OUTLOOK HELP DESK 3.0

User Manual for Web forms

Microsoft Exchange 2000 or 2003 Server

Crow Canyon Systems, Inc.

http://www.crowcanyon.com

support@crowcanyon.com

This User Manual describes setting up the Web interface on Exchange 2000 and 2003. For Exchange 5.5 Server, see UserManual_30_Web55.htm

Overview

Setup of Virtual Directory on Server

Screen Shots

Note: The newly revised web pages (version 305E) no longer require a double-login. The user just has to put in the username and password, and then has access to the menu. For other changes in 305E, see New Features.

Overview

Outlook Help Desk 3.0 includes Web-based forms for users to submit and view Help Desk Tickets. The forms are set up as a virtual directory under Internet Information Server (IIS) on an Exchange server running Outlook Web Access (OWA).

Users type “http://yourOWAservername/helpdesk” in their browser to access the Web-based forms. Users are first presented with a login screen where they enter a valid Windows account. Once logged in, users and Help Desk staff can submit and view tickets. After being submitted, the tickets are read only in the Web interface and changes cannot be made to the tickets. Changes to the tickets can be made through Outlook.

Setting Up Web-based Outlook Help Desk 3.0

You will need Exchange 2000 or 2003 with Outlook Web Access. Also, you need to have Outlook Help Desk 3.0 set up in the Exchange Public Folders before using the Web-based forms. Clients just need a Web browser.

The WebFiles30-2K.Zip file is provided upon purchase of Outlook Help Desk. If you do not have it, and have purchased the Outlook Help Desk, please contact us.

I. SETUP OF VIRTUAL DIRECTORY ON SERVER

Create a “helpdesk” directory under the Inetpub/wwwroot directory on your OWA server. Unzip WebFiles30-2K.Zip, then copy the files, except the User Manual, into this new Inetpub/wwwroot/helpdesk directory.

Go to Administrative Tools/Internet Services Manager (Internet Information Services Manager in 2003). Create a virtual directory by right-clicking “Default Web Site”, and choosing New/Virtual Directory (“Default Web Site” is under “Web Sites” in 2003). In the wizard that comes up, give it the name (alias) of “helpdesk” and point it to the Helpdesk directory you created in Step 1. Then choose the defaults to finish the wizard.

Windows 2000 Server:

Windows 2003 Server:

After creating the virtual directory, right-click it, and go to Properties. Set the Directory permissions and Directory Security as follows.

Virtual Directory tab (Windows 2000 & 2003):

Go to the Directory Security tab, under “Anonymous Access and Authentication Control”, press Edit. Check Basic Authentication only.

Windows 2000 Server:

Windows 2003 Server:

That completes the setup in Internet Information Services Manager.

Go to the “helpdesk” directory. Find the global.asa file. Open this in Notepad, then find the lines that say:

Sub Session_OnStart

On Error Resume Next

Session("hImp") = 0

Set Session("AMSession") = Nothing

' ADD YOUR EXCHANGE SERVER NAME IN THE LINE BELOW

Session("ServerName") = "YOUR SERVER NAME"

End Sub

Replace YOUR SERVER NAME with the NETBIOS name of your Exchange server, then save and close global.asa.

Users accessing the Web forms need only be Domain Users. They also need the “Log on Locally” right to the OWA server. They should already have this if they use OWA. If not:

Under Start/Programs/Administrative Tools, open Local Security Policy then go to Security Settings/Local Policies/User Rights Assignment. If the OWA server is a Domain Controller, the “Log on Locally” right also needs to be granted in Domain Controller Security Policy (Start/Programs/Administrative Tools). In the Domain Controller Security Policy screen, go to Windows Settings/Security Settings/Local Policies/User Rights Assignments.

Our recommendation is to create a group – “OWA Users” or “HelpDesk Users” – and grant the right to this group, then add users to the Group.

Users need the Write permission on the system <%winnt%> directory on the Exchange Server, usually C:\WINNT. This is for writing temporary MAPI profiles (.mmp files). If you do not want to grant the Write right to the system directory, a registry setting allows you to change the location. This is explained in Microsoft article Q166599:

If the following registry key is present (on the Exchange Server), the .mmp files will be created there instead of the \Winnt directory:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows Messaging Subsystem

To create the registry entry, do the following:

Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) and go to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows Messaging Subsystem

On the Edit menu, click Add Value.

Type the following values:

String Value: ProfileDirectory Value Data: Path to the directory you want the temporary files to be created in.

Example: C:\MyComputer\Temporary.

If the registry key/value is not present, the .mmp files are created in the Winnt directory.

In NTFS security on the HelpDesk directory in the file system, users need Read & Execute and List permissions. This is usually already on the file directory as generally these rights are granted to Everyone on new directories by default.

If your Help Desk folder is not right under All Public Folders in Exchange, modify the default.asp in the “helpdesk” directory to indicate the folder location. Otherwise, you will get a “recurse folder” error. Open default.asp in Notepad and make the changes below. Make sure the folder names are spelled exactly as they are in the Public Folder tree.

CHANGE ONE: Default.asp now says this:

' *******************************************************************

' FIRST CHANGE -- LINE BELOW IS PATH TO HELP DESK FOLDER

Session("FolderPath") = "Public Folders/All Public Folders/Help Desk"

' *******************************************************************

Add in the folder path (as many levels as you need) as follows, on one line:

Session("FolderPath") = "Public Folders/All Public Folders/Another folder/Another Folder2/Help Desk"

CHANGE TWO: Default.asp now says this:

' *************************************************************

' SECOND CHANGE -- LINE BELOW IS PATH, BUT IN DIFFERENT FORMAT

Set recursefolder = myrootfolder.Folders("Help Desk")

' *************************************************************

Add in your folder path (as many levels as you need) as follows:

Set recursefolder = myrootfolder.Folders("Another Folder").Folders("Help Desk")

Screen Shots of Web-Based Outlook Help Desk 3.0

The Web Interface to Outlook Help Desk runs as a virtual directory on the Exchange Server. Users log on with one network logon screen, and are then presented with a menu. The web interface allows users to create new tickets and view existing ones. It uses the same lists as the Outlook form and it pulls the user information from Active Directory (or Exchange Directory on Exchange 5.5), like the Outlook forms.

Network Logon screen

When first starting the web interface, users login with the standard network logon screen:

Menu Page

After logging in, users are given a menu screen:

Submit a new Help Desk Ticket

Similar to the Outlook new ticket form. It uses the lists from List Manager in the Utilities folder to fill in the drop-downs. User information is pulled in from the Directory:

After Ticket is submitted: Users get a screen confirming successful creation of a new ticket.

View Help Desk folder

The list can be sorted by clicking on the column headings:

View Assigned Help Desk Tickets folder

The list can be sorted by clicking on the column headings:

View an Assigned Ticket (read-only)

Logon screen:

If the user cannot log in automatically, they are given the screen below to login. The system should, in most cases, be able to log them in with just the one network login screen, but if not, they can enter in their Exchange Alias (not the email address) on this page. The Alias of a user can be seen in Active Directory Users and Computers, on the Exchange General tab in the Properties pages for that user.

New Features in version 305E, Web pages

Uses the new login.asp to eliminate the double login.

After the ticket is submitted, it gives a success message instead of just returning to the menu with no indication of success or failure.

Red arrow icons in the menu are now better-looking blue arrows in circle icons .

No longer need menu.asp, framemsg.asp and framemsg2.asp files.

No longer need to change login.inc. Instead, a change is made to the Global.Asa file. One line is modified in the Global.asa, and nothing is changed in the login.inc: