UAB CIS QuickStart Guide Using the RT SelfService Web Interface Revision 1, 3/22/06 Introduction The CIS department uses Request Tracker (RT) software to operate the IT Helpdesk and FrontOffice service request queues. There are two primary methods in which end users interact with RT. The first is via the email interface (helpdesk@cis.uab.edu / frontoffice@cis.uab.edu), which the CIS department has been using since RT was deployed. The second method is via a simple web interface known as RT SelfService. This functionality is now enabled for CIS department account holders and this QuickStart Guide outlines its usage. Prerequisites You are eligible to use the RT SelfService web interface if you meet all of the following conditions: You have a CIS Unix account You have submitted at least one email request to helpdesk@cis.uab.edu or frontoffice@cis.uab.edu from your CIS email account in the past. You are not an administrator or ticket owner for any of the Request Tracker queues (Helpdesk, FrontOffice, GradInfo, etc...) (If you are, you are already using the web interface available for RT administrators and ticket owners and this document does not apply to you) You use your CIS email account to submit most/all of your tickets. Only tickets submitted from your CIS email account will be visible in the SelfService web interface.
Logging into RT SelfService To log into RT SelfService, visit the following URL: https://helpdesk.cis.uab.edu/ This is a secure http address (https, not http). This address will work from anywhere, including outside of the department. You may be asked to accept a security certificate. If so, accept the certificate and continue. You will now see the login screen: For your username, use your full CIS email address (e.g. user@cis.uab.edu). For your password, use your CIS Unix network password.
Reviewing Tickets You will now see the RT SelfService main page. On the central panel you will see a list of your currently open tickets, their status, and their current owner: To review a ticket, click on its Subject. You will then see the ticket detail screen:
The first part of this screen is the ticket header with important information such as the ticket ID, the status and the date the ticket was last updated. The lower part of this screen contains the history of the ticket. Here, you can follow the progress of the ticket, reviewing all of the conversation that has transpired. Updating Tickets You can now submit updates to this ticket using the RT SelfService interface. To do so, click the Reply link found to the right of each previous update to the ticket: These Reply links include the text of that update in the reply (similar to an email reply that quotes the original text). The Reply form looks like: Type your reply and then click Submit.
Creating a New Ticket You can also use the web interface to report new issues. Simply click the New Ticket link in the menu on the left side of the browser: You will be asked to pick which queue you want (General for IT Helpdesk, FrontOffice for front office staff requests). After choosing, you will see the following form:
At a minimum, fill out the Subject and the issue description, and click Create ticket. Reviewing Resolved Tickets If you would like to reference previously resolved tickets, you may do so by clicking on the Closed Tickets link on the link menu on the main page. Logging Out To log out of the RT SelfService web interface, simply click the Logout link in the upper right hand corner of the page. Notes Only tickets created using the SelfService web interface or submitted via email from your CIS account will be visible. SelfService requires that you enter your CIS Unix password to gain access, and the only email address that is associated with your CIS Unix password is your CIS email address. You may continue to submit tickets from other email addresses, and manage them through the email interface. They simply won't be visible to you in SelfService. The Comment link has the exact same functionality as the Reply link. The Preferences page allows you to change your RT password. This has no effect in our setup. Our setup uses your CIS Unix password. This form will not change your Unix password.