Version 1.7. Inbound Integration (POP3 and IMAP) Installation, Configuration and User Guide. Last updated October 2011

Transcription

1 Version 1.7 Inbound Integration (POP3 and IMAP) Installation, Configuration and User Guide Last updated October 2011

2 1 Introduction and Overview The Case for monitoring Installation Procedure... 2 Backup... 2 Uninstalling and Preparing folder... 2 Install Files... 2 Helpdesk Compatibility and Database Updates EMLmonitor Configuration and Connection to Account Multiple Installations... 5 Different helpdesk on same server... 5 Connecting to different accounts in same helpdesk Help Desk Configuration Settings and Integration Manual Handling in Help desk Automated checking and Call Generation Configuration Inbox Running EMLmonitor as a Service Troubleshooting Page:2

3 1 Introduction and Overview EMLmonitor is designed to create support requests from s sent to a central support mailbox. It may be used to generate new support requests and also add Events to any existing requests when replies are received from customers/users. This may be done automatically or using a manual interface. Incoming integration is provided by a POP3 / IMAP component (DLL) which can access any POP3 or IMAP enabled mail system MS Exchange, Lotus Notes, Internet etc. There is also an option to use an SSL (encrypted) connection. Note; EMLmonitor requires a separate license. Visit for prices or sales@sitehelpdesk.com for a written quotation. There are two interfaces to EMLmonitor: Manual - Using the Check option under Call Management menu you can manually create or update calls from incoming s. Automated - Running EMLmonitor.exe interactively or as a Windows service will automatically pick up all incoming s with a valid address and convert them to tickets (or add events to existing calls). EMLmonitor.exe will a. Create or update call tickets from new s that arrive into the POP3 mail box b. Optionally sends replies back to end users or customers notifying them that a support request has been created. Both the manual and the automated options may be used at the same time but if they both try to access the account at exactly the same time then one will get locked out. We advise using the manual interface until you are confident of the process and that the mail box is being used for the proper purpose and do not set the automated service to run too often. Note: If the from address cannot be found against an End User or Customer Contact the record cannot be imported automatically and will remain in the queue. These do require intervention to assign to the appropriate person or Customer or be selected for deletion. In effect this protects you from Call tickets being created from SPAM or rogue s. attachments and images in the body of the are automatically added as attachments to the Call ticket. The installation is designed to be installed with version 7.6 or later of sitehelpdesk, sitehelpdesk- IT or sitewebdesk. If you have any questions not answered in this document then please contact support@sitehelpdesk.com. Page:1

4 2 The Case for monitoring Many companies have now evolved an culture where the majority of communications are managed in this medium. s are fraught with problems when used in the support environment. Communications get lost, threads and all actions taken are not visible and most importantly there is little or no reporting of volumes or resolutions at the end of the process. Our web based help desk products overcome the need for s to be used to log and track call because users or customers can log requests and view their call histories. However, there is still a need to communicate via from within a call ticket, such as when entering Events or auto notifying of call closures. EMLmonitor integrates and helpdesk by: Allowing staff to requests that then get automatically (or manually) converted to tickets. Making the helpdesk available 24/7 with call logging option and automated call id number responses. Bringing all replies back into the helpdesk ticket to ensure all communication threads leading to a resolution are recorded against the ticket. Reporting of date and times of call being logged by are based on when support requests are made rather than when support staff are available to convert requests to tickets. 3 Installation Procedure Backup As a precaution, as some of the files will be replaced and to be able to review your existing configuration settings, it is good practice to backup your existing \sitehelpdesk folder (and sub folders) before installing EMLmonitor. Uninstalling and Preparing folder Remove the EMLmonitor service. To do this launch \ \EMLmonitor.exe (right click and Run As Administrator if you have that option), go into the Config button option, enter the name of this EMLmonitor service (EMLmonitor by default) and click on the Remove Service button. Note: If you have EMLmonitor running for other help desk installations on the same server then you need to enter the name of each unique EMLmonitor service and remove those as well. Uninstall any previous version of EMLmonitor via the Control Panel, Program Features/ Add/Remove programs or the start menu All Programs, EMLmonitor, Uninstall menu option. Note some early versions of EMLmonitor did not contain an uninstaller so just delete the files as per the next instruction if this applies to your upgrade. Navigate to the sitehelpdesk\ folder and remove any files that are still there. This will ensure they get installed by the EMLmonitor installer only. Install Files Download EMLmonitor from the Software Upgrade menu on the sitehelpdesk.com support site or from files supplied by sitehelpdesk.com. Page:2

5 Fully extract the zip into a new folder and then Run the setup.exe (right click and Run as Administrator if you have that option) You must accept the license agreement to proceed. The path defaults to sitehelpdesk\ . Browse if a different installation path is required. Note that EMLmonitor must be installed in the folder below your sitehelpdesk installation folder. Click Next until the successfully Installed message appears. Helpdesk Compatibility and Database Updates EMLmonitor 1.7 requires sitehelpdesk/sitehelpdesk-it/sitewebdesk version 7.8 or later. Check in help, About for your version. If you are on an earlier version than 7.8 then: Either upgrade the helpdesk from the Software Upgrade menu on sitehelpdesk.com support site Or login to the helpdesk and change the url to run the following database updates. Page:3

6 4 EMLmonitor Configuration and Connection to Account IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not simply copy back your backup of mailconst.asp but edit the new one which will have new configurable features. If any of the configuration items below are changed later you must stop and start the EMLmonitor service from the control panel or close and reopen the desktop application before they will take effect. Open up \sitehelpdesk\ \mailconst.asp with Notepad and enter your values between the quotes. Note all values are case sensitive. configuration option Description Set MailServer = "servername" e.g. Set the configuration options to connect to the required mailbox on the mail server. or IP address of Server. Set MailID = "logonid e.g. me@myco.com or network account (domain\username) Note : With MS Exchange, EMLmonitor requires an Exchange Mailbox (not distribution list). If required create a new mailbox and forward s to this new account. Set MailPass = "password" Enter the password required to connect avoid use of special characters like SSL = "N" Set to Y if the mailbox requires an SSL connection on port 995 AuthType = "0" 0=User/Login, 1=APOP(CRAM-MD5), 2=NTLM Protocol = "0" 0=POP3, 1=IMAP4 (for IMAPS use 1 here and SSL= Y ) MailRefresh = 5 Determines how often the EMLmonitor.exe will automatically retrieve new s in minutes. Set a time that allows you to manually intervene in between. e.g at least 5 or 10 minutes is recommended. MailUserConfirm = "Y" Determines if the user/customer will receive an automated message. Set to Y if you wish to automatically send a reply with the Call ticket id that has been assigned. MailUserText = "A support call This is the text that will accompany the reply back to the user/customer. IgnoreSubject = "Auto Reply,Undelivered" Will ignore s which contain this text in the subject line to prevent the creation of unwanted events or calls. Separate text with a comma. WebAddress Set the web site address for your sitehelpdesk application. This is used to create valid hyperlinks in the alerts. AutoAssign = "{assign to}" You may specify an Operator ID for the generated calls to be auto assigned to. If you are using sitewebdesk and have set a default auto assign Operator/Team against the customer then that takes precedence over what is entered here. NOTE: The name entered must exactly match an Operator ID (case sensitive). E.g. AutoAssign = "admin" IgnoreDup s = "Y" Set to Y to ignore s that have originated from the same address and with the same subject line (that doesn t include a call id) and have already been turned into a call. If you want to turn auto generated s from a monitoring system into calls then set this to N as these usually have the same subject line. DeleteWhenProcessed = "N" Set to Y to automatically remove the from the account once it has been turned into a call. We recommend changing to Y to keep the mailbox clear and to speed up each cycle of EMLmonitor checking for new s. DisplayLogo = "Y" Set to N if you do not want to display the default helpdesk company logo in reply s. Note: outgoing s must be configured for HTML format and the recipient must have url connectivity to the helpdesk server for logos to appear. Page:4

7 5 Multiple Installations Different helpdesk on same server Note: This installer can only be run once on a server. Running it again will prompt you to uninstall the existing version. If you have multiple helpdesks and require multiple installations of EMLmonitor then follow these instructions. Take a backup copy of the other installation s folder Copy the entire contents of the sitehelpdesk\ folder (ie where EMLmonitor was just installed) to the folder of the other installation(s) Configure each with it s own unique details in MailConst.asp by editing in notepad. Run each \EMLmonitor.exe separately and if you save as a Service use different service names. Connecting to different accounts in same helpdesk Note: This installer can only be run once on a server. Running it again will prompt you to uninstall the existing version. You can only configure the helpdesk to use one reply address. We advise one account used by support and that all other s accounts forward to the one account that EMLmonitor connects to. However, if you still want to import s into a single helpdesk from multiple support accounts then this requires multiple installations of EMLmonitor under the same sitehelpdesk installation folder. Follow these instructions. Create a new folder under sitehelpdesk e.g 2 Copy the contents of folder to 2 Configure each with it s own unique account login details in MailConst.asp Run each \EMLmonitor.exe and 2\emlmonitor.exe separately. When saving the Service make sure you enter a different name than the default (which will probably have been used in your first install) If you want to use the manual interface then you could create a new Link option e.g. Page:5

8 6 Help Desk Configuration Settings and Integration Configure the option in sitehelpdesk to allow incoming integration - Logon to the helpdesk - Select Administration, Configuration - Select Integration section - Set "Have you purchased EMLmonitor?" to Yes - Apply Changes - Logoff and back into the helpdesk The last date and time that EMLmonitor was run automatically will be displayed on the home page. If you are relying on this to generate the calls automatically then check it regularly to make sure the service or application is running. Page:6

9 7 Manual Handling in Help desk Once additional software is installed on the web server and configured, an additional menu option labelled Check will appear under Call Management. This will display all s from the predefined central mailbox. Note that if the EMLmonitor.exe application or the service is running and importing s then the mailbox will be locked by the application. If you cannot gain access wait a few moments and try again. If you encounter an error then refer to the trouble shooting guide and the end of this document. Any s already processed will have an open icon and will have the Call number displayed. Any junk may be deleted immediately by selecting and using the Delete option Page:7

10 The can then be opened and the contents viewed. If the users address is recognised it will pre-populate the user /contact details. If not, then you have the opportunity to add them now. There is an button for quick replies if this does not warrant a call being generated. Select the Call Types, Priority and assign to an operator then click on Log Call. This will then create a new support request and report the Call id. You may then opt to delete the , go back to the Inbox or create a new call. Note: If you select the same for import again you will be taken to the Call Update page of the call that was created. If you have active Templates then a selection may be made. This will update the call with the Template s Call type/ Sub Type, Operator, Priority and Status only. It will not add the template text or create any linked template calls. If no User address match is found then the User name (sitehelpdesk) or Customer/Contact (sitewebdesk) is not populated. You can use the Add button to create a valid record for them. You may delete that now (or later) Page:8

11 Selecting an that is a reply to an that has been sent out from the helpdesk will match the call id in the subject line and create an event on the original ticket. Note: You may edit the body text to remove any signature information or disclaimers etc that may clutter the system before adding. Page:9

12 8 Automated checking and Call Generation EMLmonitor.exe can be run interactively or as a Windows service and will automatically create support requests from s sent to a specific mailbox. Reply s will be attached to the original ticket as an Event using the call id in the subject line and the operator notified. Run the EMLmonitor.exe located in the sitehelpdesk\ folder (right click and Run as Administrator if you have that option) Configuration POP3 server: This will come from the MailConst.asp configuration page, and should be set for this particular installation. Username: This is the name from MailConst.asp used as the login id to the mailbox Password: This is the login information from MailConst.asp. Note: changing the above in the application interface will not update the configuration so edit MailConst.asp to keep the changes. Save Path: This is where a record of s is kept, by default this will be in a folder named processed under the folder. The absolute path must be set to this. So enter the path where the application is installed on your server. DSN Name: This should be set to the same name used in the ODBC settings for the system DSN connection to your helpdesk database, usually sitehelpdesk but if you changed this during installation then you must use the same name here. Type: Select the required database types, currently MS Access or MS SQL Server (Use the SQL option if you are running the application on MSDE) Page:10

13 Refresh: This tells EMLmonitor how often to poll the box and check for new s. As this will require server resources and add to the activity on the database and account, it is suggested a reasonable default. We recommend a refresh rate of above 5 minutes to ensure that previous processing is complete before it restarts. We also recommend that you set the configuration option to DeleteWhenProcessed = "Y" to speed up each cycle. User: If this is checked then the person sending in an request will receive an automated notification with their call id number when a call is created by EMLmonitor. The alerts are sent using either the local SMTP component of IIS or a remote server. Use the following instructions to install and configure a local SMTP service: - Install SMTP Service Then use the Test button from within EMLmonitor.exe to confirm that alerts are delivered ok. Please check FAQs if you experience any issues Start: Click button to begin the automated logging. If you encounter an error that you cannot connect to the mailbox then refer to the trouble shooting guide at the end of this document. Inbox s with valid addresses will be highlighted with a * and have the company and contact details displayed to the right (sitewebdesk), or Site and Department (sitehelpdesk). You may also intervene and retrieve or delete individual items manually by highlighting them if you wish. Attachments will be added to the calls as well. Running EMLmonitor as a Service Once EMLmonitor has been executed and the configuration settings have been confirmed then you may run EMLmonitor as a Windows service rather than interactively. Click on the Config button to bring up the option to Add or Remove the EMLmonitor service. Running as a service allows you to define the service name. If this is a second installation then type a new service name for EMLmonitor eg EMLmonitor-FM and Install. EMLmonitor s last run time will be displayed on the welcome page when logging into sitehelpdesk. Note, if you receive the following screen when trying to save the service then close EMLmonitor and reload by right clicking and select Run as Administrator : Page:11

14 9 Troubleshooting A log file (\sitehelpdesk\ \emlmonitor.log) is maintained which can be viewed to check on the status. Establish EMLmonitor connection: 1. Launch emlmonitor.exe and then go to config and remove the service (if it is running) 2. Close emlmonitor.exe 3. Go into the helpdesk and then Call Management, Check If the option is not there go to Administration, Configuration and turn on Have you purchased EMLmonitor YES, click apply changes, log out and in again 5. From Call Management, Check , does it list the s in the helpdesk? 6. If not then need to firstly establish if a connection can be made on port 110 using telnet. Go to command prompt (from the helpdesk server) and type TELNET {mailserver} 110 Similarly IMAP connects on port 143 This will prove that you can connect to the Mail server using POP3. You should receive a connection message and can now confirm that the account is correct. Enter the following in the Telnet screen USER { account} PASS { password} This will confirm that the login and password are correct. 7. If no telnet session can be established then port 110 is not open, check the firewall or try the server name in place of the IP address. 8. Once a telnet connection can be established then you need to establish this connection by editing mailconst.asp 9. Double-check the account details provided in the MailConst.asp. If you are using web based then the MailID will be the address (me@myco.com). If you are using an internal mail server like Exchange Server then the MailID will be the network account (domain\username) 10. Save mailconst.asp and try the check again until a connection is established. Once a connection is established then EMLmonitor can be run as a Executable or Service. 1. Firstly edit mailconst.asp and make sure the MailRefresh = 5 or higher save mailconst.asp 2. Launch emlmonitor.exe and start 3. It should run Ok if a connection was proven via Check in the helpdesk. Outgoing notifications 1. EMLmonitor does not manage outgoing s. This is handled by SMTP and is configured in the helpdesk, Administration, configuration page. You can use local or remote server and there is a check option in the config page. 2. Review the configuration. Once you can successfully send a check to your self then provided you have turned on the required notification options you should receive s back that EMLmonitor has logged calls. 3. It should also be noted that if you are using the manual interface and assigning the call to yourself then you will not get an notification. Try assigning to another operator to see if they get a notification instead. Further Support - If you are still experiencing issues then please check our FAQs. For further assistance please contact support@sitehelpdesk.com. Page:12