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Console Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Entry Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 6: User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Altiris eXpress Helpdesk Consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Helpdesk Worker Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Add New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Additional Work Item Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 3
Contents
Link Work Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
E-mail Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
View Contact Properties - New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Find Contact - New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Select Contact - New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
View Asset Properties - New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Find Asset - New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Select Asset - New Work Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Find Work Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Search in Comment or Title Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Using Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
List Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
New Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Modify New Query Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Query Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Query Parameter Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Delete Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Last Query 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Create Custom URL to Access Helpdesk Consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Support for Pocket PC (PPC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Chapter 7: Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Helpdesk Admin Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
The Admin Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Edit Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Add New Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Modify Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Move Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Copy Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Delete Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Routing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
List Routing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Process Order of Routing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Edit Routing Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
New Routing Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Delete Routing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Notify Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
New Notify Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Edit Notify Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 4
Contents
Delete Notify Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
E-mail Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
New Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Edit E-mail Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
E-mail Template Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Add New Bulletin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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
Delete Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
New Worker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Edit Worker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
List Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
New Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Notification Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Service Level Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Chapter 8: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 5
Preface
Before using this documentation, we recommend that you review the document conventions (see
“Document Conventions” on page 6).
Detailed information about Altiris products is included in each product’s documentation. The
product’s documentation is installed when the product is installed. To access Altiris product
documentation from the Web, go to our documentation Web page at www.altiris.com/support/
documentation.
If you have questions that are not answered in the documentation, we recommend that you use one
of our support options (see “Support” on page 7).
If you have feedback about this documentation, please send an e-mail message to our documentation
group at doc@altiris.com.
Document Conventions
The following table describes the conventions used in this document.
Document Conventions
What you see Meaning
Altiris eXpress
Notification Server
User Guide
Interface Element Name
File > Save A series of mouse selections are represented in this format. The above
server name/altiris/
documents
set variable = 123
www.altiris.com Links to web pages are in blue text.
References to other documents are italicized.
Note Most references 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 product CD or where the
documents were installed on your hard drive, the links will work.
If viewing a PDF document from our web site, the links to other Altiris
documents will not work. (The documents are stored in different folders).
If you download PDF documents from our web site and place them in the
same folder, the document references will link to the other PDF document
provided the target PDF document is in the folder.
Buttons, menu items, tabs, and field names are displayed in bold text.
example means click on the File command on the menu bar, and then click
on the Save command.
A value in a path that depends on the user’s system is in italics. In this
example, server name needs to be replaced by the name of the user’s
server.
Sample code is in Courier font.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 6
Preface
Support
Altiris is committed to providing world-class technical support and professional services to its
customers. Included with every product purchase is complimentary Electronic Support. For
customers who want a higher level of support, Altiris offers many fee-based services ranging from
Priority Support, which includes priority telephone and priority e-mail support, to on-site
consultation.
Before Contacting Support
We recommend that you do the following before contacting Support:
• Download and install the latest version of the product and product updates from our web site
(www.altiris.com).
• Read the product Release Notes. The Release Notes contain important information on the current
release including limitations and application specific workarounds. Many customer questions are
answered in the Release Notes.
• Review the information in the Altiris support forums (go to www.altiris.com and click on
Support and then Forums). If you cannot find the answer to your question in the forums, you can
post your own question. The forums are monitored by our Support engineers, who will help you
with your questions.
Support Contact Information
Altiris is a global organization with operational centers in the following geographies:
Training
• Americas in Lindon, Utah covering North and South America
• Asia Pacific in Sydney, Australia
• Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in Landau, Germany
Contact information for each of these operational centers is available at www.altiris.com/contact.
When contacting Support, please include the following information in the e-mail or have it ready
when calling:
• Your name, e-mail address, and phone number
• Product name and product version
• Specific details about the problem, including specific system messages, error codes, and logs
• Details about your system, including the operating system, applied services packs, hardware
configuration, network details, and other applications running on the system.
To ensure that you are using Altiris products in the most effective way, Altiris offers in-depth,
instructor-led, hands-on courses. These courses will help you quickly learn the optimum methods
for installing, configuring, and managing your network using Altiris’ award-winning products. For
information about Altiris training, go to the following web sites:
• http://www.altiris.com/services/training/
• http://www.altiris-europe.com/services.htm
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 7
Preface
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 8
Chapter 1:
Introducing Helpdesk Solution
Altiris eXpress™ Helpdesk Solution gives you a low-cost, highly-integrated help desk management
system to automate the process of assigning, reporting, and resolving IT system management issues.
Helpdesk Solution reduces system downtime across the organization, reduces incoming help calls
and problem response time, and notifies administration personnel through desktop consoles or
handheld devices. Incident tracking, reporting and integration make Helpdesk Solution a flexible
tool to meet the ever-expanding, ever-changing demands placed on your IT department.
Helpdesk Solution is an easy-to-use, web-based solution designed to improve efficiency and reduce
costs for your IT organization by reacting quickly to critical problems, allowing you to
• Manage assets and inventories, migrate computers, and deploy software
• Respond appropriately to service-level agreements (SLAs)
• Generate web-based reports to identify 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 scheduling work items, allowing end-users to create their own
work items, and linking similar or duplicate help desk issues.
In many cases, Helpdesk Solution eliminates the need to deploy IT personnel to each desktop, saving
support costs and speeding problem resolution. And Helpdesk Solution allows you to easily design
and install a system specific to your needs.
A Complete, Integrated System
Helpdesk Solution integrates natively with Microsoft SMS and other Altiris products using
Notification Policies that link reports, the Helpdesk Console, and Alert Manager.
Integrate with Microsoft SMS
Helpdesk Solution integrates natively with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). When
combined with Altiris Web Admin for SMS, workers can access and extend native SMS features,
using features to gather and report the inventory of hardware and software resources, install software
packages, remotely control all types of computers, and integrate additional tools and Altiris eXpress
Solutions.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 9
Chapter 1: Introducing Helpdesk Solution
Helpdesk Solution integrates tightly with Microsoft SMS by reflecting work orders from Helpdesk
Solution into the SMS database and permitting SMS administrators to view problems and/or planned
work from their console. A thumbnail of the SMS inventory is recorded with the work item in the
Helpdesk Solution database.
Helpdesk Solution - Satellite Architecture
The Helpdesk Solution supports satellite installations. A satellite Helpdesk, is installed and
configured by running AeXHD.exe locally on a satellite machine, which does not have NS
installed, but otherwise meets all Helpdesk prerequisites. Point the configuration to the Notification
Server where the master Helpdesk Solution is hosted. The Configure Helpdesk command requests
the name of the master Helpdesk server that was previously installed and configured.
Satellites can be used to off-load Helpdesk UI activity from the master Helpdesk. Since the master
Helpdesk is running on the same server as Notification Server, it competes for resources with
inventory management, software distribution, and other functions. A satellite Helpdesk can provide
better response times and scaling, all other 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 in Austin for end users only.
The master and satellites in Milpitas and Atlanta provide web access to the Helpdesk database for
both workers and end users. Austin is a satellite for end users only - this is accomplished by
modifying the NTFS permissions on the Austin entry points to prevent the use of the worker
consoles.
In this scenario, the following is true:
• Satellites are on a separate domain than the primary Helpdesk and Notification Server
instance, SMTP server and the SQL database, this is not a requirement.
• Persistent VPN connection is used to connect the satellite servers to the master server. (Other
schemes, such as port-specific firewall management can also work but may require more
custom configuration). The satellites must be able to open SQLOLEDB connections to the
SQL database and submit HTTP requests to the master Helpdesk. They must also be able to
open the SMTP port on the machine designated during Notification Server installation as the
SMTP server.
• When satellites are in separate, non-trusted domains, Helpdesk must use standard SQL
Server logins and passwords accounts, not Windows accounts. This is controlled by the
master Helpdesk, its connection string and other configuration details are passed to the
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 10
Chapter 1: Introducing Helpdesk Solution
satellites every 4 minutes. Windows accounts (trusted connections) can be used if the
Helpdesk identity, VPN, and domains are correctly configured.
• Attachments are stored on the satellites where they were uploaded.
Customize with Ease
Helpdesk Solution is 100% web-based to meet the needs of any organization. Helpdesk Solution
provides the ability to extend the database or simply change the look and feel of the interface with
the use of any text editor. Helpdesk Solution also comes with a selection of sample consoles that
allow users to create their own work items. By allowing end-users to create their own work items,
administrators can reduce the amount of time their workers spend on the phone and increase their
time solving issues.
Helpdesk Solution improves service levels and reduces IT costs across your organization, allowing
you to:
• Notify your IT department of business-critical events
• Allow workers to remotely manage their own Helpdesk tickets 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 Helpdesk Solution into any business environment.
• Customize the user interface for take advantage of different features and provide a custom look
and feel.
Features and Benefits
eXpress provides many features and benefits. The following lists describes some of these features:
Features
1 Web-based.
• Allows organizations to easily share and access data
2 Resource explorer drill-down.
• Link from Helpdesk allows workers to access summary and detailed hardware and software
inventory configuration
3 Helpdesk’s self-help center (My Helpdesk).
4 Web reports.
Benefits
1 Allows each IS and IT organization to effectively communicate by managing all tasks in single
web console.
2 View complete hardware and software inventory of the problem asset directly from the Helpdesk
console.
3 Increase service levels by being proactive, notifying users of work item status and allowing them
to submit work items and track status 24 x 7.
4 Maximize critical data by understanding work item trends and which assets and users require the
most Helpdesk resource.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 11
Chapter 1: Introducing Helpdesk Solution
System Requirements
The following is a list of minimum requirements for the Helpdesk Solution.
Server
• Altiris eXpress Notification Server 5.5 SP2 or later
• A CD-ROM drive with Microsoft 2000 Server/Advanced Server and SP2 or later
• Hard drive formatted with NTFS 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 is recommended; all others browsers are supported
• Pentium III 933 MHz or higher
• 512 MB RAM (1 GB is recommended)
Worker Console
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Netscape Navigator 3.0 or later, Opera 4.0 or later
End User Console
• Although Helpdesk Solution works from any web browser, it works best with Internet Explorer
6.0 (or later)
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 12
Chapter 2:
Installing and Setting Up eXpress
The Installation and Setup topic list, includes the following:
• Step 1 - Notification Server Computer Requirements (page 14)
• Install Prerequisite Software to Notification Server (page 15)
• Install Notification Server (page 18)
• Step 2 – Install Helpdesk Solution (page 19)
• Satellite Helpdesk (page 19)
• Step 3 – The Altiris eXpress .NET Configuration Wizard (page 19)
• Step 4 – The Configure Helpdesk Command (page 20)
Installation Preview
The Helpdesk Solution setup process consists of the 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 work required to set up and use this solution has already been
taken care of through predefined collections, policies, and reports. The following list outlines the
steps needed to get up and running.
• Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard.
• Configure the Helpdesk database
Software Requirements
The following must be installed before installing eXpress:
• Notification Server version 5.5 (or above)
For more information on installing Notification Server, see the
User GuideAltiris eXpress Notification Server User Guide.
Altiris eXpress Notification Server
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 13
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress
Step 1 - Notification Server Computer Requirements
The computer you are going to install Notification Server on must meet or exceed the following
criteria.
Hardware
The following are minimum requirements. To scale to support thousands of clients, faster processors
and more memory are highly recommended on the server.
• Processor: Pentium Pro 200 MHz or faster
• RAM: 512 MB (1 GB is recommended)
• File System: 2 GB NTFS system partition
• Disk space: 30 MB for SQL database (4 GB recommended)
• CD-ROM: Required
Software
Note The Install Helper will help determine if the computer has the necessary prerequisite software
installed, and when possible it will help you download and install the needed software. For 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 Internet Information Services (IIS) installed with FTP configured.
SQL Database (one of the following)
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (recommended)
• Microsoft SQL Server 7
Important If you do not have a SQL Server database installed, the Software Prerequisites Wizard
will give you the option to download and install MSDE. The MSDE database may be used for
evaluation purposes, but is not recommended for a live production environment.
Microsoft Windows Internet Information Services (IIS)
• Microsoft IIS 5.0 (requires Webs to be hosted on NTFS) -- This component is not installed
by default with Windows 2000 or later
Microsoft Windows Internet Information Services FTP Services
• The FTP component is installed by default with Windows 2000 or later
Web Browser
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 14
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress
Install Prerequisite Software to Notification Server
1 Start the Altiris eXpress Notification Server Install Helper (AeXNSInstallHelper.exe), read the
information on the screen, and click
2 When the Computer Prerequisites screen appears:
• If you do not want to install Notification Server on the computer, click
• If you want to install Notification Server on the computer, click
The Software Prerequisites 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 software is installed, click
page 18.
• If the required software is NOT installed, the Wizard goes to the next step.
3 If the computer requires additional software to run Notification Server, a screen similar to the
following appears:
Next.
No, and then Next.
Yes, and then Next.
Finish. Go to “Install Notification Server” on
Note In this example, Windows 2000/XP Internet Information Services (also known as IIS) and
a SQL database were not on the computer.
Review the information and click
4 If the Download and Install Microsoft Database Engine screen appears, do the following:
Next.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 15
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress
a If you want to install the MSDE version of SQL (not recommended for Helpdesk Solution)
on the computer, click
Note If you have a SQL Server database that you want to use for the Notification Server
database, click No and Next then go to see if additional required software that can be
automatically downloaded is needed, download the software using a process similar to the
process specified in Step 4.
b When the File Download dialog box appears:
When using Internet Explorer 6 (with the current Microsoft updates), click
Important If using Internet Explorer 6 without the current Microsoft updates, click Save, and
then enter a folder to save the file in. When the download is completed, click Open.
When using Internet Explorer 5, click
c When asked if you want to install unixdbsetup.exe, click Yes.
d When the WinZip Self-Extractor dialog box opens, click Unzip.
e When the WinZip Self-Extractor confirmation dialog that the file is unzipped appears, click OK.
f When the command box appears, wait for the MSDE installation to complete. This
installation may take a few minutes.
g When the MSDE installation is completed, press any key to close the command box.
h When the Download and Installation screen appears. Click Next.
5 If additional required software that can be automatically downloaded is needed, download the
software using a process similar to the process specified in Step 4.
6 When all of the required prerequisite software is loaded, a screen similar to the following
appears. Go to“Install Notification Server” on page 18.
Yes and Next.
Open.
Run this program from its current location and click OK.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 16
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress
7 If all of the components that can be downloaded have been downloaded but additional software
needs to be installed, a screen similar to the following appears listing the additional software that
needs to be installed.
Note which software needs to be installed and then click
Important You need to install the software that could not be automatically loaded and then run
Finish.
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 the left pane, click Add/Remove Windows Components.
c
Check the Internet Information Services (IIS) check box.
d Click Details.
e Check the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Server an d World Wide Web Server subcomponents check
boxes.
f Click OK.
g Click Next.
h Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the Windows Components Wizard.
9 When all the required prerequisite software is installed, and if needed, restart the Software
Prerequisites Wizard again. See Step 1.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 17
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress
10 When all of the prerequisite software is installed and the following screen appears. Read the
information on the screen and click
The Install Helper will start the Notification Server installation.
Finish.
Install Notification Server
1 When you complete the Software Prerequisites Wizard, and then click Finish.
2 When the AeXNSInstallHelper dialog appears, read the information on the screen and click OK.
The Notification Server Installation will begin.
3 After the Altiris documentation page appears, the File Download dialog box is displayed, do one
of the following:
• Click
• Click
4 The AeXNS_5.5.msi file will download, the Windows Installer will start, and the Altiris
eXpress Notification Server 5.5 – Install Wizard
then click Next.
5 On the License Agreement screen, read the License Agreement, click I accept the terms of the
license agreement
6 On the Customer Information screen, enter applicable information, and then click Next.
7 On the Setup Type screen, click Complete, and then click Next.
8 On the Ready to Install the Program screen, click Install.
The Installing Altiris eXpress Notification Server 5.5 screen appears and the software is
installed.
9 When the Install Shield Wizard Completed screen appears, click Finish.
The Notification Server Installation is completed. The Notification Server Setup Wizard starts the
Altiris eXpress Notification Server Configuration.
Open to execute the file.
Save, and then browse to a folder to save the file. When the file is finished saving, click
Open.
will start. Read the information on the screen, and
, and click Next.
Tip If you know the groups that you will want to categorize your Helpdesk users into, you can create
the Windows NT Groups for the Helpdesk users now. For more information on creating Windows
NT Groups for Helpdesk, see “Create NT Groups for Helpdesk Users on a Windows Server” on
page 26.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 18
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress
Step 2 – Install Helpdesk Solution
When you install eXpress, eXpress collections, packages, reports, and policies are loaded onto the
Notification Server.
1 Log in to the Windows Server running Notification Server using the Helpdesk user.
If the Windows Server configuration screen appears, click
2 Start the Web Administration Console by clicking Start > Programs > Altiris > Altiris eXpress >
Notification Server
3 Click the Configuration tab.
4 In the left pane, click Solution Center.
5 Select the location of the Solution Center you want to install from.
• To install from the Altiris CD, insert the CD in to the CD-ROM drive, then select
CD drive on the Notification Server for the Solution Center
• To install from the Internet, select
• To install from another location, select
Solution Center box.
6 Click Apply.
7 Click the Solutions Center tab and wait a moment for the screen to refresh.
8 If you are using the Altiris CD for the Solution Center or a location other then the Altiris 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 Solution.
11 Click Start.
The download and installation process (Setup) starts.
> Web Administration Console.
Close.
Search the
.
Use the Solution Center on the Altiris Web site.
Specify another location and enter the URL in the
Beside the Helpdesk Solution files, the.NET Framework (Service Pack 2) and MDAC 2.7
components may have to be installed. This will happen automatically. You may have to reboot the
system after the installation has completed.
Satellite Helpdesk
A satellite Helpdesk, is installed and configured locally on a satellite computer, which does not have
NS installed, but otherwise meets all Helpdesk prerequisites. For details, see “Helpdesk Solution -
Satellite Architecture” on page 10.
To Install a Satellite Helpdesk
1 Copy the AeXHD.exe file to a computer, not running Notification Server.
2 Run the AeXHD.exe file, and then follow the instructions of the Helpdesk Wizard.
Step 3 – The Altiris eXpress .NET Configuration Wizard
When Setup is finished, the Altiris eXpress .NET Configuration Wizard is launched
automatically. You can also run the wizard at any time from the Start Menu shortcut. To run the
.NET Wizard manually, do the following.
1 Start Menu > Programs > Altiris > Altiris eXpress > Helpdesk Solutions > Helpdesk ASP.NET Config.
2
See “Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard” on page 29 for detailed instructions on how to
run this wizard.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 19
Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up eXpress
Important You will not be able to run Helpdesk successfully until you run and complete this
wizard.
When you do, it will launch Helpdesk and usually present you with the
command
. 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
complete.
Note When Helpdesk Solution is installed configured, and set up, all Notification Policies are
disabled by default. You will want to review and disable any policies not needed, to prevent excess
notifications. For information on policies, see “Notification Policies” on page 140.
Configure Helpdesk
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 20
Chapter 3:
Helpdesk Overview
The Helpdesk Overview topic list, includes the following:
• Architecture (page 21)
• Helpdesk Solution Consoles (page 22)
• Workers and Worker Queues (page 23)
• Contacts (page 24)
• Work Items (page 25)
• Assets (page 25)
• Integration with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) (page 26)
Architecture
Notification Server
Notification Server runs based on policies set by an administrator. These policies activate
components of Notification Server that are used to process and store inventory data, host web pages,
forward data to SMS, and many other tasks. This simplifies the administration of systems
management in your distributed network environment.
Notification Server runs on Windows 2000/Advanced Server SP2 and uses SQL 2000
(recommended) or SQL 7.0 SP1 (approved) database to store the information.
Notification 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 product CD or on our web site at http://www.altiris.com/support/documentation.
Consoles
Helpdesk Solution provides a web-based console for basic and advanced IT Management. Each
console is accessed through a unique URL, and has its own security properties.
Web Reports and Notification Policies
Helpdesk Solution provides numerous reports, such as: work items, worker activity, schedules,
Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and cost analysis to name a few.
Helpdesk Solution also provides Notification Policies and Notify Rules to select personnel when
defined conditions occur, such as: new work items received, high priority items not closed within a
select time frame and more. These Notification Policies automate the monitoring of work item
activity.
Additional Information
• “Helpdesk Solution Consoles” on page 22
• “Reports” on page 139
• “Notification Policies” on page 140
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 21
Chapter 3: Helpdesk Overview Helpdesk Solution Consoles
• “Notify Rules” on page 112
Helpdesk Solution Consoles
The Altiris eXpress Helpdesk Consoles page provides an easy way to access all necessary consoles.
Based on NT authentication, only the consoles available for the user logging on, will be visible on
this page.
1 Click Start > Programs > Altiris > Altiris eXpress > Helpdesk Solution > Helpdesk Consoles.
2
Type the following URL in your web browser - http://<server>/AeXHD.
3 Create a custom URL alias and type that alias in your web browser.
The following consoles are used in Helpdesk Solution.
Administrator Console
Admin console provides full access to the Worker console, as well as the following administrator
The
functions:
• Setup and configure
• Setup and configure queues
• Manage asset and contact data sources
• Publish bulletins
• Manage the work item category list
• Configure work item routing rules
• E-mail template content
• Configure and maintain the database
• Import data from multiple sources: Notification Server and Microsoft Systems Management
Server (SMS)
• Configure notify rules
Worker Consoles
The
Worker console allows workers to do the following:
• Create, search and manage work items
• Define and view detailed managed assets
• Create user contact information
• Run queries
• Create and manage service requests
• Generate custom worker reports
• Remotely control machines (requires Altiris Carbon Copy)
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 22
Chapter 3: Helpdesk Overview Workers and Worker Queues
User Consoles
My Helpdesk console allows users to the following:
The
• submit work item requests track status of work items
• edit contact information
• submit comments to the help desk
• attach files or screen shots to work items
The Helpdesk Solution ships with a
and open environment.
See Also
• “Administration” on page 95
• “Altiris eXpress Helpdesk Consoles” on page 46
• “My Helpdesk Console” on page 88
• “Create Custom URL to Access Helpdesk Consoles” on page 93
• “Console Security” on page 36.
Work item request - Guest console, to allow anonymous access in
Workers and Worker Queues
Workers
A worker is a help desk worker or technician at any level. Workers are created in the Administrator
Console and must correspond to a valid Windows NT/2000 user account.
Administrators can assign a hourly rate to workers or to a worker’s queue, to track costs associated
with work items. The hourly rate is displayed in clear text, and is visible to Administrators so caution
should be used. It is recommended to include an average hourly rate for a queue instead of a specific
worker, to maintain security. Therefore, it is critical that workers be assigned to an appropriate queue
for successful cost analysis of labor hours.
Worker Queues
Queues are like workers in that it is possible to assign work items 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 be said to belong to that
queue. Another way to look at queues, is that they are groups of workers. For example, Workers
assigned to the queue named Level 1, are workers who all been assigned to the Level 1 queue.
Helpdesk provides eleven default queues, that correspond to classes of workers that are commonly
found in a production Helpdesk environment. These are:
• Level 1 Workers accept and qualify work item requests. If the work item cannot be resolved by
a worker in the Level 1 workgroup, they dispatch the work item to field a technician.
Additionally, Level 1 workers generally resolve issues such as password resets or How to type
questions.
• Level 2 Workers are generally more technical than a Level 1 worker. If a work item cannot be
resolved by a Level 1 worker, the first level of escalation is to a Level 2 worker. Typically, this
queue is assigned to a combination of telephone support people, system managers, or field
managers.
• Level 2 Desktop Level 2 workers trained to handle desktop issues.
• Level 2 Network Level 2 workers trained to handle network issues.
• Level 2 Server Level 2 workers trained to handle server issues.
• Operations Workers in the Operations queue are assigned work items generated for the
Operations department.
• Professional Services Workers in the Professional Services queue are assigned work items
generated for the Professional Services department.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 23
Chapter 3: Helpdesk Overview Contacts
• Human Resources Workers in the Human Resources queue are assigned work items generated
for the Human Resources department.
• Asset Management Workers in the Asset Management queue are assigned work items
generated for the Asset Management department.
• Deployment-SW Delivery Workers in the Deployment-SW Delivery queue are responsible for
tasks associated with the initial deployment of software packages and subsequent updates.
• Supervisor Used for managers, supervisors, or administrators.
Contacts
Contacts are users who request help, or managers acting as the contact point for another user for the
associated problem or request. Each user should be defined in the database as a contact. Workers are
also contacts and their information 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
• Organization
• Password
• Employee ID
• Comments
• Status
• VIP (Very Important Person)
• Title
• Department
• Company
Helpdesk Solution can also associate with end user information as defined in Notification Server.
Existing Notification Server data can be automatically imported into the Helpdesk Solution. Contact
data can be entered manually by the Helpdesk workers when a new work item is created.
Additionally, contact data from other data sources can be imported into Helpdesk Solution using the
SQL Import/Export Manager.
See Also
• “Contacts” on page 80
Note Contact data imported from Notification Server, but modified in Helpdesk is not
overridden on subsequent imports. For complete data integrity, contact data should be modified
in Notification Server via regular updates, then imported from Helpdesk on a scheduled basis.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 24
Chapter 3: Helpdesk Overview Work Items
Work Items
A work item defines a task to be performed. Work items are created by workers in the worker
console, by users via the self-help console or by events passed from Notification Server to Helpdesk.
Administrators can allow users to create work items themselves by providing an appropriate the
URL and access to a user console.
A work item is assigned to either a worker or a queue. Work item routing rules are applied to
determine which worker or queue will be assigned a given work item whenever a work item is
created or modified. Workers can use the
creation date from their assigned queue. Additionally, workers can find work items by generating
queries in the
Note The Retrieve command retrieves work items based on settings selected in the workers
preferences section in the
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 time information is used to determine
Service Level Agreements, worker schedules, and the elapsed time to completion.
See Also
• “New Work Item” on page 50
Work item queries page, and the Find work items page.
Admin console.
Retrieve command to retrieve work items with the earliest
Assets
Assets are real devices such as computers, printers, phones, or furniture that are identified as unique
objects in the database. Assets can be associated with work items and contacts.
For example, if an end user reports a problem printing to a network printer, a worker has the option
of associating that printer with the work item. Associating assets with work items is important when
running reports detailing machine/object history. This allows administrators to run reports based on
specific hardware devices and associated costs.
Asset information includes the following:
• Name
• Type
• Computer
• Printer
• Phone
• Modem
• Network Port
• Document
• Application
• Other
• External ID
• Location
• Manufacturer
• Model
• Serial #
• Asset Tag
• OS (Operating System)
• IP Address
• Organization
• Comment
• Asset is either active or not active
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 25
Chapter 3: Helpdesk Overview Integration with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)
Integration with Microsoft Systems Management Server
(SMS)
The integration with Microsoft SMS is bi-directional. Work items defined in Helpdesk Solution can
be linked into the SMS database, based on assets that were previously imported from SMS into
Helpdesk. This permits SMS administrators to view problems and plan work for those assets. In
addition, SMS administrators 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 in the Helpdesk Solution database. This permits historical reporting based on platform, domain
and location as well as change management reporting for a machine over the life of the system.
See Also
• For more information about leveraging SMS functionality from a browser, see the Web Admin
for SMS User Guide on the product CD or on our web site at http://www.altiris.com/support/
documentation.
• For more information about registering SMS as a source for importing data, see “View Source”
on page 124.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 26
Chapter 4:
Installation
The Helpdesk Installation topic list, includes the following:
• Prerequisites (page 27)
• Installation (page 28)
• Helpdesk Setup (page 28)
• Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard (page 29)
• Modifying Helpdesk Solution Installation Configuration (page 31)
• Upgrading Releases (page 32)
• Uninstalling (page 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-ROM drive
• Hard drive formatted with NTFS 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 later is recommended; all others browsers are supported
• Pentium III 933 MHz or higher
• 512 MB RAM (1 GB is recommended)
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 27
Chapter 4: Installation Helpdesk Setup
Installation
Before installing Helpdesk Solution, review the “Prerequisites” on page 27.
Installation has three phases that occur one after the other as a part of a standard Windows Installer
installation:
1 Setup
2 Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard
3 Database Configuration
Caution Notification Server must be installed before installing Helpdesk Solution. Refer to the
Altiris eXpress Notification Server User Guide on the product CD or on our web site at http://
www.altiris.com/support/documentation.
Important Notification Server install will create a Helpdesk database called AeXNS_Helpdesk that
is used by Alert Manager. Helpdesk Solution can be configured to use the existing database or
create another. If Alert Manager has been used, you will want to use the AeXNS_Helpdesk
database to maintain existing data. If you are upgrading from a previous version of Helpdesk
Solution, then Helpdesk 5.6 will upgrade your existing database if you prefer.
Helpdesk Setup
Setup installs the program files and creates a virtual under the default web site on the target server.
Note The name of the web site is AeXHD (not case-sensitive). If that web site already exists, it is
overwritten. The logged in account should have full admin/sa privileges on the SQL Server that will
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
has completed. Setup will resume automatically after the system is rebooted. Helpdesk Solution files
will not be installed until after the .NET Framework and MDAC 2.7 components have been
successfully installed.
IMPORTANT Helpdesk installs the latest .NET Framework service pack available at the time
Helpdesk Solution was released. Be sure to install the most current .NET Framework Service Packs
available or critical updates as soon as possible. You can find the .NET Framework and service
packs on the Microsoft Windows Update site.
4 Insert the Altiris CD.
Note If you are installing from the Altiris web site, you do not need the CD.
5 Click Start and select Programs > Altiris > Altiris eXpress > Notification Server > Web Administration
Console
6 Make sure that you are pointing to the Solution Center location you want to use (CD, Altiris web
site, or other).
a Click the Configuration tab.
b In the left pane, click Solution Center.
c Select the correct Solution Center location, then click Apply.
7 Click the Solutions Center tab.
8 Click Helpdesk and Problem Resolution.
9 Click Helpdesk Solution.
10 Click Start.
Setup will begin. If the .NET Framework and MDAC 2.7 components are not installed then
Setup will install them and probably require you to reboot the system. Setup will automatically
resume after the reboot.
to start the Web Administration Console.
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 28
Chapter 4: Installation Helpdesk Setup
11 To start the Setup Wizard, click Next.
12 Read and agree to the license agreement and click Next.
13 Select the destination directory and click Next.
14 Click Finish. The Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard will launch, go to “Altiris
eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard” on page 29.
Important You will not be able to run Helpdesk successfully until you run and complete this wizard.
Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard
Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard lets you configure Helpdesk to run under the identity of a
user account set by an administrator. You must complete this wizard to finish the installation before
launching any Helpdesk console.
IMPORTANT Altiris 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 never expires. See the Notification Server documentation for more details about
configuring that account.
If Helpdesk Solution fails to run because the password has expired or changed, you will have to run
the Altiris eXpress.NET Configuration Wizard again, to reset the account. You may have to
manually restart IIS for the account changes to take effect.
The Helpdesk Solution account should belong to the local Administrators group and must be able to
do the following:
• Access and launch DCOM objects
• Only read, write, and modify all tables in the Helpdesk Solution database on the SQL Server you
select.
To configure the Helpdesk Configuration Wizard
1 Click Start>Programs>Altiris>Altiris eXpress>Helpdesk Solution>Helpdesk ASP.NET Config.
Click Next.
2
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 29
Chapter 4: Installation Helpdesk Setup
3 Enter a domain\user and password.
Click More Info for more information.
a
4 Click Next.
5 You will receive the following confirmation.
6 Click Next
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide 30
Loading...