---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash New features of 2.2 Release of SunSolve and Helpdesk Tools SunFLASH Vol 66 #49 June 1994 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Electronic Journal For Sun Users Since 1988 John J. Mclaughlin, Publisher & Editor - flash@sun.com ____________________________________________________________________________ 66.49 New features of 2.2 Release of SunSolve and Helpdesk Tools From: Anthony.Rietkerk@EBay (Anthony Rietkerk) Shipped to Customers on 5/27/94 The latest SunSolve and Sun HelpDesk Tools V2.2 CD-ROM releases, shipped 5/27/94, contain the following enhancements: (169 lines) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- * SEPARATE PATCHES CD-ROM SunSolve and Sun HelpDesk Tools is now being shipped in a new 2-CD-ROM package, instead of on 1 CD-ROM as in the past, due to data storage limitations. Both products are still being updated and shipped on a 6 week interval. The second CD-ROM was created to include all current patches for bundled and unbundled products, for both Solaris 2.x and SunOS 4.x. This second CD-ROM is labeled "Sun Patches CD". The first CD-ROM is labeled SunSolve (for SunSpectrum customers) or Sun HelpDesk Tools (for SunService Resellers). The Sun Patches CD "complements" SunSolve yet is not a functional part of the product, meaning that the patches on this CD-ROM cannot be searched using SunSolve's SearchTool window. The patch descriptions are searched and viewed using SunSolve. If it is determined from the patch descriptions that a patch is needed, the patch CD is loaded and a simple patch installation script is run to install the patch from the CD. The patches can also be installed manually. The product documentation on the SunSolve and Sun HelpDesk Tools CD-ROMs, accessible using SunSolve's SearchTool, includes instructions on accessing the two CD-ROMs using a single CD-ROM player. * NEW SOLARIS PACKAGE NAMES The products' Solaris package names (previously SMCC* -- SMCCss, SMCChd, etc.) are now named in the same fashion as other installable Sun product packages: SUNW* (SUNWss, SUNWhd, etc.) Also, the default installation directories are now named after the Solaris package names, in accordance with customary Sun practice (for example, the default directory for SunSolve is /opt/SUNWss). A summary of the package name changes: - SMCCss = SUNWss - SMCChd = SUNWhd - SMCCsct = SUNWsct - SMCCtech = SUNWcour [Sun Courier] * SUN COURIER (FORMERLY TechEscalator) TechEscalator has been renamed Sun Courier. The documentation has removed all mention of "technical problems" and "escalations", using instead the term "service requests" to encourage users to think of the product as an all-purpose e-mail front end. More examples of homemade templates are given, including how they end up looking onscreen. The names of some pulldown menus have been changed accordingly: - "Call Type" is now "Service" - "Service Type" is now "Request Type" The functional buttons previously located at the bottom on the TechEscalator window have been moved to the top of the Sun Courier window. The configuration file .techesc.cf has been changed to suncourier.cf. * SEARCHTOOL PROPERTIES OPTIONS The Properties Category pulldown menu now has three choices: Search, Viewer, and Other. The specification of a default printer has moved to the new Other Properties window, along with three new options found there: - Prompt for document type? Allows you to dispense with the "Description / PostScript" prompt for documents available in two forms. If chosen, it automatically selects the "best quality" document type. - Default search in: Allows you to automatically select all document collections for keyword searches, rather than only hand-selected ones. - Default sort by: Allows you to change the default sorting method for search results. Previous default method was by "Relevance" (most matches found), but other choices are Date, Collection, Document ID, and Synopsis. * INTEGRATING SUN CALLTRACKER WITH SUNSOLVE - SUN HELPDESK TOOLS CD-ROM ONLY Sun CallTracker closed service requests can now be integrated into SunSolve's technical knowledgebase - allowing customers to utilize SunSolve's powerful search engine to quickly search previously closed Sun CallTracker service requests and their resolutions. A simple program named sct_link is included on the Sun HelpDesk Tools CD-ROM. sct_link sets up a new knowledge collection called "SCT Closed Calls" in the SunSolve knowledge database and configures an email address where the Sun CallTracker closed requests are temporarily stored. When a service request within Sun CallTracker is set to "Closed" and the resolution field contains information, the details of the request are automatically sent by Sun CallTracker to the pre-configured email address. A program called sctcc_index is then run to index the information. Once the indexing process has completed, the information is available to all SunSolve users. The sctcc_index can be put into a cron job and automatically run on a scheduled interval. More details on this feature can be found in the Sun CallTracker Administrator's Guide, Appendix H - Using SunSolve to Archive Service Requests. All of the Sun CallTracker documentation is contained on the Sun HelpDesk Tools CD-ROM and is accessed using SunSolve's SearchTool and MuliView windows. * HELP FILE The welcoming help window ("READ ME FIRST") now only appears the first time you start SunSolve or HelpDesk Tools after installation. Every subsequent time you start the product, the main icon bar appears by itself. ********************************************************************** For information about SunFlash send mail to info-sunflash@Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@Sun.COM. For last month's digest, send email to flashadm@sun.com with a Subject line of 65.00 For Gopher and WAIS access: sunsite.unc.edu. (Login as 'gopher' for a simple gopher client, 'swais' for a simple WAIS client (over 500 databases). All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. Send brief articles (e.g. third party announcements) and include contact information (non-800#, fax #, email, etc) to: John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@Sun.COM. +1 305 351 4909