RT system User Guide

What is the Request Tracker System?

RT is a ticketing system which enables a group of people to efficiently manage tasks, issues, and requests submitted by a community of users.

RT manages key tasks such as the identification, prioritization, assignment, resolution and notification required by a helpdesk.

People can submit requests either by accessing the RT server's URL or by sending email to the RT's email alias.

Sending a request to RT

• DO NOT send email to individual staff members. They may be away. They may not be the appropriate person to give you a correct or quick response. Always use the hpchelp@csiro.au address, which ensures that all support staff are notified.

  An automated response from RT

• By sending a message to the RT system, you WILL get an automatic response with a RT #nnnn ticket number, and can then track progress. For example:

  To: abc123@csiro.au
  Subject: [aschelp #123] AutoReply: Problem with cluster
  From: ASC Support via RT [hpchelp@csiro.au]
  
  
  Greetings,
  
  This message has been automatically generated in response to the
  creation of a trouble ticket regarding:
  	"Problem with cluster", 
  a summary of which appears below.
  
  There is no need to reply to this message right now.  Your ticket has been
  assigned an ID of [aschelp #123].
  
  Please include the string:
  
           [aschelp #123]
  
  in the subject line of all future correspondence about this issue. To do so, 
  you may reply to this message.
  
                          Thank you,
                          hpchelp@csiro.au
  

• Further correspondence concerning the same problem can be submitted via the web site or by an email with a subject line containing the ticket number in square brackets. Examples:

         Subject: [aschelp #123] Problem with cluster 
         Subject: re:  [aschelp #123] Problem with cluster
         Subject: Further information [aschelp #123] Problem with cluster
  

• If you omit the [aschelp #nnnn] then the system will take it to be a new request and will allocate another number. Support staff will then have to "merge" the requests, and they will be counted separately.

Replying and updating an RT ticket

• When replying to a ticket, please use 'Reply' only and not 'Reply to All'. The RT system will distribute the email to the appropriate support staff.
• When replying to a ticket, you do not need to include the previous correspondence in your message, as RT maintains a history of all correspondence. It's better not to include previous correspondence, as it makes it harder to follow. If you *have to* include previous correspondence, then keep it brief and put it at the end of your message.

Logging In to RT

The RT web interface can be accessed at https://rt.hpsc.csiro.au Use your nexus id/password to login.

You must be browsing from a CSIRO (or Bureau of Meterology) machine to be allowed access.