Regional Transit Employee Portal User s Guide

Transcription

1 Regional Transit Employee Portal User s Guide Table of Contents Overview... 1 RT Support Policy... 1 Accessing the RT Portal... 2 Choose Your Tool... 3 My GroupWise (GroupWise WebAccess web-based )... 3 My Network Folders (Novell NetStorage)... 5 Move files in NetStorage... 8 RT Remote Desktop Frequently Asked Questions...15

2 Overview Regional Transit provides employees with an internet based method of access to company information and technology tools through the RT Employee Portal. This access allows employees to securely retrieve company information and RT applications from their home computer, from a computer kiosk (e.g. at an airport), from a wireless device (e.g. Blackberry), or for extended use such as, telecommuting from home. This guide describes how to access the RT Employee Portal and how to use the tools provided there. RT Support Policy The Information Technology (I.T.) department provides information about accessing RT network resources using a high-speed internet connection. However, it does not support your home internet connection or your home PC s operation. All questions regarding your home internet connection should be directed to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). The I.T. department will support any issues you may have with the RT Employee Portal itself, that is, its tools, applications, functionality, etc. The I.T. department will NOT support issues you may have with your home computer system. Problems with your home PC, Internet browser, internet connection, spyware, viruses, printer, and home computer applications (MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) should be addressed with a local support vendor. The following system configurations are recommended for your home computer: Broadband Internet connection. DSL, cable, or fiber. Dial up connectivity is NOT supported. PC Operating System: Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional edition, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate editions Browsers: The following browsers (or newer) are recommended: o Internet Explorer 6.0 o Mozilla o Mozilla Netscape o Mozilla Firefox o Mozilla Seamonkey o Safari 1.2 or IE for Macs (Note: If you will be using the RT Remote Desktop, you will need to download the ICA client for Macs from citrix.com) Java: The following java versions (available from java.sun.com) or newer are required: o Java 2 Runtime 1.4.2_07 o J2SE Runtime 5.0 Update 6 Telecommuting Employees who desire to telecommute must provide their own equipment. Repairs to employee owned equipment will be the responsibility of the employee. Employees must possess a high-speed internet connection to the internet. This includes DSL (e.g. AT&T/SBC), Cable Modem (e.g. Comcast) or Fiber Optics (e.g. Surewest). A dial-up connection is too slow to be practical for telecommuting purposes. Page 1

3 Accessing the RT Portal To access the Employee Portal, go to the Regional Transit public website ( From the navigation bar on the left, choose About RT and then select Employee Portal. This will take you to the RT Employee Portal homepage. Page 2

4 Choose Your Tool My GroupWise (GroupWise WebAccess web-based ) GroupWise WebAccess is the web-based version of GroupWise. GroupWise WebAccess lets you send and receive mail messages, appointments, tasks, notes, and attached files. In addition, you can keep track of your schedule with the Calendar, search for times when participants are available for a meeting, check your shared and Find folders, etc. Also, in this new version of GroupWise WebAccess (GW 7) there are many features which make using on the web easier than it used to be, including dragand-drop and right-click context menus. Log in with your Username (not case sensitive) and your GroupWise password. This may or may not be the same as your Novell network password, depending upon how you ve set it. Basic Interface: Check this box only if you will be using WebAccess solely on a mobile device. Graphics and functionality are limited in this view. Remember my settings: If you use the same browser to log in to GroupWise WebAccess again, your preferences are saved. Timing Out: By default, users are logged out of GroupWise WebAccess after 20 minutes if they have not performed any actions that generate requests. Actions such as opening or sending a message generate requests. Other actions, such as scrolling through the Item List, composing a mail message without sending it, and reading Help topics, do not generate requests. Page 3

5 GroupWise WebAccess Help The GroupWise WebAccess interface is very similar to many web-based programs, so most functions are relatively self-explanatory. If, however, you find you need help, the GroupWise WebAccess Help menu is a great resource. It includes Contents, Index and Search menus. In the Contents menu you ll find a How Do I section which explains the most common functions you ll use. GroupWise WebAccess Options The Options menu is similar to the Options menu in the Windows version of GroupWise you use at work. It allows you to customize GroupWise WebAccess for your own preferences. You may select the number of messages displayed on one page, change your password, change proxy access, rules, signature and the time zone you prefer. Changes you make from WebAccess options will be applied to your post office, so you will see these changes from the web AND from the Windows version of GroupWise you use at work. Page 4

6 My Network Folders (Novell NetStorage) My Network Folders allows you to access the same network drives and folders that you may access at work. With this tool, called Novell NetStorage, you can exchange files between the RT network and your home computer. When you click the link My Network Folders, you will be prompted to log in. Type your network User Name and Password (Remember, this is not necessarily your GroupWise password.) NetStorage displays the network files and folders currently accessible to you. The menu is very similar to Windows Explorer folders are located in the left pane, click the plus sign to display folder contents in the center pane. Page 5

7 You may not be able to view all folders within a network drive, since only the first 75 folders are displayed in the left window. If you would like to access a folder that is not displayed, find the scroll bar arrow at the bottom of the screen. Drag the bar to the right to display other folders. Downloading a File for Use If you wish to work on a file, you must first download it to your home computer. You may then edit it, save it and upload it back to the network. 1. Locate the file that you wish to download. 2. Click once on the file name (or click in the checkbox) 3. Click on the File menu (or right-click selected file) and select either: a. Download-This function will allow you to download a file to your computer but will allow another person to make changes to the file still on the server. b. Download and Lock-This function locks a file you have downloaded, so that no one else can make changes to it while you have it open. When you are finished, make sure you upload the file back to the same location it was downloaded from to unlock it. c. Click Save. d. You will be prompted to save your document to your home computer. Page 6

8 Note: If your pop-up blocker is turned on or if your security settings are not set low enough you may get a warning. To temporarily allow pop-ups: 1. On the yellow bar below your browser s address window, click on the link, Click here for options 2. Choose temporarily allow pop-ups from the drop-down list. Upload a File to NetStorage Page 7

9 Upload a File to NetStorage If you want to copy a file from your home computer or have finished editing one you ve already downloaded, you must upload it to the network drive folder. 1. Select a folder from the menu on the left pane where you d like to upload the file. 2. From the File menu, select Upload. 3. Browse your home computer s files for the file you want to upload. 4. Once you ve selected the document, click the Upload button. Move files in NetStorage When using NetStorage, you do not have drag-and-drop capabilities. You can, however, move files from one folder to another. 1. Right-click on the file you want to move and select Move. 2. A window opens giving you directions to Go to the destination folder and click Paste. Page 8

10 Logout of NetStorage It is very important you logout each time you are done using NetStorage, especially if you are using a public computer. If you don't logout, someone else could deliberately or inadvertently access your account, delete files or cause other problems. You are responsible for your storage space and all of the files that are stored there. 1. Click on the logout button at the top of the page. 2. Once you have logged out, you will see the following displayed on your screen. Page 9

11 RT Remote Desktop The RT Remote Desktop and Applications area of the portal allows you to use single applications (e.g. Headways, SAP, etc.) or use the full RT Desktop remotely. The first time you access the RT Remote Desktop you will be prompted to install the Citrix ICA Client. Click the link provided and follow the installation instructions. As long as this program remains installed on your computer, you won t have to do this step again. Page 10

12 Whether you use the applications from the Remote Applications window or the full RT Remote desktop, a secondary window will be launched on your home computer. You will not be using applications on your home computer when using these tools. RT Intranet: This takes you to Headways, the RT intranet. It will launch a browser from inside the portal but not the browser on your home computer. RT Remote Desktop: is a virtual RT desktop similar to the one you use at work. See details below. SAP Logon: This will launch SAP. You will access to the same transactions you have when you are at work. Note: You may or may not see additional applications in this window, depending on your access permissions. Page 11

13 What is the RT Remote Desktop? Sometimes when you re working remotely, using just one application at a time, like GroupWise, SAP or NetStorage, just isn t enough--this is where the RT Remote Desktop comes in handy. This tool gives you access to a multi-user computer at RT we ve named Matrix. This computer has a special operating system from Citrix Corporation which allows it to serve multiple users at the same time, providing each with their own Windows desktop. When working within a Matrix session, your desktop will look and feel similar to your PC at work. From this session you will have access to all standard RT programs (Office, SAP, Headways, GroupWise, etc.) and access to your H, I and J drives. A Note about Logging In Sometimes when logging into Matrix, you may get a security message like the one below: When this happens, do the following: 1. Click OK. This will take you to the Novell log-in screen, where your user name will be highlighted. 2. Retype your user name and press the tab key or click inside the password field. When you see your user name become capitalized you ll know the network has identified your user name and the department you work in. 3. Enter your password and click OK. Page 12

14 4. You may get an additional Windows password screen prompt if you ve lost internet connection. If that happens, close the existing Matrix session and begin again. 5. If you continue to get error messages, call the I.T. Helpdesk at About Uploading/Downloading Files to Your Home Computer Using Matrix While it is possible to exchange files between your home computer and the RT network while are you are using Matrix, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED due to the extreme slowness of file transfers. If you want to exchange files between your home computer and the RT network, the best tool to use is My Network Folders (Novell NetStorage). However, it is possible to access your home computer s drives from within the RT Desktop. From Windows Explorer (on Matrix, NOT your home computer), go to My Computer--everything listed here are the drives you have access to on the RT network. Your home computer is referred to as Client. Go to My Network Places>Entire Network>Client Network>Client to view your home computer s drive letters from Matrix. Drives you have access to on Matrix Drives located on your home computer Page 13

15 Printing to Your Home Printer When you are using the RT Remote Desktop you may print to your home printer or to a RT printer. The default selection will be to print to your home printer. To see all the printers available from the RT Remote Desktop, simply click the Printer Setup folder on the desktop. Home printers begin with the word Client and have the printer name after that. A list of available printers will be displayed. If you don t see your printer from this list, contact the HelpDesk ( ). Page 14

16 Frequently Asked Questions Q: What s the difference between using My Network Folders (NetStorage) and accessing District network folders from the RT Remote desktop? A: Copying files between the District network and your home computer are faster using My Network Folders (NetStorage) than they are using the RT Remote desktop (Matrix). If you prefer to use your home computer s applications, NetStorage is the preferred tool to use. If you want to use all the District s applications and desktop from one place and you don t plan to download/upload documents between the District and your home computer, then the RT Remote desktop is the preferred tool to use. Q: I ve been working on a document from the I drive and I want to print it on my home printer but I don t see it in my printer list how can I add it? A: If you don t see your home printer in the printer list, contact the IT Helpdesk ( ). Q: I want to access my home computer s hard drive (C drive) from the RT Remote Desktop but how do I find it? A: See section titled About Uploading/Downloading Files to Your Home Computer Using Matrix of this document. Q: I get this error message when I try to log in, what does it mean? A: This error means your password or user name are incorrect. Q: I use Trapeze and notice that after closing it I have a window that says Trapeze CDBLOG, what should I do with this? A: Close this window. Your RT Remote Desktop session will not be completely closed until you close the Trapeze CDBLOG window. Q: What are all these printer names I see in the printer list? A: Some are RT networked printers; some are printers of other home users. The system will default to your default home printer. If you don t see your home printer on this list call the Helpdesk ( ). You may also print to a networked printer at RT from the list. If you don t see the RT printer you d like to use from the list, call the Helpdesk. Page 15