The SysAid Newsletter - Mac Integration, Database Backup

Practical tips, stories and advice for SysAid users

This is Israel Lifshitz, Ilient's CEO.

Ilient team is proud and happy to present the first issue of our SysAid Newsletter. Our customer base is growing rapidly, and so we would like to keep you informed, as well as to offer you some advice and helpful tips for using SysAid to your maximum advantage.

You are receiving this newsletter since you have downloaded SysAid and subscribed to our support and updates service.

SysAid News: SysAid Mac Integration, Updated User Manual, New version 4.5

In response to your requests, we are now developing a MAC OS X integration for SysAid. The integration is now available upon request, in a beta version.

An updated and extended version of the SysAid User Manual is now available in Ilient's website. To see the guide as a PDF file, click here.

New version of SysAid, no. 4.5, is expected in April. This new version will include many improvements and new features, including a monitoring module that will send automatic reports about the workstations in your network. By monitoring your inventory you will be able to foresee and prevent most of the IT failures.

How to minimize the phone calls arriving at your Help Desk

A Tip from Sarah Lahav, the Head of Ilient Support Team

One of the important benefits of implementing SysAid in your organization is that your IT administrators will be able to address service requests sent through email, rather than constantly having to respond to telephone calls.

Still, your end users may find it difficult to get used to addressing the IT department in ways other than a telephone call. Therefore, it is useful to devote some time to familiarize your end users with the submission of service requests via the SysAid end user interface.

When an end user calls up the help desk, it is best to encourage this user to use the SysAid end user interface for future requests. The administrator can use this opportunity to direct the end user who called how to fill out a submission form for a service request.

Next, the administrator will explain the end user how he/she can follow the service request in SysAid, and also suggest that future service requests should be submitted via SysAid.

If you manage to minimize the number of phone calls arriving at your help desk, you will be able to decrease the workload on your administrators, and your help desk will be much better organized and less hectic.

A Useful Tip for SysAid Users: Database Backups

Save your database.
We really recommend creating backups of your SysAid database, even as often as every day. This can be quite simple to do, and it can save you a lot of hassle. Here are some instructions of how to save your SysAid database, in the case of a built-in Firebird or an embedded Derby 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

To backup a built-in Derby database :

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

Step 2: Backup the entire directory located under SysAidServer\root\WEB-INF\DB.

Step 3: Start the "Sys Aid Server" service.

To create a backup of an external database such as MySQL, Microsoft SQL or Oracle, please consult your DBA.

ITIL Best Practice

Service Desk utilities: Keeping your customer informed

One of the most significant values of keeping an efficiently functioning service desk is that you can keep your customers informed at any time. It is recommended to update your customer in every step of your work and keep him/her constantly informed of the state of the service request he/she has submitted.
Such information, which can be very useful for your customer, is, for instance: when the service request is received and dispatched, when it is being directed to experts, when it is resolved, and when any other relevant information about the service is required.

SysAid can provide such updating service automatically, in various ways:

• You can configure sysAid to send automatic notifications to your end users on various stages of the service process.
• You can configure SysAid to escalate service requests in pre-determined conditions and then send relevant notifications to your end-users.
• SysAid helps you keep in touch with your customers through a wide range of communication options: SysAid interface, email, customized webpage, telephone, or even SMS messages.