Maintaining Your Help Desk System

This chapter discusses the tasks involved in maintaining your issue tracking system.

Deleting Issues

Using HelpDesk Admin, you can delete specific issues (for example, “1” or “3, 6, 9”) or a range of issues (for example, “1-100”) from a project.

To delete issues:

In HelpDesk Admin, click Delete Issues on the Project menu.

In the Issues to delete box, type the issue numbers you want to delete.

You can type a specific issue number, a comma-separated list of issue numbers (“1, 5, 7”), or a range (“1-25”).

If you want to reuse the issue numbers of deleted issues, select the Recycle Issue Numbers check box.

Recycled issue numbers are assigned to new issues.

Managing Logon Sessions

About the Logons Editor

HelpDesk Admin includes a Logons Editor (Tools menu) that lists all users logged on to Web views, HelpDesk Admin, HelpDesk Web Admin, or the Web View Editor.

The Logons Editor displays the following information for each logon session.

Name

Date/Time

Workstation

Project

Virtual Directory

If the user is logged on to a Web view, the virtual directory is displayed. The virtual directory is the final part of the URL used to access the Web view. For example, if the virtual directory is named “helpdesk”, then the URL is http://server/helpdesk. You can use the Web View Editor to determine which views are at the specified URL.

Virtual directories such as helpdesk00, helpdesk01, and helpdesk02 are all accessed through the //server/helpdesk URL.

Application

This is either “Web View”, “Web View Editor”, “Admin”, or “Web Admin”.

Logging Off Users

To log off all users:

On the Tools menu, click Logons Editor.

Click Log Off All.

Before logging off a user, a Web view displays a message telling the user that Enterprise HelpDesk is shutting down. You can give users a bit more time by sending an immediate message. To do this, set the Send immediate shutdown message project option to Yes.

Repairing and Compacting

About the Repair and Compact Tool

HelpDesk Admin includes a tool for repairing and compacting Microsoft Access database files. This tool is available from the Tools menu (Repair and Compact), but to repair and compact project database files, you must select a project first.

About the Database Files

The Repair and Compact dialog box displays a list of databases and their locations. The list of includes both common databases (databases shared by all projects) and project-specific databases.

Note that while SQL Server databases are listed, you cannot repair and compact them.

Project-specific databases:

<project>01.dat stores issue data (<project>01_DAT is the SQL Server database).

<project>02.def stores project definitions such as fields, queries, and reports.

<project>03.usr is used by HelpDesk Admin.

Databases shared by all projects:

censusweb.mdb stores Web view definitions. Used by the Web View Editor.

users.mdb stores user and contact information (USERS_MDB is the SQL Server database).

Licenses.mdb stores licensing information.

For Microsoft Access databases, the location is a file path. For SQL Server databases, the location is the name of the SQL Server.

Compacting Database Files

Compacting optimizes the performance of Microsoft Access databases and can help prevent data corruption. If you make frequent changes in a database, parts of the database may become fragmented. We strongly recommend that you periodically repair and compact your databases.

To compact database files:

In the Project list, click a project.

In the Tools menu, click Repair and Compact.

In the Repair and Compact dialog box, select the database files you want to compact.

Note that SQL Server databases cannot be repaired and compacted with this tool.

Repairing Damaged Database Files

Repairing files allows you to recover corrupted or damaged Microsoft Access databases.

To repair a database file.

Make a copy of the damaged database file so that you have a backup.

Delete the .ldb file if it is present. You must close the corresponding database file before you delete the .ldb file.

If the database file is project-specific, click a project in the Project list.

In the Tools menu, click Repair and Compact, and then select the files you want to repair.

Click Start to run Repair and Compact on the selected files.

Running Security Repair

The Security Repair utility program repairs and compacts CenSys.mdw. CenSys.mdw is the system workgroup file that stores security settings such as user group permissions and passwords.

CenSys.mdw may become bloated and stop working. Symptoms include changes in user permissions, such as the inability to log on, or an increase in file size (normal file size is around 160 KB).

Security Repair works on the copy of CenSys.mdw found in the local HelpDeskTools folder (for example, C:\Program Files\PC-Duo Enterprise\HelpDeskTools). This prevents users from accidently running the program on the CenSys.mdw on the database server.

To repair and compact CenSys.mdw:

Make sure no one is editing users, groups, or passwords.

Copy CenSys.mdw from the HelpDeskServer folder to the HelpDeskTools folder.

On the Start menu, point to Programs and then click PC-Duo Enterprise. Point to HelpDesk and then click Security Repair.

Copy CenSys.mdw back to the HelpDeskServer folder.

Checking Integrity

About the Integrity Editor

The Integrity Editor (available from the Tools menu) allows you to remove database locks and validate the integrity of your databases. The integrity tasks apply to both SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases.

Remove Locks

Locks on Project Definitions

Removes locks on project definitions, such as reports, queries, fields, and sorts.

Project definitions are stored in a Microsoft Access database (the .def file). Microsoft Access uses lock files (.LDB) to tell which records are locked in a database and which users have the locks. Lock files may not be removed if Microsoft Access does not exit properly (for example, if the PC or the network crashes while you’re editing a project with HelpDesk Admin).

In this type of situation, you may get "locked by another user" messages when you try to use HelpDesk Admin. Running the Remove Locks task removes the lock files.

Locks on Users and Logon Sessions

Removes locks on users and logon sessions. Users are locked while someone is editing a record in the users database (the users.mdb file or, in SQL Server, the USERS_MDB database).

Sessions shown in the Logons Editor can be locked. For example, you may not be able to remove a logon that is several weeks old because it is locked. Run Remove Locks to unlock the logon.

Validate Integrity of Fields

This task verifies that the issue database and the project definition database are in-sync and have the same set of fields. The task also checks primary keys and indexes.

For example, suppose your issue database is damaged and cannot be repaired, and that your backup of the issue database is not in-sync with the current project definitions database (the definitions database has new fields that are not in the backup issue database). By running the Validate Integrity of Fields task, you can synchronize the backup issue database with the current project definitions database.

Validate Relationships

This task verifies that built-in related fields are set correctly in the issue database. In the HelpDesk project, the only built-in related fields are State and Progress.

Validate Relationships does not apply to field relationships created with the Workflow Editor.

Validate Integrity of Issues

This task verifies that the issue database and the revision history are in-sync, by checking the revision numbers stored in the different tables of the database.

Enabling Auto Repair

If you have problems running HelpDesk Admin, try using the Enable Auto Repair option (Tools menu).

Enable Auto Repair tries to repair HelpDesk Admin by fixing broken references, linking tables, and recreating objects.

To turn on auto-repair, click Enable Auto Repair in the Tools menu. Then exit HelpDesk Admin and log back on. While auto-repair is turned on, HelpDesk Admin runs in “repair mode”, which may be slower than normal mode.

Backing Up

About Backing Up

You should regularly back up your Enterprise HelpDesk databases. Besides backing up all the issue data entered into the system, you should also (though perhaps less frequently) back up the files and databases that define your projects and Web views.

You should back up the following files and databases. The files are all found in the HelpDeskServer folder.


Files	SQL Server Databases
<project>.cen <project>-01.dat <project>-02.def <project>-03.usr users.mdb Censys.mdw Licenses.mdb CenSession.xml CenInfoSession.xml censusweb.mdb	<project>-01-DAT USERS_MDB

The folder containing your generated Web views:

HelpDeskServer
	\CensusWeb\Views\CensusWebVD\

The folder containing your customized Web view files:

HelpDeskServer
	\CensusWeb\CUSTOMIZEDFILES\

The project folders:

HelpDeskServer\<project>

Backing Up Issue Databases

The issue database stores all the issues entered into the Enterprise HelpDesk system.

What to backup

Issue data is stored in the DAT database. By default, the DAT database is located in the HelpDeskServer folder (for example, C:\Program Files\PC-Duo Enterprise\HelpDeskServer).

Database engine	Database
Jet/MSAccess	<project>01.dat file
SQL Server	<project>01_DAT database

For projects that use Jet/MSAccess, you just have to backup the .dat file. For projects that use SQL Server, you can use the SQL Server backup functionality to do incremental or complete backups of the issue database.

You may also want to backup the project folder (for example, C:\Program Files\PC-Duo Enterprise\HelpDeskServer\HelpDesk). The project folder stores all files attached to issues.

You can use HelpDesk Admin to verify the location of the DAT database. In the Project list, click the project to display the Project Properties. The Project Location specifies the location of the DAT database.

Backing Up Projects

Projects include the definitions of fields, queries, sorts, layouts, reports, and notifications.

What to backup


Project File	Description
<project>.cen	Used for project initialization and versioning
<project>02.def	Stores all project definitions
<project>03.usr	Used by HelpDesk Admin

Note that Enterprise HelpDesk automatically backs up the tblDtsFields table in <project>02.def. This table contains the definitions of the fields in the project. The backup copies of the table are stored in the .def file.

Backing Up the Users Database

The users database contains all user and contact information, and is shared by all projects.

What to backup

If at least one project uses SQL Server, the user data is stored in a SQL Server database. Otherwise, the user data is stored in a Microsoft Access .mdb file. The users database is located in the HelpDeskServer folder (for example, C:\Program Files\PC-Duo Enterprise\HelpDeskServer).

Backing Up System Files

What files to backup

Database engine	Database
Jet/MSAccess	users.mdb file
SQL Server	USERS_MDB database

Censys.mdw (security database that contains users, groups, and passwords).

Licenses.mdb

CenSession.xml

CenInfoSession.xml

Enterprise HelpDesk automatically creates backup copies (in the HelpDeskServer folder) of CenSys.mdw and CenSession.xml when the files change. A mirror of CenSys.mdw is also available (the mirror file is named CenSys_mir.mdw).

Backing Up Web Views

What to backup

censusweb.mdb, a Microsoft Access database file that stores Web view definitions and settings.

The CUSTOMIZEDFILES folder. This folder contains all the customized Web view files (for example, custom reports).

The generated Web view files. Each Web view has its own folder. For example:

C:\Program Files\PC-Duo Enterprise\HelpDeskServer
	\CensusWeb\Views\CensusWebVD
		\HelpDesk_HelpDesk

The project folders. Each project has its own folder. For example:

C:\Program Files\PC-Duo Enterprise \HelpDeskServer\HelpDesk

The project folder stores attachments, the reports used to format notifications, and the queue of notification messages.

Automatic Backups

The tblDtsFields table in <project>02.def. This table contains the definitions of the fields in the project.

CenSession.xml

CenSys.mdw

You can disable these automatic backups by setting the Enable Backups option to No (in the Tools menu, click Options).

Performing Hot Backups

Hot backups are backups performed while the Enterprise HelpDesk system is in use. Hot backups are ideal for 24-hour-a-day operations.

To perform hot backups, the Enterprise HelpDesk administrator has to use database-specific tools:

To back up data in a SQL Server database, use the built-in SQL Server backup utility.

To back up Jet/MSAccess databases, use a third-party tool like FMS Total Visual Agent.

Restoring Backups

After restoring backups of the issue database and the project definitions database, use the Integrity Editor to validate the integrity of fields, relationships, and issue database.