Knowledge Base / FAQs

Answers to all the questions we get in Tech Support are here. We have grouped the KB articles and Frequently Asked Questions by solutions/sub-categories (i.e. Discovery > Delegate, MicroAgent, NOC) or general categories (if across multiple solutions - Reporting). You can click on any category to jump to that category or click ctrl-F to search for a particular keyword.

General

KB_1009: How come the bulletins keep coming up even when I click "Do Not Display"?

Answer: When you click the button, we put a cookie on your machine to tell the bulletins to "not display" on login. If you have cookies turned off, then the bulletins will always display.

If your IE7 browser is configured properly so that the cookie data is saved; it may be related to the Internet Options > Privacy settings. Go to Tools > Internet Options > Privacy tab. Click on Sites and add the following URL https://manager.systemsmanagementondemand.com/

ALSO - Firefox 2.X provides an option to clear your private data after every session, which includes cookies, etc. so every time you login, the bulletins will display. The default for "Do Not Display" if checked is five days.

KB_1088: What are the advantages of SaaS (hosted) over on-premise software?

Answer: The promise of SaaS and Systems Management on Demand is IT 2.0 – Hosting your success™. Imagine provisioning a fully functional systems management solution in literally seconds. There is no hardware to buy and best of all no maintenance ever! Speaking of maintenance, we invest man-years of effort maintaining a 300,000+ title software catalog so you don’t have to, because quite frankly you have better things to do with your time. Now imagine evaluating best practices and knowledge from 1000s of IT specialists in literally seconds. All this and more awaits you with IT 2.0.

KB_1089: Is there a limit to the number of systems (assets/computers/servers) I can track?

Answer: No, there is no limit to the number of systems TriActive can track.

KB_1010: How does the system work?

Answer: The MicroAgent™ resides at your site and provides communication between the systems in your enterprise and the configuration and systems management services.

The Data Center (NOC) resides at the operations facilities, where the Operations team maintains the configuration and systems management services needed to run your IT operations.

The Portal or Systems Manager is located in the Data Center and provides access from your IT department's systems through Web-based interfaces to the configuration and systems management services, including data on your systems.

KB_1011: What security precautions do you take?

Answer: Because data security is such an important issue, we have addressed how to safely and securely transfer your IT systems information through the firewall and across the Internet using encryption technologies. We use SSL to provide secure logons for subscribers using the systems. All communications between the MicroAgent, DataCenter, and Portal is secured using SSL, and Web remote control sessions are secured using AES 128-bit encryption. The Data Center restricts physical access to the remote systems that store your data, ensuring that those systems continue to securely run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And we periodically perform penetration tests to verify that the defense systems are active. By implementing these stringent measures, we provide subscribers with a comprehensive, end-to-end security strategy.

KB_1012: How secure are the credentials stored in Systems Manager?

Answer: All credentials are created/stored using AES 128-bit encryption using a random key generator per MicroAgent, and transfered over SSL.

KB_1013: Can I delete an end user?

Answer: No, because end users are required for historical tracking. They are attached to help desk tickets, assets, etc. You can disable end users, which turns them into place holders in the database. This allows us to reference them for tracking without giving them access to open tickets or assign assets to them.

KB_1014: I need to change system names. Will Systems Manager detect the system name changes?

Answer: Yes. First you need to change the system name and reboot the machine. Next you need to go to the Assets tab and select the old system name to do an asset Scan On Demand. The name change should be reflected in the service after a couple of minutes if the down call delegate system was able to contact the asset.

KB_1015: Can I create shortcuts that are important to me?

Answer: Yes. On your dashboard, you can add My Links by editing the dashboard and adding My Links to one of the columns. This allows you to add URLs to locations you would like to quickly navigate to. As with any link displayed, clicking on the link will go to the link within the current window. If you want to keep Systems Manager up, remember to right-click > open a new tab/window.

KB_1090: What languages are the components translated in?

Answer:

CSC (Customer Service Center)

English
German
French
Spanish
Puerto Rican (localized)
Swedish
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese

MicroAgent

English
French
German
Spanish

KB_1016: What about data privacy?

Answer: The system management information for your company is kept secured and private. The Data Center is SAS70 compliant and the facility’s processes have been ISO9001:2000 certified compliant. We have no affiliation with any software vendor, in particular Microsoft, Symantec, Adobe, Oracle, IBM, etc. that would compromise the install license count and usage associated with their software. Simply put, your data is your data, and is only available through the portal.

Assets

KB_1017: How do I delete an asset?

Answer: If the asset is on the network and accessible by the delegate system; go to Admin > Deployment > Remove Agents. This will remove the MicroAgent from the asset itself; in addition, it will delete the asset and MA records from the database. If the asset is entirely out of service; go to Admin > MicroAgent > Delete and input the asset name. This will remove the asset and MA records from the database but not the asset itself. The manual uninstall tool available under Admin > MicroAgent > Download would need to be executed on the asset itself.

KB_1018: How do I add asset details?

Answer: Go to the Assets tab and click on the asset you want to add details. From there you can select the "Magnifying" icon to edit specific asset details such as Asset Tag numbers. In addition, select the appropriate tab such as End User to edit.

KB_1019: Can I create custom fields for Assets?

Answer: Yes. Go to Admin > Assets > Assets > Custom Field Definitions. Once enabled, they will display on the System Inventory page below Technical Details.

KB_1020: I have duplicate system names. How to I delete one? How do I know which one to delete?

Answer: If duplicate system names appear in the Asset tab; go to Admin > MicroAgent > MicroAgent > Delete and input the duplicate system name. This will return a list of assets with the name. Use the "Last Contact" date to determine which asset needs to be deleted. The one with the older Last Contact Date is the one to delete.

KB_1021: I need to change system names. Will Systems Manager detect the system name changes?

Answer: Yes. First you need to change the system name and reboot the machine. Next you need to go to the Assets tab and select the old system name to do an asset Scan On Demand. The name change should be reflected in the service after a couple of minutes if the down call delegate system was able to contact the asset.

KB_1022: The number of assets under the Asset tab differs from the discovery/deployment pages, why?

Answer: This is normal, the discovery/deployment pages may list many different devices depending on the type and number of namespaces/domains the discovery scan was run against. The Asset tab is the real indicator of what Assets you have under management.

KB_1023: What happens if I delete an asset without removing the MicroAgent?

Answer: Deleting an asset removes the asset record, and all its inventory, from the database. The asset will not display in any report, Remote Tools, or Assets. This operation cannot be reversed, so be careful deleting assets.

** NOTE: Deleting the asset from the database without removing the MicroAgent does not uninstall or remove the agent from the system. If the MicroAgent is still "alive" and the system gets Internet access, the system will be recreated in the database during the next registration session with the NOC. Therefore, please use the Admin > Deployment > Deployment > Remove Agents to remove the agent from a managed system before removing the asset from your database.

KB_1024: How do I determine how many out of service assets I have?

Answer: Go the the Admin> MicroAgent> Delete page; from there use the "Last Contact Before" date and go back a couple of months. Those assets that haven't contacted our NOC will show up. You can review the list and delete those assets you know are out of service. Keep in mind that if the asset really does exist; when it connects to the Internet it will register with our NOC and the Asset and MA records will be recreated if they don't exist.

Fixed Assets

KB_1025: What are some examples of fixed assets?

Answer: A fixed asset is any item that you cannot put a microagent on, but that you still need/want to track. Photocopy machines, projectors, PDAs and cell phones are all examples of fixed assets. Once your fixed assets have been imported you have one place to track warranty information and help desk tickets for all of your assets.

Discovery & Deployment

KB_1026: Discovery is not finding the correct number of devices/systems in my network?

Answer: Go to the delegate system and bring up the Control Panel. From there select Network Connections and go to My Network Places. From there go to Entire Network. This should bring up a list of domains that are visible by the delegate. If you click on any of the domains, it should return a list of systems. This is what discovery will find. If the systems are not showing up in the network neighborhood on the delegate, discovery won't be able to identify or find the other systems.

KB_1027: How do I set up auto-discovery and deployment?

Answer: Go to Admin > Delegates and edit the Discovery delegate; click the "Auto-Invoke" box and leave the time value at 24 hours. For auto-deployment; edit the Deployment delegate and click "Auto-Invoke," leave the time value at 24 hours.

KB_1028: My discovered endpoints page shows a different number of assets than the asset tab, why?

Answer: This is normal, the discovered endpoints page may list many different devices depending on the type and number of namespaces/domains that the discovery scan was run against. The Asset tab is the real indicator of what Assets you have under management.

KB_1029: How do I determine how many out of service assets I have?

Answer: Go the the Admin> MicroAgent> Delete page; from there use the "Last Contact Before" date and go back a couple of months. Those assets that haven't contacted our NOC will show up. You can review the list and delete those assets you know are out of service. Keep in mind that if the asset really does exist; when it connects to the Internet it will register with our NOC and the Asset and MA records will be recreated if they don't exist.

KB_1030: What is a delegate?

Answer: The delegate or delegate functions run on a system(s)/computer(s) designated and required for implementing Systems Management On Demand Services perform the following functions:

1. Down Call Delegate – The DCD runs a process referred to as a Down Call Session or DCS. This is the system/computer that is “opened” up to the NOC via firewall and/or other network configuration changes for outbound communication during the initial installation.

The DCS process is the mechanism the services use to initiate various requests for information, updates, etc. from the systems within your portal/network environment. The process “pokes” the system(s) and the system(s) respond by contacting the NOC to check for messages. The messages may include the request to run a patch or software distribution, an On Demand asset scan, security scan, remote control session and/or a variety of other tasks.

2. Discovery Delegate – The Discovery delegate is used when performing namespace/domain discovery scans to identify network connected components in your networking environment and to determine whether the devices that have the MicroAgent(MA) installed or are capable of having the MA installed.

3. Deployment Delegate – The Deployment delegate is used when distributing the MicroAgent to the systems that were identified during the discovery scan process.

4. Security Delegate – The Security delegate is used for On Demand security/patch scans. This security scan needs to be performed after a system is rebooted following a successful patch distribution.

5. Depot Delegate – The Depot delegate is used to store many of the Microsoft security patches. The system must have at least 500 MB of free disk space to facility this. This allows systems within your environment to contact the depot delegate for patches instead of having to go the windows update site. If the patch doesn’t reside on the depot delegate; the patch distribution will fail over to Windows update and download the patch.

All of the delegates can, and for easy of management, should be the same system/computer. The delegate functions require very little in the way of CPU/processor time, memory (core agent < 200k) or disk space, so generally speaking any system meeting the basic Operating System requires will suffice. It is recommended that the system have a static IP address and be available most, if not all of the time, since many Systems Management On Demand services depend on the delegate system. In DCHP environments, it is recommended that the renewal of the delegate system’s IP address be set in such a way as to minimize IP address changes.

A Backup Domain Controller is also a suitable choice; but any system that is available on the network can be used. Since no real data is stored on the delegate system; other than the depot, system data backups are generally not required and no special considerations need to be made to an existing backup schedule or strategy.

KB_1031: How do I change my Downcall Delegate system?

Answer:
1. Go to Admin > Delegates

2. Click the 'Edit' icon for 'downcall' in the Type column to the server of your choosing. A Domain Controller is recommended.

3. Logon to that server and Stop/Start the TriActive MicroAgent Service located within Services under Administrative Tools.

4. Refresh the Admin > Delegates page. The Status should go to blue. If not, refresh again in a minute or two.

5. After the Status has turned blue, change the other Type 'depot', 'security', 'deploy,' and 'discover' to the server that was selected as the Downcall system.

MicroAgent

KB_1032: What level of credentials do I need to install the MicroAgent?

Answer: Credentials refer to the domain, username, and password used to connect remotely to the endpoint. In the discovery phase, the discovery agent requires access to the registry on the endpoint to determine the location and, if present, the status of the MicroAgent. In the installation phase, the deployment agent requires administrative access to an endpoint’s shared file systems, the service control manager, and registry to install or remove the MicroAgent.

In most cases, it is sufficient to specify the credentials at the namespace level (i.e. MSDomain, Wins Server, or Subnet). In the cases where access to the endpoint has been modified in a non-standard way, specific credentials may be required.

The discovery, deployment, and security compliance agents can impersonate an arbitrary domain login to gain access to a remote system; however, it is crucial to understand that the login must be valid on both the delegated agent system (the discovery, deployment, or security compliance delegate) and the target system. Since the delegate agent must use resources on the system on which it is running, resources such as temporary disk space in the case of a deployment operation or the ability to invoke a process in the case of security compliance, may no longer be permitted by the local operating system after the agent impersonates the specified user.

KB_1033: Do I need a Microsoft domain in order to remotely install the MicroAgent?

Answer: No. As long as you have local administrator credentials, you can still use the built-in Discovery and Deployment mechanism. Otherwise, you can install manually by using the installer located in the portal under Admin > MicroAgent > Download.exe.

KB_1035: What can I do if I do not have a domain or local admin credentials?

Answer: In this case, you can manually install an agent on each machine. You can accomplish this task by touching each machine individually, by allowing your end users to install it from a shared drive on your network, or by using login scripts.

KB_1036: Is "File and Print Sharing" required to deploy the MicroAgent?

Answer: In order to deploy the agent using the Discovery and Deployment tools, each target machine must have File and Print Sharing enabled. If this feature is disabled, the agent can still be manually installed.

KB_1037: Can I deploy the MicroAgent from a machine that has a personal firewall enabled?

Answer: If the initially installed machine has a personal firewall enabled, there are a few adjustments that are required in order to proceed. Typically, personal firewalls inhibit a machine’s ability to communicate with other machines in the network or accept connections from other machines. The necessary changes enable the minimum access required to achieve deployment of agents. You can make these changes using Group Policy through Active Directory or manually on a machine-by machine basis. For more information on this issue, please see the XP SP2 Configuration document on your Dashboard under Important Information.

KB_1038: How do spyware blockers affect the MicroAgent installation or its functionality?

Answer: Spyware blockers prevent applications from being remotely installed without the knowledge of the end user; therefore, spyware blockers can prevent MicroAgent installation. In order for the MicroAgent to install completely and run scans successfully, you must either disable your spyware blocker during the installation or add the MicroAgent as an exception.

KB_1039: Does my spyware blocker program need to be off all of the time if the MicroAgent is running?

Answer: Your spyware blocker does not need to be off while the MicroAgent is running; however, when the spyware is re-activated it will detect that a new application is running and will notify the user. If the user does not allow or accept the MicroAgent, the spyware will stop the agent from working. So if you do turn the spyware back on, be sure to allow the MicroAgent as an authorized exception.

KB_1040: Can I remotely deploy to machines running Microsoft Windows 95/98?

Answer: The underlying Microsoft Windows subsystem required to remotely deploy is not a part of the Microsoft Windows 95/98 operating systems. Other deployment options for these systems are manual install or login script.

KB_1041: How can I test the performance of my network and NOC connections?

Answer: Many customers call us with performance issues, only to find out that there is a problem with their ISP, network, updated router config, etc. To ensure we have enough information to troubleshoot these calls properly and in a timlier manner, we've written a number of connectivity test tools that test all the connectivity (IP addresses and ports listed in the KB article below) functions from a MicroAgent hosted machine on your network. Below are the steps we have you take when you open a support ticket regarding performance issues. If you run these ahead of time and copy the results into the ticket when you open it, it will speed up our ability to troubleshoot and resolve your issues.

1. Click here and record the host that you are logged onto.

2. Click here to download or run the Connectivity Test Tool. Run this from a machine that is experiencing performance issues (record the hostname of the endpoint). Record the results in the ticket. Click here for the tool's documentation.

3. Go to speedtest.net and run a test to multiple servers. Record the results.

4. Click here, and do the following:
Perform the "Round-Trip HTML" test. Record the number of seconds for a response.
Perform the "Round-Trip JSP" test. Record the number of seconds for a response.
Perform the "Round-Trip w/Size" test, setting the size to 100. Record the number of seconds and the server you are logged into.

5. Log out of the service, close all browser sessions, open a new browser, login. Then click here to see if you logged onto a different server, and re-run the tests to compare. Let us know if performance is different between servers.

KB_1042: Does the MicroAgent work with a proxy or firewall?

Answer: Yes, our service works with most proxy servers and firewalls. The current exceptions are SOCKS proxy and authenticated ISA proxy. The following list identifies the required IPs and Ports for our service to work with those proxy servers. You can create just one proxy rule with few exceptions if you define ranges, or one rule with each IP/port combination.

Small Exception Rule:
IP Range for TriActive MA, Help Desk, Remote, CSC, Manager:
Network Address: 66.45.78.64 /26 (range covers x.x.x.64-128
Network Mask: 255.255.255.192
Open ports 80 and 443 (HTTP/HTTPS)
For Monitoring Customers:
IP address 216.105.97.250 port 443
IP address 216.105.97.252 port 443
For Patch Management Customers: URL exception to Microsoft - www.download.windowsupdate.com

If you want to exclusively define each IP and port combination, below is a comprehensive list for all traffic for each component or solution (when we add new servers, you will have to go back and add the new IP addresses):

MA Traffic:

Description	Transport Protocol	IP Address	Port
MicroAgent Data Collection	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	66.45.78.93	443
MicroAgent Registration	TCP/IP HTTP(S)	66.45.78.81	443/80
File Server (same as MA Reg)	TCP/IP HTTP(S)	66.45.78.81	443/80
Real-time Management Server	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	66.45.78.89	443
Web-based Remote Control	TCP/IP HTTP(S)	66.45.78.113	443/80
Web-based Remote Control	TCP/IP HTTP(S)	66.45.78.118	443/80
Monitor Collector/Poller Agents	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	216.105.97.252	443

CSC/Manager Traffic:
If your specialists access manager or the customer-facing Web remote control pages, here are the IP address exceptions needed, as well as the Microsoft URL for downloading patches.

Description	Transport Protocol	IP Address	Port
manager.systemsmanagementondemand.com	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	66.45.78.109	443
go.systemsmanagementondemand.com	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	66.45.78.111	443
remote.systemsmanagementondemand.com	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	66.45.78.105	443
Network Monitor UI	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	216.105.97.250	443
www.download.windowsupdate.com	TCP/IP HTTPS (SSL)	URL exception

If you do have a proxy server or firewall that prevents machines from accessing these addresses, you will need to modify those network devices, by creating a rule set. We have had success with the following default ISA settings. Consult your IT administrator for further assistance, troubleshooting, or customization of your proxy server:

Proxy Rule

Action = Allow
Protocol = HTTP/HTTPS
Source = Internal
Destination = Name of created TriActive network object
Users = All Users
Schedule = Always

** NOTE: The key to the configuration is the order of the rules. This rules MUST be above any rule that uses a "smaller" or more restricted group than "All Users."

KB_1043: What do end users have to do to install a MicroAgent?

Answer: End users do not have to do anything. With the Discovery and Deployment tool, administrators can push out MicroAgents to all machines in their environment. The MicroAgent collects the data and the end user is unaware of the scan.

KB_1044: How much memory does the MicroAgent utilize when running?

Answer: The MicroAgent uses approximately 200K of memory when running, runs as a background service on a machine, and loads and unloads processes as needed for scanning, software delivery, remote control, etc.

KB_1045: How large (disk space) is the MicroAgent on each PC?

Answer: The fully enabled MicroAgent uses about 25-30MB of disk space, depending on which modules and services you purchase.

KB_1046: How does the MicroAgent communicate with the NOC?

Answer: The MicroAgent uses ports 80 and 443 outbound only to communicate with the NOC. No changes are needed to your firewall if standard Web browsing is enabled.

KB_1047: How much bandwidth does the MicroAgent use?

Answer: The initial MicroAgent scan sends out files totaling between 50K and 150K. Each subsequent scan sends only changes and is typically between 5K and 15K.

KB_1048: Where is the MicroAgent uninstall tool?

Answer: In Version 6.X - Admin > MicroAgent > Download. In Version 7.X - Admin > MicroAgent > uninstall.exe. MicroAgents can also be removed by going to Admin > Deployment > Deployment > Remove Agents.

Software Compliance

KB_1049: How do I remove software titles from the Managed Software Reports when I no longer have the software in my environment?

Answer: Admin > Asset > Managed Software Titles > Delete Software Titles.

Software Distribution

KB_1050: How do I set up NOC-based SW distribution?

Answer: You must e-mail support@triactive.com with the name of the portal company you want NOC-based distribution enabled for.

KB_1051: How do I know if my company is configured for NOC-based SW distribution?

Answer: Go to the Distribution tab; the normal sub items are Packages | Environment | Dependencies | File Sources. If you have NOC-based distribution configured, you will also have a Hosted Files sub item.

KB_1053: How to I determine the status of a distribution?

Answer: Distribution > Packages > Action Status. From this page you can get additional details or restart the action by selecting the particular distribution.

Patch Management

KB_1054: What database or location do we validate against at Microsoft for recent patch bulletins?

Answer: On "Patch Tuesday", Microsoft releases a cumulative repository in the form of a CAB (Cabinet) file containing information about all the patches that are released to date. Windows Update and Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) 2.0 and later uses this information to scan for security vulnerabilities. We download that file from Microsoft when it becomes available, and split it into smaller files based on Locale and then distribute through our distribution network.

KB_1055: How do I know which systems require security bulletins/patches?

Answer: Patch > Scans > Systems with Missing Bulletins.

KB_1056: How do I apply security bulletins/patches?

Answer: From the Systems with Missing Bulletins page; select the asset(s) and click on Apply All Patches button, select distribution options, input Tracing Comment, and Save or Approve All/Save.

KB_1057: How do I monitor the status of a patch/bulletin distribution?

Answer: Patch > Distribution > Bulletin Distribution Summary. You can click on a distrubtion to see more detailed information.

KB_1058: What does validated and not validated mean?

Answer: Validated means that we have verified our patch service will indeed distribute/deliver the security bulletin. It does not verify Microsoft's testing that the patch bulletin won't blue screen you computer or cause problems. This is internal delivery verification.

KB_1059: What reports are available for tracking Patch distribution?

Answer: Patch > Distribution > Distribution Summary and Distribution Log by System. Other custom reports can be created.

KB_1060: What reports are available for Patch Scans?

Answer: Patch > Scans > Scans > Systems with Missing Bulletins, Bulletins with Affected Systems, System Scan History, System Scan Status, Scan Errors.

Remote Tools

KB_1061: I am unable to establish any unattended Web-based remote control sessions?

Answer: The Down Call Delegate system may not have a running down call session (DCS) which is required for remote sessions. You can see the status of DCS on the main portal page, there is a Button with Green Up arrow (if active), or a red "X" (if down). Alternately, you can go to the Admin > Delegates page and see the status. To re-establish the DCS session, go to the Control Panel of the delegate system Control Panel > Admin Tools > Services > Triactivemicroagent.exe and stop then re-start the service.

KB_1062: I am unable to establish an unattended remote control session to specific systems?

Answer: You may have an existing rcviewer and/or winvnc session (process on the task menu) already running on your machine or the target machine. You need to go into Windows Task Manager and end the process(es). You may be able to end the process on the target machine under Remote Tools by going to "Process" after you have selected the target system name. Likewise from the Remote Control page click Process from the left hand menu; if you find a WinVNC process running kill it then initiate the session.

KB_1063: What are each of the Remote Control options for?

Answer: There are four types of Remote Control. Web Remote (interactive) is located under Remote > Interactive and the other three are located under Remote > Unattended.

1. Interactive Web-based Remote Control: This is used when the end-user's system is not attached to the corporate network but the specialist's is, or when neither the specialist nor the end user is attached to the corporate network. This type of remote control requires the end user to help the specialist start a Web Remote Control session.

2. Unattended Launch Java: This type of remote control can be used when both the end-user's system and the specialist's system are on the corporate network. This version of remote control will launch a Java based viewer for the Remote Control session and requires the Java Runtime Environment to be installed on the specialist system.

3. Unattended Launch External: This type of remote control can be used when both the end-user's system and the specialist's system is on the corporate network. This version of remote control utilizes the VNC based viewer that is available for download within the portal.

4. Unattended Launch Web-based: This type of remote control can be used when the end-user's system is on the corporate network but the specialist's system is not. This version of remote control utilizes the VNC based viewer that is available for download within the portal.

Help Desk / CSC (Customer Service Center)

KB_1064: I have an end user that is getting "Session Expired" message when attempting to open ticket using the Customer Service Center or CSC matray icon, why?

Answer: There are several possible causes for Expired Session errors when trying to start the Customer Service Center or CSC; most are related to the browser settings.

First, make sure that the browser cache settings are set to Automatic or to Always Reload Page. While checking, also insure that the browser is set to accept cookies (including session cookies), and that the browser cache space is set to something reasonably large (500MB or greater).

After checking those settings, shut down all of their browser windows and restart the browser (even if the settings were correct). If this doesn't work; you may need to delete cookies and/or files from temporary internet files under Internet Options.

Finally, make sure you use the tray icon (either by double-clicking or by right-clicking and selecting Service Center) to start the CSC session. Saving a bookmark to the CSC won't work.

KB_1065: A support specialist is not getting email notifications when ticket is assigned to them, why?

Answer: Have the specialist verify their e-mail notification settings under the "Configure my account options" link/button.

KB_1066: The time stamps in my Help Desk tickets are not correct?

Answer: All times are recorded in GMT and are displayed with an offset depending on the Time Zone variable for each specialist. The specialist needs to go to the "Configure my account options" link/button and set the correct time zone. We do this so each specialist can see the chronological history based on their own time zone offset. Also keep in mind that you can configure Pending and Resolved statuses to "Stop the Clock" with respect to escalations and reporting. This variable can be found under Admin > Help Desk > General. It’s towards the bottom of the page, "Auto-escalation Settings".

KB_1067: My escalation notifications don't seem to be occurring at the correct time intervals?

Answer: It may be that under Admin > Help Desk > General, the "Auto-escalation Settings" have been set to "Stop the clock" for escalations when a Help Desk ticket is put in a Pending and/or Resolved status.

KB_1068: My Help Desk resolution times seem off?

Answer: It may be that under Admin > Help Desk > General, the "Auto-escalation Settings" have been set to "Stop the clock" for escalations when a Help Desk ticket is put in a Pending and/or Resolved status. This will have an affect on resolution times.

KB_1069: How do I change my Specialist Help Desk email notifications settings?

Answer: If you are the admin and want to change the settings for all your specialists, Go to Admin > Help Desk > General. If you are a specialist and want to change your own settings, click on the "Configure Options for my Account" icon in the Systems Manager Toolbar, then the "Notifications" tab.

KB_1070: How do I create locations?

Answer: Go to Admin > Company > Locations > Create.

KB_1071: How do I add a specialist?

Answer: Go to Admin > Specialists > Create Specialist.

KB_1072: How do I create an end user?

Answer: Go to Admin > End Users > Create End User.

KB_1073: How do I create categories?

Answer: Go to Admin > Help Desk > Configuration > Categories.

KB_1074: Can I create custom fields for Help Desk?

Answer: Yes. Go to Admin > Help Desk > Configuration > Custom Field Definitions. Once enabled, they will display when creating a Help Desk ticket. Also, these same fields can be displayed in the CSC. Go to Admin > General > Company > Customer Service Center to enable the display of custom fields in the CSC.

KB_1075: I don't have the MicroAgent, Customer Service Center, or CSC MA try icon on the task bar. What do I do?

Answer: Log off and log back onto the computer and the icon should reappear; if not, go to the program files/triactive/microagent/bin directory and run matray.exe. If there is still no icon, email support@triactive.com with the ma.log, ma.bak and matray.log files that reside in the same directory.

KB_1076: How do I change my CSC Help Desk email notifications settings?

Answer: CSC (Customer Service Center) settings are set for all end users by the administrator at Admin > Help Desk > E-Mail Settings for Problem Ticket Notification.

KB_1077: How do I change my CSC Help Desk global settings?

Answer: CSC (Customer Service Center) settings are set for all end users by the administrator at Admin > General > Company > Customer Service Center.

KB_1078: How do I add or remove specialists to/from the network monitoring workgroup?

Answer: Go to Admin > Help Desk > Configuration > Workgroups; select the "edit" button.

Monitoring

KB_1079: How do I find/deploy the monitoring agents?

Answer: Go to the Community, import the Systems agent for Windows (non-64-bit) servers you want to monitor on-box, and the SNMP agent for 64-bit OS systems, routers, hubs, switches, printers, etc. Now the packages are in your company as Software Distribution packages. Simply select a group or system to deploy the package to and deliver as a normal distribution package.

System Monitoring - Server, Desktop, Laptop

KB_1080: What are the requirements for the monitoring "on-system" agent?

Answer: IE6 on any Windows operating system above Windows 2000 SP4.

KB_1081: I'm getting an HTTP 404 error when clicking on the Network Monitoring tab?

Answer: You need to log off the service, close all browser sessions, open a new browser instance, and log back in (your session has timed out).

KB_1082: How much bandwidth is used for Systems Monitoring?

Answer: The typical server will generate between 10-30k once every 5 minutes, not 10-30k per second. More bandwidth is used opening a website!

KB_1083: Does the system agent support 64-bit operating systems?

Answer: Not currently. Use the SNMP agent for 64-bit OS support.

Network Device Monitoring - (SNMP) Printers, Switches, Routers

Reporting

KB_1084: What types of reports can I create using custom reporting?

Answer: There are tabular, summary, and matrix reports that can be creating depending on the Report Data Type. You can identify the various report data types by going to Reports > Create Report. See the Help link/button in the portal for additional information on reporting, including a reports tutorial.

KB_1085: How do I export reports?

Answer: Go to the Reports tab; select the report folder with the report you want to export. Click on export and save the file. It will save a file as [filename].xml. This is the report file that can be imported.

KB_1086: What formats can I export?

Answer: PDF, Excel, CSV, and XML. * Note: Only reports exported in XML can be re-imported.

KB_1087: How do I import a report that is not from/in the community?

Answer: Once you have successfully exported the report and have the associated xml file; go to Reports > Import Reports, browse and select the xml file and import. This will bring up a page where you get to specify the name of the report, whether the report is Available to all specialists, and select a reports folder and/or create one. Then simply Save the report.