WHD Getting Started

SolarWinds
Web HelpDesk
Getting Started Guide
Version 12.4.0
Last Updated: Friday, March 11, 2016
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Web Help Desk
TableofContents
12
WebHelpDeskGettingStartedGuide
12
Productterminology
13
Installation
13
Systemrequirements
Hardwarerequirements
13
Operatingsystemrequirements
13
Databaserequirements
14
Webbrowserrequirements
15
Mailserverrequirements
15
LDAPrequirements
15
Recommendations
16
16
PreparetheMicrosoftSQLServerdatabase
EnableTCP/IPonSQLServer
16
CreateandconfigureyourSQLServerdatabase
17
17
InstallWebHelpDeskonWindows
Beforeyoubegin
17
Installation
18
20
Getstarted
Configureincomingandoutgoingemailaccounts
20
Createthedefaultadminaccount
22
CreatearequesttypeintheGettingStartedwizard
23
Loginandapplyactivationkey
24
IncreasetheJVMmemory
25
27
Clientaccounts
Methodsforcreatingclientaccounts
27
Defineclientoptions
27
Web Help Desk

Manuallycreateaclientaccount
28
Addaclientcustomfield
29
ImportclientaccountdatafromActiveDirectory
30
Determinewhethertoimportallrecordsorindividualrecords
30
Defineaconnection
30
33
Techaccountsandpermissions
33
Whatdeterminesatech'spermissions?
Techaccounttypes
33
Techpermissions
33
Createatechaccount
33
Definetechpermissions
35
Createanewtechpermissionset
35
Assigntechstoatechpermissionset
36
37
Techgroupsandrequesttypes
Requesttypes,techgroups,andticketassignment
37
Requesttypes
37
Techgroups
37
Ticketassignmentlogic
37
39
Plantechgroupsandrequesttypes
Considerationsforplanningrequesttypes
39
Maprequesttypestotechgroups
39
Definearequesttype
40
Defineatechgroup
42
Createatechgroup
42
Configuretechgrouplevels
42
Assignsupportedrequesttypes
43
45
Ticketoptions,statustypes,andcustomfields
45
Defineticketoptions
Web Help Desk
46
Configureticketstatustypes
Modifyapreconfiguredstatustype
47
Creatinganewstatustype
47
48
Createticketcustomfields
50
Ticketsubmission
50
Optionsforsubmittingtickets
Submittingticketsthroughthewebinterface
50
Submittingticketsthroughemail
50
Defaultincomingemailaccount
50
Additionalincomingemailaccounts
50
Taskstoconfigureemailticketsubmission
51
Reviewemailoptions
51
Reviewticketoptions
51
Setupincomingemailaccounts
52
Determinewhowillprocessticketsfromthedefaultincomingaccount
52
Updatethedefaultincomingaccounttoenableemailticketing
53
Createasecondincomingaccountforsensitivetickets
54
55
Assetmanagement
55
Howassetmanagementworks
Centralizedrepository
55
Assetdiscovery
55
Inventorymaintenanceandrecordkeeping
56
Troubleshooting
56
Reporting
56
Createlocations
56
Createanassettype,statustype,andwarrantytype
57
Createanassettype
57
Createanassetstatustype
58
Web Help Desk
59
Createawarrantytype
Addamanufacturerandmodel
59
Addanasset
60
Assetdiscovery
63
ConfiguretheWebHelpDeskDiscoveryEngine
64
ConfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredinLansweeper
65
ConfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredinSolarWindsNPM,SAM,orNCM
66
68
Tickettypes
68
Howtickettypeswork
Servicerequesttickets
68
Incidentandproblemtickets
69
Linkincidentticketstoaproblemticket
70
Manageproblemandincidenttickets
71
73
Ticketautomation
73
Howticketautomationworks
Prioritytypes
73
Actionrules
73
Tasks
74
Createaprioritytype
74
Createanactionruletochangeticketpriority
75
Configureatasktoautomateticketcreation
77
Createanactionruletorunatask
80
Beforeyoubegin
80
80
84
Changemanagement
84
Howapprovalprocesseswork
Approvers
84
Approvalprocessrules
85
Web Help Desk

Approvalpatterns
86
Planyourapprovalprocesses
86
Approvalprocessscenarioprerequisites
87
Createanapprovalrole
88
Assignadepartmentandclienttoanapproverrole
88
Createnewstatustypes
89
Createastatustype
89
Determinewhenastatustypeisappliedtoaticket
90
Configureanapprovalprocess
91
Testtheapprovalprocess
94
96
Reporting
96
Reportsversusadvancedsearch
Quickcomparison
96
Reports
96
Advancedsearch
97
98
Barandpiechartconfigurationoptions
98
Category
99
BarStackCategory
ChartMetric
100
Puttingittogether
100
View,print,ordownloadreports
100
Modifyanexistingreport
101
Createacustomreport
102
Openticketsbytech
102
Ticketsclosedbyrequesttypewithworktime
104
106
Schedulereports
108
SolarWindsintegration
108
SolarWindsOrionalertintegration
Web Help Desk

Preparerequesttypesforalert-basedtickets
108
Alert-basedticketexample
109
EnableSolarWindsOriontosharealertswithWebHelpDesk
111
EnteraSolarWindsOrionalertsource
112
Configurealertfilteringrules
113
114
Filters
Aboutruleconfiguration
114
Matchingrules
114
Complexrules
115
116
Examples:Configureanalertfilteringrule
Configureamatchingrule
116
AddanAnd/Orblock
117
119
Testalertfilteringrules
121
Knowledgecenteredsupport
121
WebHelpDeskandknowledge-centeredsupport
BenefitsofKCS
121
KCSprocessoverview
121
UsingWebHelpDesktobuildyourknowledgestore
121
AccessingFAQsinWebHelpDesk
122
122
CreateanFAQ
ManuallycreateanFAQ
123
CreateanFAQbasedonaticketnote
123
SearchFAQs
124
VieworeditanFAQ
124
LinkanFAQtoasupportticket
125
126
Getconnected
AccesstheCustomerPortal
126
Createyouruserprofile
126
Web Help Desk
127
ExploretheCustomerPortal
SetupadditionalCustomerPortaluseraccounts
128
EngagewiththeSolarWindscommunity
128
Createathwackaccount
128
Explorethethwacksite
128
130
Techtraining
130
GetstartedwithWebHelpDesk
WhatisWebHelpDesk?
130
WebHelpDeskTerms
130
LogintoWebHelpDesk
131
GetmoreinformationaboutusingWebHelpDesk
131
LogoutofWebHelpDesk
132
Edityourtechprofile
132
133
Createtickets
HowWebHelpDeskticketscanbecreated
133
CreateaticketthroughtheWebHelpDesktechinterface
133
Createaticketthroughemail
134
HowWebHelpDeskassignstickets
134
136
Viewandcustomizetheticketqueue
Displayalistoftickets
136
Abouttheticketqueue
136
Sorttheticketqueue
137
Customizeyourviewoftheticketqueue
137
137
Searchforaticket
Performabasicsearch
137
Performanadvancedsearch
138
Advancedsearchexamples
138
139
Updateandresolvetickets
10
Web Help Desk

Ticketinformation
139
EditaticketfromtheWebconsole
139
Updateticketsusingemail
141
Performactionsonmultipletickets
141
Createanewbulkaction
142
Applyabulkactiontoagroupoftickets
142
142
Resolveaticket
144
Clienttraining
Waystosubmitaticket
144
LogintoWebHelpDeskconsole
144
ReviewandupdateyourWebHelpDeskprofile
145
Createaticketusingthewebconsole
145
Locateaticket
146
AddinformationtoaticketusingtheWebconsole
147
Addnotestoaticketusingemail
147
Cancelaticket
147
Closingaticket
148
GettingadditionalhelpfromFAQs
148
11
Web Help Desk
WebHelpDeskGettingStartedGuide
WelcometotheWebHelpDeskGettingStartedGuide.
ThisguidewilltakeyoufrominstallationtofullimplementationofWebHelpDesk.Asyouworkthroughthetopics
inthisguide,youwillcompletethefollowingtasks:
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Gatherrequirements,installWebHelpDesk,andperforminitialsetup
CreateaccountsforWebHelpDeskusers
Configureticketrequesttypesanddeterminewhichtechswillserviceeachrequesttype
Enableclientstosubmitticketsthroughemail.
Understandandconfigureassetmanagement
Automateticketcreationandconfigurechangemanagementworkflows
Trackprogressandmonitorperformanceusingadvancedsearchandreporting
UseFAQstobuildaknowledgebasethatclientscanusetofindsolutionstocommonissues
Thisguidealsoincludesrole-basedtrainingmaterialsthatyoucandistributetoyourtechsandclients.
Existingcustomers :AccessyourlicensedsoftwarefromtheSolarWindsCustomerPortal.Ifyouneedany
implementationhelp,contactourSupportGeeks.
Evaluators :Downloadyourfree30-dayevaluationhere.Ifyouneedassistancewithyourevaluation,contact
sales@solarwinds.com.
Productterminology
ThefollowingtermsdefinetherolesandobjectsmanagedbyWebHelpDesk.
n Tickets :SupportrequeststhatareopenedthroughandmanagedwithinWebHelpDesk.
Ticketscanbeinitiatedthroughemail,createdintheWebHelpDeskconsole,orimportedfromanother
application.
Clients :EndusersorcustomerswhocanopenticketsinWebHelpDesk.
ClientscanenterticketsthroughemailorthroughtheWebconsole.
Techs :WebHelpDeskuserswhotroubleshootandresolvetickets.
n
n
n
Techscanalsoentertickets.Forexample,whenaclientcallstheITHelpDesk,thetechopensaticketon
theclient'sbehalf.Inaddition,techscanopenticketsthatarenotassociatedwithaclient,suchasticketsto
scheduleroutinemaintenanceorsystemupgrades.
Admins :TechswithprivilegestoconfigureWebHelpDesk.
TechGroups :Agroupoftechswithsimilarskillsandexpertise.
RequestTypes :Aclassificationthatidentifiesthetypeofsupportrequest.
Requesttypesareusedtoautomaticallyassignticketstotheappropriatetechgroup.
12
Web Help Desk
Installation
Thissectioncontainsthefollowingtopics:
n Systemrequirements
n PreparetheMicrosoftSQLServerdatabase
n InstallWebHelpDeskonWindows
Systemrequirements
Thissectioncontainsthefollowingsystemrequirements:
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
LDAPrequirements
Recommendations
HARDWARE
CPU
REQUIREMENTS
Intel64-bitDualCore2.0GHzorfaster
3GB(upto10technicians)
RAM
Add1GBforevery10additionaltechnicians
(SeeRecommendationsformoreinformation.)
HardDriveSpace 20GB
8081(oralternatebrowserport)
ApplicationPorts
1433(MicrosoftSQLServer)
OPERATINGSYSTEMPLATFORM1
SUPPORTEDVERSIONS
WindowsServer2008(32-bitand64-bit)
MicrosoftWindows
WindowsServer2008R2(64-bit)
WindowsServer2012(64-bit)
MicrosoftWindows
13
Web Help Desk
OPERATINGSYSTEMPLATFORM1
SUPPORTEDVERSIONS
MicrosoftWindows
Windows7(64-bit)
(Trialevaluationonly)
Windows8.1(64-bit)
AppleiPhone
AppleiOS7
(forWebHelpDeskMobile)
AppleiOS8
10.8(MountainLion)
AppleOSX
10.9(Mavericks)
10.10.2(Yosemite)
RHEL6.5(64-bit)
RedHatEnterpriseLinux(RHEL)
RHEL7.0(64-bit)
CentOS6.5(64-bit)
CentOS
CentOS7.0(64-bit)
Fedora20(64-bit)
Fedora
Fedora21(64-bit)
1OnlyaWindowsinstallationisaddressedinthisonboardingguide.Forotheroperatingsystems,seetheWeb
HelpDeskAdministratorsGuide.
DATABASE1
PostgreSQL
SUPPORTED VERSIONS
PostgreSQL9.2
PostgreSQL9.3.2
PostgreSQL9.4
MySQL
MySQL5.6
MicrosoftSQLServer
SQLServer2008R2SP3
SQLServer2012SP1
SQLServer2014
14
Web Help Desk

1OnlyMicrosoftSQLServerisaddressedinthisonboardingguide.Forotherdatabasetypes,seetheWebHelp
DeskAdministratorsGuide.
WEBBROWSER
SUPPORTEDVERSIONS
GoogleChrome
Latestversion
MozillaFirefox
Latestversion
IE9
MicrosoftInternet
IE10
Explorer(IE)
IE11
Safari7
AppleSafari
Safari8
MAILSERVER
SUPPORTEDVERSIONS
ExchangeServer2010
MicrosoftExchangeServer
ExchangeServer2013CU7
Supportedprotocols:
n IMAP
n POP3
n SMTP
LDAPrequirements
PRODUCT
MicrosoftActiveDirectory1
SUPPORTED VERSIONS
ActiveDirectory2003
ActiveDirectory2008
ActiveDirectory2012
ActiveDirectory2012R2
OpenDirectory
OpenDirectory4
OpenLDAP
OpenLDAP2.4
OpenLDAP2.4.40
1OnlyActiveDirectoryisaddressedinthisonboardingguide.ForotherLDAPsystems,seetheWebHelpDesk
AdministratorsGuide.
15
Web Help Desk

IfyourunaVMwarevSphereorMicrosoftHyper-Vvirtualenvironment,youcaninstallWebHelpDeskas
avirtualappliance.TheappliancecontainstheLinuxversionofWebHelpDeskpre-installedonaCentOS
Linuxdistribution.Formoreinformation,seetheWebHelpDeskAdministratorsGuide.
Recommendations
Ifyourdeploymentsupports10techsessionsorfewer,youcanrunWebHelpDeskonasystemwith:
n Asupported32-bitoperatingsystem
n A32-bitJavaVirtualMachine(JVM)
n 4.6GBRAM(3GBforthetechsessionsand1.6GBtosupporttheJVM,operatingsystem,andany
additionalservicesyouneedtorunonthesystem)
Ifyourdeploymentsupportsmorethan10techsessions,SolarWindsrecommendsinstallingWebHelpDeskon
asystemrunning:
n Asupported64-bitoperatingsystem
n A64-bitJVM
n Thesumof:
n 3GBRAMfor10techsessions
n 1GBRAMforeachadditional10techsessions
n 1.6GBRAMtosupporttheJVM,operatingsystem,andanyadditionalservicesyouneedtorunon
thesystem
PreparetheMicrosoftSQLServerdatabase
Ifyourdeploymentrequiresdatabasemanagementfeaturessuchasfailoverclusters,donotusetheembedded
PostgreSQLdatabaseincludedwithWebHelpDesk.Failoverclustersarenotavailablewiththeembedded
PostgreSQLdatabase.
IfyouuseMicrosoftSQLServerorMySQLasyourprimarydatabase,installthedatabaseengineand
managementtoolsaccordingtotheinstructionsincludedwithyoursoftware.Installthedatabaseonadedicated
drivewithatleast20GBofspacetoaccommodatethedatabaseengine,managementtools,helpdesktickets,
andticketfileattachments.
YoucanalsoconfigureWebHelpDesktouseanewSQLdatabaseinstanceonanexistingSQLServer.
SQLServerandWebHelpDeskcanresideonthesameserveroronaseparateserver.
EnableTCP/IPonSQLServer
ConfigurethefollowingsettingsintheSQLServerConfigurationManager.
SETTING
TCP/IPProtocol
VALUE
EnabledinSQLServerNetworkConfiguration>ProtocolsforSQL20xx
127.0.0.1(ifinstalledontheWebHelpDeskserver)
IPAddress
ServerIPaddress(ifinstalledonaseparateserver)
16
Web Help Desk
SETTING
VALUE
TCPPort
1433
TCPDynamicPorts
Blank
CreateandconfigureyourSQLServerdatabase
ConfigurethefollowingsettingsintheSQLServerManagementStudioforSQLServertocreateandconfigure
SQLServertotheWebHelpDeskdatabaseinstance.
SETTING
VALUE
SQLServerandWindowsAuthenticationMode
Enabled
LoginName
whd
SQLServerAuthentication:Password
Enabledandconfigured
SQLServerAuthentication:Enforcepassword
policy
Disabled
SQLServerAuthentication:Enforcepassword
expiration
Disabled
SQLServerAuthentication:Usermustchange
passwordatnextlogin
Disabled
Databasename
whd
Databaseowner
whd
InstallWebHelpDeskonWindows
UsethisproceduretoinstallaproductioncopyoranevaluationcopyofWebHelpDeskonWindows.
Beforeyoubegin
n Useanaccountwithlocaladministrativerights.
n Verifytheaccountisnotsubjecttoanylocalorgrouppolicyrestrictions.
n UsetheRunasadministratoroptionwhenlaunchingtheinstalleronasystemrunningWindowsServer
2008.
n Quitallotherprogramsbeforerunningtheinstaller.
Ifyoudonotusethedefaultembeddeddatabase,ensurethatyouknow:
n TheIPaddressorhostnameandportofthedatabaseserver
n Thenameofthedatabase
n Thedatabaseusernameandpassword
17
Web Help Desk
Installation
1. ObtainacopyofthesoftwareandyouractivationkeyfromtheSolarWindsCustomerPortal.Theactivation
keylimitsyourusebasedonthenumberofseatsyoupurchased.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
SeeAccesstheCustomerPortalforinstructions.
LoginasanadministratortotheserveronwhichyouareinstallingWebHelpDesk.
ExtractthecontentsofthedownloadedinstallationZIPfile.
RunWebHelpDesk-12.4.0-x64_eval.exeorWebHelpDesk-12.4.0-x64.exe.
Completetheon-screeninstructions.
Whentheinstallationiscomplete,clickDone.
ThesystemopensyourbrowserwhereyoucanSelecttheWebHelpDeskdatabase.
7. TousethedatabaseincludedwithWebHelpDesk,selectUseEmbeddedPostgreSQLdatabase,andclick
Next.
18
Web Help Desk

8. Touseanexternaldatabase:
a. ClickUseCustomSQLdatabase.
b. IntheDatabaseTypefield,selectthedatabase.
c. Completetheremainingfields,andthenclickTesttotestthedatabaseconnection.
d. Tocreateanaccountonthedatabase,clickCreatedatabaseanduseraccount,entertheadmin
usernameandpassword,andclickCreate.
e. Whenyouhaveestablishedaconnectionwiththedatabase,clickNext.
TheGettingStartedwizardprovidesoptionsforsettingupemailaccounts,whicharedescribedinthenexttopic.
19
Web Help Desk
Getstarted
n
n
n
n
n
AsyoucontinuethroughtheGettingStartedwizard,youcansetupincomingandoutgoingemailaccountsifyou
arereadytodoso.
Eachincomingmailaccountisassociatedwithaspecificrequesttype,anoptionaltechgroup,andanoutgoing
mailaccount(SMTPserver)usedtodeliveroutgoingmail.Forexample,youcouldhaveanincomingmail
accountforallITtickets,anotheraccountforHRtickets,andyetanotherforFacilitiestickets.WebHelpDesk
checkstheIncomingmailaccountseachminutefornewmessages,processesthemessagesintotickets,and
deletestheprocessedmessagesfromtheincomingmailserver.
Ifyouarenotreadytosetupemailaccounts,youcanskipthisstepandconfigurethemlaterfromthe
WebHelpDeskwebconsole.Tocontinuewithoutconfiguringemail,clickSkipthisstep.
20
Web Help Desk

1. Completetheincomingandoutgoingserveroptionsasrequired.
2. ExpandAdvanced.
3. IntheIncomingMailPortfield,entertheportnumberforincomingmail.
Bydefault,WebHelpDeskusesyourfirstconfiguredincomingmailaccountrequesttypeasthe
default.AfteryoucompletetheGettingStartedWizard,youcanupdateyouremailaccount
informationatSetup>E-Mail.
4. IntheSMTPportfield,entertheportnumberforoutgoingmail.
5. Completetheremainingfieldsandcheckboxesasrequired.
21
Web Help Desk

6. ClickTesttotestyouremailaddress.
7. ClickNexttocontinue.
TheGettingStartedwizardprovidesoptionsforconfiguringthedefaultadminaccount,asdescribedinthenext
topic.
Thedefaultadminaccountisalocalsuperuseraccountusedto:
n LogintoSolarWindsWebHelpDeskforthefirsttimeandconfiguretheapplication.
n AccessallWebHelpDesksettingsandaccounts.
Administratorswithadefaultadminaccountcancreatealluseraccounts,includingadditionaladminaccounts.
Thedefaultadminaccountincludestechaccountprivileges,soyoucancreateandprocessticketswithtech
privileges.TechscanhaveeitherTechorTechAdminaccountprivileges.
22
Web Help Desk

1. IntheGetStartedWizard,navigatetotheAdminAccountpanel.
2. Completethefieldsasrequired,andclickNext.
InthelaststepoftheGettingStartedwizard,youcanaddrequesttypesoreditpreconfiguredrequesttypes.This
stepofthewizardisoptional.YoumightfinditeasiertoaddrequesttypesintheTicketspanelafterWebHelp
Deskisconfigured.
Inmostcases,SolarWindsrecommendsthatyoubypassthisstepinthewizardandtaketimetoplantherequest
typesyouneed.Planningandcreatingrequesttypesisaddressedlaterinthisguide.
Tobypassthisstep,clickFinish.
23
Web Help Desk
IfyouareevaluatingWebHelpDesk,youdonotneedtoapplyanactivationkey.Forthenext30days,youwill
haveunlimitedtechaccounts.
Ifyouhavenotpurchasedandprovidedalicenseafter30days,theapplicationautomaticallyswitchestoa1-tech
license.Alltechaccountsotherthantheinitialadminaccountaremarkedasinactive,andsomeproduct
functionality(suchasassetmanagement)isnolongeravailable.YoucancontinuetouseWebHelpDeskinthis
modeforuptooneyear.Applyingalicensereactivatesalldeactivatedtechaccountsandrestoresfullproduct
functionality.
1. OntheGetStartedpanel,clickLoginasadmintocontinuesetup.
2. Acceptthetermsofthelicenseagreement.
24
Web Help Desk

3. ClickSetup.
4. OntheGeneralpanel,clickLicense.
5. Clickthepadlocktoeditthelicensesettings.
6. EntertheActivationKey,andclickActivate.
SeeAccesstheCustomerPortalforinstructionsaboutobtainingacopyofyouractivationkey.
WebHelpDeskrequiresmoremaxheapmemorythantheJVM(JavaVirtualMachine)default.Afterinstallation,
increasetheMAXIMUM_MEMORYvalueinthewhd.conffileandrestartWebHelpDesk.
25
Web Help Desk

ThefollowingprocedureappliestoWindows.Forotheroperatingsystems,seethisknowledgebase
article.
1. Usethefollowingformulatodeterminetheappropriateamountofmemoryforyourdeployment:
(Averagenumberofconcurrenttechsx150)+(Averagenumberofconcurrentusersx25)=MAXIMUM_
MEMORYvalue
Example:Iftheaveragenumberofconcurrenttechsis10andtheaveragenumberofconcurrentusersis
50,therecommendedMAXIMUM_MEMORYvalueis2750(whichis2.75GB):
(10x150=1500)+(50x25=1250)=2750
TheMAXIMUM_MEMORYvalueshouldnotbegreaterthantheWebHelpDeskserver'sRAM.
2. Openthewhd.conffileinatexteditor.Thedefaultfilelocationis:
C:\Program Files\WebHelpDesk\conf\whd.conf
3. ChangetheMAXIMUM_MEMORYvalueandsavethefile.
4. RestartWebHelpDesk:
a. Opentheinstallationdirectory(C:\ProgramFiles\WebHelpDesk,bydefault).
b. Right-clickwhd_stop.batandchooseRunAsAdministrator.
c. Afterthecommandpromptwindowcloses,right-clickwhd_start.batandchooseRunAs
Administrator.
26
Web Help Desk
Clientaccounts
n
n
n
n
n
Defineclientoptions
ClientsareauthorizedWebHelpDeskuserswhosubmittickets.Aclientaccountmustbecreatedforeachclient.
Youcancreateclientaccountsusinganyofthefollowingmethods:
n ImportclientinformationfromanActiveDirectory(AD)orLDAPserver.
Ifyoucandefineaconnectiontothecompany'sADorLDAPdirectory,WebHelpDeskcanquicklycreate
clientaccountsbasedonuserrecords.SeeImportclientaccountdatafromActiveDirectoryfor
informationaboutdefiningaconnection,mappingattributes,andimportinginformation.
Importclientinformationfromafile.
YoucanimportclientinformationfromafileinTSV(tab-separatedvalues),CSV(comma-separated
values),orExcelformat.SeetheWebHelpDeskAdministratorsGuidefordetails.
Manuallyenterclientinformation.
Ifyoucannotimportclientinformationfromaserverorfile,youcanmanuallycreateclientaccounts.For
example,animportmightnotbepossiblebecausetheADorLDAPserverisexternaltoyournetwork.Or
animportmightnotbenecessarybecauseonlyasmallnumberofusersrequireWebHelpDeskclient
accounts.
Defineclientoptions
ClientoptionsaregeneralsettingsthataffectallclientswhologintoWebHelpDesk.Reviewtheseoptionsand
updatethemasneeded.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickSetup.
2. ChooseClients>Options.
27
Web Help Desk

3. Ifyouwanttoallowclientstocreateaccountsfromtheclientinterface,changetheClientCanCreate
Accountsetting.
Ifyouallowclientstocreateaccounts,SolarWindsrecommendsselectingOnlyiftheclient'semail
matchesanAcceptedDomain.Specifytheaccepteddomainsbelow.
4. Ifyouwanttoemaillogininformationtonewclients,selectE-MailClientWhenAccountIsCreated.
TochangethetextoftheemailthatWebHelpDesksends,chooseSetup>E-Mail>Templatesand
opentheNewAccountMessagetemplate.
5. Reviewandupdateothersettingsasneeded.Seethetooltipsforinformationabouteachoption.
6. ClickSave.
Ifclientinformationisnotinaformatthatcanbeeasilyimported,youcanmanuallycreateeachclientaccount.
Theaccountinformationmustincludetheclient'sname,email,andWebHelpDesklogincredentials,asshownin
theexamplebelow.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickClients.
2. ClickNewClient.
3. Entertheclient'sname,credentials,andcontactinformation.(Requiredfieldsarebold.)
4. Updateotheroptionsasneeded.Seethetooltipsformoreinformation.
5. ClickSave.
IfyouselectedtheclientoptionE-mailClientWhenAccountisCreated,WebHelpDesksendsa
confirmationemailtotheclient.
28
Web Help Desk
YoucanaddcustomfieldstotheClientInfotabtotrackadditionalclientinformation.Customfieldscanbeused
totrackanyclientinformationthatisrelevanttoyoursupportorganization.Forexample,ifyourcompanydeals
withsensitivedata,youcanaddacustomfieldtotracktheclient'ssecuritylevel.T hesecuritylevelmight
determinewhetheraclientisgrantedaccesstocertainnetworklocations.Or,youcantrackwhethertheclientis
acontractororadirectemployeebecausecertainservicesareavailableonlytodirectemployees.
Informationcanbemanuallyenteredintoacustomfield,oritcanbeimported.Iftheinformationisstoredonan
ActiveDirectory(AD)orLDAPserver,youcanmapthecustomfieldtotheADorLDAPschemaandimportthis
valuealongwithotherclientinformation.
ThisexampleaddsacustomfieldcalledContractor.ThefieldhastworadiobuttonslabeledYesandNo.
1. ClickSetup.
2. SelectClients>ClientCustomFields.
3. ClickNew.
TheClientCustomFieldsscreendisplaysthedefaultvaluesforanewcustomfield.
4. EnteraLabeltoidentifythisfield.
5. OntheDisplayOrderdrop-downmenu,selectthisfield'spositionwithintheCustomFieldssectionofa
ticket.
6. IntheClientsandTechssections,specifywhethereachgroupcanseeoreditthecustomfield.
Techswithadminaccountscaneditallcustomfields.
7. SelecttheTypeofinputthisfieldwillaccept.
TheremainingfieldschangebasedontheTypeyouselect.
8. Completetheremainingfields.Pointtoanyfieldnametodisplayinformation.
9. ClickSave.
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Tostreamlinetheclientsetupprocessandreduceinputerrors,youcanimportclientinformationfromoneor
moreActiveDirectory(AD)orLDAPservers.WebHelpDeskautomaticallycreatesclientaccountsbasedonthis
information,andthenupdatestheclientaccountswhentheinformationchanges.
IfyouimportdatafromanADorLDAPserver,theclientlogincredentialsareevaluatedbyADorLDAP,
notbyWebHelpDesk.Whenaclientattemptstologin,WebHelpDesksendsthecredentialstotheADor
LDAPserverforauthentication.
Determinewhethertoimportallrecordsorindividualrecords
WebHelpDeskperiodicallyperformsaone-waysynchronizationwiththeADorLDAPserver.Youcanchooseto
synchronizeallrecordsatonce(bulksynchronization)orindividualrecordsasneeded(individual
synchronization):
n Bulksynchronization
BulksynchronizationcreatesaclientaccountforeveryuserrecordintheADorLDAPdirectory.Eachtime
bulksynchronizationruns,WebHelpDeskexamineseachuserrecordtodetermineifacorresponding
clientaccountneedstobeaddedorupdated.Ifyourorganizationincludesalargenumberofusers,bulk
synchronizationcanaffectWebHelpDeskperformance.
Ifenabled,bulksynchronizationrunsatregularintervalsbasedontheschedulethatyouspecifyinthe
connectiondefinition.YoucanalsorunitmanuallybyclickingtheSyncNowbuttonintheLDAPconnection
list.
Evenifyouusebulksynchronization,WebHelpDeskstillperformsanindividualsynchronization
eachtimeaclientlogsinorsendsanemail.Thiskeepsactiveclientaccountsup-to-date,evenif
bulksynchronizationisnotperformedfrequently.
Mostorganizationsdonotneedtoperformbulksynchronization.However,bulksynchronizationcanbe
usefulifyouneedtocreateallclientaccountssothatyoucanmakeconfigurationchangesbeforeclients
login.
IfmostoftheusersinyourADorLDAPdirectoryarenotusingWebHelpDesk,SolarWindsdoes
notrecommendusingbulksynchronization.
n Individualsynchronization
Ifyoudonotusebulksynchronization,WebHelpDeskcreateseachclientaccountthefirsttimeauser
logsintothewebsiteorsubmitsaticketthroughemail.Theclientaccountisupdatedeachtimetheclient
logsinorsubmitsanotheremailticket.
Defineaconnection
Toenabletheclientaccountdataimport,youmustdefineaconnectiontoeachADorLDAPserver.The
connectiondefinition:
n ProvidesinformationthatenablesWebHelpDesktoconnecttotheserver
n Enablesandschedulesbulksynchronization(optional)
n MapsattributesintheADorLDAPschematothecorrespondingfieldsintheWebHelpDeskclientaccount
CompletethisprocedurewiththehelpofanexperiencedADorLDAPadministratorwhoisfamiliarwithyour
existingstructure.ThispersonmusthaveadministrativeaccesstotheADorLDAPserver.
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ThisexampleprovidesconnectioninformationforanLDAPserver,andmapsthecustomContractorfieldtoan
attributeintheLDAPschema.
1. ClickSetup.
2. SelectClients>AD/LDAPConnections.
3. Tocreateanewconnection,clickNew.
Toupdateanexistingconnection,clicktheconnectionnametoopenit,andthenclick toedit.
4. IntheConnectionBasicstab,selectEnabledtoenabletheconnection.
5. Entertherequiredconnectioninformation.Seethetooltipsformoreinformation.
6. MaximizetheAdvancedwindowandrevieworupdatetheadvancedsettings.
7. Ifyouwanttousebulksynchronization,selectEnabledandthenspecifywhenthesynchronizationshould
occur.
Toavoidaffectingnetworkperformance,schedulethesynchronizationforatimewhenthenetwork
isleastbusy.
8. ClickSave.
9. ClickTestSettingstotestyoursettings,andmakeadjustmentsifneeded.
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10. Mapclientaccountfieldstoattributesintheschema.
a. ClicktheAttributeMappingstab.
b. SpecifytheADorLDAPschemabeingused.
c. LocateeachclientaccountfieldthatwillbepopulatedwithinformationfromtheADorLDAPserver.
Tomapeachfield,entertheassociatedschemaelementasinstructedbytheADor
LDAPadministrator.
Theclient'slastname,username,andemailmustbemapped.Ifyouareusingthedefault
schema,thesefieldsaremappedautomatically.Forcustomschemas,youmustmapthese
attributesmanually.
Anyfield,includingcustomfields,canbemappedifthedataisavailableintheschema.
11. ClickSave.
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Techaccountsandpermissions
n Whatdeterminesatech'spermissions?
n Createatechaccount
n Definetechpermissions
Whatdeterminesatech'spermissions?
TechsareuserswhoresolveWebHelpDesktickets.Permissionsspecifywhichticketsatechcanaccessand
whatactionsthetechcanperform.Atech'spermissionsaredeterminedby:
n Thetypeoftechaccount
n Thesetofpermissionsgrantedtothetechaccount
Techaccounttypes
WebHelpDeskprovidestwoaccounttypesfortechs:
n TheAdminaccounttypeprovidesunlimitedaccesstoallWebHelpDeskfunctionality.Allpermissionsare
grantedtoadmins.
n TheTechaccounttypeprovideslimitedaccesstoWebHelpDeskfunctionalitybasedonthetech's
permissions.
Techpermissions
Anamedsetofpermissionsisgrantedtoeachnon-admintechaccount.WebHelpDeskprovidesadefaultsetof
techpermissions.Youcaneditthedefaultpermissionstomeetyourorganization'sneeds.
Youcanalsodefineotherpermissionsetsforspecificroleswithinyourorganization.Forexample,youcandefine
apermissionsetforseniortechstogivethemadditionalaccess(butnottheunlimitedaccessofanadmin).
Anotherpermissionsetcanbeassignedtojuniortechstorestricttheiraccess.
Createatechaccount
EachtechwhowilllogintoWebHelpDeskmusthaveatechaccount.Thisexampledescribeshowtocreatea
techaccountforRichardAcevedo.Hewillbegrantedthedefaulttechpermissions.Atechaccountforhis
supervisor(SaraPeterson)wascreatedpreviously.
Whenyoucreateanon-admintechaccount,youmustspecifythetech'ssupervisor.Therefore,
SolarWindsrecommendscreatingthesupervisors'accountsfirst.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickSetupandselectTechs>Techs.
2. ClickNew.
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3. Enterthetech'sname,WebHelpDeskcredentials,andcontactinformation.Allboldfieldsarerequired.
Formoreinformationaboutanyfield,seethetooltips.
4. Specifytheaccounttype.Fortechaccounts,specifythetech'spermissionsandsupervisor.
Asupervisorisrequiredfortechaccounts,butoptionalforadminaccounts.
5. ToenablethetechtoaccesstheWebHelpDeskclientinterface,linkthetechtoaclientaccount.
Whenthetechaccountislinkedtoaclientaccount,theSwitchtoClientAccounticon isavailableinthe
upper-rightcorner.Thetechcanclickthisbuttontodisplaytheinterfaceexactlyastheselectedclientsees
it.
Techaccountscanbelinkedtoactualclientaccountsorademoclientaccount.Ifyoulinktoa
democlientaccountwiththesameusernameasthetech,amessagewarnsyouthattheclient
won'tbeabletologinexceptasatechlinkedtotheclientaccount.Becausethatistheintent,you
canignorethemessage.
6. Specifythenumberofnotesandhistoryentriestodisplayonaticket.Additionalentrieswillbecollapsedby
default.
7. IntheAssetSetupsection,selectthetechnologiesthatthistechcanusetoconnectremotelytoanasset.
TheAssets>Optionsconfigurationdetermineswhichtechnologiesthissectionlists.
8. IntheE-MailSetupsection,specifytheemailsettingsandselecttheeventsthatgenerateanemailtothis
tech.
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9. TopreventWebHelpDeskfromescalatingatickettothistechwhenthetechisnotscheduledtowork:
a. Specifythetech'sbusinesszone.
b. Ifthetech'sworkscheduleisdifferentthanthedefaultworkscheduleforthatzone,specifythework
schedule.
c. Indicateifthetechisonvacation.
d. Optionally,selectabackuptechtoreceivethistech'sescalatedtickets.
e. Indicatewhethertheaccountisactive.
10. ClickSavetosaveyourchanges.
Definetechpermissions
Permissionsdeterminewhichticketstechscanaccessandwhichactionstheycanperform.Thisexamplel
createsanewpermissionsetcalledSeniorTech.TechswiththispermissionsetcanedittheDueDateand
RequestDetailfieldsonaticket.TheycanalsoeditapprovedFAQsandapprovenewFAQs.
Ifyourorganizationisimplementingknowledgecenteredsupport,considerincludingtheApprovedFAQ
EditpermissionintheDefaulttechpermissionset.Grantingthispermissionallowstechstoupdateor
correctFAQsasneeded.
Createanewtechpermissionset
1.
2.
3.
4.
ClickSetupandselectTechs>TechPermissions.
ClickNew.
InthePermissionstab,enteranametoidentifythepermission.
InLocationPermissions,specifywhetherticketaccessisrestrictedbasedonthecompany,locationgroup,
ordepartmentgroupatechisassignedto.
Thetooltipsprovidemoreinformationabouteachpermission.
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5. InTicketPermissions,definewhatactionsatechcanperformwithinaticket.
6. InClientPermissions,specifywhetheratechcanedit,delete,import,ordownloadclients.
7. InAssetPermissions,specifywhetheratechcanviewandeditassetsandassociatedelements.
8. InOtherPermissions,definetheoptionsthatenabletechstoeditlocations,manageparts,editandimport
FAQs,workwithreportsandsurveys,andviewhourlybillingrates.
9. ClickSave.
Assigntechstoatechpermissionset
Afterdefiningthepermissions,assigntechstothepermissionset.Eachtechcanbeassignedtoonlyone
permissionset.Whenyouassignatechtoanewpermissionset,thetechisautomaticallyremovedfromthe
previouspermissionset.Inthefollowingexample,assigningRichardAcevedototheSeniorTechpermissionset
automaticallyremoveshimfromtheDefaultpermissionset.
1. Fromthetechpermissionspage,clicktheAssignedTechstab.
2. Selectthetechswhowillhavethesepermissions.
3. ClickSave.
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Techgroupsandrequesttypes
n
n
n
n
Definearequesttype
Defineatechgroup
RequesttypesandtechgroupsworktogethertodeterminehowticketsareroutedthroughWebHelpDeskand
assignedtotechs.
Requesttypes
WebHelpDeskusesrequesttypestocategorizeandroutehelpdesktickets.Theydefinethebasicstructureof
yourhelpdesksystem.Userscannotsubmitaticketwithoutadefinedrequesttype.
Requesttypesareusedto:
n
n
n
n
n
n
Routeticketstotheappropriatetechgrouporleadtech
Specifywhichcustomfieldsaticketincludes
Initiateanapprovalprocess,ifneeded
Facilitatereporting
Configureworkflowsandactionrules
DisplayrelatedFAQstoclients
WebHelpDeskprovidesseveraldefaultrequesttypes,butyoucandefineasetofrequesttypesthatmeetyour
organization'sneeds.
Techgroups
Youcandefinegroupsoftechswithsimilarskillsandtechnicalexpertise,andthenmapthesegroupstothe
requesttypestheywillservice.Atechgroupcanincludemultiplelevels,sothatcomplexordifficultticketscanbe
escalatedtomoreexperiencedtechs.
Techgroupsareoptional.Smallorganizationswithjustafewtechsprobablydon'tneedtodefinetechgroups.
Withouttechgroups,eachticketisassignedtotheleadtechfortheticket'srequesttype.
Largerorganizationscanusetechgroupstoautomaticallyrouteticketstotechswiththerequiredskillset.Web
HelpDeskcanassignticketstogroupmembersusingaload-balancingorround-robinalgorithm,oryoucan
routeallticketstothegroupmanagerorleadtechformanualassignment.
Ticketassignmentlogic
ThefollowingdiagramshowsthelogicthatWebHelpDeskusestoassignstickets.
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Web Help Desk
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Web Help Desk
Beforeyoubegincreatingrequesttypesandtechgroups,considerwhattypesyouwillneedandwhichgroupwill
serviceeachtype.
Considerationsforplanningrequesttypes
Asyouplanrequesttypesforyourorganization,considerthefollowingguidelines:
n Hideinternalrequesttypesfromclients.
Somerequesttypesareusedonlybytechs(forexample,arequestforasystemtobeshutdownfor
maintenance).Hidethesetypesfromclientstoavoidconfusion.
Client-facingrequesttypesshouldreflecttheclient'spointofview(notthetech'spointofview).
n Namerequesttypestoreflecttheproblemorsymptomsthattheclientsees,notthesolutionorthe
underlyingtechnicalcause.
n Avoidspecializedtermsthatclientswouldnotknow.
Usenestedrequesttypestosubdividebroadparentcategories.
Requesttypescanhavemultiplelevels.Nestedrequesttypescanbeusedto:
n ProvidemorespecificcategoriesforreportingorcategorizingFAQs.
n Routeticketstodifferenttechgroups.
Forexample,"Facilities>Plumbing"and"Facilities>Landscaping"couldberoutedtodifferenttech
groups.
Hidetechnicalsubcategoriesfromclients.
Forexample,aparentrequesttype"ComputerProblem"couldhavenestedrequesttypesto
describespecifictypesofproblems(suchas"VPNConnectionIssue").Thesenestedtypesare
hiddenfromclientstoavoidconfusion.Techscanusethemtoprovidemoreaccuratereportingon
thetypesofissuesusersencounter.
Donotmakeyoursystemtoocomplicatedorgranular.Createonlythetypesyouneedtorouteand
categorizerequests.
n Userscanhavedifficultyselectingatypewhentherearetoomany,andcanbemorelikelyto
chooseagenerictypesuchasOther.
n Ifindoubt,startwithfewertypesandaddmoreifneeded.
Beforedeployingtherequesttypesandtechgroupsinaproductionenvironment,testallrequesttypesina
QAordevelopmentenvironment.Verifythateachrequesttypeisroutedtothecorrectgroup.
Maprequesttypestotechgroups
Createalistofyourorganization'srequesttypes,andmapthemtothetechgroupswhocansupportthem.The
followingtableprovidesanexampleofgroupsmappedtorequesttypes.
TECHGROUP
BuildingMaintenance
REQUESTTYPES
n Facilities>General
n Facilities>Installation
n Facilities>CleanUp
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TECHGROUP
REQUESTTYPES
n
n
n
n
Facilities>Fixture/Office/CubicleRepair
Facilities>HeatingorCoolingIssue
Facilities>LightBulbReplacement
Facilities>PlumbingIssue
GroundsMaintenance
n Facilities>LandscapingIssue
HumanResources
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
HR>Benefits
HR>Benefits>401K
HR>Benefits>Insurance
HR>Benefits>PSIP
HR>EmployeeComplaint
HR>NewHirePaperwork
HR>PersonalRecords
Definearequesttype
Requesttypesareusedtocategorizetickets.Therequesttypespecifieswhichuserscancreatethistypeof
ticketandwhatfieldsareincludedontheticket.
ThefollowingexampledefinestheNewHirePaperworkrequesttype.ItisasubtypeoftheHRrequesttype.This
requesttypewillbeusedtoinitiatethepaperworkthattheHumanResourcesdepartmentmustcompletewhena
newemployeestarts.Becausetechgroupshavenotbeendefinedyet,thisrequesttypewillbemappedtoatech
grouplater.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickSetupandselectTickets>RequestTypes.
TheRequestTypeswindowdisplayscurrentrequesttypes.
2. ClickNew.
3. Enteranametoidentifythisrequesttype.
4. Tocreateanestedrequesttype,selecttheparenttype.Optionally,click tocopyvaluesforthe
remainingfieldsfromtheparenttype.
Tocreateatop-levelrequesttype,leavethisfieldblank.
5. Selectthetechgroupthatwillhandlethistypeofrequest.
Ifthetechgrouphasnotbeendefined,leavethisfieldblank.Youcanmaptherequesttypetoatechgroup
whenyoudefinethetechgroup.
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6. Specifythedefaultpriorityandwhetherfieldsarehiddenorrequired.
7. IntheDetailedInstructionsfield,enteradditionalinformationtobedisplayedontheticket.Forexample,
youcanprovidespecificinstructionsforcreatingthistypeofticket,orexplaintherequesttype'spurpose
soaclientcanchoosethecorrecttype.
YoucanapplyBBCodeformattingtoformatlists,addemphasis,orincludelinkstosupporting
information.SeetheWebHelpDeskAdministratorsGuidefordetails.
8. Specifywhetherthistypeofticketislistedinthemenudisplayedtoclients.Clearthisoptionfortypesthat
areselectedonlybytechs(forexample,arequesttypeusedbytechstoscheduleanequipment
maintenancewindow).
Inthisexample,theNewEmployeerequesttypeshouldbevisibletoclients.
9. Optionally,restrictthistickettypetospecificcompanies,locations,ordepartments.Onlyclientsortechs
associatedwithyourselectionswillseethisrequesttype.Forexample,iftherequesttypewillberoutedto
afacilitiesmaintenancegroupforaspecificlocation,restrictthetypetothatlocation.
Inthisexample,theNewHirePaperworkrequesttypeisnotrestrictedtospecificcompanies,locations,or
departments.
10. Identifythetechwhowillreceivethehighestlevelescalation(afterthetechgroupmanager).
11. Selectthesurveythatissenttoclientswhenthistypeofticketisclosed,orselectNonetodisablesurveys
forthistickettype.
12. ClickSave.
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Defineatechgroup
Techgroupsspecifywhichtechsareincludedinthegroup,thenumberoflevelswithinthegroup,howticketsare
assigned,andwhichrequesttypesthegroupcansupport.
ThefollowingexamplecreatestheHumanResourcesgroupandmapsittoHRrequesttypes.Thisgroup
includesonlyonelevel,andticketsareassignedtoindividualtechsusingaload-balancingalgorithm.
Createatechgroup
1. Inthetoolbar,clickSetupandselectTechs>TechGroups.
2. ClickNew.
TheTechGroupInfopageopens.
3. Enteranametoidentifythetechgroup.
4. Selectthegroup'smanager.
5. Ifticketsshouldbeassignedtothemanagerofthelocationgroupassociatedwiththeticket(insteadofthe
techgroupmanager),selectWhenaTicket'sLocation.
Ticketsareassignedtoagroupmanagerwhenauto-assignmentisnotenabledontheTechGroup
Levelstab,orwhenauto-assignmentisenabledbutnotechsinthegroupareavailable.
6. ClickSave.
Configuretechgrouplevels
Groupleveloptionsspecifyhowticketsareassignedandwhichtechsaremembersofthatlevel.Atleastone
levelmustbeconfiguredforeachgroup.Addmultiplelevelsifyouwanttobeabletoescalateticketstomore
experiencedtechs.
Ifyouconfiguremultiplelevels,allnewticketsareinitiallyassignedtotechsinLevel1.Techsinhigher
levelsreceiveticketsonlyiftheyareescalated.
1. ClicktheTechGroupLevelstab.
2. Clickanexistingleveltoopenit,orclickAddLeveltoaddanewlevel.
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3. SpecifyhowWebHelpDeskwillassignticketsforthislevel.
a. SelectthetypeoftechWebHelpDeskwillassignticketsto.
None
Ticketsarenotautomaticallyassignedtoindividuals,butbelongtothe
grouplevel.
ALevelTech
Eachticketisassignedtoatechinthislevelbasedonthetech's
availability.
GroupManagerorLead Allticketsareassignedtothemanagerorleadtech,whothenreassign
Tech
themtotechs.
b. IfyouselectedALevelTech,selecttheassignmentalgorithm:
n LoadBalancingassignseachtickettothetechwiththesmallestbacklog(thelowestnumber
ofassignedtickets).
n RoundRobinassignsticketssequentiallytoalltechsinthelevel,regardlessofthetech's
currentbacklog.
4. IntheForceE-MailNotificationTorow,selectwhoreceivesemailnotificationswhenaticketiscreatedor
updatedbytheRESTAPIoraSolarWindsalert,orupdatedbyaclient.Thesenotificationsaresent
regardlessoftheemailoptionsselectedforeachtechaccount.
5. IntheDefaultSelectedE-MailRecipientsrow,specifywhoisselectedbydefaulttoreceiveanemailwhen
atechclicksSaveandE-Mailinacustomerticket.
6. Selectthetechsassignedtothislevel.
7. ClickSave.
Assignsupportedrequesttypes
1. ClicktheRequestTypesSupportedtab.
Thetabdisplaystherequesttypesassignedtothistechgroup.
2. ClickEdit.
Thetabdisplaysallrequesttypesnotassignedtoanytechgroup.
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3. SelectoneormoreRequestTypesforthisgrouptoreceive.
4. ClickSave.
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Ticketoptions,statustypes,andcustomfields
n Defineticketoptions
n Configureticketstatustypes
n Createticketcustomfields
Defineticketoptions
Ticketoptionsdefinetherulesthatapplytoalltickets.Reviewthedefaultsettingsandupdatethemifneeded.
Inthisexample,clientscansubmitticketsonlythroughthewebinterface.Additionalconfigurationwillbe
performedlatertoenableemailsubmission.
2. SelectT ickets>Options.
3. OntheTicketsOptionspage,reviewandupdatesettingsintheGeneralOptionssection.Seethetooltips
forinformationabouteachoption.
4. ReviewandupdatesettingsintheClientOptionssection,includinghowclientscancreateticketsandwho
canupdatethepriority.
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5. ReviewandupdatesettingsintheTechOptionssection.
6. ClickSave.
Configureticketstatustypes
Theticketstatusidentifiestheticket'scurrentstageofcompletionandindicateswhetheractionisneeded.
Bydefault,WebHelpDeskincludesthefollowingstatustypes.Youcanmodifythepreconfiguredstatustypes
andcreateadditionalstatustypes.
STATUS
DESCRPITION
Open
Theissuerequiresaresolution.Thisisthedefaultstatusofaticketwhenitiscreated.
Pending
Thetickethasbeenreceived,butitiscurrentlyonhold.Forexample,thisstatuscouldbeusedto
indicatethatafeaturerequestwasreceivedbutmanagementhasnotyetdecidediftherequestwill
begranted.
Thisstatuscanalsobeusedtoindicatedthattheassignedtechiswaitingforinformationfroma
client.Oryoucancreateanewstatusforthispurpose,asdescribedintheexamplebelow.
Thetechbelievesthatasolutionhasbeenprovidedandiswaitingfortheclienttoconfirmthe
resolution.
Resolved
Bydefault,whenatechchangesaticketstatustoResolved,theclientreceivesanemailaskingif
theissueisresolvedtotheirsatisfaction.IftheclientclicksYes,theticketstatuschangestoClosed.
IftheclientsclicksNo,theticketstatuschangestoOpen.
Closed
Theclienthasconfirmedthattheissueisresolved.YoucanalsoconfigureWebHelpDeskto
automaticallycloseaticketiftheclientdoesnotrespondtotheconfirmationrequestwithinthe
specifiedtimeperiod.
Canceled
Theclientisnolongerexperiencingtheproblem,ornolongerneedstheservicerequestedinthe
ticket.
YoucancreateaWebHelpDeskreporttoshowthetotalamountoftimeortheaverageamountoftime
spentineachstatus.
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Modifyapreconfiguredstatustype
Bydefault,settingaticketstatustoResolvedsendsanemailaskingtheclienttoconfirmtheresolution.The
followingexampleconfigurestheResolvedstatustoautomaticallyclosetheticketiftheclientdoesnotrespond
withinthreeweeks.
1. Onthetoolbar,clickSetup.
2. SelectTickets>StatusTypes.
3. Inthelistofstatustypes,clickResolved.
Bydefault,theResolvedstatustypeisconfiguredtosendanemailpromptingclientstoconfirmthattheir
issuewasresolved.
4. SetAutomaticallyCloseTicketAfterto3Week(s).
Ifaclientdoesnotrespondtotheconfirmationemailwithinthreeweeks,theticketstatusisautomatically
settoClosed.
5. ClickSave.
Creatinganewstatustype
ThisexamplecreatesanewstatustypecalledWaitingonClientResponse.
3. ClickNew.
4. EnteraNameandDescription.
5. ChangetheDisplayOrdersothatticketswiththisstatusaredisplayedaboveClosed,Canceled,or
Resolvedtickets.
6. CleartheCountTimecheckbox.
Thetimespentinthisstatusisnotincludedintheticket'stotalopentime,andtheticket'sduedateis
extendedbytheamountoftimespentinthisstatus.
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7. ClickSave.
Thenewstatustypeisdisplayedinthelist.
YoumustclickSaveontheStatusTypestabbeforeyouclicktheOptionstab.Ifyoudonotclick
Save,theinformationyouenteredontheStatusTypestabislost.
8. Inthelistofstatustypes,clickWaitingonClientResponse.
9. ClickOptions.
10. IntheClientUpdateSetsStatusTofield,selectOpen.
Whentheclientupdatestheticket,thestatusautomaticallychangestoOpen.Thisindicatesthat
informationhasbeenaddedtotheticketandthetechcanresumeworkonit.
11. ClickSave.
Createticketcustomfields
Youcancreatecustomfieldstotrackadditionalticketinformation.Thesefieldscanbedisplayedonallticketsor
onlycertaintypesoftickets.
ThisexampledefinestheStartDatefield.ThisfieldisdisplayedonticketswitharequesttypeofHR>NewHire
Paperwork.ItisaDatetype,whichlimitsuserinputtoadateselectedfromacalendarwidget.
1. ClickSetup.
2. SelectTickets>TicketCustomFields.
3. ClickNew.
TheTicketCustomFieldsscreendisplaysthedefaultvaluesforanewcustomfield.
4. Enteralabeltoidentifythisfield.
5. IntheDisplayOrderdrop-downmenu,selectthisfield'spositionwithintheCustomFieldssectionofa
ticket.
6. IntheClientsandTechssections,specifywhethereachgroupcanseeoreditthecustomfield.
Techswithadminaccountscaneditallcustomfields.
7. SelecttheTypeofinputthisfieldwillaccept.
Theremainingfieldschangebasedonyourselection.
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8. Completetheremainingfields.Pointtoanyfieldnametodisplayinformation.
9. ClickSave.
TheRequestTypesfieldandanEditlinkisdisplayedontheTicketCustomFieldsscreen.
10. Specifywhichrequesttypesapplytothiscustomfield.Onlyticketswiththeselectedrequesttypewill
displaythisfield.
a. ClicktheEditlink.Anewtabdisplaysalistofrequesttypes.
b. Selectoneormorerequesttypes.Todisplaythecustomfieldonalltickets,clickSelectAllbelowthe
list.
c. ClickDonetoclosethetab.
11. ClickSave.
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Ticketsubmission
n
n
n
n
Reviewemailoptions
Reviewticketoptions
WebHelpDeskticketscanbesubmittedthroughthewebinterfaceoremail.Youmustdeterminewhetherclients
canusebothoptions,oriftheyarerestrictedtoonlyone.Thefollowingsectionshelpyouunderstandeachoption
anddeterminewhichoptionisbestforyourorganization.
Submittingticketsthroughthewebinterface
Whenclientssubmitticketsthroughthewebinterface,theticketassignmentprocessisstreamlined.Ticketsare
automaticallyroutedtoatechoratechgroupbasedontheticket'srequesttype.
Youcanalsospecifythatcertainfieldsonthewebinterfacearerequired.Forexample,ifyouareusinglocation
groups,youcanrefineticketassignmentbyrequiringclientstoselectalocation.Youcanalsorequirecustomers
tocompletecustomfieldsthatapplytotherequesttype.Collectingrelevantinformationatticketcreationcan
helptechstroubleshootandresolvetheissuemorequickly.
Asaresult,organizationsmightencourageorevenrequireclientstosubmitticketsthroughthewebinterface.
Submittingticketsthroughemail
Emailsubmissionsrequireadditionalprocessing,butmanyorganizationschoosetoenablethisfunctionality
becauseitisconvenientfortheirclients.
Whenclientssubmitticketsthroughemail,WebHelpDeskcreatesaticketbasedontheemailcontent.Alltickets
areroutedtothetechgroupassociatedwiththeincomingemailaccount.Techswithinthisgroupmustevaluate
eachticketandselecttheappropriaterequesttype.
Defaultincomingemailaccount
Allorganizationsmusthaveadefaultemailaccount.Typically,thisaccountisassociatedwithagenericemail
addressthatclientscaneasilyremember(suchassupport@mycompany.comorhelpdesk@mycompany.com).
Thedefaultincomingemailaddressreceivesallgeneralsupportemails.
Additionalincomingemailaccounts
Youcanchoosetosetupotherincomingemailaccountsandlinkthemtospecificrequesttypes.Forexample,an
organizationmightwanttorestrictpotentiallysensitiveHRrequeststotheHRtechgroup.Theycansetupa
secondemailaccount(hr@mycompany.com)thatroutesticketsdirectlytotheHRtechgroup.
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Taskstoconfigureemailticketsubmission
Thefollowinglistoutlinesthetasksrequiredtoconfigureemailticketsubmission.Seethefollowingsectionsfor
details.
n Verifyemailoptions:
n EnabletheCreateAccountsforUnrecognizedSendersoption.
n SelectCreateNewTicketwhentheticketIDisnotrecognized.
Verifyticketoptions:
n FortheClientsCanCreateTicketsUsingoption,selectE-Mail(orboth).
n Configureincomingemailaccounts:
n Ifnecessary,setuparequesttypetoassigntoticketscreatedbasedonemailstothedefault
account.Also,identifyorcreateatechgroupwhoassignstheappropriaterequesttypetothese
emails.
n Updatethedefaultincomingemailaccounttoenableemailsubmissions.
n Optionally,setupasecondincomingemailaccountforsensitiveemails.
Reviewemailoptions
Toenableclientstosubmitticketsthroughemail,verifythevaluesforthefollowingemailoptions.
2. SelectE-Mail>Options.
3. SpecifywhetherWebHelpDeskshouldcreateanewclientaccountwhenitreceivesanemailaccount
fromanunrecognizedsender.
Ifyouenablethisoption,SolarWindsrecommendslimitingaccountcreationtoemailsfromaccepted
domains.
4. FortheWhenIDinSubjectIsNotRecognizedoption,selectCreateNewTicket.Whenanemaildoesnot
includeaticketIDinthesubjectline,WebHelpDeskwillcreateanewticketbasedontheemail.
5. ClickSave.
Reviewticketoptions
Verifythatclientscansubmitticketsthroughemail.
2. ChooseTickets>Options.
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3. Specifythatclientscancreateticketsusingemail.
4. ClickSave.
Duringtheinitialsetup,youcreatedthedefaultincomingandoutgoingemailaccounts.Toenableclientsto
createticketsviaemail,youmusteditthedefaultincomingaccount.Optionally,youcancreateasecond
incomingaccountforspecificrequesttypes..
Determinewhowillprocessticketsfromthedefaultincomingaccount
Decidewhichrequesttypewillbeassignedtoticketsthatarecreatedbasedonemailssenttothedefault
incomingaccount.Alsodecidewhichtechgroupwillberesponsibleforevaluatingeachticketandassigningthe
appropriaterequesttype.Ifnecessary,createanewrequesttypeandtechgroupforthispurpose.
Inthisexample,youwillcreateanewrequesttypecalledIncomingEmail,whichwillnotbevisibletoclients.
TicketswiththisrequesttypewillberoutedtoatechgroupcalledAssignment.
WhenanIncomingEmailisassignedtotheAssignmentgroup,amemberofthatgroupreadstheticketdetails
andselectstheappropriaterequesttype.Whentherequesttypeisupdated,WebHelpDeskreassignstheticket
tothetechgroupresponsibleforthatrequesttype.
1. Createarequesttypetoassigntoticketscreatedthroughemail:
a. Inthetoolbar,clickSetup.
b. SelectTickets>RequestTypes.
c. ClickNew.
d. EnteranametoidentifytheRequestType.
e. ClearVisibletoClientstopreventclientsfromselectingthistypewhentheycreateticketsthrough
thewebinterface.
f. ClearUseasFAQCategorytopreventtechsfromusingthistypetocategorizeFAQs.
g. ClickSave.
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2. Createatechgrouptoassigntheappropriaterequesttypetothesetickets.
a. SelectTechs>TechGroups.
b. ClickNew.
c. Specifythegroupnameandmanager.
d. ClickSave.
e. ClicktheTechGroupLevelstab,andthenclickLevel1.
f. Specifythegroupmembersandotheroptions.
g. ClickSave.
h. ClicktheRequestTypesSupportedtab,andthenclickEdit.
i. Selecttherequesttypethisgroupservices.
j. ClickSave.
3. Verifythatthetechsinthisgrouphavepermissiontoreassigntickets.
a. Tofindoutwhatpermissionsetisassignedtoatech,selectTechs>Techs.Thenclickanameto
viewthetech'saccount.
TheTechPermissionsfieldislocatedontheAccountInfotab.
b. SelectTechs>TechPermissions.
c. Clickthenameofthepermissionsettoopenit.
d. VerifythatAllowRe-Assignmentisselected.
Ifthisoptionisnotselected,youcaneitherassignthetechtoadifferentpermissionsetorselectthis
optionforthecurrentpermissionset.
Updatethedefaultincomingaccounttoenableemailticketing
Toenableclientstosubmitemailrequests,selectthisoptiononthedefaultaccountandidentifytheassociated
requesttype.
Thefollowingexampleupdatestheexistingsettingsonthedefaultemailaccounttoenableclientstosubmit
ticketsviaemail.AllticketssenttothedefaultemailaddresswillhavearequesttypeofIncomingEmail.
1. SelectE-Mail>IncomingMailAccounts.
2. Clickthenameofthedefaultaccounttodisplaytheaccountsettings.
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3. SelectEnableE-MailTickets.
4. Verifythatthisaccountisthedefaultincomingaccount.
5. LeavetheTechGroupblank.
6. SelecttheRequestTypethatwillbeassignedtoticketscreatedthroughthisemailaccount.
7. ClickSave.
Createasecondincomingaccountforsensitivetickets
Thefollowingexampleprovidesinstructionsforsettingupasecondincomingemailaccount.Thisaccountwillbe
usedtoprocessHRtickets.
1. Ifthedefaultemailaccountsettingsareopen,click toreturntothelistofincomingaccounts.
2. ClickNew.
3. SelectEnableE-MailTickets.
4. Verifythatthisaccountisnotthedefaultincomingaccount.
5. EntertheaddressfortheaccountthatWebHelpDeskwillcheckfornewtickets.
WebHelpDeskwilldeleteallmessagesfromthisaccount.Donotspecifyanaccountthatisbeing
usedforanyotherpurpose.
6. Specifytheaccounttype,serverinformation,credentials.andfolder.Seethetooltipsformoreinformation.
7. Selecttheoutgoingmailaccountusedtosendrepliestoemailssenttothisincomingaccount.Youcan
associatethesameoutgoingaccountwithboththedefaultincomingaccountandthisincomingaccount.
SolarWindsdoesnotrecommendusingthesamemailaccountasboththeincomingandoutgoing
accounts.
8. LeavetheTechGroupblank,andthenselecttheRequestTypethatwillbeassignedtoticketscreated
throughthisemailaccount.
9. Ifnecessary,specifyadvancedemailproperties.
10. ClickSave.
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Assetmanagement
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Createlocations
Addanasset
Assetdiscovery
ConfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredinLansweeper
ConfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredinSolarWindsNPM,SAM,orNCM
Assetmanagementisasetofprocessesusedtotrackthedeployment,use,andmaintenanceofassetsacross
anenterprise.Anassetisanyitemownedbyacompany.Forexample,ITassetscanincludeitemssuchas
servers,laptops,andmonitors.
SolarWindsWebHelpDeskprovidesITassetmanagementfunctionality,including:
n
n
n
n
n
Acentralrepositoryforassets
DiscoveringWindows-basedassetsandimportingassetsfromotherrepositories
IntegrationwithDameWareRemoteSupportsoftwarefortroubleshooting
Areportingenginethatyoucanusetogeneratepreconfiguredandcustomreports
Centralizedrepository
WebHelpDeskmaintainsacompleteproductcatalogofallassetsownedbyyourcompany,whichincludesprice
andwarrantydetails.Withacustomizableassetdetailsform,youcantrackyourclientassignments,purchase
orders,warrantyinformation,andconfigurationdetails.
Assetdiscovery
Usingabuilt-inscanningengine,WebHelpDeskcandiscoveryournetworksystemsbasedonsubnetorIP
range.UsingscheduledWMIdiscovery,WebHelpDeskcanperiodicallypollendpointstoupdatehardwareand
softwareinventoryinformation,including:
n
n
n
n
n
Hostname
Model
Serialnumber
Logged-inuser
Operatingsystem
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n Harddrive
n Memory
n Installedsoftware
Youcanalsoimportassetinventoryinformationfromthird-partyassetdiscoverytools,spreadsheetrecords,and
networkmanagementsystems.IfyouarerunningSolarWindsNetworkPerformanceMonitor(NPM),Server
&ApplicationMonitor(SAM),orNetworkConfigurationManager(NCM),youcansynchronizeyourWebHelp
Desknodeandassetdiscoveryinyourcorporatenetwork.
WebHelpDeskalsointegrateswiththird-partyassetdiscoverytools,suchasCasperandMicrosoftSCCM
(SystemCenterConfigurationManager).
YoucanuseWebHelpDesktoassociateassetdetailswithservicerequestssoyoucantrackthetickethistoryfor
eachasset.Youcanalsomanageinformationaboutpurchaseorders,parts,andbilling.Forexample,whenyou
enterpurchaseorderinformationforanasset,WebHelpDeskcalculateswarrantyandleaseenddates,and
notifiesyoupriortotheexpirationdate.
TechsandclientscanusetheWebHelpDeskreservationcentertoselectacheckouttimeanddaterangefora
specificasset.Youarenotifiedwhenachecked-outassetisdue,helpingyoutoidentifyoverdue,lost,orstolen
inventory.
Troubleshooting
Tosimplifytroubleshootingandsupport,youcanlaunchremotedesktopsessionsdirectlyfromyourasset
inventory.Withbuilt-inintegrationwithDameWareRemoteSupportsoftware,inadditiontonativeremote
desktopprotocol(RDP)andvirtualnetworkcomputing(VNC)connections,youcanestablishremotesessions
withusersystemsandprovideinstantassistance.
DameWarerequiresthattheuserbewithinthenetwork.
Reporting
YoucanuseWebHelpDesktogenerateassetreportsbasedonlocation,department,assettype,assetstatus,
andpurchaseandwarrantydates.
Reportscanhelpyou:
n Findassetsapproachingtheendofwarranty
n Identifythemostproblematicassets
n Reportonreservedassetsthatareoverdue
Createlocations
Assetsaredeployedtovariouslocationsthroughoutanenterprise.
2. ClickLocations>LocationsandRooms.
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3. ClickNew.
4. CompletetheremainingfieldsasneededandclickSave.
Whenyouassignalocationtoanasset,youcangeneratepreconfiguredreportsthatcountthenumberof
assetsforeachlocation.Inthisscenario,twolocationsarecreated,andinafuturetopic,eachlocationis
assignedtoassets.
Assetsaregroupedintoassettypesforexample,hardwareandsoftware.Assettypeshelpyoumanagealarge
numberofassets,andcanbeusedwhensearchingforassetsandfilteringassetreportdata.
Assetstatusdescribestheassetlifecyclestate.Forexample,whenalaptopisprovisionedandassignedtoa
client,theassetstatusisDeployed.Whenanassetisdecommissionedandnolongerused,youcanupdatethe
assetstatustoRetired.
Anassetwarrantytypehelpsyoumanageassetswithanexpiringwarranty.Whenyoutrackwarranty
information,youcangeneratereportsthatincludethewarrantyexpirationdate,andusethatinformationto
purchaseanextendedwarranty,ifrequired.
Createanassettype
Inthefollowingexample,twoassettypesarecreated.Anassettypeisselectedwhenanassetiscreated.
2. ClickAssets>Types.
3. ClickNew.
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4. Enteranametoidentifytheassettype.
5. ClickSave
6. Repeatsteps3-5toaddanotherassettype.
Createanassetstatustype
Inthefollowingexample,fourassetstatusesarecreated.Assetstatusisoptionalwhenyoucreateanewasset.
3. ClickAssetStatusTypes,andclickNew.
4. Enteranameandindicatewhetherassetswiththisstatusareretired.
5. ClickSave
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6. Repeatsteps3-5toaddotherstatustypes.
Createawarrantytype
Inthefollowingexample,fourwarrantytypesarecreated.Warrantyisoptionalwhenyoucreateamodel.
3. ClickWarrantyTypes,andclickNew.
4. Enteranameandindicatewhetherassetswiththisstatusareretired.
5. ClickSave
6. Repeatsteps3-5toaddotherstatustypes.
Whenyoucreateanasset,youmustselectamanufacturerandmodel.
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2. ClickAssets>Manufacturers&Models.
3. ClickNew.
4. Enteraname,completetheremainingfieldsasrequired,andclickSave.
5.
6.
7.
8.
ClickModelEditor.
ClickNew.
Enteraname,selectanAssetType,andselectaDefaultWarranty.
ClickSave.
9. Continuetoaddmodelsforthemanufacturerasneeded.
Addanasset
Anassetisanyitemownedbyanenterprise.Forexample,ITassetscanincludeitemssuchasservers,laptops,
andmonitors.Thissectiondescribessomedatayoumightfindhelpfulincollectingwhenmanagingassets.
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1. Onthetoolbar,clickAssets,andthenclickNewAsset.
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2. Completethefollowingfieldsasrequired.
FIELDNAME
DESCRIPTION
AssetNo.
Thesystemauto-assignsanassetnumber,oryoucanenteryourownasset
number.
AssetType
AnassettypemodifiestheModeldrop-downmenutoincludeonlyitemsfromthat
assettype.Assettypesareusedascategoriesforassetcustomfieldsandin
searchandpreconfiguredreportsthatcountthenumberofassetsbyassettype.
Model
Themodelisusedinsearch,actionrules,andpreconfiguredreportsthatcountthe
numberofassetsbymodel.Youmustselectamodel.
Location
Selectthelocationassociatedwiththeasset.Usedinsearchandpreconfigured
reportsthatcountthenumberofassetsbylocation.
Clients
Usealastnameorfirstnametosearchforclientstoassigntheassetto.Clickthe
hyperlinkednameornamestoassigntheclienttotheAsset.
Whenyouassignanassettoclients,youcangenerateapreconfiguredreportthat
calculatesthenumberofticketssubmittedforeachasset.Thisreportisusefulin
determiningtheassetswithahighincidenceofproblems.
Status
Clicktheassetstatustypefortheasset.Thestatusisusedinsearchand
preconfiguredreportsthatcountthenumberofassetsbystatus.
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3. ClickAssetDetailsandcompletethefollowingfieldsasneeded.
FIELDNAME
DESCRIPTION
Purchase
Orderor
PurchaseDate
Youcanenterapurchaseordernumberthatisassociatedwiththisasset,oryoucan
enterapurchasedate.
WarrantyType
Thisvalueauto-populateswhenyoulinktheassettoapurchaseordernumber.You
canalsoselectawarrantytype.
WarrantyExp.
Enterthedatewhenthewarrantyexpires.ThisdateiscalculatedfromthePurchase
OrderorPurchaseDatefield.Youcangenerateapreconfiguredreportthatcounts
expiringassets.
AuditDate
Enterthedatewhentheassetwillbeaudited.Youcangenerateapreconfiguredreport
thatcountsassetstobeauditedforeachdate.
4. ClickSave.
Assetdiscovery
WebHelpDesksupportsseveralmethodsofautomatedassetdiscovery.Usingoneormoreofthesetools,you
cansynchronizeWebHelpDeskwithyourselecteddiscoverytoolandimporttheassetsintotheWebHelpDesk
database.
WebHelpDeskdiscoversassetsusingitsnativeWMIdiscoveryengineandcanpullassetsfromthefollowing
assetdiscoverytoolsanddatabases:
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n AppleRemoteDesktop3.xandlater
n CasperReconSuite
n LANrevClientManager4.6.4
n SystemsManagementServer(SMS)/MicrosoftSystemCenterConfigurationManager(SCCM)
n DatabaseTableorView
n SolarWindsNPMassetsynchronization
n SolarWindsSAMassetsynchronization
n SolarWindsNCMassetsynchronization
n Lansweeper5.x
ThisguidecoverstheWMIdiscoveryengine,SolarWindsassetsynchronization,andLansweeper5.x.
TheWebHelpDeskDiscoveryEngine(WMI)allowsyoutodiscoverMicrosoftWindows-basedassetsbasedon
subnetorIPrange.ByusingscheduledWMIdiscovery,WebHelpDeskcanperiodicallypollendpointstoupdate
hardwareandsoftwareinventoryinformation,including:
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Hostname
Model
Serialnumber
Logged-inuser
Operatingsystem
Harddrive
Memory
Installedsoftware
TheDiscoveryEngineusesasetofadministratorcredentialstoscanatleastoneIPaddressrangeforanew
discoveryconnection.WebHelpDeskstoresandencryptsalladministratorcredentialsinthedatabasewiththe
connectionparameters(suchasIPrangesandschedule).
Usingthisdiscoveryconnection,youcancreateseparateDiscoveryandAuto-Syncjobschedules.ADiscovery
jobscansaselectedIPaddressrangeanddiscoversendpointsthatacceptatleastoneofthesavedcredentials.
Thefirsttimeyourunthediscoveryjob,itforcesanauto-sync(collection)thatcollectsconfigurationdatafrom
endpointsretrievedbythediscoveryjob.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Onthetoolbar,clickSetup.
ClickAssets>DiscoveryConnections.
ClickNew.
Enteranamefortheconnection,andselectWHDDiscoveryEngine(WMI).
EntertheIPRangesforthediscoveryenginetoscan.
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6. Enterthecredentials.
7. Completetheremainingfieldsasrequired.
8. ClicktheAttributeMappingtabandmaptheassetfields.Allboldselectionsarerequired.
Theassetattributesaredifferentforeachdiscoverytool,mappingdirectlytothevaluesinthediscovery
toolsdatabase.
9. ClickSave.
10. Runthediscoveryjobmanually,orwaituntilthescheduleddiscoveryjobcompletes.
11. Toviewtheimportedassets,clickAssets>Searchonthetoolbar.
ConfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredin
Lansweeper
YoucanconfigureWebHelpDesktoperiodicallydiscoverassetsstoredinLansweeperNetworkManagement.
Beforeyoubegin,locatethefollowingLansweeperinformation:
n IPaddressandportnumber
n Loginandpassword
n Databaselogonandpassword
ToconfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredinLansweeper:
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1. Inthetoolbar,clickSetupandselectAssets>DiscoveryConnections.
2. ClickNew.
3. IntheConnectionNamefield,enteranameforthenewconnection.
4. ClicktheDiscoveryTooldrop-downmenu,selectLansweeper.
5. EntertheLansweeperdatabasehostname,portnumber,databasename,username,andpassword.
7. ClicktheAttributeMappingtab,andmaptheassetfieldsasappropriate.Allboldselectionsarerequired.
8. ClickSave.
9. Toviewtheimportedassets,onthetoolbar,clickAssets>Search.
ConfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredin
SolarWindsNPM,SAM,orNCM
YoucanconfigureWebHelpDesktoperiodicallydiscoverassetsstoredinSolarWindsNetworkPerformance
Monitor(NPM),Server&ApplicationMonitor(SAM),andNetworkConfigurationManager(NCM).
Beforeyoubegin,locatethefollowinginformation:
n SolarWindsOrionPlatformsystemIPaddressandportnumber
n SolarWindsOrionPlatformloginandpassword
n Systemdatabasesloginandpassword
ToconfigureWebHelpDesktodiscoverassetsstoredinSolarWindsNPM,SAM,orNCM:
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2. SelectAssets>DiscoveryConnections.
3. ClickNew.
4. IntheConnectionNamefield,enteranameforthenewconnection.
5. ClicktheDiscoveryTooldrop-downmenuandselectoneofthefollowing,dependingonwhichconnection
youwanttodiscoveryourassets:
n SolarWindsNetworkConfigurationManager
n SolarWindsNetworkPerformanceMonitor
n SolarWindsServer&ApplicationMonitor
TodiscoveryourassetsusingmorethanoneSolarWindsproduct,youmustconfigureseparate
discoveryconnectionsforeachproduct.
6. EntertheNPM,SAM,orNCMdatabasehostname,portnumber,databasename,username,and
password.
8. ClicktheAttributeMappingtab,andmaptheassetfieldsasappropriate.Allboldselectionsarerequired.
9. ClickSave.
10. Toviewtheimportedassets,onthetoolbar,clickAssets>Search.
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Tickettypes
n Howtickettypeswork
n Linkincidentticketstoaproblemticket
n Manageproblemandincidenttickets
Howtickettypeswork
Bydefault,allWebHelpDeskticketsarecreatedasservicerequesttickets.Ifnecessary,atechcanchangea
servicerequesttoanincidentoraproblemticket.
Servicerequesttickets
Aservicerequestisaplannedrequestforanewormodifiedservice.Whenyouhireanewemployee,youcan
createservicerequestsforsettingupaworkspace,purchasingalaptopcomputer,andassigningatelephone
number.
Ifyouwanttotrackmultipleservicerequestswithinoneticket,youcancreateoneticketastheparentservice
requestandlinktheremainingservicerequestsaschildrentotheparentticket.Usethisoptiontoviewthestatus
ofallchildservicerequestswithinoneticket.
Forexample,RichMeyersissettingupanewserverroominhisdepartment.Hedecidestopurchase121Urack
mountservers,121Urackmountstoragesystems,andthreecomputerracks.Hecreatesanewservicerequest,
indicatingthathewantstopurchasethiscomputerequipmentforhisdepartment.Hesubmitsseparateservice
requestsfortheservers,storagesystems,andcomputerracks,becausetheyareallpurchasedfromseparate
vendors.Tomanagethisproject,hecanopenhisinitialrequestforcomputerequipmentastheparentservice
request,clicktheRequeststab,andlinktheremainingservicerequestsaschildrentotheparentticket.
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Theparentticketdisplayseachserviceasalinkedchildticket.LinkingtheticketswillhelpRichmanagehis
servicerequestsfornewequipment.Whenallservicerequestsareresolved,Richcanclosetheparentservice
requestticket.
Whenyoucloseaparentservicerequestticket,allchildservicerequestsarenotclosedautomatically.
Incidentandproblemtickets
Anincidentisanunplannedeventthatcausesaninterruptionorreductioninservice.Ifthenewemployee
receivesalaptopcomputerandcannotconnecttothecorporatenetwork,youcancreateanewticketforthe
incident.Ifyouencountertwoormoresimilarincidents,youcanlinktheticketstoaproblemticket.
Aproblemidentifiestherootcauseofoneormoreincidents.Ifthenewemployeeandseveralotheremployees
cannotlogintothecorporatenetwork,youcancreateanewproblemticketthatdescribestherootcauseandlink
allincidentticketsassupportingincidents(orchildren)totheproblemticket.Thisprocessknownasparent-child
servicerelationshipsisusedtogroupidenticalticketstogethersoyoucantroubleshootandresolveallticketsas
oneproblem.Whentheincidentticketsareresolved,youcancloseallticketssimultaneouslybyclosingthe
parentticket.Allincidentticketsareresolvedasagroup.
Forexample,Janet,Ellen,andBrucesubmitaservicerequestticketstatingthattheycannotaccesstheiremailin
MicrosoftOutlook.Afterresearchingtheproblem,youdiscoverthatyourMicrosoftExchangeserverisdownand
needstoberestarted.Totroubleshootandresolveallclientticketsinoneticket,youcanchangetherequesttype
ononeclienttickettoProblemandtheremainingticketstoIncident.Thenlinkalltheincidentticketstothe
problemticketsotheyareshownaslinkedincidents.Whenallincidentsareresolved,youcanclosetheparent
ticket.
Whenyoucloseaparentproblemticket,allincidentticketsareclosedautomatically.
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Linkincidentticketstoaproblemticket
Performthisproceduretotrackmultipleincidentsinoneproblemticket.Thisprocesscanhelpyoutrackall
incidentsrelatedtoaprobleminyourcompany,suchasanetworkfailureorpoweroutage.
1. Opentheservicerequestticketthatyouwanttochangetoaproblemticket.
2. ClickProblem,andclickSave.
Theproblemticketwillbetheparentofeachincidentticket.
3. Opentheservicerequestticketthatyouwanttochangetoanincidentticket.
4. ClickIncident.
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5. Withintheincidentticket,clicktheProblemstab.
6. Searchfortheproblemticketthatyouwanttomaketheparentoftheincident.
7. IntheActioncolumn,clickLinktomaketheselectedtickettheparentofthecurrentticket.
8. Saveyourchanges.
9. Repeatsteps3-8foreachincidentyouwanttolinktotheparent.
Manageproblemandincidenttickets
Tomanagetheticketsasagroup,opentheproblemticketandperformthefollowingactions,asnecessary.
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Clickachildtickettoopenitsdetails.
Clickdeleteifyouwanttoremovetherelationshipbetweentheproblemandtheincident.
Whenyouaddanotetotheproblem,youcanalsopropagatethenotetolinkedincidents.
Whenyoucloseaproblemticket,alllinkedincidentticketsalsoclose.
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Ticketautomation
n
n
n
n
n
Createaprioritytype
Automatingticketworkflowsisbasedonthreeprinciples:prioritytypes,actionrules,andtasksandtask
elements.
Prioritytypes
WebHelpDeskprioritizesticketsandsendsautomatedemailalertstotechsbasedonhowyouconfigureyour
setupparameters.
Aticketincludesoneofthefollowingpredefinedprioritytypes:
n
n
n
n
Urgent
High
Medium
Low
Eachprioritytypeincludesadjustablealertlevelstoautomaticallyescalateanemail.WebHelpDeskincludes
threealertlevels,withlevel3asthehighestseverity.TheNotCompletedconditionisconsideredmoreimportant
thanNotUpdated,whichismoreimportantthanNotAssigned.Ifalertlevelsincludematchingcriteria,WebHelp
Deskusesthehighestseveritylevel.
Actionrules
AnactionruledefinestheactionWebHelpDeskautomaticallyperformsonticketsbasedonyourpredefined
conditions.Forexample,youcanuseanactionruleto:
n
n
n
n
n
n
Assignthetickettoatech
Changethepriorityleveloftheticket
Updatethestatusofaticket
Runatask
Modifyaticket
Sendanemail
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Tasks
WebHelpDeskusestaskstocreatetickets.Ataskcontainsoneormoretaskelements,andeachtaskelement
providessettingsforanewticket.Whenthetaskruns,WebHelpDeskcreatesaticketforeachtaskelement,
eithersequentiallyorallatonce,dependingontheconfiguredtask.Taskscanrunmanuallyorautomatically,at
givenintervalsorbasedonspecificcriteria,dependingonhowyouconfigurethem.Tasksareespeciallyuseful
forhandlingrepetitiveprocesses.
Forexample,ifyourHRdepartmenthasasetofroutineonboardingtaskstocompleteforanewemployee,you
cancreateataskcalledNewEmployeeanddefineeachtaskelementrequiredtohelpanewemployeeget
startedintheirnewposition.
Relatedtaskscaninclude:
n
n
n
n
Completingtaxandinsuranceforms
Accessingnetworkresources
Configuringanewcomputersystem
Installingandconfiguringcorporateanddepartment-specificsoftware
Youcantriggeranewtaskwhenrequiredforexample,whenyouon-boardanewemployee.Whenyourunthe
task,WebHelpDeskgeneratesaticketforeachtaskelement.Theseticketscanbeassignedtotechs,who
ensureeachtaskelementiscompleted.
Createaprioritytype
Inthefollowingexample,aCriticalprioritytypeiscreated.Inthenexttopic,theCriticalprioritytypewillbeusedin
anactionrulethatchangesallticketssubmittedbytheCEOtoCritical.
1. ClickSetup.
2. SelectTickets>PriorityTypesandAlerts.
3. ClickNew.
4. Enteraname,andselectadisplayorderandcolor.
5. (Optional)IntheDueTimefield,selectthetimewhenticketswiththispriorityshouldbeclosed.
6. (Optional)IntheClientReminderIntervalfield,selecttheamountoftimetoelapsebeforesending(or
resending)aremindertoclients.
7. (Optional)IntheAlertRepeatIntervalfield,selecttheamountoftimebetweenreminderstotriggeran
alert.
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8. ClickSave.
9. (Optional)IntheAlertLevelrows,settheconditions(suchastimeinterval,criteria,andemailrecipients)
foreachAlertLevel,beginningwithAlertLevel1andendingwithAlertLevel3.
ThefollowingactionruleselectsallticketssubmittedbytheCEO,changestheticketprioritytoCritical,androutes
thetickettoagroup.
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1. Inthetoolbar,clickSetupandselectProcesses>ActionRules.
2. ClickNew.
3. Selectapriorityandenterarulename.
Onlyoneactionrulecanbeexecutedatatime.Theactionruleprioritydeterminesthetriggerorder
ofallactionrules.
4. SelecttheCascadecheckboxtotriggeralldefinedactionsforaticket.
DonotselectCascadetotriggeronlythehighestpriorityaction.
5. SelecttheruletriggeringoptionstodefinewhenandhowoftenWebHelpDeskappliestheactionrule.
6. ClickCriteria.
7. Configuretheconditionsthatticketsmustmatchtotriggertheaction:
n EveryconditionintheAllsectionmustbetrue.Ifanyconditionisfalse,theactionisnottriggered.
WebHelpDeskevaluatestheseconditionsusingtheBooleanANDoperator.
n TheAnysectiondefinesagroupofconditions.Atleastoneoftheseconditionsmustbetrueto
triggertheaction,buttheydonotallhavetobetrue.
WebHelpDeskevaluatestheseconditionsusingtheBooleanORoperator.
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n Ifbothsectionsincludeconditions,allconditionsintheAllsectionandatleastoneconditioninthe
Anysectionmustbetrue.
WebHelpDeskevaluatesthetwogroupswithaBooleanANDoperatorbetweenthegroups:
(all_1 AND all_2) AND (any_1 OR any_2)
n IfnoconditionsaredefinedintheAllsection,atleastoneconditionintheAnysectionmustbetrue.
8. ClickActions.
9. Specifytheactiontotakewhentheconditionsaremet.
10. ClickSave.
Inthefollowingexample,anewhiresetuptaskiscreated.Thistaskcontainsthefollowingtaskelements:
n Cubiclesetup
n Accesstothenetwork
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n Newhirepaperwork
n Emailsetup
Whentheactionrulerunsthetask,thetaskelementsbecometicketsconfiguredwitharequesttypeand
associatedtech.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Inthetoolbar,clickSetup.
SelectTickets>Tasks.
ClickNew.
Enterataskname.
5. ClickShared.
Sharingataskmakesitavailabletoothertechsandforuseinactionrules.
Ataskmustbesharedbeforeyoucanconfigureanactionruletorunit.
6. ClickSave.
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7. ClickTaskElements,andclickNew.
8. Configurethechildtickettoinheritfieldvaluesfromtheparentticket.
a. ClickLinktoParent.
b. SelecttheInheritValuecheckboxforoneormorefields.
9. SelectaRequestType,enteraSubjectandRequestDetail,andclickSave.
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10. Addyourremainingtaskelements,andclickDone.
Whenyouconfigureanactionruletorunatask,thesystemcreatesaticketforeachtaskelement.Inthe
followingactionrule,theNewHiretaskcreatesfourticketswhenaclientsubmitsaticketwithanewhirerequest
type.
Beforeyoubegin
n Createanewhirerequesttype.
n Createataskandtaskelements.
2. SelectProcesses>ActionRule.
3. Enterarulename.
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4. IntheRuleTriggeringfield,selecttheoptionstodefinewhenandhowoftenWebHelpDeskappliesthe
actionrule.
5. ClickCriteria.
6. Createaconditionthatincludesthenewhirerequesttype.
7. ClickActions.
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8. Configuretheactiontorunthenewhiretask.
9. ClickSave.
10. Totesttheactionrule,submitaticketwiththenewhirerequesttype.
Thesystemcreatestheparentticketfirst,followedbyachildticketforeachtaskelement.Inthisexample,
Ticket#27istheparentticket.
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11. Toviewandmanagechildtickets,opentheparentticket.Theparentticketlistsallchildtickets,asshownin
theexamplebelow.
Intheparentticket,youcan:
n Navigatetothechildtickets.
n Addanotetotheparentthatpropagatestothechildtickets.
Closingtheparentticketdoesnotautomaticallyclosethechildtickets.
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Changemanagement
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
YoucanconfigureWebHelpDesksoticketsassociatedwithspecificrequesttypesareautomaticallyroutedto
individualsforreviewandapproval.
Thisisusefulinsituationswhenyouwanttomanagechange,andthosechangesmustbeevaluated,approved,
planned,andscheduled.Forexample,ifyouneedtoupgradeyourWindowsfileserver,youcanconfigurea
processthatroutestherequesttooneormorepeopleforreviewandapproval.
Duetothecomplexityofasystemupgradeproject,anapprovalprocesscanhelpcontroltheprojectand
communicatetoconcernedpartieswhentheprojectisapprovedandreadytobegin.
Approvers
Anapprovalprocesscancontainoneormoresteps,andeachstepoftheprocessinvolvesoneofthefollowing
typesofapprovers:
n Client.Onlyclientscanbeselectedasanapprover.Ifatechisinvolvedinanapprovalprocess,linkthe
techaccounttoaclientaccount.
Pros:
Becauseallclientsareavailableasapprovers,usingclientsprovidesahighdegreeofflexibility
whenyouconfiguretheapprovalprocess.Forexample,youcandefineamulti-stepapproval
processthatincludesclientsinvariouslocationsanddepartments.
Cons:
Ifaclientleavesyourorganizationandtheyareinvolvedinmultipleapprovalprocesses,you
needtoupdateeachapprovalprocesswithanotherapprover.
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n Departmentapprover.Youcanconfigureaclienttoactasanapproverforadepartment.
Pros:
Ifadepartmentapproverleavesyourorganizationandtheyareinvolvedinmultipleapproval
processes,youonlyneedtoupdatethedepartmentapproveronceinthesystem.Thatchange
propagatesthroughoutallapprovalprocesses.
Adepartmentcanonlyhaveoneapprover,andyoucannotconfigureanapprovalprocessto
includemultipledepartmentapprovers.Forexample,youcannotconfigurethefirststepofan
approvalprocesstobeapprovedbytheITdepartmentapprover,andthenconfigurethesecond
Cons:
stepoftheprocesstobeapprovedbytheFinancedepartmentapprover.Ifyouneedindividuals
frommultipledepartmentstoapproveaticket,configuretheapprovalprocesstouseclientsora
ChangeAdvisoryBoard(CAB).
n Locationapprover.Youcanconfigureaclienttoactasanapproverforalocation.
Pros:
Ifalocationapproverleavesyourorganizationandthatpersonisinvolvedinmultipleapproval
processes,youonlyneedtoupdatethelocationapproveronceinthesystem.Thatchange
propagatesthroughoutallapprovalprocesses.
Unlikedepartmentapprovers,anapprovalprocesscanincludemultiplelocations.
Cons: Alocationcanhaveonlyoneapprover.
n ChangeAdvisoryBoard(CAB).ACABisagroupofapproversthatreviewandvoteonrequestsasa
team.Youdecidehowmanymembersmustagreebeforetheticketisapprovedorrejected.Forexample,
ifaseven-memberCABreviewsanupgraderequestticket,youcanconfigurethestepintheapproval
processtobeapprovedifonlyfivemembersvoteYes.
Pros:
ACABcanapproverequestsevenwhensomemembersdisagree.Membersofanon-CAB
approvalprocessreviewticketsinseries,andanymembercanrejecttheticketatanystepof
theprocess.Ifyouneeda"majorityrules"approvalprocess,useaCAB.
Cons:
ACABisnotappropriateforticketapprovalprocessesrequiringoneapprovaloraunanimous
approval.
Approvalprocessrules
Whenyoucreateyourapprovalprocess,usethefollowingconventions:
n Onlyoneclientcanbeadepartmentapprover.
n Onlyoneclientcanbealocationapprover.
n Onlyonedepartmentapprovercanbeinaprocess.Forexample,youcannothavetheDirectorofIT
approveaticket,andthenhavetheDirectorofFinanceapprovethesameticket.
n Youcanincludemultiplelocationapproversinanapprovalprocess.Forexample,youcanconfigurean
approvalprocesssotheticketisapprovedbythelocationapproverinSanFrancisco,andthenthelocation
approverinNewYorkCity.
n Youmustlinkarequesttypetoanapprovalprocess.
n Anapprovalprocesscanhavemultiplerequesttypeslinkedtoit.Thesameprocesscanbeusedfor
morethanonetypeofticket.
n Arequesttypecannotbelinkedtomorethanoneapprovalprocess.Multipleapprovalprocess
cannotberequiredforthesameticket.
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n Iftherequesttypeassociatedwiththeapprovalprocessincludesoneormorechildren,selectoneofthe
childrenasthesupportedrequesttype.Youcannotselecttheparentrequesttypeasthesupported
requesttype.
n WhenarequestisapprovedbytheminimumnumberofCABapprovers,theticketisremovedfromthe
approvalsqueuefortheremainingCABmembers.
n YoucanstringmultipleCABstogetherinanapprovalprocess.Forexample,thefirststepofanapproval
processcanbeapprovedbyfiveoutofsevenapprovers,andthesecondstepcanbeapprovedbythree
outoffourapprovers.
n Theclientwhosubmitsaticketcanapprovetheticket,providedtheyaresetupastheapprover.
Approvalpatterns
Thesimplestapprovalprocessincludesasinglestepthatisapprovedbyaclient,alocationapprover,a
departmentapprover,oraCAB.Butyoucanconfiguremorecomplex,multi-stepapprovalprocessesthat
includeanyoftheseapprovertypes.Forexample,youcanconfigureanapprovalprocesssoaclientapproves
first,followedbyadepartmentapproverandalocationapprover.
Anapprovalprocesscancontainanycombinationof:
n
n
n
n
Multipleclientapprovers
Asingledepartmentapprover
Multiplelocationapprovers
MultipleCABapprovers
Forexample,youcanconfigureanapprovalprocesssothreeclientsapprovetheticketfirst,followedbya
departmentapproverandalocationapprover.
Youcanalsoconfigureanapprovalprocesssoalocationapproverapprovestheticketfirst,followedbytwo
CABs.
Planyourapprovalprocesses
ConsiderthefollowingquestionsbeforeyoubeginconfiguringyourapprovalprocessesinWebHelpDesk:
n Doyouhaveasimpleapprovalprocesswithjustonestep,ordoyouhaveamulti-stepapprovalprocess?
n Inanapprovalprocess,who(orwhat)approveseachstep?Isitaclientapprover,adepartmentapprover,
alocationapprover,oraCAB?
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n Doyouneedmultipledepartmentapprovers?Ifyes,useclientapproversinsteadofdepartment
approvers.
n Whichrequesttypeareyouusingintheapprovalprocess?Keepinmindthatarequesttypecanbe
associatedwithonlyoneapprovalprocess.
n Arethereanystepsintheapprovalprocesswhereyouwantateamofapproverstovote,andyoucan
specifytherequiredminimumnumberofapprovers?UseaCABtocreateagroupofapproversandselect
theminimumnumberofYesvotesneededtoapprovetherequestormovetothenextstepintheprocess.
Thefollowingexamplesdescribehowtosetupasoftwareupgradeapprovalprocess.Inthisscenario,aserver
administratorsubmitsarequesttoupgradeSQLServer2008toSQLServer2012.Theticketisroutedtothe
DirectorofITforreviewandapproval.
Thisexampleusesadepartmentapproverandassumesthatthefollowingtasksarecompleted:
n Clientsaccountsarecreated
Allusersinvolvedinanapprovalprocessmustbedefinedasclients,eveniftheyarealsodefinedastechs
inthesystem.Inthisexample,JanetMullistheserveradministratorwhorequeststheupgrade,and
RichardMeyersistheDirectorofITwhoreviewsandapprovestherequest.
Eachclientmusthaveanassigneddepartment.
n Departmentsarecreated
Adepartmentisassignedtoeachclient,andisusedwhenyoudefineadepartmentapprover.Inthis
scenario,bothclientsbelongtotheInformationTechnologydepartment.
Todefineadepartment,clickSetup>CompaniesandLocations>Departments.
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n Requesttype
Inthisscenario,theserveradministratorsubmitsaticketusingarequesttypecreatedforupgrade
requests.Forexample,theUpgradeRequesttypewasaddedtothepreconfiguredITGeneral/Other
requesttype.
Anapproverroleprovidesdynamicapproverassignmentsbasedonthedepartmentorlocationassociatedwitha
ticket.Adepartmentapproverroleapprovesorrejectsticketsforaspecificdepartment.
Youcanonlyuseonedepartmentapproverinaprocess.Ifyourequiremultipledepartmentapproversto
approvearequest,configuretheprocesswithclientapprovers.
Inthefollowingexample,theITDepartmentApproverroleiscreatedfortheInformationTechnologydepartment.
1. ClickSetupandselectProcesses>ApproverRoles.
2. ClicktheDepartmentApproverRolestab.
3. ClickNew.
4. IntheApprovalRoleNamefield,enteranamethatdescribestherole.
Forexample:ITDepartmentApprover
5. ClickSave.
Inthisexample,youdesignateaclientasthedepartmentapprover.Forexample,RichardMeyers,theDirector
ofIT,isassignedtotheITDepartmentApproverrole.
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1. ClickSetupandselectProcesses>DepartmentApprovers.
2. Clickthedepartment.Forexample,InformationTechnology.
3. ClickAddRole.
4. SelecttheApproverRole.Forexample,ITDepartmentApprover.
5. IntheClientLookupsection,searchforandselectthenameofthepersonyouwanttoassignasthe
departmentapprover.
6. ClickSave.
Whenyoudefineanapprovalprocess,youcancreatenewstatustypestotrackaticketasitisroutedthrough
eachstageoftheprocess.Thefollowingsectionsdescribehowtocreatethreenewstatustypes:
n Requestinprocess
n RequestApproved
n RequestDenied
Thesestatustypeswillbeassignedtoticketsthatmustbereviewedandapproved.
Createastatustype
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3. ClickNew.
4. Enteranameforthestatustype.Forexample,Requestinprocess.
5. Completetheremainingfieldsasneeded,andclickSave.
Formoreinformationaboutanyfield,clickthetooltip.
6. Repeatsteps1through4toaddstatustypes.
Determinewhenastatustypeisappliedtoaticket
Afteryoucreateastatustype,usetheOptionstabtoselecttheconditionunderwhichthestatusisappliedtoa
ticket.Forexample,whenaticketisreopened,WebHelpDeskautomaticallychangesthestatustoOpenby
default.
Intheexamplebelow,thefollowingstatustypesareappliedtoticketsiftheticket'srequesttyperequires
approval.
n Whentheticketissubmittedbyaclient,thesystemassignsthestatustypeRequestinprocess.
n Iftheticketisapproved,thesystemassignsthestatustypeRequestApproved.
n Iftheticketisdenied,thesystemassignsthestatustypeRequestDenied.
Todeterminewhenastatustypeisapplied:
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1. Afteryoucreateastatustype,clickOptions.
2. Performthefollowing:
a. IntheNeedsApprovalStatusTypefield,selectRequestinprocess.
b. IntheApprovedStatusTypefield,selectRequestApproved.
c. IntheApprovalDeniedStatusTypefield,selectRequestDenied.
3. ClickSave.
Anapprovalprocesscontainsatleastonestep,andeachstepisapprovedbyaclient,aCAB,alocation
approver,oradepartmentapprover.
Inthefollowingexample,aone-stepapprovalprocessiscreated,theITDepartmentApproverisassignedasthe
approver,andtheITGeneral/Other>UpgradeRequesttypeisassociatedwiththeprocess.
1. ClickSetup>Processes>ApprovalProcesses.
2. ClickNew.
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3. EnteranamefortheprocessandclickSave.
4. ClickApprovalSteps,andthenclickNew.
5. Enteranamefortheapprovalstep.
6. Clickanapprovertype.Forexample,DepartmentApprover.
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7. Selecttheapprovertoassigntothestep.
8. ClickSave.
9. Ifnecessary,addadditionalapprovalsteps.
10. Whenyouhaveaddedallsteps,clickRequestTypesSupported.
11. ClickEdit.
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12. Selectallrequesttypestoassociatewiththisapprovalprocess,andclickSave.
13. OntheRequestTypesSupportedtab,clickDone.
Ifyouareable,testtheapprovalprocesstoensurethatticketsgotothecorrectapprovers,andthatthecorrect
statustypeisappliedwhentherequestisacceptedordenied.
1. LogintoWebHelpDeskasaclient.
2. Completethewebform.Makesureyouselecttherequesttypeassociatedwiththeapprovalprocess.
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3. LoginastheapproverandclickApprovalsinthetoolbar.
WebHelpDeskdisplaystheApprovalsbuttonforclientsthathavebeensetupasanapprover.If
youdonotseetheApprovalsoption,loginastheadministrator,andensurethattheclientis
selectedastheapproverforthestepintheprocess.
4. Ensurethattheticketyousubmittedisdisplayed.
5. IntheMyVotecolumn,clickYes(orNo),andclickSave.
6. LogintoWebHelpDeskastheadmin(ortech),andsearchfortheticketyouapprovedorrejected.
7. Opentheticketandreviewthestatus.
Inthisscenario,ifyouapprovedtheticket,thestatuschangestoRequestApproved.Ifyourejectedthe
ticket,thestatuschangestoRequestDenied.
YoucanalsousetheApprovalsfieldtotrackwhereticketsareintheapprovalprocess,andif
necessary,youcanoverrideanapprovalstep.
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Reporting
n
n
n
n
n
n
Createacustomreport
Schedulereports
WebHelpDeskprovidestwomethodsfordisplayingcustomersupportdata:
n Reports areu
sefulforcomparingelementsbasedonanumericvalue(forexample,comparingtechs
basedonthenumberofticketsclosed).Theycanshowaveragesandaggregatedvalues.
WebHelpDeskincludesasetofpredefinedreports,whichyoucanmodify.Youcanalsocreatecustom
reports.
Advancedsearchcans howdetailedinformationaboutagroupoftickets,assets,orclientsthatmatchthe
criteriayouspecify.Useadvancedsearchtoanswercomplexquestions.
Bothreportsandadvancedsearchcanbeeffectivetoolsformonitoringprogressorperformance,identifying
issues,andmakingdecisions.Themethodyouchoosedependsonthetypeofquestionyouaretryingtoanswer
andhowtheinformationneedstobepresented.
Quickcomparison
ADVANCEDSEARCH
n Tickets
n Assets
n Clients
Canshowinformationabout:
REPORTS
n Tickets
n Assets
n Billing
Tickets:PDForTSV(tab-separatedvalues)
Externalformats:
Assets:PDF,TSV,orExcel
PDF
Clients:TSVorExcel
Canbescheduled:
No
Yes
Canbesharedwithothertechs:
Yes
Yes
Reports
Reportscanrepresentdatagraphically(asbarandpiecharts)tohelpyoucomparegroupsofticketsorassets.
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Reportscanalsoshowaggregateddataaboutticketsandassets,suchasthetotaloraveragenumberoftickets
opened.Thesemetricscanbeusedtocompareasecondtypeofitem,suchastechs,locations,orrequest
types.
Usereportstoanswerthefollowingtypesofquestions:
n Howmanyticketsdideachtechclose?
n Howmanyticketswereopenedagainsteachasset?
n Howmanyassetsarecheckedoutineachlocation?
n Whatistheaverageworktimeperticketrequesttype?
n Howmanyticketswereopenedagainsteachrequesttype?
ReportscanbedisplayedintheWebinterfaceorgeneratedinPDFformat.Youcanalsocreateschedulesto
automaticallyrunreportsandemailthemtogroupsofrecipients.
Fromanyreport,youcanclicktheticketorassettotaltodisplaydetailedinformationabouttheitems
includedinthattotal.
Advancedsearch
Advancedsearchisapowerfultoolthatallowsyoutoanswercomplexquestions.Searchesdisplaylistsoftickets,
assets,orclientsthatmeetthespecifiedcriteria.Byselectingacolumnset,youcanshowdetailedinformation
thatisrelevanttothequestionyouwanttoanswer.
Todeterminewhichitemsarereturnedbyasearch,youcandefinemultipleconditionsandcombinethemusing
BooleanANDorORlogic.Booleanlogicprovidesaflexibleframeworkthatcananswerawidevarietyof
questions.Someexamplesofquestionsandtheassociatedconditionsareshownbelow.
n Whichticketsassignedtoaspecifictechhavenotbeenupdatedwithinthelast10days?
n Whichassetsinalocationdonothaveaservicecontractorhaveaservicecontractthatexpiresthis
month?
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n Whichticketscontainthewords"networkoutage"inaclientnoteortherequestdetailsorthesubject?
n WhichticketsassignedtoatechgrouphaveapriorityofUrgentorhaveanescalationlevelof2orhigher?
Youcansaveasearchandrunitatanytime.AsavedsearchisavailablefromtheQuerymenuatthetopofa
ticket,client,orassetlist.
Savedsearchescanbesharedwithothertechs,andtheycanbeusedasasourcefordashboardvisualizations.
Ticketandassetreportscanshowinformationasabarorpiechart,inadditiontoatable.
Toconfigureabarorpiechart,youmustspecifytheCategoryandChartMetricoptions.Understandingthese
optionshelpsyoucreatereportsthatdisplaytheinformationyouneed.
Category
Eachbarorslicerepresentsagroupofticketsorassets.TheCategoryisusedtogrouptheticketsorassets.(Itis
theelementthateachbarorslicerepresents.)ToselectaCategory,choosetheelementyouwanttocompare.
Forexample:
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n Inthisbarchart,ticketsaregroupedbyassignedtech.Eachbarrepresentsatech.
TheCategoryisAssignedTech.
n Inthispiechart,ticketsaregroupedbyrequesttype.Eachslicerepresentsarequesttype.
TheCategoryisRequestType.
BarStackCategory
Forbarcharts,youcanalsochooseaBarStackCategory.Thissettingcanbeusedtosubdividetheticketsor
assetswithineachbar.Intheexamplebelow,theBarCategoryisAssignedTechandtheBarStackCategoryis
Priority.Nowyoucanseehowmanyticketsareassignedtoeachtech,andwhetheranytechhasalargenumber
ofUrgentorHighprioritytickets.
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ChartMetric
TheChartMetricdeterminesthesizeofthebarsorslices.Inmanycases,itisthetotalnumberofticketsor
assetsineachgroup.Forticketreports,itcanalsobeatimemeasurement,suchastheopentimeorworktime.
Puttingittogether
Inabarorpiechart,theCategoryistheelementbeingcomparedandtheChartMetricisthebasisfor
comparison.TheCategoryandChartMetricarereflectedinthequestionsachartcananswer.Forexample:
n Whichtechsclosedthemostticketslastmonth?
Category:
tech
ChartMetric:
ticketcount
n Whichassetsareassociatedwiththemosttickets?
Category:
assets
ChartMetric:
ticketcount
n Whichtechhastheshortestaveragefirstresponsetime?
Category:
tech
ChartMetric:
averagefirstresponsetime
n Whichlocationhasthemostopentickets?
Category:
location
ChartMetric:
ticketcount
YoucanmanuallyrunaWebHelpDeskreportatanytime.
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Alternatively,youcancreateareportscheduletodistributereportsatregularintervals.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickReports.
Thereportspagelistsallavailablereports.
2. Locatethereport.
Ifyoucreatedreportgroupstoclassifyyourreports,youcanselectareportgroupintheupperrightcornertofilterthelist.
3. Clickabuttonintherightcolumntorunthereport.
DisplaysthereportatthebottomofthecurrentWebHelpDeskbrowsertab.
Displaysaprintablewebviewinanewbrowsertab.
CreatesaPDFversionofthereportthatyoucandownloadandprintordistribute.
WebHelpDeskprovidesasetofpredefinedreports.Youcanusethesereportsastheyare,ormodifythemto
meetyourneeds.
ThefollowingexamplemakeschangestotheAssetswithmostTicketsforthelastquarterreport.Bydefault,this
reportshowsthenumberofticketsforeachassetduringthepastquarter.Thishelpsyouidentifyindividual
assetsthatgeneratealargenumberoftickets.Instead,thereportwillbemodifiedtoshowwhichassetmodels
generatethemosttickets,andtoshowtheinformationforthepreviousmonth.
2. Clickthenameofthereporttoopenit.
3. OntheReportDetailstab,changetheBarCategoryfromAssetNo.toModel.Eachbarwillrepresentan
assetmodelinsteadofanindividualasset.
4. FortheBarStackCategory,selectAssetNo.Thissubdivideseachbarbyindividualassetstoidentify
individualassetsgeneratingmoreticketsthanotherswiththesamemodel.
5. ClicktheReportFilterstab,andthenclickthenameoftheexistingfiltertoopenit.
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6. ChangetheTimeRangetoincludeonlythepreviousmonth.
7. ClicktheReportBasicstab,andthenchangethenameofthereporttoreflectitsnewcontents.
8. ClickSave,andthenclickRun.
Thebarsrepresentassetmodels,andthesubgroupsineachbarrepresentindividualassets.
Createacustomreport
IfthepreconfiguredreportsinWebHelpDeskdonotshowtheinformationyouneed,youcanaddacustom
report.Thefollowingsectionsprovideexamplesoftwocustomreports:abarchartshowingopenticketsbytech,
andatableshowingticketsclosedbyrequesttype.
Openticketsbytech
Thisexampleshowshowmanyopenticketsareassignedtoeachtech.Theinformationisdisplayedinabar
chart,whichyoucanusetoquicklyidentifytechswiththehighestnumberofopentickets.Eachbaris
subgroupedbyticketpriority.
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2. ClickNew.
3. OntheReportBasicstab,enterthereportnameandrequesttype.
Reportgroupsareoptional.Ifyouhavealargenumberofreports,youcanusethemtoclassifythe
reports.
4. ClicktheReportDetailstab.
5. AstheChartType,selectBarchart.
6. AstheBarCategory,selectwhateachbarrepresents.Inthisexample,eachbarrepresentsatech.
Formoreinformationaboutbarandpiechartoptions,seeBarandpiechartconfigurationoptions.
7. AstheBarStackCategory,selectPrioritytosubdivideeachbarbyticketpriority.
8. AstheChartMetric,selectthemeasurementthatdeterminestheheightofeachbar.Inthisexample,the
heightreflectsthenumberoftickets.
9. SelectShowTabletodisplaythisinformationinatablebelowthebarchart.
10. Forthisreport,leavethetimerangeblanksothatitwillincludeallopentickets.Whenthetimerangeis
blanktheDateAttributehasnoimpact,soyoucanacceptthedefault.
11. ClicktheReportFilterstab,andthenclickNew.
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12. CreateafiltertoincludeonlyticketswithaStatusofOpen.
13. ClickSave,andthenclickRunReport.
Thebarchartshowsthenumberofopenticketsforeachtech.Thisinformationisalsoshowninatable
belowthechart.
Ticketsclosedbyrequesttypewithworktime
Thisexampleshowshowmanyticketsofeachrequesttypewereclosedduringthepreviousweek.Italsoshows
thetotalamountofworktimeforeachgroupoftickets.Theinformationisdisplayedinatablebecausetablescan
includemultipledatapointsforeachticket.
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1. Fromthereportlist,clickNew.
2. OntheReportBasicstab,enterthereportnameandrequesttype.
3. ClicktheReportDetailstab.
4. AstheChartType,selectTableonly.
5. Selectthevalueusedtodefinethetablerows.Inthisexample,thetablewillincludearowforeachrequest
type.
6. Selectthevalueusedtodefinethetablecolumns.Inthisexample,leavetheColumnCategoryblank.The
tablewillincludeonedatacolumnshowingtotalsfortheweek.
Toincludecolumnsthatshowsubtotalsforeachday,selectDateClosedastheColumnCategory.
7. Selecttheinformationthatwillbeshownineachtablecell.
8. Selectthetimerangethatthereportwillinclude.SelecttheRoundbackoptiontoincludetheprevious
weekfromSundaythroughSunday(ratherthantodayandtheprevioussevendays).
9. Toincludeonlyticketsclosedduringthespecifiedtimerange,selectDateClosedastheDateAttribute.
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10. ClickSave,andthenclickRun.
Thereportshowsthetotalnumberofticketsandtotalworktimeforeachrequesttype.
Schedulereports
UsereportschedulestoautomaticallygenerateoneormorereportsinPDFformatandemailthemtothe
specifiedrecipientsviatheirdefaultoutgoingemailaccounts.Recipientscanbeclients,techs,orpeoplewhodo
nothaveWebHelpDeskaccounts.
Thisexampleschedulestwoassetreportstobedistributedatthebeginningofeverymonth.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickReportsandthenselectReportSchedules.
2. ClickNew.
3. Enteranametoidentifythisreportschedule.
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4. Specifyhowoftenthereportisdistributedandwhenthedistributionbegins.
5. (Optional)Updatetheemailmessagetowhichthereportswillbeattached.
Seethetooltipsformoreinformationaboutanyfield.
6. Todistributethereporttoclients,searchforaclientandthenclicktheclientname.
IfyoudefinedaconnectiontoanLDAPserver,theSearchLDAPcheckboxisdisplayed.Selectthisoption
toincludenamesfromtheLDAPdirectoryinthesearch.PointtotheSearchLDAPlabelformore
information.
7. ToaddrecipientswhoarenotWebHelpDeskclientsandtechs,entertheiremailaddressesintheOther
RecipientsE-Mailsfield.
8. Todistributethereportstotechs:
a. ClicktheTechRecipientstab.
b. ClickEdit.
c. SelectthetechsandclickSave.
9. Selectthereportstoinclude.
a. ClicktheIncludedReportstab.
b. ClickEdit.
c. SelectthereportsandclickSave.
10. ClickDone.
ThenewscheduleisactivatedandavailableintheReportSchedulesscreen.
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SolarWindsintegration
n
n
n
n
n
WebHelpDeskintegrateswiththefollowingSolarWindsapplicationsrunningonSolarWindsOrionPlatform
2012.2orlater:
n NetworkConfigurationManager(NCM)
n NetworkPerformanceMonitor(NPM)
n ServerandApplicationMonitor(SAM)
Usingacommunicationlink(orSolarWindsconnection)betweenWebHelpDeskandasupportedOrion
platform,WebHelpDeskcangeneratehelpdeskticketsthatrespondtomonitoredeventsoccurringinyour
corporateenterprise,suchasafailedharddriveorachangeinserverhealth.
AfteryouconfigureaSolarWindsconnectioninWebHelpDeskandasharedalertistriggered(forexample,a
SolarWinds-monitorednetworknodefailedforanyreason),theOrionPlatformsendsWebHelpDeskanHTTP
requesttocreateanalert-basedticket.YoucanconfigureWebHelpDesktoreceivealloronlyspecificalertsto
generateacorrespondingticketthataddressestheissuedescribedinthealert.
IntegratingWebHelpDeskwithyourOrionplatformapplicationshelpsyouensurethatallmonitoredalertsare
addressedinatimelymanner.Ifyourmonitoredserversandapplicationsarelocatedinaremoteareaoryou
havelimitedstafftomonitoryourcorporateenterprise,WebHelpDeskcanautomaticallyroutetheissuetothe
appropriatetechwhocanaddresstheproblemintheleastamountoftime.
Preparerequesttypesforalert-basedtickets
Arequesttypedetermineshowalertsareroutedtotheappropriatetechforproblemresolution.Whenyoucreate
yourSolarWindsconnection,selecttherequesttypethatcloselymatchestheconnection.
YoucanselectonerequesttypeforoneSolarWindsconnection.
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Forexample,ifyouarecreatingaconnectiontoSolarWindsSAMtoaddressalertsrelatedtoserverhealth,click
theWHDRequestTypedrop-downmenuandselectarequesttypelinkedtoatechgroupthattroubleshootsand
resolvesserverissues.
Alert-basedticketexample
BelowisanexampleofaWebHelpDeskticketgeneratedfromaSolarWindsOrionalert.Thefieldsincludedin
theticketarenotanall-inclusivelist.
WebHelpDeskticketfieldscanvary,dependingonthedataincludedintheOrionalert.Thefieldnamesshown
belowareexamplesofwhatyoucanuseinthefilteringrules.
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BelowaresomenotesthataredisplayedintheWebHelpDeskticketbasedontriggering,updating,clearing,and
acknowledgingtheOrionalert.
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YoucanconfigureyourSolarWindsOrionPlatformtogeneratealertstriggeredinSolarWindsNPM,NCM,and
SAMwhenanetworkeventoccursforexample,whenanodefailsforanyreason.Whenspecificalertsare
sharedwithWebHelpDesk,WebHelpDeskautomaticallygeneratesaticketbasedonthealert.
WhenamonitoredeventgeneratesasharedalertinyourOrionplatform,thealertistransmittedtoWebHelp
Deskthroughanintegratedconnection.WebHelpDeskprocessestherequestthroughasetoffiltersyou
configureinaSolarWindsserverlink,createsahelpdeskticket,andforwardsthetickettotheappropriatetech
groupfortroubleshootingandresolution.
WebHelpDeskdoesnotsupportthefollowingconditionintroducedinOrionPlatform2015.1.0:
1. IntheOrionWebConsole,createanalertoropenanexistingalert.
SeeCreatingandmanagingalertsintheOrionPlatformAdminGuideformoreinformation.
2. ScrolltotheendoftheSummarypanel.
3. MaximizeAlertIntegrationandselecttheIntegratealertcheckbox.
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4. Selectthepropertiesyouwanttoincludeinthealert,andclickSubmit.
ToretrieveandprocessalertsfromaSolarWindsalertsource(suchasSolarWindsNPM),addtheserverlinkto
WebHelpDesk.ThisprocesscreatesacommunicationsbetweentheOrionplatformandyourWebHelpDesk
server.Whenaneventoccurs,WebHelpDeskcangenerateaticketfromthealertandforwardthetickettothe
appropriatetechfortroubleshootingandresolution.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickSetupandselectSolarWindsIntegration>SolarWindsConnection.
2. IntheSolarWindsConnectionscreen,clickAddNewSolarWindsSource.
3. IntheAddNewSolarWindsSourcescreen,enterthenewSolarWindssourcenameintheSourceName
field.
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4. Selectarequesttype.
5. EntertheSolarWindsServerIPAddressorFullyQualifiedDomainName(FQDN).
6. EntertheSolarWindsadministratorusernameandpassword.
ToensureWebHelpDeskcanaccesstherequiredSolarWindsalerts,enteradministrator-level
SolarWindsaccountandcredentialsdataintoWebHelpDesk.
7. ClickTest.
WhenWebHelpDeskcreatesaconnectionwithaSolarWindsOrionalertsource,thecheckedareasinthe
windowcontaingreencheckmarks.
8. ClickNexttocontinue.
YoucanconfigureanalertfiltertorecognizeaspecificissueinyourSolarWindsOrionplatformandcreateahelp
deskticketbasedonthatissue.
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Filters
WebHelpDeskcreateshelpdeskticketsfromOrionalertsbymatchingtheOrionalertcontentsorfeaturesto
filtersyousetupintheapplication.Tocreatealertfilteringrules,applythepropertynamesthatexistinyourWeb
HelpDeskOrionalerts.
ThesealertscanincludedefaultnamesorothertypesofnameconfigurationsassignedbytheOrionuser.After
yousetuptheSolarWindsserverinWebHelpDeskandgatherinformationaboutyourOrionalertsand
associatedproperties,configureWebHelpDesktotransformOrionalertsintoclienttickets.
Aboutruleconfiguration
Bydefault,WebHelpDeskdoesnotmonitorOrionplatformalerts.TotransformalertsintoWebHelpDesk
tickets,selectanddefinetheappropriaterulessotheapplicationcanrecognizethealerts.
Thefollowingtabledescribesthefilteringruletypes.
FILTERINGRULETYPE
RULEDESCRIPTION
DefinesthecharacteristicsalertsmustcontainforWebHelpDesktorecognize
andtransformthealertsintoticketsorignorethem.
Thesecharacteristicsinclude:
MatchingRule
AND/ORblock
n Severitylevel(suchasNotice,Information,Warning,Critical,and
Serious)
n Fieldname(suchasDate,AlertType,OperatingSystem,andsoon)
n Operator(suchasequals,isnotequalto,startswith,andsoon)
n Value,whichcanbeanytypeofalphanumericdata
SpecifieswhetherWebHelpDeskacceptsorrejectsalertsbasedonwhether
theymeetAnyorAllchildrulesinacomplexrule.
Providesadditionalfilteringonexistingrules.
ChildRule
ComplexRule
Forexample,whenaninitialfilteringruletransformsallalertswithaCritical
severityintotickets,youcancreatechildrulestotransformonlyCriticalseverity
alertsfromWindows2008andWindows2011systemsintoWebHelpDesk
alerts.
Asetofrulesthatcontainatleastoneparentrule(whichcanbeaMatchingrule
oranAND/ORblock),plusoneormorechildrules.
Matchingrules
AddinganewmatchingrulenotifiesWebHelpDesktomatchcertainvariablesinalerttextfieldsoradefined
severitylevel.
ThefollowingtableprovidestheWebHelpDeskfilteringoptions.
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FILTEROPTION
DESCRIPTION
Acceptalert
EnablesWebHelpDesktorecognizethealert.
Rejectalert
EnablesWebHelpDesktoignorethealert.
Matchesalertsbyseveritylevel.
Ifyouselectthisoption,chooseoneofthefollowing:
ifSeverity
ifAlertField
n isequalto:SelectthisoptiontomatchalertsbyoneofthefollowingOrionalert
levels:Notice,Information,Warning,Critical,orSerious.
n isnotequalto:Selectthisoptiontomatchallseveritylevelsexcepttheone
selected.Ifyouselectthisoption,chooseoneofthefollowingalertlevelsto
ignore:Notice,Information,Warning,Critical,orSerious.
Tofurtherdefinerules,enteranOrionalertfieldvariable.
Inthefollowingexample,WebHelpDeskwillcreateaticketfromallOrionalertscontainingWindows8inthe
OperatingSystemfield.
TheOperatingSystemfieldmustbeaddedtotheOrionAlertintegration.
Complexrules
YoucanaddanAnd/Orblocktoacreateafilterrulebasedonmorethanonecondition.TheAnyrulecreatesa
ticketwhenanychildconditionistrue.TheAllrulecreatesaticketonlywhenallchildconditionsaretrue.
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InthefollowingAllchildruleexample,aticketiscreatedwhenanodefromanIPaddressisupandcomponent
availabilityisdown.
Examples:Configureanalertfilteringrule
Youmustconfigureanalertfilteringrulewithaseverityorincludeaseverityandamatchtoaspecificalertfield.
Youcanaddmultiplealertfieldmatches.
Configureamatchingrule
ThefiguresbelowshowanexampleofamatchingrulethatacceptsthealertifthevalueoftheNodeStatusfield
isUp.
1. ClickAddnewmatchingrule.
2. SelectAcceptalertorRejectalert.
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3. Configuretherulebasedontheseverityofthealert,oranalertfieldvalue.
ForboththeAcceptalertandRejectalertoptions,IgnorecaseandIgnorewhitespaceareactive
bydefault.Toensurethebestresults,leavetheseoptionsselected.
AddanAnd/Orblock
ThefiguresbelowshowanexampleofanAnd/OrblockthatacceptsthealertiftheseverityisCriticalorifthe
valueoftheNodeStatusfieldisUp.
1. ClickAddnewAnd/Orblock.
2. SelectAcceptalertorRejectalert.
3. SelectifAnytoconfigureanORrule,orselectifAlltoconfigureanANDrule.
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4. ClickAddChildRule.
5. Configuretherulebasedontheseverityofthealert,oranalertfieldvalue.
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6. Toaddanotherchildrule:
a. IntheFilterspane,clicktheAnd/Orblock.
b. IntheConfigureComplexRulepane,clickAddChildRule.
c. Configuretherule.
Testyourfilterrulestoensuretheyarefilteringpropertiescorrectly.Yourtestshouldincludetheseverityandany
alertfieldsthatyouconfiguredinthefilterrule.
Thisexampleincludesatestforthefollowingfilterrule.
1. Afteryouhaveconfiguredthefilterrule,clickTest.
2. Selectaseverity.
3. ClickAddNewProperty,selectanalertfield,andenterthevalue.
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4. Addallalertpropertiesdefinedinthefilterrule,andclickTest.
Ifyourrulesareconfiguredcorrectly,amessagestatesthatthefilterrulesmatchandthealertisacceptedinthe
TestResultspane.ClickDone.
Ifyourrulesarenotconfiguredcorrectly,amessagestatesthatthefilterrulesdidnotmatchandthealertis
rejectedintheTestResultspane.ClickBacktoresolveyourconfigurationerrors.
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Knowledgecenteredsupport
n
n
n
n
n
CreateanFAQ
SearchFAQs
VieworeditanFAQ
BenefitsofKCS
Knowledge-centeredsupport(KCS)isasetofpracticesthatmakeinformationavailableandeasilyaccessibleto
bothclientsandtechs.WithKCS,knowledgeisconsideredafundamentalassetofthetechnicalsupport
organization.ThegoalsofKCSinclude:
n Improvingefficiencywithinsupportorganizations
n Makingcustomersself-sufficient
n Reducingsupportcostswhileincreasingcustomersatisfaction
KCSprocessoverview
WhenanorganizationimplementsKCS,contentcreationbecomesanintegralpartofthesupportprocess.Each
techisresponsibleforcontributingnewcontentandupdatingorimprovingexistingcontent.
Whenatechreceivesaticket,thetechfirstsearchesexistingFAQstoseeifafixisalreadydocumented:
n Ifso,thetechfollowstheinstructionsintheFAQ(andupdatesitifanystepshavechanged).Thetechcan
alsoattachtheFAQtotheticket.
n Ifnot,thetech:
1. Troubleshootsandresolvestheissue.
2. CreatesanewFAQtodocumenttheresolution.
UsingWebHelpDesktobuildyourknowledgestore
WithinWebHelpDesk,youcanuseF AQstocapturesolutionstocommonproblemsandmakethatinformation
available.TechscanquicklycreateanewFAQbasedonanotewithinaticket,ortheycanmanuallycreatean
FAQ.
Asyouincreasetheamountofusefulinformationinyoursystem,bothclientsandtechswillbemorelikelytofind
theanswerstheyneed.HelpingclientsgetanswersfromFAQswillreducethenumberofticketsopened.Clients
areabletoprovidefeedbackbyratingarticles.Usearticleratingstorecognizeandrewardusefulcontentandto
improvecontentthatisincompleteorinaccurate.
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Bydefault,onlyadminscaneditapprovedFAQs.ToimplementtheKCSprocess,considerincludingthe
ApprovedFAQEditpermissionintheDefaulttechpermissionset.Whentechshavethispermission,they
canupdateorcorrectFAQsasneeded.
AccessingFAQsinWebHelpDesk
WebHelpDeskpromotesselfresolutionbydisplayingrelevantFAQstoclientsastheyenterservicerequests
intotheWebportal.
Inaddition,clientscansearchtheFAQsthatareavailabletothem.
AnFAQcanbeavailabletoallWebHelpDeskclients,oritcanbelimitedtoaspecificaudience(forexample,only
toclientsfromacertaincompany).
CreateanFAQ
TechscanuseFAQstoshareinformationandquicklylocateresolutionstocommonproblems.Inaddition,clients
cansearchtheFAQknowledgebasewithinWebHelpDesktolocateanswerstotheirquestions.
YoucancreateanewFAQmanually,oryoucanautomaticallycreateanFAQbasedonaticketnote.Ifyour
companyisimplementingknowledge-centeredsupport,usethiscapabilitytoquicklyexpandyourknowledge
baseusinginformationalreadycapturedincasenotes.
BeforecreatinganewFAQ,searchtheknowledgebasetodetermineifanexistingFAQanswersthe
question.Ifso,youcanlinktheexistingFAQtotheticket.
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ManuallycreateanFAQ
1. Inthetoolbar,clickFAQs.
2. IntheFAQtoolbar,clickNewFAQ.
3. IntheCreateFAQscreen,clicktheCategorydrop-downmenuandselectacategory.
Thisfieldispopulatedfromtheticketrequesttypes.Youcanaddadditionalrequesttypes.See
Definerequesttypesformoreinformation.
4. EnterthequestionandanswertextforthisFAQ.
5.
6.
7.
8.
QuestionandanswertextcanincludeHTMLlinksandformatting,aswellasBulletinBoardCode(BBC)
tags.
IfyouwanttolinkthisFAQtoarelatedFAQ,click .ThensearchfortheFAQandclickLinkFAQ.
UsetheradiobuttonstorestrictwhocanviewthisFAQorspecifywhatmodeltheFAQappliesto.
IntheAttachmentsrow,clickAddFiletoaddanattachment,suchasasupportingdocument,graphic,or
spreadsheet.
IfyouhavepermissiontoapproveFAQs,selecttheApprovedcheckboxtopublishtheFAQ.Otherwise,
notifyanapproverthattheFAQisreadyforreview.
FAQscanbeapprovedbyalladminsandbytechswiththeApproveFAQspermission.
9. IfyouwanttheFAQtoexpire,selectanexpirationdateandtime.
10. ClickSave,andthenclickDone.
CreateanFAQbasedonaticketnote
1. OpentheticketandclicktheTicketDetailstab.
2. IntheDatecolumnoftheNotessection,clickinthenote'screationdateandtimetoopenthenote.
3. Inthenoteeditor,clickCreateFAQ.
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4. ClickOKattheconfirmationdialogtocreatetheFAQ.
Thefollowingelementsareautomaticallypopulatedwithinformationfromtheticket:
TICKET
FAQ
RequestDetail
Question
Notetext
Answer
RequestType
Category
TheFAQiscreated,butitisnotapproved.Also,anyattachmentstothenotearenotattachedto
theFAQ.
5. SearchfortheFAQ,selectit,andclickEdit.
6. Makethefollowingchangesasneeded:
n EdittheQuestionandAnswertexttomakeitappropriateforageneralaudience.F
orexample,
removepeople'snamesandcompany-specificinformation.
n UsetheradiobuttonstorestrictwhocanviewthisFAQorspecifywhatmodeltheFAQappliesto.
n Ifthenoteincludedanattachment,attachthatfiletotheFAQ.
Ifnecessary,firstdownloadtheattachmentfromthetickettoyourcomputer,andthenattachitto
theFAQ.
7. IfyouhavepermissiontoapproveFAQs,selecttheApprovedcheckboxtopublishtheFAQ.Otherwise,
notifyanapproverthattheFAQisreadyforreview.
FAQscanbeapprovedbyalladminsandbytechswiththeApproveFAQspermission.
8. IfyouwanttheFAQtoexpire,selectanexpirationdateandtime.
9. ClickSave,andthenclickDone.
SearchFAQs
1. ClickFAQsintheWebHelpDesktoolbar.
2. Specifythesearchcriteriaatthetopofthewindow.
3. ClickSearch.
TheFAQsthatmeetyoursearchcriteriaarelisted.
n Tosorttheresultslist,clickacolumnheader.
n YoucanviewanyFAQinthelist.TechswiththeappropriatepermissionscaneditFAQs.
VieworeditanFAQ
1. ToopenanFAQ:
a. SearchforanFAQ.
b. Inthesearchresults,double-clickarow.TheFAQopensinread-onlymode.
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2. Ifyouhavetherequiredpermissions,youcanedittheFAQ:
a. Inthesearchresults,selectarowandclicktheEditbutton.
b. Updateanyfield.FormoreinformationseeCreateanewFAQ.
c. ClickSave,andthenclickDone.
WhenanFAQdescribestheresolutiontoanissueorprovidesinformationassociatedwithaticket,youcanlink
theFAQtotheticket.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Opentheticketdetailspage.
IntheNotessection,clickthecreationdatetoopenanewnote,orclickNewtoaddanewnote.
ClicktheLinkFAQbuttonbelowthetextarea.
IntheFAQSearchdialogbox,searchfortheFAQ.
5. ClicktheLinkFAQbuttonontherightsideoftheFAQ'srow.
AlinktotheFAQisaddedtothenote.
6. ClickSavetosavethenote.
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Getconnected
ThissectioncontainsinformationonaccessingtheSolarWindsCustomerPortalandengagingwiththwack,the
SolarWindscommunityofITpros:
n AccesstheCustomerPortal
n SetupadditionalCustomerPortaluseraccounts
n EngagewiththeSolarWindscommunity
AccesstheCustomerPortal
TheSolarWindsCustomerPortalprovidesaccesstolicenseandmaintenanceinformation,supportcases,and
productdownloads,aswellasliveandinstructor-ledvirtualclassroomtraining.
Createyouruserprofile
Tocreateauserprofile,youmustknowtheSolarWindscustomerID(SWID)issuedtoyourcompany.Ifyouarea
SolarWindscustomerbutdonothaveaSWID,contactSolarWindsCustomerSupport.
UserswithmultipleSWIDsrequireonlyoneuserprofile.YouruserprofilecanbelinkedtomultipleSWIDs.
1. Gotocustomerportal.solarwinds.com.
2. ClicktheRegistertab.
3. Enteryourorganization'sSWIDandyouremailaddress.
IfyouhavemultipleSWIDs,enteranySWIDtocreateyourprofile.Later,usetheUserProfilemenu
tolinktheotherSWIDstoyourprofile.
Theaccountadministratorwillreviewtherequest,andyouwillreceiveanemailwhenitisapproved.
Formoreinformationaboutcreatinganaccount,seethisFAQpage.
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ExploretheCustomerPortal
Managelicensesandaccesslicensekeys.
Downloadpurchasedproducts.
Openanewsupportcaseandmonitorexistingcases.
Downloadfreetrialsofintegratedproducts.
Signupforinstructor-ledvirtualclassroomtraining.
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SetupadditionalCustomerPortaluseraccounts
IfyouhaveAccountAdministratoraccesstotheSolarWindscustomerportal,youcanaddadditionaluser
accountsanddefineeachuser'saccesslevelandcontacttype.
Formoreinformationaboutuseraccounttypesandpermissions,seethisFAQpage.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Logintocustomerportal.solarwinds.comwithyouremailaddress.
Intheuseraccountdrop-downmenuintheupper-rightcorner,clickCompanyAccountSettings.
ClicktheAddUserbutton.
Entertheuser'sinformation.
Specifytheuser'saccesslevel:
n AccountAdministrator:CanaccessallareasoftheCustomerPortal.Canalsoaddandremove
users,edituserprofileinformation,andassignrolesandcontacttypestousers.
n StandardAccess:CanaccessallareasoftheCustomerPortal.
n NoAccess:CannotaccesstheCustomerPortal,butislistedasacontactontheaccount.
6. Specifytheuser'scontacttype:
n PrimaryContact:Receiveallaccount-relatedcommunications.
n BillingContact:Receivecommunicationsrelatingtobilling.
n PartnerContact:Receivecommunicationsrelatedtopartnersupport.
n RenewalContact:Receivecommunicationsrelatingtomaintenancerenewalsandproduct
maintenanceexpiration.
n SupportContact:Receivecommunicationsrelatedtotechnicalsupport.
EngagewiththeSolarWindscommunity
UsetheSolarWindsthwackcommunitywebsitetolearnmoreaboutSolarWindsproducts,participatein
discussions,andgethelpresolvingissues.
Createathwackaccount
Youcanreadcontentonthwackwithoutanaccount.However,havinganaccountallowsyoutotakefull
advantageofthesitebysubmittingfeaturerequests,likingorfollowingposts,andcontributingcontent.When
youcreateathwackaccount,SolarWindswillnotsendyouunsolicitedemailsoraddyoutomarketinglists.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Gotothwack.solarwinds.com.
ClickRegisterinthetopright.
Entertherequiredinformationandacceptthelicenseagreement.
ClickCreateAccount.
Explorethethwacksite
Afteryoucreateanaccount,clickthislinktobeginexploringthwack.Participatinginthethwackcommunityearns
points,whichyoucanusetopurchaseitemsinthethwackstore.
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Asamemberofthethwackcommunity,youcan:
n Participateincommunitydiscussionsandgetanswerstoyourquestions.
Intheproductforums,youcanpostquestionsandviewresponsestootherusers'questions.Advice,
resolutions,andtroubleshootingtipsareprovidedbycommunitymembersandbySolarWindsemployees.
n Extendproductcapabilitieswithcustomtemplates,reports,andscripts.
Thethwackproductforumsincludethousandsofdownloadabletemplates,reports,andscriptsyoucan
usetocustomizeorextendyourSolarWindsproducts.ThiscontentiscontributedbySolarWinds
employeesandbyothercommunitymembers.
n Viewproductroadmaps,whichlistthefeaturescurrentlybeingdevelopedforfutureproductreleases.
n BenotifiedofUserExperiencesessionswhereyoucanshareyourexperiences,andhelpmake
SolarWindsproductsbetter.
n Influencethedirectionofaproductbysubmittingfeaturerequestsandvotingforotherusers'feature
requests.
n ReadblogsaboutSolarWindsproductsandaboutgeneralITtopics.
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Techtraining
Thissectionprovideatemplatethatyoucanusetodeveloptrainingmaterialsforyourtechs.Usethismaterialas
itis,orcopyandreviseittoreflectyourorganization'spracticesandWebHelpDeskconfiguration.
n
n
n
n
n
Createtickets
Searchforaticket
ThissectionoftheWebHelpDesktechtrainingintroducesbasictermsandprovidesinstructionsforloggingin,
loggingout,andeditingyourtechprofile.Usethismaterialasitis,orcopyandreviseittoreflectyour
organization'spracticesandWebHelpDeskconfiguration.
WhatisWebHelpDesk?
WebHelpDeskisaweb-basedautomatedticketingsolutionthathelpsyoumanageyourITsupportrequestsfor
bothinternalandexternalclients.UseWebHelpDesktocreateandmanageticketsthroughthewebconsole.It
alsosupportsemailticketcreation,automaticticketassignmentandescalation,assetmanagement,andincident
andproblemmanagement.
WebHelpDeskTerms
ThefollowingtermsdefinetherolesandobjectsmanagedbyWebHelpDesk.
n Tickets :SupportrequeststhatareopenedthroughandmanagedwithinWebHelpDesk.
Ticketscanbeinitiatedthroughemail,createdintheWebHelpDeskconsole,orimportedfromanother
application.
Clients :EndusersorcustomerswhocanopenticketsinWebHelpDesk.
ClientscanenterticketsthroughemailorthroughtheWebconsole.
n Techs :WebHelpDeskuserswhotroubleshootandresolvetickets.
n
n
n
Techscanalsoentertickets.Forexample,whenaclientcallstheITHelpDesk,thetechopensaticketon
theclient'sbehalf.Inaddition,techscanopenticketsthatarenotassociatedwithaclient,suchasticketsto
scheduleroutinemaintenanceorsystemupgrades.
Admins :TechswithprivilegestoconfigureWebHelpDesk.
TechGroups :Agroupoftechswithsimilarskillsandexpertise.
RequestTypes :Aclassificationthatidentifiesthetypeofsupportrequest.
Requesttypesareusedtoautomaticallyassignticketstotheappropriatetechgroup.
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LogintoWebHelpDesk
1. OpenaWebbrowser.
2. EnterthefollowingURL:
<yourWebHelpDeskURL>
3. EnteryourloginIDandpassword,andthenclickLogIn.
WebHelpDesksessionslastfor120minutes.Afterthisperiod,thesessionexpiresandyoumustlogin
again.
GetmoreinformationaboutusingWebHelpDesk
UseanyofthefollowingoptionstogetmoreinformationaboutusingWebHelpDesk:
n ClicktheHelpbuttonintheWebHelpDesktoolbartoopentheWebHelpDeskadministratorguide.
n GetinformationaboutaspecificitembyclickingtheHelpbuttonnexttothatitem.
Orclicktheinformationicon.
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n Hoverovericonsandsomecolumnheadingstodisplayadditionalinformation.
ForexampleontheTicketHistorytab,hoveroveranyiconontherightsidetodisplayinformation.The
personicondisplaysthelogicusedtoassignthetickettothistech.
LogoutofWebHelpDesk
ClicktheLogOutbuttonintheupper-rightcorner,nexttoyourname.
Edityourtechprofile
Yourtechprofileincludescontactinformation(suchasemailandcellphone)andpreferences.Edityourtech
profiletoaddorupdateinformation.
1. Clickthegearicon
intheupper-leftcornertoopenyourprofile.
2. Clickthepencilicon toentereditmode.
3. Verifythatyourcontactinformationiscorrect.
4. TobeabletoaccesstheWebHelpDeskinterfacethataclientsees,selectaclientintheLinkedClient
field.Ifademoclientisavailable,selectthedemoclient.
Whenyoulinkyouraccounttoaclientaccount,theSwitchtoClientAccounticon
upper-rightcorner.
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5. Toreceivenotificationsonamobiledevice:
a. SelectSMSE-MailEnabled.
b. EntertheSMSaddress(forexample,18005551234@tmomail.net).Clicktheinformationiconfor
theaddressformatsofmajorcarriers.
c. Specifytheminimumpriorityandalertlevelfornotifications.Inthefollowingexample,notifications
aresentonlywhenthepriorityisUrgentandthealertlevelis2orhigher.
6. Updateotherpreferencesasneeded.Clicktheinformationiconfordetailsaboutanyfield.
Createtickets
ThissectionoftheWebHelpDesktechtrainingdescribeshowticketscanbecreated,howtocreateaticket
throughthetechinterface,howtocreateaticketthroughemail,andtheWebHelpDeskticketassignmentlogic.
Usethismaterialasitis,orcopyandreviseittoreflectyourorganization'spracticesandWebHelpDesk
configuration.
HowWebHelpDeskticketscanbecreated
Bothtechsandclientscancreatetickets:
n ClientscancreateticketsthroughemailorthroughtheWebusingtheWebHelpDeskclientinterface.The
clientinterfaceiswhatclientsseewhentheylogintotheWebconsole.
n TechscanalsocreateticketsthroughemailorthroughtheWeb.Inmostcases,techscreatetickets
throughtheWebusingtheWebHelpDesktechinterface.Thetechinterfaceiswhattechsseebydefault
whentheylogintotheWebconsole.
Atechcanaccesstheclientinterfaceifthetech'sprofileisassociatedwithaclientaccount.
Inaddition,techswiththerequiredprivilegecandefineWebHelpDesktasks(scripts)whichwillcreatecertain
typesofticketsautomatically.
CreateaticketthroughtheWebHelpDesktechinterface
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Inthetoolbar,clickTickets.
ClickNewTicket.
Iftheticketistoreportaclientissue,usetheClientLookupboxtoselecttheclient.
Iftheticketrequiresanasset,clicktheAssettabandaddtheasset.
ClicktheTicketDetailstab.
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6. SelectaRequestType.
TheAssignTofieldisdisplayed,showingwhichtechgroupwillreceivethisrequestbasedontheWebHelp
Deskticketassignmentlogic.Youcanoverridetheticketassignmentlogicandassignthetickettoyourself.
7. EnteraSubjectandRequestDetailstodescribetheissue.
8. SpecifythePriority.
9. Clickoneofthefollowingbuttons:
n Save:Savestheticket.
n SaveandSendE-Mail:Savestheticketandsendsanemailtothespecifiedrecipients.(Thetech,
client,location,andticketsetupoptionsdeterminewhoreceivesemail.)
Createaticketthroughemail
Clientsandtechscancreateticketsbysendinganemailmessagetothededicatedhelpdeskemailaddress.
WebHelpDeskcreatesaticketforeachnewmessagereceivedthroughitsdedicatedemailaddress.
Organizationscanchoosetosetupmultiplehelpdeskemailaddresses.Forexample,anorganizationcanhave
oneemailforHRissues(hr@mycompany.com)andanotherforallotherissues(support@mycompany.com).
TicketscreatedthroughtheHRaddressareassignedanHRrequesttype,whichroutesthemtoaspecifictech
group.Ticketscreatedthroughthegeneralsupportaddressaregivenageneralrequesttype.Thetechgroup
thatreceivesgeneralrequesttypesmustevaluatetheticketandassigntheappropriaterequesttype.
Identifythehelpdeskemailaccountsyourorganizationhassetup:
EMAILADDRESS
REQUESTTYPE
TECHGROUP
HowWebHelpDeskassignstickets
WebHelpDeskusestheticketrequesttype,location,anddepartmenttodeterminewhichtechgroupshould
handletheticket.Withinthetechgroup,WebHelpDesklooksateachtech'savailability(thetech'sworkand
vacationschedules)andworkload.Seethefollowingchartfordetails.
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ThissectionoftheWebHelpDesktechtrainingdescribeshowtodisplayalistofticketsandhowtocustomize
yourviewoftheticketqueue.Usethismaterialasitis,orcopyandreviseittoreflectyourorganization'spractices
andWebHelpDeskconfiguration.
Displayalistoftickets
UseWebHelpDesktoquicklyaccesslistsofticketsthatareassignedtoyouortoyourtechgroup.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickTickets.
2. Inthemenubar,selectoneofthefollowingtodisplayalistoftickets:
n MyTicketsdisplaysticketsassignedtoyou.
n GroupTicketsdisplaysticketsassignedtoanytechinatechgroupyoubelongto.
n FlaggedTicketsdisplaysticketsthatyouflagged.
n RecentTicketsdisplaysticketsthatyouhaveeditedrecently.
Abouttheticketqueue
Theticketqueueprovidesinformationabouteachticketinthelist.
Inthefirstcolumn,youcanselectticketsforbulkactions,suchasmergingtickets.
Thesecondcolumnprovidescolor-codedticketinformation:
n
n
n
n
Blue:Newticketwithnotechresponse
Purple:Ticketreassignedtoanewtech
Yellow:Ticketwithanewclientupdate
None:Ticketthatdoesnotmeetanyofthecategoriesabove
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Clicktheflagcolumntoflagaticketortoremoveanexistingflag.FlaggingaticketaddsittoyourFlaggedTickets
queue,whichyoucanaccessbyclickingFlaggedTicketsinthetoolbar.Useflagstomarkticketsthatrequire
immediatefollow-uporspecialattention.
Ifaticketisunassigned,thelastcolumndisplaystheAssigntoMeicon
.Youcanclicktheicontoassignthe
tickettoyourself.
Sorttheticketqueue
Clickacolumnheadingtosortthelistofticketsbythevaluesinthatcolumn.Clickthecolumnheadingagainto
reversethesortorder.
SorttheticketsbytheAlertLeveltoensureyouseeticketsthatrequireimmediateaction.SortbyDateto
seetheoldestticketsfirst.
Customizeyourviewoftheticketqueue
Youcancustomizeyourviewoftheticketqueuebycreatingoneormorecolumnsets.Eachcolumnsetspecifies
whichcolumnsaredisplayedandinwhatorder.
1. Displayanyticketqueue.
2. Clickthe+buttonintheupper-rightcornertocreateanewcolumnset.
Toeditanexistingcolumnset,selectthecolumnsetandclicktheeditbutton .
3. Enteranametoidentifythecolumnset.
4. Tochoosewhichcolumnsareincluded,dragcolumnlabelsintooroutoftheSelectedColumnslist.
5. Tospecifytheorderofthecolumns,dragcolumnlabelsupordowninthelisttoarrangethem.
6. ClickSave.
Searchforaticket
ThissectionoftheWebHelpDesktechtrainingdescribeshowtoperformbasicandadvancedsearches,and
providesexamplesofadvancedsearches.Usethismaterialasitis,orcopyandreviseittoreflectyour
organization'spracticesandWebHelpDeskconfiguration.
Performabasicsearch
Abasicsearchlocatesticketsbasedonthesearchcriteriayouenterinasetofpredefinedfields.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Onthetoptoolbar,clickTickets.
Onthesecondtoolbar,clickSearchTickets.
Entervaluesinoneormorefieldstodefinethesearchcriteria.
ClickSearchtodisplayalistofticketsthatmatchyourcriteria.
Whenyoulocateaticket,youcanupdateitasneeded.
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Performanadvancedsearch
Anadvancedsearchlocatesticketsbasedonanynumberofsearchcriteriayouenter.Thesearchcriteriaarea
setofconditionsthatmustbemet.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Onthetoptoolbar,clickTickets.
Onthesecondtoolbar,clickSearchTickets.
ClicktheAdvancedSearchtab.
Specifytheconditionsthattheticketmustmeet,startingfromtheleftandcontinuingtotheright.Click+in
theALLorANYsectiontoaddadditionalconditions.
n EveryconditionspecifiedintheALLgroupmustbemetforatickettobefound.Theseconditions
areevaluatedwithaBooleanANDoperator.
n AtleastoneconditionspecifiedintheANYgroupmustbemetforatickettobefound.These
conditionsareevaluatedwithaBooleanORoperator.
Enterconditionsineitherorbothgroups.Seethefollowingsectionforexamplesofadvanced
searches.
5. Tosavethisquerysothatyoucanrunitagain:
a. EnteranameintheSaveQueryasfield.
b. SelectSharedtomakethequeryavailabletoothertechs.
c. ClickSave.
6. ClickSearchtorunthequery.
Advancedsearchexamples
Advancedsearchescanansweravarietyofquestions.Examplesinclude:
n Whichticketsassignedtoaspecifictechhavenotbeenupdatedwithinthelast10days?
n Whichticketscontainthewords"networkoutage"inaclientnoteORtherequestdetailsORthesubject?
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n WhichticketsassignedtoatechgrouphaveapriorityofUrgentORhaveanescalationlevelof2or
higher?
ThissectionoftheWebHelpDesktechtrainingdescribeshowtoupdateticketinformation,performactionson
multipletickets,andresolvetickets.Usethismaterialasitis,orcopyandreviseittoreflectyourorganization's
practicesandWebHelpDeskconfiguration.
Ticketinformation
TicketsinWebHelpDeskincludeinformationonthefollowingtabs:
n TheClientInfotabidentifiestheclientwhorequestedsupport.Thisinformationispopulatedautomatically
fromtheclientaccount.
n TheAssetInfotabidentifiesassets(PCsorservers,forexample)thatareassociatedwiththeclientorwith
thesupportrequest.
n TheTicketDetailstabcontainsspecificinformationaboutthisrequest,incident,orproblem.Thisisthetab
thattechsupdatetoaddnotesorchangethestatus.
n ThePartsandBillingtabidentifiespartsorderedtocompletethisrequestandinformationaboutbillingfor
thepart.
EditaticketfromtheWebconsole
Asyouworktoresolveaticket,updatetheticketfrequentlysoyouractivitycanbetracked.Forexample,add
notestorecordactivities,trackprogress,anddocumenttheresolution.
1. Searchfortheticketyouwanttoedit,orlocateitinyourticketqueue.
2. Clicktheticketnumbertoopenit.
TheTicketDetailstabisdisplayed.
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3. Addorupdateticketinformation.Thefollowingtabledescribessomeofthefieldsyoumightneedto
update.
Mostticketsareclassifiedasservicerequests.Aservicerequestisarequestforinformation,
assistance,orrepairs.Examplesincluderequeststoresetapassword,requestsforaccessto
asharednetworkresource,orrequeststofixacomputerproblem.
Useproblemandincidentticketstolinkmultipleticketsthatreportthesameproblemtothe
rootcauseoftheproblem.
n Problemticketsdescribetherootcauseofageneralproblem.Forexample,iftheemail
Ticket
systemstopsworking,aproblemtickettrackstheefforttoresolvetheproblemwiththe
Type
emailsystem.
n Incidentticketsreportincidentsoftheproblem.Forexample,whiletheemailsystemis
down,multipleclientswillcreateticketstoreportthattheycannotsendorreceive
email.Whenyouclassifytheseasincidents,youcanlinkthemtotheproblemticket.
Theproblemticketistheparentandincidentticketsarechildren.Whentheproblem
ticketisclosed,alllinkedincidentticketsarealsoclosed.
Selecttherequesttypethataccuratelyreflectsthetypeofticket.Theticketistransferredto
Request
thetechgroupthatservicestherequesttypeyouselected.Addanotetoexplainthereason
Type
youchangedtherequesttype.
Addnotestorecordallactionsyoutaketoresolvetheissueandanyinformationthatyou
gather.Youcanalsousenotestoupdateclientsonyourprogress.Toaddanote:
a. Clickthegreen+button.
b. Enterthenotetextandattachanyassociateddocuments.
Notes
c. IfanFAQinWebHelpDeskdescribestheresolution,clickLinkFAQandselectthe
FAQ.
d. Ifthenoteisaninternalnotetoothertechs,clearVisibletoClient.
e. Enteryourworktime.
f. ClickSave.
Theprioritydeterminestheticket'sduedate,andshouldreflecttheseverityoftheissueand
thepeopleorbusinessfunctionsaffected.
n Urgent:Afailurethatseverelyimpactscriticaloperations.
Priority
n High:Anissuethatdegradesresponsetimesoraffectsnormaloperations.
n Medium:Anissuethataffectsasmallnumberofusersoranindividualuser.Aworkaroundisavailable.
n Low:Questionsorrequestsforinformation.
Status
UpdatetheStatusfieldtocancel,reopen,orresolvetickets.SeeResolvingaticketformore
information.
4. Clickoneofthefollowingbuttons:
n Save:Savestheticket.
n SaveandSendE-Mail:Savestheticketandsendsanemailtothespecifiedrecipients.
5. Toreturntotheticketqueue,clickthebackarrow intheupper-leftcorner.
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Web Help Desk
Updateticketsusingemail
Whenaticketisassignedtoyou,WebHelpDesksendsyouanemail.Youcanupdatetheticketbyrespondingto
theemail.
1. IntheNotessection,selecttheactionyouwanttoperform.Youcanaddanote,addahiddennote,or
deletetheticket.
2. HolddowntheControlkeyandclicktheticketnumber.
WebHelpDeskcreatesanemailsimilartothefollowingexample.Inthisexample,thetechchosetoadda
notethatisvisibletotheclient.
3. Verifytheoptionslistedinthesubjectline.
n TheActionisbasedontheactionyouselected.Forexample,ifyouselectAddNote,theactionin
theSubjectisTechUpdate.
n TheEmailClientoptiondefaultstoYES.EnterNOifyoudonotwanttoemailtheclient.(Thisoption
isnotcase-sensitive.)
4. Enteryournoteasthebodyoftheemailandsendtheemail.
Performactionsonmultipletickets
Usebulkactionstoapplyasetofchangestomultipleticketsatonce.Forexample,youcanuseabulkactionto
escalateallopen,unassigned,urgentpriorityITrequestsforlaptoprepairs.
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Web Help Desk
Createanewbulkaction
Beforeyoucanapplyabulkaction,youmustcreatethebulkactionthatdefineswhatchangewillbemadetothe
ticket.Afteryoucreateabulkaction,youcanapplyitatanytime.Youcanalsosharethebulkactionsothatother
techscanapplyit.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Inthetoolbar,clickTickets.
Inthemenubar,selectaticketscreen.
ScrolltothebottomofthescreenandlocatetheBulkActionbox.
Clickthe+buttonnexttoBulkAction.
OntheBulkActionDetailsscreen,specifyvaluesinthefieldsthatyouwantthebulkactiontochange.
Leaveallotherfieldsblank.
6. IntheSaveBulkActionasfield,enteranameforthisbulkaction.
7. (Optional)SelectSharedtosharethisbulkactionwithotherusers.
8. ClickSave.
ThesavedbulkactionwillbelistedintheBulkActiondrop-downmenuintheTicketsscreen.
Applyabulkactiontoagroupoftickets
Afteryoucreateabulkaction,youcanapplyittoaselectedagroupoftickets.
1. Inthetoolbar,clickTickets.
2. Inthemenubar,selectaticketscreen,orselectSearchTicketsandSearchfortheticketsyouwantto
change.
3. Selecttheticketsthatwillbeaffectedbythebulkaction:
n Toselectallticketsonthepage,selectthecheckboxabovethefirstcolumn.
n Toselectindividualtickets,selectthecheckboxinthefirstcolumnofeachticketrow.
4. Belowthelistoftickets,selectanoptionfromtheBulkActiondrop-downmenu.
5. ClicktheRunbuttontoapplythebulkaction.
Amessagesummarizesthechangesthatwillbeappliedtotheselectedtickets.
6. ClickOK.
Amessageconfirmsthatthechangeswereapplied.
Resolveaticket
Whenyouhavecompletedallactivitiesrequiredtoresolveanissue,edittheticket:
n Addanotetodescribetheresolution.SelecttheSolutioncheckboxbecausethishelpsothertechswhen
theysearchforsolutionstosimilarissues.
n IfthisresolutionwouldbehelpfulforotherWebHelpDeskusers,clickCreateFAQtocreateanFAQbased
ontheticketnote.
n ChangetheStatustoResolved.
WhenyouchangethestatustoResolved,WebHelpDesksendsanemailtotheclientaskingthemtoconfirm
thattheissueisresolved.
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Web Help Desk

n IftheclientclicksYes,WebHelpDeskchangestheStatustoClosed.
n IftheclientclicksNo,WebHelpDeskreopenstheticketandnotifiesyou.
n Iftheclientdoesnotrespondwithinthespecifiednumberofdays,WebHelpDeskchangestheStatusto
Closed.
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Web Help Desk
Clienttraining
ThissectionprovideatemplatethatyoucanusetodeveloptrainingmaterialsforyourWebHelpDeskclients.
Usethismaterialasitis,orcopyandreviseittoreflectyourorganization'spracticesandWebHelpDesk
configuration.
ClientscanuseWebHelpDesktosubmitsupportrequests(calledtickets).Theycanthenviewandupdate
ticketsasneeded,andconfirmthattheyhavebeenresolved.
Waystosubmitaticket
YoucansubmitaWebHelpDeskticketusinganyofthefollowingmethods:
n ByTelephone:<yourhelpdesktelephonenumber>
n ByEmail:<yourhelpdeskemailaddress(es)>
n UsingtheWebHelpDeskwebconsole:<yourWebHelpDeskURL>
ThemostefficientanddirectwaytoenteryourrequestisthroughtheWebHelpDeskwebconsole.
LogintoWebHelpDeskconsole
1. OpenaWebbrowser.
2. EnterthefollowingURL:
<yourWebHelpDeskURL>
3. Dooneofthefollowing:
n Ifyouhaveanaccount,enteryourloginIDandpasswordandclickLogIn.
n Ifyoudonothaveanaccount,clickNewAccount,enteraccountinformation,andclickSubmit.
TheHelpRequestpageisdisplayed.
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Web Help Desk
ReviewandupdateyourWebHelpDeskprofile
Yourprofileincludescontactinformation(suchasemailandcellphone)andpreferences.Edityourprofiletoadd
orupdateinformation.
Theinformationinyourprofilewillbeusedtocontactyouaboutrequests.SolarWindsrecommendsreviewing
yourprofilebeforeyoucreateyourfirstrequest.
1. IntheWebHelpDeskconsoletoolbar,clickProfiletodisplayyourprofile.
2. Verifythatyourcontactinformationiscorrect.
Optionally,youcanenteradditionalcontactinformation.Forexample,youcanaddyourmobilephone
numbertothePhone2field.
3. Ifyourorganizationhasmultiplelocations,verifythattheLocationfieldshowsyourworklocation.This
informationcanbeusedtodeterminewhichsupportteamreceivesyourrequest.
4. ClickSavetosaveanychanges.
Createaticketusingthewebconsole
1. IftheHelpRequestpageisnotdisplayed,clickRequestintheWebHelpDeskconsoletoolbar.
2. SelecttheRequestTypeoptionthatbestdescribesthereasonforyourrequest.
Afteryouselecttherequesttype,oneormoresubcategoryfieldsmightbedisplayed.Selectanoptionin
eachsubcategoryfield.
IfanyFAQsareassociatedwiththeselectedrequesttype,theyarelistedontheright.FAQscan
sometimesprovidetheinformationyouneedtoresolvetheissue.IfoneoftheFAQsseemstobe
relatedtoyourissue,clicktheFAQtitletoopenitinaseparatebrowsertab.
3. EnterabriefdescriptionofyourrequestintheSubjectfield.
4. IntheRequestDetailsection,provideadetailedexplanationofyourrequestorproblem.
5. Ifyouhavesupportingdocumentssuchaslogfiles,screenshots,orconfigurationfiles,clickAddFileand
attachthemtotherequest.
6. VerifythatyourLocationiscorrect.
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7. SelectthePriority,usingthefollowingguidelines.
IfyouselectUrgentorHigh,makesurethatyouareavailablefortheinitialresponse,orprovidethe
nameandphonenumberofanalternatecontact.
Urgent
Afailurethatseverelyimpactscriticaloperations.
n Theproblemaffectsanentirelocationorasignificantnumberofusers.
n Customersaredirectlyimpacted,orcriticaloperationssuchasshipping,
manufacturing,ororderentryareunavailableorseverelyimpacted.
Anissuethatdegradesresponsetimesoraffectsnormaloperations.
n Awebsiteorserviceisfunctioning,butperformanceisdegraded.
High
n Theproblemaffectsasmalltomediumnumberofusers.
n Customersaredirectlyimpacted,orcriticaloperationssuchasshipping,
manufacturing,ororderentryareavailablebutnegativelyimpacted.
Medium Anissuethataffectsasmallnumberofusersoranindividualuser.Awork-aroundisavailable.
Low
Questionsorrequestsforinformation.
8. CompleteanyadditionalfieldsassociatedwiththeselectedRequestType.Ablueinformationicon
identifiesrequiredfields.
9. ClickSavetocreatetheticket.
Thesystemsendsyouaconfirmationmessagecontainingyourticketnumber.
Locateaticket
1. IntheWebHelpDeskconsoletoolbar,clickHistory.
TheTicketHistoryscreenlistsallticketsyouhaveentered.
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Web Help Desk

2. Tosearchforaticket,enteranyofthefollowingcriteriaandclickSearch:
n Theticketnumber
n Theticketstatus
n AwordorgroupofwordscontainedintheSubject,RequestDetails,orNotes
TheTicketHistorypagedisplaysalistofticketsthatmatchthesearchcriteria.
Abluedotnexttotheticketnumberindicatesthattheticketwasupdatedbythetech(theperson
responsibleforresolvingissues),andyouhavenotviewedthenewinformation.
3. Tosortthelistoftickets,clickacolumnheadingtosortbythevaluesinthatcolumn.Clickthecolumn
headingagaintoreversethesortorder.
AddinformationtoaticketusingtheWebconsole
Youcanaddinformationtoaticketbyaddingnotesorattachingfiles.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
LocatetheticketontheTicketHistorypage.
Clicktheblueticketnumberboxtodisplaytheticketdetails.
Toaddanote,clickAddNoteandenterthenotetext.
Toattachafile,clickAddFileandselectthefile.
ClickSave.
Yourchangesaresavedandtheassignedtechisnotified.
Addnotestoaticketusingemail
WebHelpDeskcansendemailswhenachangeismadetoyourticket.Forexample,ifatechneedsadditional
information,thetechcanaddanotetodescribetherequiredinformationandWebHelpDesksendsanemailto
requestit.Youcanaddanotetotheticketfromtheemail.
1. ClicktheAddNotelinkinthebodyoftheemail.
Donotreplytotheemail.
Anewemailiscreated.
2. Replacethetextinthebodyoftheemailwiththenoteyouwanttoadd,andsendtheemail.
WebHelpDeskautomaticallyupdatestheticketandnotifiestheassignedtechthatnewinformationis
available.
Cancelaticket
Ifyounolongerneedtherequestedservice,youcancanceltheticket.
1.
2.
3.
4.
LocatetheticketontheTicketHistorypage.
Clicktheblueticketnumberboxtodisplaytheticketdetails.
ClicktheCancelTicketbutton.
ClickOKattheconfirmationmessage.
TheticketstatusischangedtoCanceledandtheassignedtechisnotified.
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Web Help Desk
Closingaticket
Whentheassignedtechresolvesyourrequest,WebHelpDesksendsyouanemail.T heemailcontainsnotesto
describewhatwasdonetoresolvethereportedissue,orwhatwasprovidedtocompleteyourservicerequest.
n Ifyouaresatisfiedwiththeresolution,clickYestoclosetheticket.T henclickSendtosendthegenerated
email.Youwillreceiveanemailconfirmationthattheticketisclosed.
n Ifyouarenotsatisfiedwiththeresolution,clickNotonotifytheassignedtech.ThenclickSendtosendthe
generatedemail.
GettingadditionalhelpfromFAQs
Frequentlyaskedquestions(FAQs)describecommonITissuesandtheirsolutions.TechscancreateFAQsto
helpusersfindanswersandresolveproblems.TodisplaytheFAQs:
1. ClickFAQsintheWebHelpDesktoolbar.
2. Specifythesearchcriteriaatthetopofthewindow.
3. ClickSearch.
TheFAQsthatmeetyoursearchcriteriaarelisted.
n Todisplaytheanswertoaquestion,clickShowAnswer.
n ToindicatewhethertheFAQwashelpful,clickVoteandselectaratingof1through5stars(5beingmost
helpful,1beingleasthelpful).T hisfeedbackhelpsWebHelpDeskimprovethequalityoftheFAQentry.
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Last Updated: Friday, March 11, 2016

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