1.3 Installation

After you have installed your NOWS SBE server operating system and the base component, eDirectory, you can install the Helpdesk application from the NOWS Admin GUI.

  1. Log in to the NOWSBE Admin GUI with the sbsadmin login name and password.

  2. Click the Add/Remove link.

  3. Locate the Helpdesk application in the list of components to install.

  4. Click the Install button.

  5. Choose to install the Basic or Advanced option.

    • Basic: Minimal configuration required by the administrator. Default settings are used.

    • Advanced: Options available to change configurations such as ports and logging levels.

1.3.1 Basic Installation

The Basic installation is a five-step process that configures your Helpdesk application with the default recommended settings.

  1. Select the Basic option on the Installation Type page 2. Specify the settings for your LDAP services. (LDAP is used for the user authentication and authorization.)

  2. After you have provided the information, click Next to continue your Helpdesk installation.

  3. Specify the settings for your LDAP services.

    • LDAP Host: Specify the IP address for your eDirectory server. In most cases this is the same as the server which you are installing Helpdesk

    • LDAP Port: The default port for LDAP services is 389. However, this is a non-secure port and all authentication should use a secure connection. Change this to port number 636, which is for LDAP over SSL.

    • LDAP SSL: The default is set at 0 because LDAP is not secure over port 389. If you have chosen to use LDAP over SSL and changed the port to 636, then specify a 1 here to enable SSL.

    • LDAP Bind DN: The fully distinguished name for the proxy user to be used for your LDAP services. The proper format is to use commas and not periods to separate the login ID and its context information.

    • LDAP Base Organization: The base context your Helpdesk application uses to authenticate users. Typically it is the top of the eDirectory tree.

    • LDAP Password: The password to be used by the LDAP proxy user.

    • Helpdesk Object: The eDirectory Helpdesk object's fully distinguished name.

    • Admin FDN: The fully distinguished name of the eDirectory tree's admin user.

    • Admin User Password: The password you use for your eDirectory tree's admin user.

  4. Click Next to continue your Helpdesk installation.

  5. Specify the settings for your Helpdesk environment.

    • Admin User Password: The password you use for your eDirectory tree's admin user.

    • MySQL User: The user that will manage the database. It needs full privileges.

  6. Click Next to continue your Helpdesk installation.

  7. Specify the settings for your Helpdesk environment.

    • Helpdesk Administrator User Name: The login ID for the default administrator of your Helpdesk application.

    • Password for Helpdesk Admin: The password to which the default administrator login is linked.

    • Helpdesk Tree: Name of your eDirectory tree.

    • Helpdesk Download Path: The path from which all Helpdesk downloads occur. Keep the default to that ensure you receive updates from Novell.

    • Helpdesk Upload Path: The path from which all Helpdesk uploads occur. Keep the default to ensure that you receive updates from Novell.

    • Helpdesk Title: The name you want your employees to see when they log in to your Helpdesk application.

    • Helpdesk Admin E-Mail: The address to be used when users submit tickets and from which responses from Helpdesk are addressed. An example of this e-mail address would be support@yourdomainname.com

    • Helpdesk Database User Name: The name of the user on your database server that will have full access to this database instance.

    • Helpdesk Database Password: The password to which the Database User Name is linked.

    • Helpdesk Mail Password: The password used to log into the Helpdesk support e-mail account.

    • Helpdesk Mail User Name: The login name of the Helpdesk support e-mail account.

  8. Review the settings you have chosen. If they are correct, click Next to complete your Helpdesk installation.

  9. After the installation has completed, click the Finish button.

1.3.2 Advanced Installation

The Advanced installation allows you to configure your Helpdesk application with settings unique to your environment and procedures.

  1. Select the Advanced option on the Installation Type page.

  2. Specify the settings for your LDAP services, then click Next. (LDAP is used for user authentication and security.)

    • LDAP Host: Specify the IP address for your eDirectory server. In most cases this will be the same as the server on which you are installing Helpdesk.

    • LDAP Port: The default port for LDAP services is 389. However, this is a non-secure port and all authentication should use a secure connection. Please change this to port 636, which is for LDAP over SSL.

    • LDAP SSL: The default is set at 0 because LDAP is not secure over port 389. If you have chosen to LDAP over SSL and changed the port to 636, then enter a 1 here to enable SSL.

    • LDAP Bind DN: The fully distinguished name for the proxy user that will be used for your LDAP services. The proper format is to use commas and not periods to separate the login ID and its context information.

    • LDAP Base Organization: The base context your Helpdesk application uses to authenticate users. Typically it is the top of the eDirectory tree.

    • LDAP Password: The password to be used by the LDAP proxy user.

    • Helpdesk Object: The eDirectory Helpdesk object's fully distinguished name.

    • Admin FDN: The fully distinguished name of the eDirectory tree's admin user.

    • Admin User Password: The password you use for your eDirectory tree's admin user.

  3. Specify the settings for your database instance.

    • MySQL User: The user that will be used to manage the database. It needs full privileges.

    • MySQL User Password: The password to which the MySQL User is linked.

  4. Click Next to continue your Helpdesk installation.

  5. Specify the settings for your Helpdesk environment.

    • Helpdesk Administrator User Name: The login ID for the default administrator of your Helpdesk application.

    • Password for Helpdesk Admin: The password to which the default administrator login is linked.

    • Helpdesk Tree: Name of your eDirectory tree.

    • Helpdesk Download Path: The path from which all Helpdesk downloads occur. Keep the default to ensure that you receive updates from Novell appropriately.

    • Helpdesk Upload Path: This is the path from which all Helpdesk uploads occur. Keep the default to ensure that you receive updates from Novell appropriately.

    • Helpdesk Title: The name you want your employees to see when they log into your Helpdesk application.

    • Helpdesk Admin E-Mail: The address to be used when users submit tickets and from which responses from Helpdesk are addressed. An example of this e-mail address is support@yourdomainname.com

    • Helpdesk Database User Name: The name of the user on your database server that will have full access to this database instance. This can be the same password to which the Database User Name is linked.

    • Helpdesk Data Password: The password to which the Database User Name is linked.

    • Helpdesk Mail Password: The password used to log in to the Helpdesk support e-mail account.

    • Helpdesk Mail User Name: The login name of the Helpdesk support e-mail account.

  6. Click Next to continue your Helpdesk installation.

  7. Specify the settings for Advanced Helpdesk configurations, then click Next.

    • Helpdesk Send User Queue Change: Keep the default of 0 to not notify users of a change in their queue association. Change to 1 to turn on notification.

    • Helpdesk Send User Priority Change: Keep the default of 0 to not notify users of a change in the priority of their incident. Change to 1 to turn on notification.

    • Helpdesk Send User Tech Change: Keep the default of 1 to activate notification. Change to 0 to not notify users of a change to the technician assigned to their incident.

    • Helpdesk Send User Status Change: Keep the default of 1 to activate notification. Change to 0 to not notify users of a change in their incident's status.

    • Helpdesk Send User Close: Keep the default of 1 to activate notification. Change to 0 to not notify users of a change in their incident's status to Close.

    • Helpdesk Web Helpdesk Page: The address your Helpdesk users go to access your Helpdesk services.

    • E-Mail Address of Queue Changes: Specify the e-mail address to be used to send notifications of reassignments of queues.

    • Helpdesk Technician Change E-Mail: Specify the e-mail address to be used to send notifications of reassignments of technicians.

    • Helpdesk Solution Change E-Mail: Specify the e-mail address to be used to send notifications of incident solutions.

    • Helpdesk Status Change E-Mail: Specify the e-mail address to be used to send notifications of change to incident status.

    • Helpdesk Priority Change E-Mail: Specify the e-mail address to be used to send notifications of a change to incident priority.

    • Helpdesk Default Technician: Specify the default technician name for unassigned Helpdesk incidents.

    • Helpdesk Technician Change E-Mail: Specify the e-mail address to be used to send notifications of reassignments of technicians

    • Helpdesk Auto Helpdesk Auto Assign: Keep the default of 0 to not automatically assign incidents. Change to 1 to enable this feature.

    • Helpdesk Allow Technician Assign: Keep the default of 0 to not allow technicians to assign incidents. Change to 1 to enable this feature.

    • Helpdesk Check Sleep Time: The interval in seconds that the system uses to poll for incidents submitted by e-mail.

    • Helpdesk Ticket Sleep Time: The interval in seconds the system polls for new incidents submitted through the Helpdesk interface.

  8. Specify the additional Advanced Helpdesk configurations.

    • Helpdesk Log Location: Directory location for log files on the server.

    • Helpdesk Log Level: FINE, NORMAL, VERBOSE. FINE is the default.

    • Helpdesk Report Closure: Keep the default of 0 to not report on closed reports. Change to 1 to activate notification.

    • Helpdesk Mail Digest: Keep the default of 0 to not send out a report of all incidents daily. Change to 1 to activate this notification.

    • Helpdesk Send Notification: Keep the default of 1 to send out notifications. Change to 0 to deactivate this notification.

    • Helpdesk Mail Password: The password used to log into the designated helpdesk mail account.

    • Helpdesk Mail User Name: The user name of the designated helpdesk mail account.

    • Helpdesk Return Address: The e-mail address used by the helpdesk for responding to user inquiries.

    • Helpdesk Mail Provider: The type of mail service used by your company.

    • Helpdesk Incoming Mail Port: The port that the server is listening on for incoming mail.

    • Helpdesk Incoming Mail Server: The address of your mail server.

    • Helpdesk Outgoing Mail Server: The address of your mail server.

    • Helpdesk Database Port: The port the database uses.

    • Helpdesk Database Password: The password of the database admin account.

    • Helpdesk Database User Name: The login name of the database admin account.

    • Helpdesk Use SSL: Keep default of 0 if you will not be using SSL. Change to 1 if you have chosen to enable security.

  9. Click Next to continue your Helpdesk installation.

  10. Review the settings you have chosen. If they are correct, click Next to complete your Helpdesk installation.

  11. After the installation has completed, click the Finish button.

1.3.3 Uninstalling Helpdesk

  1. Log in to your NOWS SBE server administration GUI with the sbsadmin login and password.

  2. Click the Add/Remove link, then locate and select the Helpdesk component from the list of installed components.

  3. Click the Uninstall button. Confirm that you want to uninstall the component from your NOWSBE server.

  4. If you do not plan to reinstall the Helpdesk application, you can clean up your user accounts by deleting the role information from the employeetype field in eDirectory.