OUTLOOK HELP DESK 3.0

User Manual for Web forms for Exchange 5.5 Server

Crow Canyon Systems, Inc.

http://www.crowcanyon.com

support@crowcanyon.com

This User Manual describes setting up the Web interface on Exchange 5.5. For Exchange 2000 and 2003, see UserManual_30_Web2K.htm

Overview

Setup of Virtual Directory on Server

Setup of Folder Views

Screen Shots

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 (just like OWA). Once logged in, users and Help Desk staff can submit and view tickets. When viewed in the browser after being submitted, the tickets are read only and changes cannot be made to the tickets through the Web interface. Changes can be made through Outlook.

Setting Up Web-based Outlook Help Desk 3.0

You will need Exchange Server 5.5 SP1 and above 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.

I. SETUP OF VIRTUAL DIRECTORY ON SERVER

Create a “helpdesk” directory under the Inetpub/wwwroot directory on your OWA server. Unzip WebFiles30-55.Zip, and copy the files into this new directory.

In Internet Services Manager, create a virtual directory that points to the new Helpdesk directory created in Step 1. Name the virtual directory "helpdesk". Right-click the directory and go to Properties. Set the Directory permissions and Directory Security as follows.

Directory Security tab, under “Anonymous Access and Authentication Control”, press Edit. Check Basic Authentication and Windows NT Challenge/Response.

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

Windows NT: Open User Manager, then go to Policies/User Rights.

Windows 2000: Open Local Security Policy (Start/Programs/Administrative Tools). In Local Security Policy, go to Security Settings/Local Policies/User Rights Assignment. If the OWA server is a Domain Controller in Windows 2000, 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, usually C:\WINNT. This is for writing temporary MAPI profiles. If you do not want to grant the Write right to the system directory, a registry setting allows you to change the location that the temporary MAPI profiles are written to. This is explained in Microsoft Q article Q166599.

In NTFS security on the Help Desk directory in the file system, users need Read & Execute and List permissions.

Exchange 5.5 (Windows NT Server):

If your Help Desk public folder is not right under All Public Folders in Exchange, you need to modify Default.asp in the “helpdesk” directory to indicate the “Help Desk” public folder location. Otherwise, you will get a “recurse folder” error when you run the Web pages. Open Default.asp in Notepad, find these lines and make the changes below.

**** Look for the lines below in the Default.asp ****

' THE LINE BELOW HAS TO BE CHANGED IF THE HELP DESK IS NOT RIGHT UNDER 'ALL PUBLIC FOLDERS'

' SEE USER MANUAL FOR INSTRUCTIONS

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

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

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

Replace the “Set recursefolder” line with this (all on one line)

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

Replace the xxx with the folder names. The first Folders("xxx") must be the folder right under "All Public Folders". The next Folders("xxx") is a sub-folder under the first one, etc. Use only as many Folders("xxx") as you need to get to the Help Desk location. Make sure the folder names are spelled exactly as they are in the Public Folder tree.

For example, if your Help Desk folder is under “IT Services” which is under “All Public Folders”, then the line would read (all on one line):

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

II. SETUP OF FOLDER VIEWS IN OUTLOOK

In Outlook, use the Define Views dialog box and the information below to create the “Help Desk” view for the "Help Desk" public folder. Go to View/Current View/Define Views. If a view named “Help Desk” is not there, press New. If it is there, highlight it and press Modify.

Create a Help Desk view with these settings:

View Name	Type	Fields	Group By	Sort
Help Desk	Table	From User (from Help Desk Ticket fields)	None	Received (descending)
		Received (from All Mail Fields)
		Subject (from All Mail Fields)

To set fields, choose Fields in the View Summary. This brings up the Show Fields box.

To change which fields you can select in “Available fields”, go to the “Select available fields from:” drop-down box in the lower left.

Using the Define Views dialog box and the information in table below, create four views on the Assigned Help Desk Tickets folder: Help Desk, From, Priority and Ticket ID.

View Name	Type	Fields	Group By	Sort
Help Desk	Table	From User (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)	None	Received (descending)
		Received (All Mail Fields)
		Subject (All Mail Fields)
		Ticket ID (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)
		Task Priority (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)
From	Table	From User (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)	None	From User (ascending)
		Received (All Mail Fields)
		Subject (All Mail Fields)
		Ticket ID (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)
		Task Priority (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)
Priority	Table	From User (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)	None	Task Priority (ascending)
		Received (All Mail Fields)
		Subject (All Mail Fields)
		Ticket ID (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)
		Task Priority (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)
Ticket ID	Table	From User (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)	None	Ticket ID (ascending)
		Received (All Mail Fields)
		Subject (All Mail Fields)
		Ticket ID (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)
		Task Priority (Assigned Help Desk Ticket fields)