SysAid's features and usage

Can SysAid generate a service request from an email?
Yes.

You can set this up by going to Preferences > Help Desk Settings> General Settings page. Add your details to the section starting Enable incoming (pop3) email integration.

What is the difference between an administrator and an end user?
An end user can submit service requests (bug reports, requests for help, etc.). An administrator can review these service requests and solve them.

An administrator can also configure SysAid by creating/deleting categories, users, rules, and more.

What is the knowledgebase?
The knowledgebase is a collection of service requests particularly worth remembering.

The knowledgebase can be searched separately. Into the seach field, enter part or all of the text that might appear in a service request's title, description, category, or any other field.
The search is not case sensitive, and punctuation marks are optional.
After you click "Search", a screen will appear with any matching service requests, best matches first.
You can search through all the service request by choosing the appropriate button.

What is an escalation rule?
When a certain condition is met, you might want a service request to escalate. When a service request escalates,it performs a predefined action.

An example will clarify matters.
Say that SysAid administrator Bob often forgets to solve service requests. If, within a month, he neglects to solve a service request assigned to him, you want SysAid to automatically email him the message, "Solve your service request!"
Our condition, therefore, is that a service request be open, a month old, and assigned to Bob.
The action is to email Bob. This is our escalation rule.
Now, whenever Bob fails to solve a service request on time, the service request will escalate, and SysAid will automatically remind Bob to solve it.

This was just one example. Various other conditions and actions are possible.

What is the Analyzer?
The Analyzer lets you view various reports on service requests, service quality, the hardware and software of computers, and more.

How to remote control an asset? When I click the remote control link, I see only a callback IP address.
First you, the administrator, need to install the SysAid administration tools into your workstation.

Then, run the SysAid remote control tool from Start >Programs >SysAid. You will see an icon in your tray bar. The remote control now listens to callbacks. The default port is 4228, but you can change it by right clicking the tray icon.

Now, when you select the remote control link, the remote computer will contact your workstation by the IP and port that were specified in the parameter in the screen. You can change the parameter if the automatically detected IP is not correct for your network.

All this allows you to remote control a computer behind a firewall!

How do I get the filter to display all available assets in Asset Types?
Go to System >Asset List and click on the Customize List icon.

A Customize List window will open.
Select from the Filter menu box the ${list.asset.type.caption} and click the Edit button.
A Filter Menu window will open, in the Filter Items list please "Remove" all items except for ${list.all}.
In the following fields, please enter the following information:

List Field: c.computer_type

Lookup Table: asset_types

Lookup Field: computer_type

Lookup Caption: caption

Click Close. Click Save.

I am using the Free Edition of SysAid. How can I read its database?
Note that new installations from SysAid edition 5.2 and up use only embeded Derby database. Earlier Free Editions use a firebird database (http://firebird.sourceforge.net).
The database is located in ...\SysAidServer\firebird\SYSAID.GDB.

You can use any database administration tool (for example, aquafold.com) to access the database. Of course, you will need some knowledge of working with databases.

Consult your ...\root\WEB-INF\conf\serverConf.xml to see the JDBC parameters SysAid uses to connect the database

How can I set locations in SysAid?
A user or asset can be listed under a certain location. On the user's or asset's display page, the location can be chosen from a drop down list.

To edit the list of locations, go to Preferences/Customize/Customized Lists. Select the location list.

How do I move SysAid to a new server when using the built-in Firebird database?

Perform the following steps to move SysAid and the Firebird database onto your new server:

Step 1: On the old server, stop the "Sys Aid Server" service. How to locate and stop services depends on your operating system. In Windows XP, for example, find your services under Control Panel " Administrative Tools " Services.

Step 2: On the old server, stop the "Firebird Guardian" service.

Step 3: Install SysAid on the new server using the installation wizard.

Step 4: On the new server, stop the "Sys Aid Server" service.

Step 5: On the new server, stop the "Firebird Guardian" service.

Step 6: Replace the new database file with the old one. The SysAid database file is located under your SysAid root folder at ...\SysAidSever\firebird\SYSAID.GDB.

Step 7: On the new server, start the "Firebird Guardian" service.

Step 8: On the new server, start the "Sys Aid Server" service.

How can I backup the built-in Firebird database?

There are two ways to backup the built-in database.

1. Warm (online) backup:

Use the gbak program in the firebird\bin directory to backup without stopping the database:

gbak -t -v -user sysdba -password masterkey "localhost:C:\Program 
Files\SysAidServer\firebird\SYSAID.GDB" <path to backup file>

2. Offline backup:

Step 1: Stop the "Sys Aid Server" service. How to locate and stop services depends on your operating system. In Windows XP, for example, find your services under Control Panel " Administrative Tools " Services.

Step 2: Stop the "Firebird Guardian" service.

Step 3: Backup the entire database file (SysAidServer\firebird\SYSAID.GDB).

Step 4: Start the "Firebird Guardian" service.

Step 5: Start the "Sys Aid Server" service.

Why can't I delete service requests from the database?
You do not need to delete old service requests.
SysAid ignores service requests with a "deleted" status, and only views them if you tell it to.
Once you change requests' status to "deleted", you can forget about them.

When I try to remote control a computer, I receive a "Remote control forbidden on this computer" error. How may I remote control the computer?
When you log into SysAid, go to Preferences >RC Settings.
There, you can choose to enable/disable remote control for your computers.

Can I access the Free Edition database with ODBC?
Note that new installations from version 5.2 and up use only embeded Derby database. Earlier Free Editions use the Firebird database. There are many ways to access Firebird databases, among them also ODBC. You can learn about Firebird at http://firebird.sourceforge.net.

You can view the database parameters in your serverConf.XML file (located at root\WEB-INF\conf).

Database documentation is available upon request.

If I upgrade from the Free Edition to the Full Edition, will I need to create my users again?
If you upgrade to the Full Edition, you can keep using the same database, so your users will still be there. In the Full Edition, you can also import users from your LDAP.

How do I create an FAQ for end users?
Optionally, you can create a self service screen for end users. End users can view this screen from the End User Portal. This lets them find solutions to common problems themselves, sparing administrators from answering recurring questions.

When you are logged into SysAid, click "Preferences" in the sidebar, then "End User Portal".

The self service screen appears within the End User Portal, so both must be enabled. Select the checkmarks next to "Enable End User Portal" and "Enable Self Service (FAQ)".

Next, click on the link "Edit End Users" Self Service". You will reach a screen where you can create and edit FAQ items. End users will see these items when logging into the portal.

Click on "Add New FAQ". You will reach a form for adding an FAQ item. Select a category, input the common question, and input the solution. In the self service screen, the FAQs will be sorted by category.

The FAQs you add will be listed in the "Edit End Users" Self Service" screen. Click "Modify" next to an FAQ item to edit it. Click "Delete" to delete it.

In your SysAid knowledgebase, you can also turn a service request into an FAQ. Go to Help Desk-> Knowledgebase.
Choose a Service Request from the tree on the left, edit it if necessary, and save it as an FAQ for use by your end users.  

I can not get the spell checker to work when set to English (GB). It works fine on the (US) setting but not on GB.
In order to use all the non - US English dictionaries in the spell checker please download http://www.ilient.com/down/lex.zip . Extract this zip file into the SysAidServer directory (usually under Program Files) and then restart the "Sys Aid Server" service.

How to modify the session timeout interval (that is, how long can you be inactive before your connection with SysAid will expire)?
In order to change the timeout interval, please edit the file:
...\SysAidServer\root\WEB-INF\conf\serverConf.xml.
You can find this file among the SysAid files on your computer.

Go to this file and after the line: webServerUser>false</webServerUser>
please add in a new line:  <maxInactiveInterval>____</maxInactiveInterval>

Fill in the blank space (____) the timeout value of your choice in seconds.

Finally, restart the "SysAid Server" service. Now the interval you have chosen will be activated.

My organization is located at the USA and we have a new daylight saving time. How can I synchronize the time with SysAid?
If the original version of SysAid you have installed is earlier than version 4.0, please update the Java version in the following link for windows:

http://www.ilient.com/down/SysAidServerJVMUpdate.exe

Note that the update is only for the Java version SysAid uses, it does not change your installed SysAid version. The action on the server will therefore be to restart the SysAid service.

In case you are using Linux or Unix, please install the updated Java version on Tomcat. Verify that your version is 1.5 updated to 6 and up.

How to run SysAid upgrade wizard?

Go to the SysAid upgrades page on our website, and choose the upgrade which is relevant to you. Please note: you need to choose the upgrade according to the platform your SysAid is installed on (Windows/Linux) , NOT according to the database type you use.

The SysAid upgrade should be downloaded to the computer on which SysAid server is installed. You will not be able to upgrade SysAid by running the wizard on just any of your workstation.

Download the relevant upgrade. If you did not use SysAid upgrades for a long while, please make sure you are upgrading to the correct version. For instance, if you wish to upgrade from SysAid version 4.0.9, upgrading to the current version will be in two steps: first, you will first need to upgrade to version 4.5.03, and only then will you be able to upgrade to the current SysAid version.

To download the upgrade wizard you will be asked for your username and password.

If your username and password are expired, please contact us to renew you SysAid Support and Upgrades account.

If SysAid is not installed in the default location, you need to change the location in the upgrade wizard. Insert the correct location where your SysAid is installed.

Please check that your customizations are not saved in the default location, which is SysAid server\root\web-INF\conf\html, but in a different directory.

Note that you do not have to stop or start the service. The SysAid upgrade wizard will do this for you.

Your question was not answered here?
Check the other FAQ lists, troubleshooting section or contact us for support. If you have access to a SysAid account, you may also view the help files.

If you contact us for support, please attach your SysAid log file. You can find it under root\WEB-INF\logs, in the directory where you installed SysAid. The file is called sysaid.log.

If you encounter a problem while installing SysAid, please attach the file called wrapper.log as well, which is located in the "logs" folder.

Finally, if relevant, please attach a screen capture. These will help us determine the source of your problem.