Copyright 2015 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this document may be reproduced by any means nor modified,

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2 Copyright 2015 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this document may be reproduced by any means nor modified, decompiled, disassembled, published or distributed, in whole or in part, or translated to any electronic medium or other means without the written consent of SolarWinds. All right, title, and interest in and to the software and documentation are and shall remain the exclusive property of SolarWinds and its respective licensors. SOLARWINDS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS OR OTHER TERMS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, ON SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION FURNISHED HEREUNDER INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE WARRANTIES OF DESIGN, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL SOLARWINDS, ITS SUPPLIERS, NOR ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, WHETHER ARISING IN TORT, CONTRACT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY EVEN IF SOLARWINDS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. The SOLARWINDS, the SOLARWINDS & Design, DAMEWARE, ORION, and other SolarWinds marks, identified on the SolarWinds website, as updated from SolarWinds from time to time and incorporated herein, are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered or pending registration in other countries. All other SolarWinds trademarks may be common law marks or registered or pending registration in the United States or in other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks contained and/or mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Microsoft, Windows, and SQL Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. 5/18/2015

3 Contents Introduction 5 Key Features 6 Parent/Child Service Relationships 6 Automated Ticketing Processing 6 Asset Management 7 SolarWinds Product Integration 7 For Evaluation Users 7 Installation Requirements 9 Server Hardware and Software 9 Hardware 9 Operating System 10 Web Browser 11 Supporting Less Than 20 Techs 11 Supporting More Than 20 Techs 12 Server Sizing Requirements 12 SolarWinds Product Integration Requirements 12 Database Requirements 13 Embedded Database Migration Requirements 13 MySQL Requirements 14 SQL Server Requirements 14 Software 15 3

4 Web Help Desk Hardware 15 Discovery Connector Requirements 15 Hypervisor Requirements 17 LDAP Requirements 17 Mobile Admin Requirements 18 Host Server Requirements 18 Mobile Client Requirements 18 Virtual Appliance Requirements 19 Installing the Application 20 Installing Web Help Desk on a Microsoft Windows System 20 Uninstalling Web Help Desk 21 Installing Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX System 22 Uninstalling Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX System 25 Installing Web Help Desk on a Linux System 27 Uninstalling Web Help Desk on a Linux System 30 Upgrading Web Help Desk 31 How do I backup and restore the embedded PostgreSQL database? 32 Getting Started 34 Accessing the Web Help Desk Application 34 Setting Up the Database 34 Using an Embedded Database 34 Using an External Database 34 Creating an Integration Account 35 Creating the Default Admin Account 37 Accessing the Getting Started Wizard 38 Adding and Editing Custom Request Types 38 Adding Custom Request Types 39 Editing Custom Request Types 41 4

5 Introduction SolarWinds Web Help Desk software is a web-based automated ticketing solution that helps you manage your IT support requests for both internal and external clients. Web Help Desk includes a Web console with an integrated dashboard for performance reporting. Using customizable widgets that you add to the dashboard, you can track metrics such as ticket activity, ticket status, and ticket resolution in real time to help you decide how well your help desk is performing. The following illustration provides a high-level view of the Web Help Desk software architecture. All help desk processes are managed through the Web console. After you set up the application, you can configure Web Help Desk to perform specific tasks, such 5

6 Introduction as routing tickets to a specific help desk technician or work group, billing customers for parts and labor costs, and creating new tickets from requests or alert messages from a supported monitoring application. You can run Web Help Desk on the following operating systems and platforms: Microsoft Windows Server Apple OSX Red Hat Enterprise Linux Fedora CentOS VMware vsphere Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines Web Help Desk includes an extensive library of FAQs, integrated tool tips, and online help you can access from the Web console. See the Web Help Desk Documentation Website for additional information. Key Features Web Help Desk provides the following features for managing your enterprise or managed service provider (MSP) help desk operations: Parent/Child service relationships Automated ticket processing Asset Management Parent/Child Service Relationships You can link multiple service requests to one parent ticket to address a repeated issue or task (such as on-boarding a new employee or tracking your IT projects). You can also pass notes, attachments, and custom fields between parent and child tickets to share data to relevant tasks. See Creating Parent/Child Service Relationships for more information. Automated Ticketing Processing You can generate tickets manually in the user interface or automatically by s from any third-party monitoring tool. If you are running DameWare Mini Remote 6

7 Asset Management Control (MRC) (included with SolarWinds Help Desk Essentials), you can establish a remote connection and troubleshoot a client's system directly from a ticket or asset and save remote session details into a new or existing ticket. Additionally, you can create tasks to link a ticket automatically to an existing ticket that triggers an action rule. See Creating Tasks for information about creating tasks. See Creating Action Rules for Ticket Processing for information about creating action rules. See Automating Parent/Child Tickets for information about configuring tasks that initiate by action rules. Asset Management Using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) or supported third-party discovery tools, you can search a specific IP address range in your corporate network and create a list of client assets (such as computer systems, installed software, and attached peripherals). When asset discovery is completed, you can use DameWare MRC to connect remotely to a client system, troubleshoot the issue, and append remote session information to a new or existing ticket. See Managing Assets for more information. SolarWinds Product Integration You can automatically create new tickets from alerts received from the following SolarWinds monitoring products: SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor (SAM) SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) If the ticket is not resolved within a pre-configured span of time, Web Help Desk can escalate the ticket and send an SMS alert to the assigned help desk technician. Additionally, when you create new tickets, you can send notes to the end user to provide status or request additional information. For Evaluation Users For 30 days after you install your free version of Web Help Desk, you have unlimited Tech seats. If you have not entered a license after 30 days, Web Help 7

8 Introduction Desk automatically switches to a 1-Tech license, allowing updates up to 1 year. All Tech accounts other than the initial admin account become inactive. Purchasing and entering a license reactivates the deactivated accounts. Once you have purchased a license, enter it into Web Help Desk at Setup > General > License. Note: Converting your unlicensed version of Web Help Desk to a licensed version keeps all your existing Web Help Desk settings or files, so there is no need for reinstallation or reconfiguration. 8

9 Installation Requirements SolarWinds recommends reviewing the following requirements before performing an installation, upgrade, or migration: Server Requirements SolarWinds Product Integration Requirements Database Requirements Discovery Connector Requirements Hypervisor Requirements LDAP Requirements Mobile Admin Requirements Virtual Appliance Requirements Server Hardware and Software The following tables list the minimum Web Help Desk requirements for: Hardware Web Server Operating System Web Browser Hardware Component CPU RAM Requirements Intel 64-bit Dual Core 2.0GHz or faster 3GB (up to 10 technicians) Add 1GB for every 10 additional technicians 9

10 Installation Requirements Hard Drive Space Application Ports Product 20GB 8081 (or alternate browser port) 1433 (Microsoft SQL Server) Version Apache Tomcat Operating System Platform Microsoft Windows (less than 20 technicians) Microsoft Windows (more than 20 technicians) Microsoft Windows (Trial evaluation only) Apple iphone (for Web Help Desk Mobile) Apple OSX Red Hat CentOS Supported Versions Windows Server bit Windows Server 2008 (32- and 64-bit) Windows Server 2008 Release 2 (R2) 64-bit Windows Server bit Windows Server 2012 R2 64-bit Windows Server bit Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit Windows Server bit Windows 7 (64-bit) Windows 8.1 (64-bit) Apple ios 7 Apple ios (Mountain Lion) 10.9 (Mavericks) (Yosemite) Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) bit CentOS 6.5 (64-bit) 10

11 Web Browser CentOS 7.0 (64-bit) Fedora Fedora 20 (32- and 64-bit) Fedora bit Web Browser Note: Due to frequent updates of Google Chrome v32 and Mozilla Firefox v32, check the SolarWinds Support Website for the latest information about compatibility issues between these web browsers and the latest version of Web Help Desk. Type Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) Supported Versions Latest version Latest version IE9 IE10 IE11 Apple Safari Safari 7 Safari 8 Supporting Less Than 20 Techs For a 32-bit operating system, Web Help Desk uses a 32-bit Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The maximum memory that a 32-bit JVM can address varies slightly by operating system. However, 1600MB is a common maximum value. This value supports concurrent techs with no memory issues. Ensure you have enough physical memory in your Web Help Desk system to support both the 1600MB requirements for the JVM, as well as the server operating system and any additional services you run on the system. To adjust the maximum memory setting, edit the MAXIMUM_MEMORY option in the WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file. 11

12 Installation Requirements Supporting More Than 20 Techs To support more than 20 simultaneous Tech sessions, SolarWinds recommends installing Web Help Desk on a system running a 64-bit operating system and a 64-bit JVM. On a 64-bit JVM, you can increase the max heap memory to multiple gigabytes in size by editing the MAXIMUM _MEMORY option in the WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file. To enable the 64-bit JVM, add the following argument to the JAVA_OPTS option in the /Library/WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file: JAVA_OPTS= -d64 For other operating systems, install your own 64-bit JVM (Java 5 or Java 6), then update the JAVA_HOME option in the WebHelpDesk/conf/whd.conf file to point to your Java installation. Server Sizing Requirements SolarWinds Web Help Desk software manages help desk operations for networks of any size from small corporate LANs to large enterprise and service provider networks. Most Web Help Desk systems perform well on 3.0GHz systems with 3GB of RAM. However, when you create a large number of techs, consider the existing hardware and the system configuration. SolarWinds recommends adding 1GB of memory to your Web Help Desk server for every 10 technicians. SolarWinds Product Integration Requirements The following table lists the SolarWinds products that integrate with Web Help Desk. Supported Product SolarWinds Orion Platform SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor (SAM) SolarWinds Network Configuration Monitor (NCM) Version SolarWinds Orion Platform and later SolarWinds NPM 10.4 and later SolarWinds SAM 5.5 and later SolarWinds NCM and later 12

13 Database Requirements Note: SolarWinds SAM and SolarWinds NCM must be running with SolarWinds NPM to integrate with Web Help Desk. Database Requirements Web Help Desk uses an embedded PostgreSQL database as its standard database. See Embedded Database Requirements for specific requirements. The following table lists the supported databases. Database Supported Versions PostgreSQL PostgreSQL 9.2 PostgreSQL PostgreSQL 9.4 MySQL MySQL 5.6 MySQL 5.74 Microsoft SQL Server SQL Server 2008 SQL Server 2012 SQL Server 2014 Note: For optimal external database performance, run Web Help Desk and a supported external database on separate servers. See MySQL Requirements and SQL Server Requirements for more information about software and hardware requirements. Embedded Database Migration Requirements Web Help Desk no longer supports a FrontBase database. To automatically upgrade an embedded FrontBase database to an embedded PostgreSQL database, upgrade your software to Web Help Desk v and then upgrade to the latest version. Note: External FrontBase databases must be manually migrated to the embedded PostgreSQL database. To ensure that the Web Help Desk database upgrade starts automatically after the v upgrade, ensure that: 13

14 Installation Requirements Both FrontBase and PostgreSQL are running. The embedded FrontBase uses the whd and user whd schemas. The new server includes enough free space to support the database migration. Web Help Desk notifies you about the space required before migration begins. The migration process creates a $WEB_HELPDESK_HOME/temp folder with associated files. As a result, the system administrator performing the installation must have write privileges on both the FrontBase and PostgreSQL databases. After you upgrade to version , you can upgrade to the latest version. The version upgrade converts your embedded FrontBase database to an embedded PostgreSQL database. No additional database conversions are required to upgrade to the latest version. MySQL Requirements The following table lists the minimum software and hardware requirements for a MySQL database server. Software and Hardware MySQL Database CPU Speed Hard Drive Space Memory Requirement MySQL Community, Cluster, or Enterprise (version 5.5 or later) MySQL Workbench Tools Intel Dual core 2.0GHz or better 20GB 2GB plus 1GB for every additional 10 techs SQL Server Requirements The following tables list the minimum software and hardware requirements for a database server running Microsoft SQL Server. 14

15 Software Software Software and Hardware Database Requirement Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise, Express, or Standard Edition Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise, Express, or Standard Edition with the following components and requirements: SQL Server Database Engine SQL Server Management Studio SQL Server Management Tools TCP/IP enabled SQL authentication support CPU Speed Hard Drive Space Memory Intel Dual Core 2.0GHz or better 20GB 2GB (+1GB for every 10 Techs) Hardware Component CPU Hard Drive Space RAM Requirements Intel Dual Core 2.0GHz or better 20GB 2GB with 1GB additional RAM for every additional 10 techs Discovery Connector Requirements The following table lists the supported discovery connectors used for asset discovery. 15

16 Installation Requirements Note: SolarWinds SAM and SolarWinds NCM must be running with SolarWinds NPM in the Orion Web Console to integrate with SolarWinds Web Help Desk software. Discovery Connector SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) SolarWinds Network Performance Manager (NPM) SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor (SAM) Supported Versions SolarWinds NCM 7.2 SolarWinds NCM SolarWinds NCM SolarWinds NCM 7.3 SolarWinds NCM SolarWinds NCM SolarWinds NCM 7.4 SolarWinds NPM 11.0 SolarWinds NPM SolarWinds NPM 11.5 SolarWinds SAM 5.5 SolarWinds SAM 6.0 SolarWinds SAM SolarWinds SAM SolarWinds SAM Absolute Manager Absolute Manager 6.5 Absolute Manager 6.6 Absolute Manager 6.7 Apple Remote Desktop Apple Remote Desktop Casper Casper 8.6 Casper 9.0 Casper 9.63 Lansweeper Lansweeper 4 16

17 Hypervisor Requirements Lansweeper 5 Lansweeper 5.1 Lansweeper Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager System Center Configuration Manager 2007 System Center Configuration Manager 2012 System Center Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Cumulative Update 3 (CU3) Hypervisor Requirements The following table lists the supported hypervisor requirements. Product Supported Versions VMware VMware 5.5 Microsoft Hyper-V Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Server 2012 Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Note: Microsoft Hyper-V Server is included with Windows Server 2008 and later. LDAP Requirements The following table lists the supported Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) software products. Product Supported Versions Microsoft Active Directory Active Directory 2003 Active Directory 2008 Active Directory 2012 Release Candidate 2 (RC2) 17

18 Installation Requirements Open Directory Open Directory 4 OpenLDAP OpenLDAP 2.4 OpenLDAP Mobile Admin Requirements The following tables list the host server and mobile client requirements for the SolarWinds Mobile Admin software. Host Server Requirements Component Licensed version Free Trial / Evaluation Requirement Windows Server 2003 (32-bit) Windows Server 2008 Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8.x Microsoft.NET Framework.NET Framework 4.0 RAM Hard Drive 2GB 200MB RAM minimum 20GB for optimum performance Mobile Client Requirements Platform Supported Operating Systems Apple ios 7 ios 8 18

19 Virtual Appliance Requirements Virtual Appliance Requirements Web Help Desk supports installations on VMware and Microsoft virtual appliances when the hosting servers meet the minimum configuration requirements. Virtual server requirements are the same as the Web Help Desk server requirements. 19

20 Installing the Application The following procedures describe how to install Web Help Desk on Microsoft Windows, Apple, and Linux servers. Before you begin, ensure that the host system meets or exceeds the recommended requirements. See Server Requirements for more information. Installing Web Help Desk on a Microsoft Windows System To install Web Help Desk on a server running a supported version of the Microsoft Windows Server operating system: 1. Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the server that will host the application. Before you begin, ensure that you: Do not use a domain account. Verify the account is not subject to any local or group policy restrictions. Use the Run as administrator option when launching the installer on a system running Windows Server Quit all other programs before running the installer. 2. If you are installing SolarWinds Web Help Desk from a downloaded.zip file, navigate to the file, extract the evaluation package to an appropriate location, and launch the executable. If you are installing Web Help Desk from a CD, locate and launch the executable from the CD. If you are installing Web Help Desk on a system running Windows Server 2008, right-click the installer and select Run as administrator. When you launch the executable, the Introduction window appears. 20

21 Installing the Application 3. Review the Introduction text, and then click Next. The License Agreement window appears. 4. Review and accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next. The Choose Install Folder window appears. 5. Accept the default installation location or click Choose to select a new location. If you created a new installation folder but decide to accept the default location, click Restore Default Folder. 6. Click Next to continue. The Choose Shortcut Folder window appears. 7. Select a location for the product shortcut icons, then click Next. The installer creates icons in your selected location. If you select a location other than the Program group, the icons will not appear in Start > All Programs. Next, the Pre-Installation Summary window appears. 8. Review the information in the window, then click Install. The installation procedure begins, which requires several minutes to complete. When completed, the Install Complete window appears. 9. Click Done. The Install Complete window closes and the installation procedure is completed. Uninstalling Web Help Desk To uninstall the application on a Windows Server system: 1. Quit all running programs. 2. Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the server that will host the application. 21

22 Installing Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX System 3. Navigate to: C:\Program Files\Web Help Desk The WebHelpDesk directory appears. 4. In the directory, double-click UNINSTALL.bat. A command prompt window appears with a message prompting you to verify the uninstall. 5. Enter Y to continue. Web Help Desk and its associated data are uninstalled from the system. 6. Close the command prompt window. Installing Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX System To install Web Help Desk on a system running a supported version of the Apple OSX operating system: 1. Quit all running programs. 2. Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the Apple server that will host the application. 3. If you downloaded the application from the SolarWinds or Web Help Desk website, navigate to your downloaded.dmg file and double-click the file. 22

23 Installing the Application If you are installing the application from a CD, locate and double-click the.dmg executable to mount the installation program. The Web Help Desk splash screen appears. 5. Double-click WebHelpDesk.pkg. The Welcome screen appears. 6. Review the introduction text, and then click Continue. 23

24 Installing Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX System The Software License Agreement screen appears. 7. Review the terms of the license agreement, and then click Continue. A dialog screen appears, prompting you to accept the terms of the software license agreement. 8. Click Agree to accept the license terms. The Standard Install screen appears. 24

25 Installing the Application 9. Review the installation information, and then click Install. The Installation Complete screen appears. 10. Click Close to complete the installation. The application is installed on your Apple OSX system. Uninstalling Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX System To uninstall Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX system: 25

26 Uninstalling Web Help Desk on an Apple OSX System 1. Quit all running programs. 2. Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the server that is hosting Web Help Desk. 3. Open your Applications directory. The Applications folder appears. 4. In the directory, double-click Uninstall Web Help Desk. A command prompt appears, prompting you to verify the uninstall. 26

27 Installing the Application 5. Enter Y to delete the application and associated data. Web Help Desk is uninstalled from your Apple OSX system. 6. Close the command prompt window. Installing Web Help Desk on a Linux System Note: Installing Web Help Desk on a Linux system does not require appliance deployment. To install Web Help Desk on a system running a supported version of the Linux operating system: 1. Quit all running programs. 2. Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the server that will host SolarWinds Web Help Desk. 3. Navigate to your downloaded executable or the CD containing the executable. 4. Run the appropriate command based on your system configuration. For 32-bit systems, run: gunzip webhelpdesk- webhelpdesk-12.3.x.xxx-1.i386.rpm For 64-bit systems, run: gunzip webhelpdesk- webhelpdesk-12.3.x.xxx-1.x86_ 64.rpm 5. Run the appropriate installer command based on your system configuration. For 32-bit systems, run: rpm -ivhwebhelpdesk-12.3.x.xxx-1.i386.rpm For 64-bit systems, run: sudo rpm - webhelpdesk-12.3.x.xxx-1.x86_64.rpm During the installation, the following message appears: [root@loalhost ~]# r[m -ivh webhelpdesk-12.3.x.xxx- 1.x86_64.rpm 27

28 Installing Web Help Desk on a Linux System Preparing...webhelpdesk-12.3.X.XXX-1.x86_64.rpm ######################################### [100%] 1:webhelpdesk ######################################### [100%] Setting up the webhelpdesk-to start automatically at boot...done. To start the webhelpdesk, use 'usr/local/webhelpdesk/whd: start' Note: To upgrade an existing Web Help Desk Linux installation, apply the command -Uvh, rather than -ivh. 6. Run the following command to start the application: /usr/local/webhelpdesk/whd start During start-up, the following message appears: [root@localhost ~]# /usr/local/webhelpdesk/whd start Web Help Desk 12.3.X.XXX Copyright (c) SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC Using XX:MaxPermSize=256Starting postgresql-9.2 service: [ OK ] Starting the Web Help Desk on port Using CATALINA_BASE: /usr/local/webhelpdesk/bin/tomcat Using CATALINA_HOME: /usr/local/webhelpdesk/bin/tomcat Using CATALINA_TMPDIR: /usr/local/webhelpdesk/bin/tomcat/temp Using JRE_HOME: /usr/local/webhelpdesk/bin/jre 28

29 Installing the Application Using CLASSPATH: /usr/local/webhelpdesk /bin/tomcat/bin/bootstrap.jar:/usr/local/webhelpdesk/ bin/tomcat/bin/tomcat-juli.jar Using CATALINA_PID: ~] # Note: You can stop the application by running the following command: /usr/local/webhelpdesk/whd stop When you stop Web Help Desk, the following message appears: [root@localhost ~]# /usr/local/webhelpdesk stop Web Help Desk 12.3.X.XXX Copyright (c) SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC Using XX:MaxPermSize=256Stopping the Web Help Desk... Stopping postgresql-9.2 service: [ OK ][root@localhost ~]# 7. Launch your browser and navigate to the following URL: The Introduction text appears. 8. Review the text, and then click Next. The License Agreement text appears. 9. Review the terms of the agreement, and then click Agree. The Installation Information screen appears. 10. Review the information, and then click Next. A prompt appears, stating that the installation is completed. 11. Click Close. 29

30 Uninstalling Web Help Desk on a Linux System A dialog screen appears. To use the embedded PostgreSQL database, click Continue and go to step 12. To use a MySQL database, click Cancel and perform the following steps to connect Web Help Desk to MySQL: a. Clear the Use Embedded Database check box. b. On the right side of the Vendor list, click the drop-down menu and select: Microsoft SQL Server c. In the Host field, enter the SQL server IP address. d. In the Port field, enter: 1433 e. In the Database and Username fields, enter: WHD f. Enter the SQL whd user s password, and click Save. g. Close the Web Help Desk console. h. In the Applications folder, double click Stop Web Help Desk. i. In the Applications folder, double click Web Help Desk. j. Click Continue to initialize the SQL database and start WHD. 12. In the Web Help Desk Web console, enter admin for the user address and admin for the password, and then click Log In. You are logged in. Uninstalling Web Help Desk on a Linux System To uninstall Web Help Desk on a Linux system: 1. Quit all running programs. 2. Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the server that is hosting Web Help Desk. 3. Run the uninstaller using one of the following commands: 30

31 Installing the Application # rpm -e webhelpdesk-12.3.x.xxx-1.i386.rpm or yum remove webhelpdesk-12.3.x.xxx-1.x86_64.rpm The uninstall is completed. Upgrading Web Help Desk You can upgrade to the latest SolarWinds Web Help Desk version from the following versions: The Web Help Desk installation program automatically detects your current installation and walks you through the upgrade procedure. When you perform the upgrade, use the following conventions: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and later. Log in as an administrator and click Start > Web Help Desk > Run. Apple OSX. Log in as an administrator. Linux. Log in with local administrative privileges. To upgrade to the latest version of WHD: 1. Back up your Web Help Desk server and any database server associated with Web Help Desk. See Backing Up and Restoring the PostgreSQL Database for more information. If you are using a Microsoft SQL Server or MySQL database, see the backup and restore documentation included with your database software. Upgrading Web Help Desk will not impact your database and database table data. See Database Migration Options for more information. 31

32 How do I backup and restore the embedded PostgreSQL database? 2. In Web Help Desk, double click Stop Web Help Desk. 3. Launch the new Web Help Desk installer. 4. Accept the terms of the upgrade. The Web Help Desk installer upgrades the current installation. 5. When the upgrade is completed, close all browsers and double click Start Web Help Desk. How do I backup and restore the embedded PostgreSQL database? To back up the WHDv12.X.X PostgreSQL database using the WHD graphical user interface: 1. Navigate to Setup > General > Database. 2. Select the Vendor PostgreSQL. 3. Click Backup Now to perform a backup immediately. 4. Click Save to save your settings. If you have defined a backup schedule, clicking Save saves and applies the schedule set up for automatic backups. To back up the database outside the WHD graphical user interface: 1. Stop WHD. 2. Backup the database to another server, using the downloadedpgadmin3 tool or apply the PostgreSQL commands described in the PostgreSQL 9.3 Manual's Chapter 24, Backup and Restore. The pg_dump utility is located in the WHD_INSTALL_DIR/pgsql9/bin directory). Use pgadmin3 to connect to a server and restore database files on Windows: 1. Start pgadmin3. 2. Click the connector icon. 3. In the pgadmin3 New Server Registration window, enter only the following parameters in Properties, leaving the other fields empty or with default data: Name: whd 32

33 Installing the Application Host: localhost Port: Username: whd Password: whd Note: whd is the default password. Change this password immediately. 4. Shut down WHD. 5. Start the PostgreSQL service. 6. In the pgadmin3 Object Browser, expand Servers/whd/Databases/whd. 7. Right-click whdand select Delete/Drop. 8. Right-click Databases and select New Database. 9. Name the new database whdand click OK. 10. Right-click the new whddatabase and then click Restore. 11. Navigate to the desired database file or enter the filename. 12. Select the Rolename whd. 13. Click Restore. 14. Restart WHD. 33

34 Getting Started The first time you use SolarWinds Web Help Desk, the application walks you through the setup process using a Getting Started Wizard. This wizard walks you through the following processes: Setting Up the Database Creating the Default Admin Account Adding and Editing Custom Request Types Accessing the Web Help Desk Application To access the WHD Getting Started Wizard and begin setting up the WHD application, navigate to Start > All Programs > Web Help Desk. The WHDGetting Started Wizard opens in a browser window. Setting Up the Database Before you install SolarWindsWeb Help Desk, decide whether to use an embedded or external database. Web Help Desk comes standard with an embedded PostgreSQL database. Using an Embedded Database The embedded database is easy to set up. It works well for small to medium installations, and is configured as part of the Web Help Desk application setup in the Web Help Desk Getting Started Wizard. See Using an Embedded PostgreSQL Database for more information. Using an External Database SolarWinds recommends using a Microsoft SQL Server database. Be sure to install and configure SQL Server before you install Web Help Desk. SQL Server and Web Help Desk can reside on the same server or on a separate server. Web Help Desk can also use a new SQL database instance on an existing SQL Server. 34

35 Getting Started See Creating a Custom SQL Database for information about setting up an external Web Help Desk database. If you have an existing database, consider using an external database with Web Help Desk. Enterprise or multiple client installations must use an external database. Creating an Integration Account An alert source is a system or device that generates alerts. The source sends directly to SolarWinds Web Help Desk or to the Web Help Desk integration account. You can configure Web Help Desk to receive and process alerts from any alert source that transmits . The alert source transmits to the Web Help Desk integration account you create. The following illustration describes how Web Help Desk processes the alerts. The integration account provides external systems an integration point with Web Help Desk. This account includes both incoming and outgoing to and from the application. By default, Web Help Desk polls this account each minute for from users and alert-generating systems. Web Help Desk processes and transforms these s into Web Help Desk tickets and deletes all other s from the account. See Setting Up Incoming Accounts for information about configuring Web Help Desk to recognize and process s from the Integration account. To ensure the best possible system performance and results, set up a dedicated Web Help Desk integration account. Web Help Desk requires a dedicated business account for all integration . After you set up the dedicated account on a mail server, enter the configuration information in the Getting Started Wizard. Note: The incoming mail account requires an assigned request type by default. Web Help Desk uses your first configured request type as the default. When you complete the procedures in the Getting Started Wizard, you can update your account information by clicking Setup > and selecting either Outgoing Mail Accounts or Incoming Accounts. To configure your accounts in Web Help Desk in the Setup Wizard: 1. During the installation procedure In the Setup Wizard, navigate to Accounts. 35

36 Creating an Integration Account The Accounts window appears. 2. In the top field, enter the integration account address. 3. Complete the remaining fields as required. 4. Maximize Advanced. 5. In the Incoming Mail Port field, enter the port number for incoming mail. 6. Select the Require a Secure Connection check box (if required). 7. In the SMTP port field, enter the port number for outgoing mail. 8. In the Test Addresses field, enter your test addresses. Web Help Desk uses these addresses to test connectivity. 9. Click Test. 36

37 Getting Started If Web Help Desk contacts the account and is able to send the test , click Next. If Web Help Desk cannot contact the account and send the test , check your settings and rerun the test. 10. Click Next to continue. See Creating the Default Admin Account. Creating the Default Admin Account During setup, the Getting Started Wizard prompts you to create a single default admin account. This local super user account is used to: Log in to SolarWinds Web Help Desk for the first time and configure the application. Access all Web Help Desk settings and accounts. Administrators with a default admin account can create all user accounts, including additional admin accounts. The default admin account includes tech account privileges, allowing you to create and process tickets with tech privileges. Techs can have either Tech or Tech Admin account privileges. For information about adding tech accounts, see Defining Techs. Additionally, you can create client accounts and clients with privileges to create their own accounts. For information about creating client accounts, see Adding Clients. To create the default admin account: 1. In the Setup Wizard, navigate to the Admin Account section. The Create an Admin Account screen appears. 2. Enter your name, user name, password, and address in the appropriate fields. 3. Click Next to continue. The Request Types section appears. 37

38 Accessing the Getting Started Wizard Accessing the Getting Started Wizard After you complete the Getting Started Wizard and create your Admin account, the Getting Started Wizard is no longer accessible. To access Web Help Desk, log in through the Web Help Desk login page. If you try to access the Getting Started Wizard, an error message appears with a link to the login page, as shown below. To change your settings after you initialize the application, use the Web Help Desk Setup area. The Default Admin account is the only Web Help Desk account that can view and use the blue Switch to Client account toolbar button. When you create the Default Admin account, the Getting Started Wizard automatically links the Client account. Additional Admin and Tech accounts must be specifically configured to link to a client account. Adding and Editing Custom Request Types When a client creates a ticket, they can select a request type in the Ticket Details tab to specify a category that categorizes their issue (for example, /Outlook, Facilities, or HR). During setup, you can configure request types that route tickets to specific techs for problem resolution, automating your help desk processes. SolarWinds Web Help Desk includes standard request types, such as Hardware, Network, and /Outlook. If your organization requires custom request types to address additional requests, the Web Help Desk administrator can add and 38

39 Getting Started define these request types and edit the properties of existing request types to suit your needs. Note: For seamless integration with DameWare Remote Support, ensure that all Web Help Desk request types do not include required custom fields. Adding Custom Request Types To add a custom request type: 1. In the Getting Started Wizard, navigate to Account Types. The Add custom Request Types screen appears. 2. Maximize Add Request Type. The Create New Request Type window appears. 39

40 Adding Custom Request Types 3. In the Request Type Name field, enter Security. 4. In the Default Priority field, click the drop-down menu and select Urgent. 5. Maximize Advanced. 6. Click Add New Group. 7. Enter the name of the group handling security. In this example, the group is called Web Security. 8. Click Add. 9. Select any of the following options to enable clients to provide as much detail as possible: Require clients to add details Allow clients to add attachments Allow clients to review these requests after they are created 10. Click Save. 40

41 Getting Started Editing Custom Request Types To edit a request type: 1. Select a request type and click Edit. 2. Edit the request type as needed. For example, when editing the request type in the previous section, you can change the request name from Security to Web Security. 3. Click Save to save your edits. 4. Click Finish to complete the Web Help Desk setup. The Getting Started Wizard configures the embedded PostgreSQL database and the Web Help Desk application with your edits. 5. Click Login as Admin to continue setup. 6. Review and accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) and then click Continue. 41

42 Editing Custom Request Types Web Help Desk starts and opens the My Tickets window. 42