OUTLOOK HELP DESK 3.1

 

User Manual for Web forms

Microsoft Exchange 2000/2003/2007 Server

 

Crow Canyon Systems, Inc.

http://www.crowcanyon.com

support@crowcanyon.com

 

This User Manual describes setting up the Web interface on Exchange 2000, 2003,and 2007. For Exchange 5.5 Server, see UserManual_31_Web55.htm

            Overview

            Setup of Virtual Directory on Server

            Screen Shots

 

Overview

Outlook Help Desk 3.1 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 3.1

You will need Exchange 2000, 2003, or 2007 with Outlook Web Access. Also, you need to have Outlook Help Desk 3.1 set up in the Exchange Public Folders before using the Web-based forms. Clients just need a Web browser.

The WebFiles31-2K.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

  1. Create a “helpdesk” directory under the Inetpub/wwwroot directory on your OWA server. Unzip WebFiles31-2K.Zip, then copy the files, except the User Manual, into this new Inetpub/wwwroot/helpdesk directory.
  1. 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, 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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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

       Set Session("AMSession") = Nothing

 

       ' CHANGE THE LINE BELOW IF YOUR HELP DESK FOLDER IS NOT RIGHT UNDER ALL PUBLIC FOLDERS

       ' EXAMPLE, IF YOUR HELP DESK FOLDER IS UNDER AN "IT Department" FOLDER:

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

 

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

 

       ' CHANGE THE TWO LINES BELOW TO MATCH YOUR ENVIRONMENT

 

       Session("EmailDomain") = "YOUR EMAIL DOMAIN"

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

End Sub

 

If the Help Desk folder is NOT one level under “All Public Folders”, then change the Session(“FolderPath”) line to match the correct path, adding however many levels you need.

 

The two lines below that need to be changed. Replace YOUR EMAIL DOMAIN with the email domain used on the Exchange server, for example:

            Session(“EmailDomain”) = “crowcanyon.com”

 

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

 

  1. 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.

 

 

 

  1. 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:

1.

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

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows Messaging Subsystem

2.

On the Edit menu, click Add Value.

3.

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.

 

 

  1. 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.

 

 

Screen Shots of Web-Based Outlook Help Desk 3.1

 

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:

 

 

The Assigned Tickets view also offers “Active Tickets” or “All Tickets”:

 

View an Assigned Ticket (read-only)

 

Logon screen:

The system should, in most cases, be able to log users in with just the one network login, 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.