Upgrade Manual for CCS HelpDesk 4.0

(formerly Outlook Help Desk)

Crow Canyon Systems, Inc.

http://www.crowcanyon.com

support@crowcanyon.com

Thank you for upgrading to CCS HelpDesk 4.0!

CCS HelpDesk 4.0 is a major upgrade to the Outlook Help Desk 3.x family of programs. (Note that the name was changed to accord with Microsoft naming conventions.)

The upgrade process consists of copying the new set of Outlook folders into the Public Folders, entering in the proper License, testing the system, and finally, if needed, running the Upgrade Utility to move data from 3.x to 4.0. The Upgrade process is described in detail below.

The initial upgrade download is a full-featured version of CCS HelpDesk 4.0 that includes a temporary license limited to 2 seats and good for 20-45 days. We will send you the license to turn it into a full version in a separate email as part of the upgrade process. That license will have the correct number of Seats, according to your purchase level. You will not lose any data and will only need to enter the new license to turn this into the full-fledged program.

Purchasing the Upgrade

The 4.0 release is available free of charge to customers with one of our Premium Annual Support Contracts (for those with customized versions, there may be charges for putting those same customizations into 4.0). Those without a Premium Support Contract can purchase one at the following link: http://www.crowcanyon.com/support/support_contract.asp. Otherwise, the Upgrade is available to existing Outlook Help Desk customers for 50% of the cost of a new license.

Upgrade Process

1) Install the new 4.0 version (along with Event Sink and Web interface) according to the “Installation” instructions below. Test the system to make sure it is functioning properly and the permissions are set appropriately.

2) Enter the License we sent and enter names in the Named Seats in the License Utility

3) Run the Upgrade Utility as described below. (Note: If you do not wish to move tickets from Outlook Help Desk and would rather start with a new system, you can skip this step). The Upgrade Utility is located in the “Upgrade Utility” folder under “Utilities” under the “Help Desk” folder (in the 4.0 system):

COMPONENTS OF UPGRADE PACKAGE

The following components are included in CCSHelpDesk40_Upgrade.Zip.

1) CCSHelpDesk40-Release.pst: This consists of the Help Desk folder and subfolders that make up the main part of the program. They are delivered as a PST (Personal Folder) file. You temporarily add this PST file to your Outlook so that you can copy the folders to the location in the Public Folders where they you want them to reside. The Upgrade Utility is included in this PST file.

2) ClientSetup directory with a Setup.exe: This Setup.exe installs Redemption.dll and OHD.dll on client PCs. These files are needed on PCs that will use Outlook to interact with the Help Desk. (Not needed for users who use Web only or send in emails.)

3) Manuals: Upgrade Manual & Admin/Configuration Manual

4) Event Sink email conversion files: The Event Sink will convert emails into new Help Desk Tickets automatically. Installation is described in separate Manual at http://www.crowcanyon.com/support/user_manuals.asp

5) Web Interface files: allows users to create and view tickets with a web browser. Installation is described in separate Manual at http://www.crowcanyon.com/support/user_manuals.asp

New Licensing By “Named Seats”

In 4.0, we introduced licensing by Named Seats. Names are entered in the License Utility. All users can open and create tickets (if the license is valid) and read Knowledge Base articles, but only Named Seats can assign and work on the tickets after submission. Also, only Named Seats can run reports and create KB articles.

Running Your Existing Version Along with the New Version

You can continue to use the current version of Outlook Help Desk along with the 4.0 version. There should not be any conflicts, as the forms and the DLLs are different. The only caveat is that you cannot have two folders with the same name at the same level, so if you put the 4.0 version at the same folder level as the current Help Desk, you will need to rename it.

INSTALLATION OF THE UPGRADE

1) Installation of the Help Desk folders

The CCS HelpDesk 4.0 set of folders will be copied from the CCSHelpDesk40-Release.pst file to the Public Folders. This is done with an Outlook client. It only has to be done once, and then the public folders are available to anyone in the Exchange organization. The Help Desk folders can sit anywhere in the Exchange Public Folder hierarchy as long as they retain the folder structure. The top-level “Help Desk” folder can be renamed, but the other folders need to keep their names:

First, make sure you have the rights to create new folders under whatever folder you will be placing the Help Desk folders. The best way to test if you have rights is to try to create a new folder at the location you want. If you cannot, you will need to get this permission from your Exchange administrator (or have the administrator do the installation).

1. Unzip the “CCSHelpDesk40_Upgrade.zip” and extract the files. Remember where you put "CCSHelpDesk40-Release.pst"; you will need it for the next step.

2. Using an Outlook client, connect to an Exchange Server, and then:

In Outlook 2000, go to Tools/Services/Add and select Personal Folders. In Outlook 2002, go to File/New/Outlook Data File and choose Personal Folder under “Types of Storage”. In both versions, when the “Create or Open” dialog box comes up, browse to the "CCSHelpDesk40-Release.pst" file that you just unzipped. Choose "OK" in the next dialog box accepting the defaults.

In Outlook 2003 and 2007, go to File/Open/Outlook Data File and navigate to the “CCSHelpDesk40-Release.pst" file that you just unzipped and press OK.

3. You will now have another set of folders under "CCS HelpDesk 4.0". Expand this set of folders. If you only see a Deleted Items and Search folder, see Appendix A on how to make all folders visible.

4. In the "CCS HelpDesk 40" set of folders, select the Help Desk folder then right-click it and select Copy "Help Desk" (or go to Edit/Copy to Folder on top menu). In the "Copy Folder" dialog box that comes up, select the folder where you want to place the Help Desk. This will copy the Help Desk and the folders under it to the location you have chosen.

Note: Outlook may give you a warning message like the one below when you copy, but you can safely ignore this. It seems to be a bug in Outlook and does not affect anything.

Under this newly created Help Desk folder in the public folders, there also should be "Assigned Help Desk Tickets", “Knowledge Base”, “Reports”, and "Utilities”. These should have copied over when you copied the "Help Desk".

Once the folders are copied, delete the Personal Folder you added in step #2. In Outlook 2000, go to Tools/Services, highlight "CCS HelpDesk 4.0 Release" and press "Remove". In Outlook 2002, go to File/Data File Management, highlight the PST file and hit “Remove”. In Outlook 2003 and 2007, right-click “CCS HelpDesk 4.0 Release” and choose Close.

Permissions on the Folders

Set permissions for the folders as follows (this can be done by a folder Owner in Outlook or by an Exchange Admin in Exchange System Manager (under Client Permissions of the folder):

Help Desk

Default = Author

Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing Editor (or Owner)

Assigned Tickets & Completed Ticket

Default = Reviewer

Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing Editor (or Owner)

Knowledge Base

Default = Reviewer

Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing Editor (or Owner)

Reports

Default = Reviewer

Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing Editor (or Owner)

Utilities and all folders under it except Record Lock

Default = Reviewer

Help Desk/IT staff = Publishing Editor (or Owner)

People doing ticket assigning (if different than Help Desk staff): Custom role with Read Items, Folder Visible, Edit items (All), Delete items (None)

Record Lock

Default = Editor

Help Desk/IT Staff = at least one person as Owner

2) Installation of OHD.dll and Redemption.dll

CCS HelpDesk 4.0 uses OHD.dll in addition to Redemption.Dll. Both OHD.dll and Redemption.dll must be installed and registered on PC’s that will be using an Outlook client to interact with the Help Desk. OHD.dll and Redemption.dll are NOT needed on clients that will only be sending in emails or using a Web browser to access the Help Desk system.

We include a Setup.exe file that installs OHD.dll and Redemption.dll.

More on OHD.dll

OHD.dll provides much of the functionality of the program when inside of Outlook. The custom forms in the Help Desk folders display and allow interaction with the ticket data; OHD.dll powers the program behind the scenes.

More on our use of Redemption.dll

Redemption.dll (also known as Outlook Redemption) uses Extended MAPI to provide secure access to Outlook and Exchange. It is used in CCS HelpDesk 4.0 to manage Outlook security warnings, to provide the Redemption Data Objects library, and to access MAPI Tables for reporting and other uses. See the sections below for details on each of these uses.

We have licensed Redemption.dll from its developer for use with Outlook Help Desk. More information on Outlook Redemption is available at http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/

1) To manage Outlook Security warnings

Versions of Outlook 2000 with Microsoft’s security patch installed (Version 9.0.0.4201 and later) and all Outlook 2002/XP, 2003, and 2007 clients generate a security warning when programs try to access the address book, read the message body, send an email, and do other related functions. CCS HelpDesk 4.0 safely avoids generating these Outlook security warnings through the use of Redemption.dll.

2) To provide access to the Redemption Data Objects programming library

Previous versions of CCS HelpDesk 4.0 used CDO (Collaboration Data Objects). However, with Outlook 2007, Microsoft no longer includes CDO as part of the Outlook installation. In CCS HelpDesk 4.0, we have replaced CDO with the more robust and functional “RDO” - Redemption Data Objects.

3) To access MAPI Tables

MAPI Tables are the internal data structure of the Exchange public folder store. Previously available only to highly specialized applications, Redemption makes these tables accessible to programs such as CCS HelpDesk 4.0. This allows lightning fast access to the ticketing data, making reporting and other functions much faster.

The custom "Help Desk Ticket" form will now come up when you choose "New” or click the white space in the Help Desk folder.

OR

USING THE UPGRADE UTILITY

NOTE: One option is to not upgrade the older tickets and just start with a fresh copy of 4.0. In that case, there is no need to run the Upgrade Utility.

Upgrade Utility - Important Considerations

The upgrade is done by using the included Upgrade Utility. There are some important considerations that affect the upgrade. Please read before proceeding:

1) The Upgrade Utility is for non-customized versions of Outlook Help Desk. Customized versions will need to be reviewed to determine if the same customizations are needed in the 4.0 version. (In some cases, what were customizations in 3.x are now a standard part of the 4.0 release.) In most cases, additional fees will apply for the customization work.

2) This utility only applies to Outlook Help Desk 3.x. Any earlier version, such as our 2.4.x series, will need to upgrade to 3.1 first.

3) The Upgrade Utility only upgrades the Outlook tickets. It does not upgrade the Event Sink that converts emails to tickets or the web interface. Those two components need to be installed anew for the 4.0 version.

Using the Upgrade Utility

Step 1:

Click on button and select the Help Desk folder in the previous Outlook Help Desk.

Step 2:

Check the checkbox for the Tickets you want to upgrade, then press the Upgrade button.

Functionality:

1. Move Tickets in HelpDesk Folder: This checkbox moves and upgrades the Help Desk Tickets from the old Outlook Help Desk system to the new CCS HelpDesk system. (NOTE: if you do not have any tickets in the Help Desk folder, you do not need to run this part of the upgrade.)

2. Move Tickets in Assigned Ticket Folder: This checkbox moves the Assigned Help Desk Tickets from the old Outlook Help Desk system to the new CCS HelpDesk system. (NOTE: if you do not have any tickets in the Assigned Help Desk Tickets folder, you do not need to run this part of the upgrade.) Completed tickets are moved into the Completed Tickets folder in the new CSS HelpDesk.

3. Transfer Utility Configuration Settings: This checkbox transfers the settings from the old Outlook Help Desk utilities -- Asset Link, List Manager, Notifications, Five Utilities and Pop-up Message – to the new CCS HelpDesk utilities.

4. Move Articles in Knowledge Base Folder: This checkbox moves and upgrades KB Articles from the Knowledge Base in the Outlook Help Desk system to the Knowledge Base folder in the CCS HelpDesk system. (NOTE: if you do not have any KB Articles in the Knowledge Base folder, you do not need to run this part of the upgrade.)

5. Report textbox shows status of selected operations.

Step 3:

Click on Upgrade button for performing selected operations.

Step 4:

Click on Close button to close the Upgrade Utility form.

CLEANUP

After running the Upgrade and ensuring that all ticket data has been moved to the new 4.0 system, the Outlook Help Desk 3.x set of folders can either be deleted or archived to a PST file.

On individual clients, the OHD1.DLL can be left in place, as it will have not effect or function once v3.1 is no longer in active use.
Appendix A

“Disappearing” folders in Help Desk in Outlook 2003/2007

If you install the PST file and do not see the Help Desk folder, like the view on the left, simply click the folder icon at the extreme bottom right (the one that is yellowed in the right-hand view) and you will see the folders: