Introduction

This manual is intended for OTRS::ITSM administrators and users to provide information on the basic use of OTRS::ITSM by IT service managers, IT service staff (agents) and end users (customers). Information pertaining to the installation, configuration and administration of OTRS::ITSM is only provided if there are differences to the OTRS core product or for functions, which only exist in OTRS::ITSM.

IT is expected to consistently deliver high service quality in an increasingly complex field. In this context, effective and efficient incident and problem management are indispensable. However, IT service management remains a task almost impossible if there is no consistent and up-to-date database with information about the state and configuration of the IT infrastructure.

The IT Infrastructure Library®, short ITIL®, is a series of books published by the United Kingdom’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC), which generically combine best practice approaches to designing, providing, operating and managing IT services. ITIL does not focus on the technology but the services provided by the IT and comprises information on processes, roles, responsibilities, potential problem fields/resolutions, and definitions of terms.

ITIL has established itself as de facto standard over the past years and its circulation in IT organizations has contributed considerably to the development of a collective awareness and consistent terminology for IT service management. However, ITIL only describes who should do what and what should be considered along the way. In order to cover as wide a user group as possible, it does not or to a little extent address the issue of how to do things. Therefore, no implementable information is given for particular industries, companies, or manufacturers.

In December 2005, the ITIL based ISO/IEC 20000 industry standard for IT service management was published. IT organizations can apply for ISO/IEC 20000 certification and prove their conformity.

The continuing boom caused demand for IT service management tools, which could represent the ITIL-based processes. So far, only proprietary solutions existed. Because of their considerable complexity, most of these tools are only affordable for large companies and effective in large IT departments.

The development of OTRS::ITSM was started as a result of the great success of the OTRS framework in order to combine the globally accepted, public ITIL recommendations with the benefits of open-source software.

OTRS::ITSM was the first real-world ITIL compliant IT service management solution on open-source basis, built on the solid basis of OTRS with its over thousands known OTRS installations and its community.

OTRS::ITSM is practically-oriented. This was accomplished by developing it in collaboration with ITIL consultants and with some of OTRS Groups’ customers.

The service-desk and ticket system solution OTRS is the basis for the ITIL compliant IT service management solution OTRS::ITSM, its incident management, problem management, service level management, change and configuration management modules, and integrated CMDB.

Just like ITIL, OTRS::ITSM does not claim to be an out-of-the-box solution for all tasks and questions arising in IT service management. It is, in fact, supposed to serve as a flexible, stable and easy to understand information platform that can be adapted to meet the requirements of virtually every organization.

Therefore, please excuse us for bringing the following to your attention: The use of an ITIL aligned tool such as OTRS::ITSM only makes sense if processes, people, and products (IT services) are truly ITIL aligned.

Without the thoughtful tailoring of generic ITIL processes to meet the requirements of the specific business scenario, OTRS::ITSM will not achieve a discernible improvement of the key performance indicators of IT service management.

You should also be aware of the fact that successful ITIL implementation projects typically take up to a year and longer. Their scope and impact on the organization is not to be underestimated. However, we would like to mention that a neatly implemented ITIL aligned ITSM tool can help to save time and money, as the process support of the tool aids and accelerates the process of organizational realignment.

OTRS::ITSM supports the following features and processes, which are usually designed during the first phase of an ITIL implementation:

Incident Management

Problem Management

Service Level Management

Change Management

Configuration Management Database

A more detailed description of use and adaptation of the system can be found in the following sections. Please note that the each OTRS::ITSM package can be installed independently and that their names correspond to their respective ITIL topics.

Note

The implementation of OTRS::ITSM is based on ITIL v3.

General Catalog

As the name indicates, the general catalog serves for basic ITSM relevant configurations in OTRS::ITSM.

Contents

Install, Update and Uninstall

Requirements

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

Install Via Command Line

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

Update Via Command Line

Uninstall

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

Uninstall Via Command Line

Administrator Interface

Administration

General Catalog

Manage General Catalog

Catalog Class Settings

Catalog Item Settings

Agent Interface

External Interface

Install, Update and Uninstall

This package can be installed, updated or uninstalled with the package manager in the administrator interface or using the command line tool.

Note

You need to be in the admin group to access the administrator interface and use the Package Manager, which is described in the administration manual more detailed.

Note

We assumed that username otrs is created for OTRS and it is installed to /opt/otrs. If you use different user or install location, you need to change the install command. For more information about the command line tool execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Search 'Admin::Package'

Then execute the needed command with --help option to see its possibilities.

Requirements

OTRS Framework 7.0.x

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

To install this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file from your local file system.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Install Via Command Line

To install this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Install /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

To update this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file which is newer than the installed package.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the update instructions.

After updating, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Update Via Command Line

To update this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Upgrade /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Uninstall

Warning

If you uninstall this package, all database tables that were created during installation will be deleted. All data from these tables will be irrevocably lost!

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

To uninstall this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Select the package from the Local Repository widget.

Click on the Uninstall link in the Action column.

Follow the uninstall instructions.

Uninstall Via Command Line

To uninstall this package from the command line:

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Uninstall PACKAGE_NAME

Administrator Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the administrator interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Administration

General Catalog

Manage General Catalog

Catalog Class Settings

Catalog Item Settings

Administration

After installation of the package a new module will be available in the administrator interface.

Contents

General Catalog

Manage General Catalog

Catalog Class Settings

Catalog Item Settings

General Catalog

Use this screen to add catalog classes and items to the system. If only this package is installed to the system without any OTRS::ITSM packages, then the general catalog contains no entries. Install other OTRS::ITSM packages (e.g. ITSM Core) to add some classes and items to the catalog. The general catalog management screen is available in the General Catalog module of the Administration group.

General Catalog Management Screen

Manage General Catalog

To add a catalog class:

Click on the Add Catalog Class button in the left sidebar.

Fill in the required fields.

Click on the Save button.

Add Catalog Class Screen

Warning

Catalog classes can not be deleted from the system. They can only be deactivated by setting the Validity option to invalid or invalid-temporarily.

To add a catalog item:

Select a catalog class in the list of catalog classes.

Click on the Add Catalog Item button in the left sidebar.

Fill in the required fields.

Click on the Save button.

Add Catalog Item Screen

Warning

Catalog items can not be deleted from the system. They can only be deactivated by setting the Validity option to invalid or invalid-temporarily.

To edit a catalog item:

Select a catalog class in the list of catalog classes.

Select a catalog item in the list of catalog items.

Modify the fields.

Click on the Save or Save and finish button.

Edit Catalog Item Screen

Catalog Class Settings

The following settings are available when adding this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Catalog Class *

The name of the catalog class. The catalog class will be displayed in the overview table of catalog classes.

Name *

The name of the catalog item to be added to the class. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table of catalog items.

Validity *

Set the validity of this resource. Each resource can be used in OTRS only, if this field is set to valid. Setting this field to invalid or invalid-temporarily will disable the use of the resource.

Comment

Add additional information to this resource. It is recommended to always fill this field as a description of the resource with a full sentence for better clarity.

Catalog Item Settings

The following settings are available when adding this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Catalog Class

The name of the catalog class. This is read only in this screen.

Name *

The name of the catalog item to be added to the class. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table of catalog items.

Validity *

Set the validity of this resource. Each resource can be used in OTRS only, if this field is set to valid. Setting this field to invalid or invalid-temporarily will disable the use of the resource.

Comment

Add additional information to this resource. It is recommended to always fill this field as a description of the resource with a full sentence for better clarity.

Agent Interface

This package has no agent interface.

External Interface

This package has no external interface.

ITSM Core

This package adds new objects and basic functionalities needed for common features and processes of ITIL implementation.

Contents

Install, Update and Uninstall

Requirements

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

Install Via Command Line

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

Update Via Command Line

Uninstall

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

Uninstall Via Command Line

Administrator Interface

Ticket Settings

Criticality ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

Service Level Agreements

Service Level Agreement Settings

Services

Service Settings

Users, Groups & Roles

Groups

New Group

Processes & Automation

Dynamic Fields

New Dynamic Fields

Administration

General Catalog

New Classes

Agent Interface

Tickets

New Email Ticket

New Fields

New Phone Ticket

New Fields

Ticket Zoom

New Fields

Services

Service

Service Level Agreements

External Interface

Install, Update and Uninstall

This package can be installed, updated or uninstalled with the package manager in the administrator interface or using the command line tool.

Note

You need to be in the admin group to access the administrator interface and use the Package Manager, which is described in the administration manual more detailed.

Note

We assumed that username otrs is created for OTRS and it is installed to /opt/otrs. If you use different user or install location, you need to change the install command. For more information about the command line tool execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Search 'Admin::Package'

Then execute the needed command with --help option to see its possibilities.

Requirements

OTRS Framework 7.0.x

General Catalog 7.0.x

Install

Note

In order to grant users access to the Services menu, you need to add them as member to the group itsm-service.

The menu items that were added by this package will be visible after you log-in to the system again.

Install Via Administrator Interface

To install this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file from your local file system.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Install Via Command Line

To install this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Install /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

To update this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file which is newer than the installed package.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the update instructions.

After updating, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Update Via Command Line

To update this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Upgrade /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Uninstall

Warning

If you uninstall this package, all database tables that were created during installation will be deleted. All data from these tables will be irrevocably lost!

The group itsm-service that was created during package installation will be deactivated. You can activate this group again in the administrator interface.

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

To uninstall this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Select the package from the Local Repository widget.

Click on the Uninstall link in the Action column.

Follow the uninstall instructions.

Uninstall Via Command Line

To uninstall this package from the command line:

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Uninstall PACKAGE_NAME

Administrator Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the administrator interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Ticket Settings

Criticality ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

Service Level Agreements

Service Level Agreement Settings

Services

Service Settings

Users, Groups & Roles

Groups

New Group

Processes & Automation

Dynamic Fields

New Dynamic Fields

Administration

General Catalog

New Classes

Ticket Settings

After installation of the package a new module will be available in the administrator interface. Furthermore, Service Level Agreements and Services screens are extended with some new fields.

Contents

Criticality ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

Service Level Agreements

Service Level Agreement Settings

Services

Service Settings

Criticality ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

Use this screen to manage the criticality ↔ impact ↔ priority matrix. The management screen is available in the Criticality ↔ Impact ↔ Priority module of the Ticket Settings group.

Criticality ↔ Impact ↔ Priority Screen

Service Level Agreements

The service level agreement management screen is available in the Service Level Agreements module of the Ticket Settings group.

Add Service Level Agreement Screen

Service Level Agreement Settings

Only those settings are described here, that are added by the package. The explanation of other settings can be found in the administrator manual. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Type

Select a type for the service level agreement. The possible values come from General Catalog added by the package.

Minimum Time Between Incidents (minutes)

You can define here the minimum time between incidents.

Services

The service management screen is available in the Services module of the Ticket Settings group.

Add Service Screen

Service Settings

Only those settings are described here, that are added by the package. The explanation of other settings can be found in the administrator manual. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Type

Select a type for the service. The possible values come from General Catalog added by the package.

Criticality

Select a criticality for the service. The possible values come from General Catalog added by the package.

Users, Groups & Roles

After installation of the package a new group is added to the system.

Contents

Groups

New Group

Groups

After installation of the package a new group is added to the system. The group management screen is available in the Groups module of the Users, Groups & Roles group.

Group Management Screen

New Group

After installation of the package the following group is added to the system:

itsm-service

Group for accessing the ITSM Service screen of the agent interface.

Note

The primary administrator user (root@localhost) is added to the group with permission rw by default.

See also

To set the correct permissions for other users, check the following relations:

Agents ↔ Groups

Customers ↔ Groups

Customer Users ↔ Groups

Roles ↔ Groups

Processes & Automation

After installation of the package some new dynamic fields are added to the system and activated on screens.

Contents

Dynamic Fields

New Dynamic Fields

Dynamic Fields

After installation of the package some new dynamic fields are added to the system. The dynamic field management screen is available in the Dynamic Fields module of the Processes & Automation group.

Dynamic Field Management Screen

New Dynamic Fields

ITSMCriticality

This is a drop-down dynamic field that contains criticality levels from 1 very low to 5 very high.

ITSMImpact

This is a drop-down dynamic field that contains impact levels from 1 very low to 5 very high.

Administration

After installation of the package some new classes will be available in the General Catalog.

Contents

General Catalog

New Classes

General Catalog

ITSM Core adds some new classes to the General Catalog. The general catalog management screen is available in the General Catalog module of the Administration group.

General Catalog Class List Screen

New Classes

ITSM::Core::IncidentState

This class contains incident states.

ITSM::Service::Type

This class contains service types.

ITSM::SLA::Type

This class contains service level agreement types.

Agent Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the agent interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Tickets

New Email Ticket

New Fields

New Phone Ticket

New Fields

Ticket Zoom

New Fields

Services

Service

Service Level Agreements

Tickets

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the ticket screens.

Contents

New Email Ticket

New Fields

New Phone Ticket

New Fields

Ticket Zoom

New Fields

New Email Ticket

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the New Email Ticket screen.

New Email Ticket Screen

New Fields

Service

Select a service for the new ticket.

Service Level Agreement

Select a service level agreement for the new ticket.

See also

To make these fields mandatory, enable these system configuration settings:

Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketEmail###ServiceMandatory

Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketEmail###SLAMandatory

New Phone Ticket

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the New Phone Ticket screen.

New Phone Ticket Screen

New Fields

Service

Select a service for the new ticket.

Service Level Agreement

Select a service level agreement for the new ticket.

See also

To make these fields mandatory, enable these system configuration settings:

Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketPhone###ServiceMandatory

Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketPhone###SLAMandatory

Ticket Zoom

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the Free Fields window of Ticket Zoom screen.

Free Fields Window

New Fields

Service

Select a service for the new ticket.

Service Level Agreement

Select a service level agreement for the new ticket.

See also

To make these fields mandatory, enable these system configuration settings:

Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketFreeText###ServiceMandatory

Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketFreeText###SLAMandatory

Services

After installation of the package a new menu will be available in the agent interface.

Note

In order to grant users access to the Services menu, you need to add them as member to the group itsm-service.

The menu items that were added by this package will be visible after you log-in to the system again.

Contents

Service

Service Level Agreements

Service

Use this screen to get a list of services directly in the agent interface. The Service menu item is available in the Services menu of the main navigation bar.

Service Overview Screen

A view on services and configuration items, including information on each object’s current state, allows you to analyze an incident and calculate the incident’s impact on affected services and customers, and service level agreements and linked configuration items are also displayed. For each configuration item, the current incident state is shown. In addition, the incident state will be propagated for dependent service level agreements and configuration items. If a service is selected, the service details will be shown, now with the additional current incident State, which is calculated from the incident states of dependent services and configuration items.

Service states can have one of the following three values:

Operational (green)

Warning (yellow)

Incident (red)

The propagation of the incident state will be carried out if configuration items are linked with the link type depend on. Here the following rules apply:

If a configuration item is dependent on another configuration item, which is in the state Incident, the dependent configuration item gets the state Warning.

If a service is dependent on configuration items, and one of these configuration items has a state Incident, the service will also get the state Incident.

If a service is dependent on configuration items, and one of these configuration items has the state Warning, the service will also get the state Warning.

If a service has sub-services, and one of these services has the state Incident, the parent service will get the state Warning.

If a service has sub-services, and one of these services has the state Warning, the parent service will get the state Warning.

The states of the respective services, sub-services, and configuration items will be shown in the view.

See also

Read the chapter about configuration item Overview to setup the dynamic calculation of service states.

To see the details of a service:

Click on the row of a service.

Service Zoom Screen

The Service Zoom screen has an own menu.

Back

This menu item goes back to the previous screen.

Print

This menu item opens a PDF file to show the printer friendly version of the screen. You can save or print this PDF file.

Link

This menu item opens the standard link screen of OTRS. Services can be linked to any other objects like FAQ articles, services, tickets or configuration items. Existing links can also be managed here.

Link Service Screen

At the bottom of the screen the associated service level agreements are displayed. If you click on a service level agreement, the Service Level Agreements zoom screen will open.

Service Level Agreements

Use this screen to get a list of service level agreements directly in the agent interface. The SLA menu item is available in the Services menu of the main navigation bar.

SLA Overview Screen

To see the details of a service level agreement:

Click on the row of a service level agreement.

Service Level Agreement Zoom Screen

The Service Level Agreement Zoom screen has an own menu.

Back

This menu item goes back to the previous screen.

Print

This menu item opens a PDF file to show the printer friendly version of the screen. You can save or print this PDF file.

At the bottom of the screen the associated services are displayed. If you click on a service, the Service zoom screen will open.

External Interface

This package has no external interface.

ITSM Change Management

Change management, according to ITIL, is a service transition process whose purpose is to manage IT changes, including planning, documentation, and implementation upon approval and clearance. The objective is to minimize negative effects on the IT infrastructure, particularly on critical services, resulting from ad-hoc or poorly-managed changes or amendments.

The implementation of OTRS::ITSM requires significant technical specification and preparation. Prior to a technical implementation, key elements of the change management process, such as required workflows, metrics or reports, must be defined. The implementation in OTRS::ITSM defines a change as an alteration of the existing IT landscape, such as the installation of a new mail server.

As changes typically consist of several sub-tasks, OTRS::ITSM allows any number of sub-tasks to be defined per change. These are known as work orders.

Contents

Install, Update and Uninstall

Requirements

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

Install Via Command Line

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

Update Via Command Line

Uninstall

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

Uninstall Via Command Line

Administrator Interface

Ticket Settings

Types

New Type

Users, Groups & Roles

Groups

New Groups

Communication & Notifications

ITSM Change Notifications

Manage ITSM Change Notifications

ITSM Change Notification Settings

ITSM Change Notification Variables

Administration

General Catalog

New Classes

Change Settings

Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

State Machine

Manage State Machines

Change State Machine

Work Order State Machine

Agent Interface

ITSM Changes

Overview

New

New (From Template)

Schedule

Projected Service Availability

PIR

Templates

Search

External Interface

Install, Update and Uninstall

This package can be installed, updated or uninstalled with the package manager in the administrator interface or using the command line tool.

Note

You need to be in the admin group to access the administrator interface and use the Package Manager, which is described in the administration manual more detailed.

Note

We assumed that username otrs is created for OTRS and it is installed to /opt/otrs. If you use different user or install location, you need to change the install command. For more information about the command line tool execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Search 'Admin::Package'

Then execute the needed command with --help option to see its possibilities.

Requirements

OTRS Framework 7.0.x

General Catalog 7.0.x

ITSM Core 7.0.x

Install

Note

In order to grant users access to the ITSM Changes menu, you need to add them as member to the group itsm-change.

The menu items that were added by this package will be visible after you log-in to the system again.

Install Via Administrator Interface

To install this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file from your local file system.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Install Via Command Line

To install this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Install /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

To update this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file which is newer than the installed package.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the update instructions.

After updating, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Update Via Command Line

To update this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Upgrade /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Uninstall

Warning

If you uninstall this package, all database tables that were created during installation will be deleted. All data from these tables will be irrevocably lost!

The groups itsm-change, itsm-change-builder and itsm-change-manager that were created during package installation will be deactivated. You can activate these groups again in the administrator interface.

All links to change objects and work order objects will be irrevocably deleted!

The statistics that are associated with this package, will no longer be available if the package is uninstalled.

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

To uninstall this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Select the package from the Local Repository widget.

Click on the Uninstall link in the Action column.

Follow the uninstall instructions.

Uninstall Via Command Line

To uninstall this package from the command line:

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Uninstall PACKAGE_NAME

Administrator Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the administrator interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Ticket Settings

Types

New Type

Users, Groups & Roles

Groups

New Groups

Communication & Notifications

ITSM Change Notifications

Manage ITSM Change Notifications

ITSM Change Notification Settings

Basic ITSM Change Notification Settings

Notification (Agent)

Notification (Customer)

ITSM Change Notification Variables

Administration

General Catalog

New Classes

Change Settings

Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

State Machine

Manage State Machines

Change State Machine

Work Order State Machine

Ticket Settings

After installation of the package a new type RfC is added to ticket types.

Contents

Types

New Type

Types

The type management screen is available in the Types module of the Ticket Settings group.

Type Management Screen

New Type

RfC

For tickets that are created for change requests.

Users, Groups & Roles

After installation of the package some new groups are added to the system.

Contents

Groups

New Groups

Groups

Access to the change management module is managed on a role-based access concept. After installation of the package some new groups are added to the system. The group management screen is available in the Groups module of the Users, Groups & Roles group.

Group Management Screen

New Groups

After installation of the package the following groups are added to the system:

itsm-change

Members of this group have access to the change management module. All potential work order agents should be assigned to this group. All changes and work orders can be viewed by these users.

itsm-change-builder

Members of this group can create new changes and work orders in the system. All changes and work orders can be viewed by this group. Changes and work orders created by the change builder, or that have been defined as accessible to the change builder, may be edited by these users.

itsm-change-manager

Members of this group can create new changes and work orders in the system. All changes and work orders can be viewed by this group. These users can edit all changes and work orders.

Note

The primary administrator user (root@localhost) is added to all groups with permission rw by default.

See also

To set the correct permissions for other users, check the following relations:

Agents ↔ Groups

Customers ↔ Groups

Customer Users ↔ Groups

Roles ↔ Groups

Communication & Notifications

After installation of the package a new module will be available to Communication & Notifications group in the administrator interface.

Contents

ITSM Change Notifications

Manage ITSM Change Notifications

ITSM Change Notification Settings

Basic ITSM Change Notification Settings

Notification (Agent)

Notification (Customer)

ITSM Change Notification Variables

ITSM Change Notifications

Use this screen to add ITSM change notifications to the system. After installing the package several notifications are added to the system. The ITSM change notification management screen is available in the ITSM Change Notifications module of the Communication & Notifications group.

ITSM Change Notification Management Screen

Manage ITSM Change Notifications

To add an ITSM change notification:

Click on the Add Notification Rule button in the left sidebar.

Fill in the required fields.

Click on the Save button.

Add ITSM Change Notification Screen

To edit an ITSM change notification:

Click on an ITSM change notification in the list of ITSM change notifications.

Modify the fields.

Click on the Save or Save and finish button.

Edit ITSM Change Notification Screen

To delete an ITSM change notification:

Click on the trash icon in the list of ITSM change notifications.

Click on the OK button.

Delete ITSM Change Notification Screen

To copy an ITSM change notification:

Click on the copy icon in the list of ITSM change notifications.

ITSM Change Notification Settings

The following settings are available when adding or editing this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Basic ITSM Change Notification Settings

ITSM Change Notification Settings - Basic

Name *

The name of this resource. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table.

Event *

Here you can choose which events will trigger this notification.

Attribute

The field, that should be listen for the notification.

Rule

The content of the field, that are set as Attribute.

Recipients

Here you can select the groups, that can receive the notification.

Validity *

Set the validity of this resource. Each resource can be used in OTRS only, if this field is set to valid. Setting this field to invalid or invalid-temporarily will disable the use of the resource.

Comment

Add additional information to this resource. It is recommended to always fill this field as a description of the resource with a full sentence for better clarity, because the comment will be also displayed in the overview table.

Notification (Agent)

ITSM Change Notification Settings - Notification for Agents

The main content of a notification can be added for each languages with localized subject and body text. It is also possible to define static text content mixed with OTRS smart tags.

Subject *

The localized subject for a specific language.

Text *

The localized body text for a specific language.

Add new notification language

Select which languages should be added to create localized notifications.

Warning

Deleting a language in DefaultUsedLanguages setting that already has a notification text here will make the notification text unusable. If a language is not present or enabled on the system, the corresponding notification text could be deleted if it is not needed anymore.

Notification (Customer)

ITSM Change Notification Settings - Notification for Customers

The main content of a notification can be added for each languages with localized subject and body text. It is also possible to define static text content mixed with OTRS smart tags.

Subject *

The localized subject for a specific language.

Text *

The localized body text for a specific language.

Add new notification language

Select which languages should be added to create localized notifications.

Warning

Deleting a language in DefaultUsedLanguages setting that already has a notification text here will make the notification text unusable. If a language is not present or enabled on the system, the corresponding notification text could be deleted if it is not needed anymore.

ITSM Change Notification Variables

Using variables in ticket notifications is possible. Variables, known as OTRS tags, are replaced by OTRS when generating the mail.

See also

Please check the existing notifications for the list of OTRS tags, that can be used in ITSM change notifications.

For example, the variable <OTRS_CHANGE_ChangeManager> expands to the change manager allowing a template to include something like the following.

Change manager: <OTRS_CHANGE_ChangeManager>

This tag expands, for example to:

Change manager: John Smith

Administration

After installation of the package some new classes will be available in the General Catalog.

Contents

General Catalog

New Classes

General Catalog

ITSM Change Management adds some new classes to the General Catalog. The general catalog management screen is available in the General Catalog module of the Administration group.

General Catalog Class List Screen

New Classes

ITSM::ChangeManagement::Category

This class contains the severity of categories used in the Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority matrix.

ITSM::ChangeManagement::Change::State

This class contains the change states used in the State Machine.

ITSM::ChangeManagement::Impact

This class contains the severity of impacts used in the Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority matrix.

ITSM::ChangeManagement::Priority

This class contains the priorities used in the Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority matrix.

ITSM::ChangeManagement::WorkOrder::State

This class contains the work order states used in the State Machine.

ITSM::ChangeManagement::WorkOrder::Type

This class contains the work order types used in ITSM Changes.

Note

The other classes was added by ITSM Core package.

Change Settings

After installation of the package a new group Change Settings will be available with two new modules in the administrator interface.

Contents

Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

State Machine

Manage State Machines

Change State Machine

Work Order State Machine

Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority

Use this screen to manage the category ↔ impact ↔ priority matrix. The management screen is available in the Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority module of the Change Settings group.

Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority Screen

This matrix defines the priority of a change based on the category and impact. The calculated priority will be used in Add Change and Edit Change screens.

State Machine

OTRS::ITSM features state machines which define valid statuses and possible result statuses for a change and for a work order.

Use this screen to manage the state machines. The state machine management screen is available in the State Machine module of the Change Settings group.

State Machine Management Screen

Manage State Machines

The statuses and possible result statuses should be defined as transitions. In OTRS::ITSM, this is illustrated as a table.

To add a new transition:

Select the state machine to add the new transition to from the Action widget of the left sidebar.

Select a state from the transition should start.

Select a state to the transition should go.

Click on the Save or Save and finish button.

Add New State Transition Screen

To edit a transition:

Click on a state machine in the list of state machines.

Click on a transition name.

Modify the Next state.

Click on the Save or Save and finish button.

Edit State Transition Screen

To delete a transition:

Click on a state machine in the list of state machines.

Click on the trash icon in the last column of transition table.

Click on the Yes button in the confirmation screen.

Delete State Transition Screen

Change State Machine

The standard installation generates suggestions based on the following logic model.

Change State Machine Model

To see the state machine transitions, click on the ITSM::ChangeManagement::Change::State item in the list of state machines.

Change State Machine Transitions

See also

The states of the change state machine are defined in the ITSM::ChangeManagement::Change::State class in the General Catalog.

Work Order State Machine

The standard installation generates suggestions based on the following logic model.

Work Order State Machine Model

To see the state machine transitions, click on the ITSM::ChangeManagement::WorkOrder::State item in the list of state machines.

Work Order State Machine Transitions

See also

The states of the work order state machine are defined in the ITSM::ChangeManagement::WorkOrder::State class in the General Catalog.

Agent Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the agent interface after installation of the package.

Contents

ITSM Changes

Overview

New

New (From Template)

Schedule

Projected Service Availability

PIR

Templates

Search

ITSM Changes

After installation of the package a new menu will be available in the agent interface.

Note

In order to grant users access to the ITSM Changes menu, you need to add them as member to the group itsm-change.

The menu items that were added by this package will be visible after you log-in to the system again.

The implementation of a change, including all required work orders, follows the underlying workflow shown below:

Creation of a change.

Creation of needed work orders.

Definition of conditions and actions.

Execution of a change.

Contents

Overview

New

New (From Template)

Schedule

Projected Service Availability

PIR

Templates

Search

Overview

This screen gives an overview of changes.

ITSM Changes Overview Screen

Changes can be filtered by clicking on a state name in the header of the overview widget. There is an option All to see all changes. The numbers after the state names indicates how many changes are in each states.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChange###Filter::ChangeStates to define the work order states that will be used as filters in the overview.

To limit the number of displayed changes per page:

Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the overview header.

Select the maximum number of changes displayed per page.

Click on the Submit button.

The displayed attributes can be defined via the system configuration. Not all attributes are displayed by default. The possible attributes are:

ActualEndTime

Date and time at which the change implementation was completed.

ActualStartTime

Date and time at which the change implementation began.

Category

Category or type of change.

ChangeBuilder

Name of the change builder.

ChangeManager

Name of the change manager.

ChangeNumber

System generated change number.

ChangeState

Change status.

ChangeStateSignal

Change status indicator to be shown as traffic light.

ChangeTime

Date and time at which the change was modified.

ChangeTitle

Name of the change.

CreateTime

Date and time at which the change was created.

DynamicField_ChangeFieldName

Dynamic field that is associated to the work order.

Impact

Expected effect of the change.

PlannedEndTime

Projected change implementation completion date and time.

PlannedStartTime

Planned change implementation start date and time.

Priority

Priority level of the change.

RequestedTime

Customer’s desired implementation date.

Services

Services affected by the change.

WorkOrderCount

Number of work orders related to the change.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChange###ShowColumns to define the displayed attributes.

To see the details of a change:

Click on the row of a change.

ITSM Change Zoom Screen

The Change Zoom screen has an own menu.

Back

This menu item goes back to the previous screen.

History

This menu item opens a new window to see the history of the change.

ITSM Change History Screen

Print

This menu item opens a PDF file to show the printer friendly version of the screen. You can save or print this PDF file.

Edit

This menu item opens a new window to edit the change.

Edit ITSM Change Screen

Involved Persons

Use this screen to add persons to the change.

Involved Persons Screen

Change Manager *

Assigns change manager privileges to an agent for the current change.

Note

Only those agent can be added as change manager, who is member of group itsm-change-manager.

Change Builder *

Defines the agent who processes and defines the current change. When creating a new change, the current agent is automatically entered as the change builder.

Note

Only those agent can be added as change builder, who is member of group itsm-change-bulder.

Change Advisory Board

Defines a group of people which can include agents and customers.

Add Workorder

Use this window to add new work orders to the change.

Add Work Order Screen

The following settings are available when adding or editing this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Title *

The name of this resource. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table.

Instruction *

Longer text description of the work order about what to do here.

Workorder Type

Select a type for the work order. The types are defined in class ITSM::ChangeManagement::WorkOrder::Type in the General Catalog.

Planned Start Time

Select a planned start time for the work order.

Planned End Time

Select a planned end time for the work order.

Planned Effort

Add a value in any work unit to specify the planned effort.

Attachment

Enables related files and documents to be attached.

After adding a work order, the Work Order Zoom screen will be opened in a new browser tab.

Work Order Zoom Screen

The Work Order Zoom screen has an own menu.

Back

This menu item goes back to the previous screen.

History

This menu item opens a new window to see the history of the work order.

Work Order History Screen

Print

This menu item opens a PDF file to show the printer friendly version of the screen. You can save or print this PDF file.

Edit

This menu item opens a new window to edit the work order.

Edit Work Order Screen

Move following workorders accordingly

If this is checked, the subsequent work orders will be moved in time according to times set in Planned Start Time and Planned End Time fields.

Workorder Agent

Use this menu item to assign an agent to the work order.

Edit Work Order Agent Screen

Note

Only those agent can be added as work order agent, who is member of group itsm-change.

Report

Use this menu item to document the progress made on the work order. This screen can be used as log of work order.

Work Order Report Screen

Report *

This is the body of the report. As there is only the same text area for all reports, it is suggested to add timestamps to each entries.

State

The next state of the work order.

See also

The possible next states are defined in the work order State Machine, but they can be filtered using conditions.

Accounted Time

Add the accounted time in time units.

Attachment

Enables related files and documents to be attached.

Link

This menu item opens the standard link screen of OTRS. Work orders can be linked to services or tickets. Existing links can also be managed here.

Link Work Order Screen

Template

Use this screen to save the work order as template.

Save Work Order as Template

Template Name *

The name of this resource. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table.

Comment

Add additional information to this resource.

Note

It is recommended to add a version number in this field to be is easier to identify the correct template.

Reset States

All states are reset if selecting Yes.

Validity

Set the validity of this resource. Each resource can be used in OTRS only, if this field is set to valid. Setting this field to invalid or invalid-temporarily will disable the use of the resource.

Delete

Use this menu item to delete the work order.

Delete Work Order Dialog

Print

This menu item opens a PDF file to show the printer friendly version of the screen. You can save or print this PDF file.

Edit

This menu item opens a new window to edit the change.

Edit ITSM Change Screen

Add Workorder (from Template)

Use this screen to add a work order from template.

Add Work Order From Template Screen

Template *

Select a work order template from the list of work order templates.

Time type

Select the time type that you want to redefine in the next field.

New time

Specify a new time for the time type selected above.

See also

Work order templates can be created with Template menu item in the Work Order Zoom screen.

Conditions

Use this screen to add new conditions to the change.

Condition Overview Screen

Note

The defined conditions are not executed in a certain order.

To add a new condition:

Click on the Add new condition button.

To edit a condition:

Click on a condition in the list of conditions.

To delete a condition:

Click on the trash icon in the list of conditions.

Click on the OK button in the confirmation dialog.

Add Condition and Edit Condition screens consist of three widgets.

Add Condition Screen

In the Condition widget:

Name *

The name of this resource. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table.

Note

Conditions are sorted by name. Use 100, 200, etc. as prefix to set the sorting order. All conditions will be evaluated regardless of its position.

Matching

Matching type of expressions.

Validity

Set the validity of this resource. Each resource can be used in OTRS only, if this field is set to valid. Setting this field to invalid or invalid-temporarily will disable the use of the resource.

Comment

Add additional information to this resource. It is recommended to always fill this field as a description of the resource with a full sentence for better clarity, because the comment will be also displayed in the overview table.

In the Expressions widget the expression can be added. The matching type of expressions (OR or AND) can be defined above.

In the Actions widget the actions can be added to be executed if the expressions are met. The operator set enables the selected attribute to be set at a specific value, if the defined condition is true. On the other hand, the operator lock freezes the selected attribute, for as long as the defined condition is true, i.e. a manual change is not possible.

Note

Actions are processed in the order they were set.

Link

This menu item opens the standard link screen of OTRS. Changes can be linked to any other objects like FAQ articles, services, tickets or configuration items. Existing links can also be managed here.

Link ITSM Change Screen

Move Time Slot

Use this screen to shift the planned change implementation time frame.

Move Time Slot Screen

Time type

Select the time type that you want to redefine in the next field.

New time

Specify a new time for the time type selected above.

Template

Use this screen to save the change as template. New changes can be start from template in New (From Template) menu item.

Save Change as Template

Template Name *

The name of this resource. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table.

Comment

Add additional information to this resource.

Note

It is recommended to add a version number in this field to be is easier to identify the correct template.

Reset States

All states are reset if selecting Yes.

Validity

Set the validity of this resource. Each resource can be used in OTRS only, if this field is set to valid. Setting this field to invalid or invalid-temporarily will disable the use of the resource.

New

Use this screen to add new changes to the change management.

Add Change Screen

The following settings are available when adding or editing this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Title *

The name of this resource. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table.

Description *

Longer text description of the change.

Justification *

Text explanation of the reasons behind the change. Answer to the question: What is the likely consequence if the change is not implemented?

Category *

Defines the type of change.

Impact *

Defines the effects or impact the change will have.

Priority *

Defines the priority of the change from the selected Category and Impact.

See also

See the Category ↔ Impact ↔ Priority matrix to define the priority.

Requested Date

Select a date when a customer requested the change.

See also

This attribute can be deactivated in system configuration under Frontend → Agent → View.

Attachments

Enables related files and documents to be attached.

New (From Template)

Use this screen to add new changes from template.

Add Change Screen

See also

Templates can be saved in the Change Zoom screen using the Template menu item.

Template *

Select a change from the list.

Time type

Select the type of planned time to be set in the next field.

New time

Specify the new time for the time selected above. This time will be used in the change instead of the saved one.

See also

Templates can be edited in the Templates screen.

Schedule

Use this screen to filter ITSM changes based on certain criteria. This overview screen is available in the Schedule menu item of the ITSM Changes menu.

ITSM Change Schedule Screen

Changes can be filtered by clicking on a state name in the header of the overview widget. The numbers after the state names indicates how many changes are in each states.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChangeSchedule###Filter::ChangeStates to define the change states that will be used as filters in the overview.

To limit the number of displayed changes per page:

Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the overview header.

Select the maximum number of changes displayed per page.

Click on the Save button.

To see the details of a change:

Click on the row of a change.

ITSM Change Zoom Screen

The displayed attributes can be defined via the system configuration. Not all attributes are displayed by default. The possible attributes are:

ActualEndTime

Date and time at which the change implementation was completed.

ActualStartTime

Date and time at which the change implementation began.

Category

Category or type of change.

ChangeBuilder

Name of the change builder.

ChangeManager

Name of the change manager.

ChangeNumber

System generated change number.

ChangeState

Change status.

ChangeStateSignal

Change status indicator to be shown as traffic light.

ChangeTime

Date and time at which the change was modified.

ChangeTitle

Name of the change.

CreateTime

Date and time at which the change was created.

DynamicField_ChangeFieldName

Dynamic field that is associated to the change.

Impact

Expected effect of the change.

PlannedEndTime

Projected change implementation completion date and time.

PlannedStartTime

Planned change implementation start date and time.

Priority

Priority level of the change.

RequestedTime

Customer’s desired implementation date.

Services

Services affected by the change.

WorkOrderCount

Number of work orders related to the change.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChangeSchedule###ShowColumns to define the displayed attributes.

Projected Service Availability

Use this screen to filter ITSM changes based on certain criteria. This overview screen is available in the Projected Service Availability menu item of the ITSM Changes menu.

Projected Service Availability Screen

Changes can be filtered by clicking on a state name in the header of the overview widget. The numbers after the state names indicates how many changes are in each states.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChangePSA###Filter::ChangeStates to define the change states that will be used as filters in the overview.

To limit the number of displayed changes per page:

Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the overview header.

Select the maximum number of changes displayed per page.

Click on the Save button.

To see the details of a change:

Click on the row of a change.

ITSM Change Zoom Screen

The displayed attributes can be defined via the system configuration. Not all attributes are displayed by default. The possible attributes are:

ActualEndTime

Date and time at which the change implementation was completed.

ActualStartTime

Date and time at which the change implementation began.

Category

Category or type of change.

ChangeBuilder

Name of the change builder.

ChangeManager

Name of the change manager.

ChangeNumber

System generated change number.

ChangeState

Change status.

ChangeStateSignal

Change status indicator to be shown as traffic light.

ChangeTime

Date and time at which the change was modified.

ChangeTitle

Name of the change.

CreateTime

Date and time at which the change was created.

DynamicField_ChangeFieldName

Dynamic field that is associated to the change.

Impact

Expected effect of the change.

PlannedEndTime

Projected change implementation completion date and time.

PlannedStartTime

Planned change implementation start date and time.

Priority

Priority level of the change.

RequestedTime

Customer’s desired implementation date.

Services

Services affected by the change.

WorkOrderCount

Number of work orders related to the change.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChangePSA###ShowColumns to define the displayed attributes.

PIR

Use this screen to filter work orders based on certain criteria. This overview screen is available in the PIR menu item of the ITSM Changes menu.

Post Implementation Review Screen

Work orders can be filtered by clicking on a state name in the header of the overview widget. The numbers after the state names indicates how many work orders are in each states.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChangePIR###Filter::WorkOrderStates to define the work order states that will be used as filters in the overview.

To limit the number of displayed work orders per page:

Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the overview header.

Select the maximum number of work orders displayed per page.

Click on the Save button.

To see the details of a work order:

Click on the row of a work order.

Work Order Zoom Screen

The displayed attributes can be defined via the system configuration. Not all attributes are displayed by default. The possible attributes are:

ActualEndTime

Date and time at which the change implementation was completed.

ActualStartTime

Date and time at which the change implementation began.

Category

Category or type of change.

ChangeBuilder

Name of the change builder.

ChangeManager

Name of the change manager.

ChangeNumber

System generated change number.

ChangeState

Change status.

ChangeStateSignal

Change status indicator to be shown as traffic light.

ChangeTime

Date and time at which the change was modified.

ChangeTitle

Name of the change.

CreateTime

Date and time at which the change was created.

DynamicField_WorkOrderFieldName

Dynamic field that is associated to the work order.

Impact

Expected effect of the change.

PlannedEndTime

Projected change implementation completion date and time.

PlannedStartTime

Planned change implementation start date and time.

Priority

Priority level of the change.

RequestedTime

Customer’s desired implementation date.

Services

Services affected by the change.

WorkOrderAgent

Agent assigned to the PIR.

WorkOrderCount

Number of work orders related to the change.

WorkOrderNumber

System generated work order number.

WorkOrderState

Status of the work order.

WorkOrderStateSignal

Work order status indicator to be shown as traffic light.

WorkOrderTitle

Name of the work order.

WorkOrderType

Type of the work order.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChangePIR###ShowColumns to define the displayed attributes.

Templates

Use this screen to manage templates for ITSM changes. The template management screen is available in the Templates menu item of the ITSM Changes menu.

Template Management Screen

Templates can be filtered by clicking on a type name in the header of the overview widget. There is an option All to see all templates. The numbers after the type names indicates how many templates are in each types.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMTemplateOverview###Filter::TemplateTypes to define the template types that will be used as filters in the overview.

To add a new template:

Go to the New ITSM change screen.

Create new changes, work orders or CABs.

Click on the Template menu item to save it as template.

To edit basic information of a template:

Click on the template name in the list of templates.

Modify the fields.

Click on the Save button.

Edit Template Basic Information Screen

To edit the content of a template:

Click on the pencil icon in the Edit Content column.

Click on the Yes button in the confirmation dialog.

Modify the created change.

Click on the Template menu item to save it as template.

Edit Template Content Screen

Note

This will create a new change from this template, so you can edit and save it. The new change will be deleted automatically after it has been saved as template.

To delete a template:

Click on the trash icon in the list of templates.

Click on the Yes button.

Delete Template Screen

The displayed attributes can be defined via the system configuration. Not all attributes are displayed by default. The possible attributes are:

ChangeBy

Username of the agent who last modified the template.

ChangeTime

Date and time at which the template was modified.

Comment

Comments or description of the template.

CreateBy

Username of the agent who created the template.

CreateTime

Date and time at which the template was created.

Delete

Option to delete a chosen template.

EditContent

Option to edit the content of a chosen template.

Name

Name of the template.

Type

Type of the template.

Valid

Validity of the template. Templates with invalid or invalid-temporarily validity cannot be used by change builders.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMTemplateOverview###ShowColumns to define the displayed attributes.

Search

Use this screen to search for changes.

Search ITSM Change Screen

To search for changes:

Click on the Search menu item in the ITSM Changes menu.

Fill in the required fields.

Click on the Run Search button.

See the search result.

Search Result Screen

To limit the number of displayed changes per page:

Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the overview header.

Select the maximum number of changes displayed per page.

Click on the Save button.

To see the details of a change:

Click on the row of a change.

ITSM Change Zoom Screen

The displayed attributes can be defined via the system configuration. Not all attributes are displayed by default. The possible attributes are:

ActualEndTime

Date and time at which the change implementation was completed.

ActualStartTime

Date and time at which the change implementation began.

Category

Category or type of change.

ChangeBuilder

Name of the change builder.

ChangeManager

Name of the change manager.

ChangeNumber

System generated change number.

ChangeState

Change status.

ChangeStateSignal

Change status indicator to be shown as traffic light.

ChangeTime

Date and time at which the change was modified.

ChangeTitle

Name of the change.

CreateTime

Date and time at which the change was created.

DynamicField_ChangeFieldName

Dynamic field that is associated to the change.

Impact

Expected effect of the change.

PlannedEndTime

Projected change implementation completion date and time.

PlannedStartTime

Planned change implementation start date and time.

Priority

Priority level of the change.

RequestedTime

Customer’s desired implementation date.

Services

Services affected by the change.

WorkOrderCount

Number of work orders related to the change.

See also

See setting ITSMChange::Frontend::AgentITSMChangeSearch###ShowColumns to define the displayed attributes.

External Interface

This package has no external interface.

ITSM Configuration Management

The configuration management database (CMDB) is not a database in the technical sense, but a conceptual IT model, which is indispensable for efficient IT service management. All IT components and inventories are managed in the CMDB. Configuration management exceeds asset management, often incorrectly used as a synonym, as it does not only document assets from a financial point of view, but captures information regarding the relationship between components, specifications, or their location. Thus IT support can quickly access information on the interdependence of IT services and the IT components (aka. configuration items or CIs) necessary for them.

Contents

Install, Update and Uninstall

Requirements

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

Install Via Command Line

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

Update Via Command Line

Uninstall

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

Uninstall Via Command Line

Administrator Interface

Users, Groups & Roles

Groups

New Group

Processes & Automation

Process Management

New Scripts

Web Services

New Operations

Administration

General Catalog

New Classes

CMDB Settings

Config Items

Class Definition Types and Form Elements

Class Definition Reference

Agent Interface

Customers

Customer Information Center

Customer User Information Center

CMDB

Overview

New

Search

External Interface

Install, Update and Uninstall

This package can be installed, updated or uninstalled with the package manager in the administrator interface or using the command line tool.

Note

You need to be in the admin group to access the administrator interface and use the Package Manager, which is described in the administration manual more detailed.

Note

We assumed that username otrs is created for OTRS and it is installed to /opt/otrs. If you use different user or install location, you need to change the install command. For more information about the command line tool execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Search 'Admin::Package'

Then execute the needed command with --help option to see its possibilities.

Requirements

OTRS Framework 7.0.x

General Catalog 7.0.x

ITSM Core 7.0.x

Install

Note

In order to grant users access to the CMDB menu, you need to add them as member to the group itsm-configitem.

The menu items that were added by this package will be visible after you log-in to the system again.

Install Via Administrator Interface

To install this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file from your local file system.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Install Via Command Line

To install this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Install /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

To update this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file which is newer than the installed package.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the update instructions.

After updating, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Update Via Command Line

To update this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Upgrade /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Uninstall

Warning

If you uninstall this package, all database tables that were created during installation will be deleted. All data from these tables will be irrevocably lost!

The group itsm-configitem that was created during package installation will be deactivated. You can activate this group again in the administrator interface.

All links to configuration item objects will be irrevocably deleted!

The statistics that are associated with this package, will no longer be available if the package is uninstalled.

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

To uninstall this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Select the package from the Local Repository widget.

Click on the Uninstall link in the Action column.

Follow the uninstall instructions.

Uninstall Via Command Line

To uninstall this package from the command line:

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Uninstall PACKAGE_NAME

Administrator Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the administrator interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Users, Groups & Roles

Groups

New Group

Processes & Automation

Process Management

New Scripts

TicketLinkITSMConfigItem

TicketUpdateByLinkedCI

Web Services

New Operations

Administration

General Catalog

New Classes

CMDB Settings

Config Items

Class Definition Types and Form Elements

Class Definition Reference

Users, Groups & Roles

After installation of the package a new group is added to the system.

Contents

Groups

New Group

Groups

After installation of the package a new group is added to the system. The group management screen is available in the Groups module of the Users, Groups & Roles group.

Group Management Screen

New Group

After installation of the package the following group is added to the system:

itsm-configitem

Group for accessing the ITSM Configuration Item screen of the agent interface.

Note

The primary administrator user (root@localhost) is added to the group with permission rw by default.

See also

To set the correct permissions for other users, check the following relations:

Agents ↔ Groups

Customers ↔ Groups

Customer Users ↔ Groups

Roles ↔ Groups

Processes & Automation

After installation of the package two new scripts are added to the script task activity element of process management and some new operations are added to the generic interface.

Contents

Process Management

New Scripts

TicketLinkITSMConfigItem

TicketUpdateByLinkedCI

Web Services

New Operations

Process Management

After installation of the package two new scripts are added to the script task activity element of process management.

New Scripts

To see the new scripts:

Go to the Process Management screen of the administrator interface.

Create a new process or select an existing process that contains a script task activity.

Click on the Activities item in the Available Process Elements widget in the left sidebar.

Create a new script task activity or edit an existing one.

Select one of the new scripts TicketLinkITSMConfigItem and TicketUpdateByLinkedCI in the Script drop-down.

Click on the Save button, if the Configure button is not visible next to the Script drop-down.

Click on the Configure button to add parameters (key-value pairs) for the script.

TicketLinkITSMConfigItem

This script searches for one or more configuration items and link all matches to the ticket.

Configuration Screen for TicketLinkITSMConfigItem Script

The following settings are available when adding or editing this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

The main search parameters can be selected in the first section. The following parameters can be used for restrictions:

Class *

Deployment State

Incident State

Link Type

Additional search parameters can be set as key-value pairs in the second section. Some keys are added by default.

TicketUpdateByLinkedCI

This script copies all specified attributes of a linked configuration item to the ticket.

Configuration Screen for TicketUpdateByLinkedCI Script

The following settings are available when adding or editing this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

The main search parameters can be selected in the first section. The following parameters can be used for restrictions:

Class *

Deployment State

Incident State

Link Type

Behavior *

Desired behavior if more than one linked configuration item is found (matching all conditions).

Copy attributes from configuration item that was linked first.

Copy attributes from configuration item that was linked last.

Ignore configuration item, do not copy anything.

The third section is used for mapping of configuration item attributes (keys) to ticket attributes (values).

Web Services

This package adds some new operations for creating, changing, retrieving, deleting and searching configuration items via generic interface. The following operations are available:

ConfigItemCreate()

ConfigItemDelete()

ConfigItemGet()

ConfigItemSearch()

ConfigItemUpdate()

See also

For more information please take a look at the WSDL file on GitHub.

New Operations

These new operations are available in the Web Services module of the Processes & Automation group:

ConfigItem::ConfigItemCreate

ConfigItem::ConfigItemDelete

ConfigItem::ConfigItemGet

ConfigItem::ConfigItemSearch

ConfigItem::ConfigItemUpdate

To use these operations:

Add or edit a web service.

Select a Network transport in the OTRS as provider widget and save the web service.

The new operations are available in the Add Operation field of the OTRS as provider widget.

Administration

After installation of the package some new classes will be available in the General Catalog.

Contents

General Catalog

New Classes

General Catalog

ITSM configuration management adds some new classes to the General Catalog. The general catalog management screen is available in the General Catalog module of the Administration group.

General Catalog Class List Screen

New Classes

ITSM::ConfigItem::Class

A class for configuration item classes.

See also

The class definition of configuration item classes can be managed in the Config Items module of the CMDB Settings group.

ITSM::ConfigItem::Computer::Type

A class for computer types, that can be selected in CMDB when adding or editing configuration items of type computer.

ITSM::ConfigItem::DeploymentState

A class for deployment states, that can be selected in CMDB when adding or editing configuration items.

ITSM::ConfigItem::Hardware::Type

A class for hardware types, that can be selected in CMDB when adding or editing configuration items of type hardware.

ITSM::ConfigItem::Location::Type

A class for location types, that can be selected in CMDB when adding or editing configuration items of type location.

ITSM::ConfigItem::Network::Type

A class for network types, that can be selected in CMDB when adding or editing configuration items of type network.

ITSM::ConfigItem::Software::LicenceType

A class for software license types, that can be selected in CMDB when adding or editing configuration items of type software.

ITSM::ConfigItem::Software::Type

A class for software types, that can be selected in CMDB when adding or editing configuration items of type software.

ITSM::ConfigItem::YesNo

This class contains the items Yes and No.

CMDB Settings

After installation of the package a new group CMDB Settings will be available with a new module in the administrator interface.

Contents

Config Items

Class Definition Types and Form Elements

Class Definition Reference

Config Items

Use this screen to manage class definition of configuration item classes. The configuration item class management screen is available in the Config Items module of the CMDB Settings group.

Configuration Item Management Screen

To add or edit the class definition of a configuration item class:

Select a class from the drop-down menu in the left sidebar.

Click on the Change class definition button.

Add or edit the class definition in YAML format.

Click on the Save or Save and finish button.

Edit Configuration Item Class Definition Screen

To see the class definition of a configuration item class:

Click on a class name in the list of classes.

Select a version by clicking on a class name in the list of class versions.

Configuration Item Class Versions Screen

See also

New configuration item classes can be added in General Catalog module in the administrator interface.

Class Definition Types and Form Elements

Multiple input field types can be used when defining a class. These input field types are used to generate the edit form for creating new or editing already existing configuration items.

Warning

Since version 7.0.7 the configuration item class definitions have to be written in YAML format.

The following block is an example of a form field called Operating System.

---
- Key: OperatingSystem
  Name: Operating System
  Input:
    Type: Text
    Size: 50
    MaxLength: 100

The following settings are available when adding or editing this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Key *

Must be unique and only accept alphabetic and numeric characters. If this is changed, data will not be readable from old definitions.

Name *

The label of the field in the form. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces.

Note

It is recommended to always use English words for names.

See also

Names can be translated into other languages with custom translation files. See the Custom Translation File chapter in the developer manual.

Searchable

Defines whether the field is searchable or not. Possible values are 0 or 1.

Input *

Initiates the definition of the input field. An input field can contain the following attributes:

Type *

Defines the type of the element. Must be placed indented as a logical block. Possible values are:

Text: A single text field.

TextArea: A text field with multiple rows.

GeneralCatalog: A drop-down list for select a general catalog class. The general catalog class must be defined before use it as input type. The items of the general catalog class will be the options of the drop-down list.

CustomerCompany: A drop-down list for select a customer from the database back end.

Customer: A drop-down list for select a customer user from the database back end. The field can be used with wildcards (*).

Date: A field for select a date.

DateTime: A field for select date and time.

Integer: A drop-down list with integer numbers.

Required

Defines whether the field is mandatory or not. Possible values are 0 or 1.

Size

Defines the size of the text field. The value must be a positive integer.

MaxLength

Defines the maximum amount of characters that can be entered in the text field. The value must be a positive integer.

RegEx

A regular expression to restrict the possible values of the text field.

RegExErrorMessage

The displayed error message if the input does not match to definition given in the regular expression.

Class

The name of the class to be used for the drop-down list. Required for type GeneralCatalog.

Translation

Defines whether the items of a general catalog have to be translated. Possible values are: 0 or 1.

YearPeriodPast

Defines how many years in the past are available for selection from the present year in a date or date/time field. The value must be a positive integer.

YearPeriodFuture

Defines how many years in the future are available for selection from the present year in a date or date/time field. The value must be a positive integer.

ValueMin

Defines the minimum value for an integer field.

ValueMax

Defines the maximum value for an integer field.

ValueDefault

Defines the default value for an integer field.

CountMin

Defines at least how many of the current input types are available. The value must be a positive integer.

CountMax

Defines at most how many of the current input types are available. The value must be a positive integer.

CountDefault

Defines how many field should be displayed by default. The value must be a positive integer.

Sub

Defines a sub-element in the input field. The sub-element can contain its own input fields. It is useful if you have certain properties under a main property.

SuppressVersionAdd

This can be used to suppress creating a new version of a configuration item, when an attribute has changed. Possible values are UpdateLastVersion and Ignore.

UpdateLastVersion: If this value is set and there is no other updated attribute, the attribute is updated in the current version without creating a new version.

Ignore: If this value is set and there is no other updated attribute, nothing will be done, and no new version is created.

Class Definition Reference

The following class definition is an example for all possible options.

Note

The CustomerID and Owner are special keys, since these keys are used in Customer Information Center and Customer User Information Center to assign configuration items automatically to customers and customer users by default.

---
- Key: OperatingSystem
  Name: Operating System
  Searchable: 1
  Input:
    Type: Text
    Required: 1
    Size: 50
    MaxLength: 100
    RegEx: Linux|MacOS|Windows|Other
    RegExErrorMessage: The operating system is unknown.
  CountMin: 0
  CountMax: 5
  CountDefault: 1

- Key: Description
  Name: Description
  Searchable: 0
  Input:
    Type: TextArea
    Required: 0
  CountMin: 0
  CountMax: 1
  CountDefault: 0

- Key: Type
  Name: Type
  Searchable: 1
  Input:
    Type: GeneralCatalog
    Class: ITSM::ConfigItem::Software::Type
    Required: 1
    Translation: 1

- Key: CustomerID
  Name: Customer Company
  Searchable: 1
  Input:
    Type: CustomerCompany

- Key: Owner
  Name: Owner
  Searchable: 1
  Input:
    Type: Customer

- Key: LicenseKey
  Name: License Key
  Searchable: 1
  Input:
    Type: Text
    Size: 50
    MaxLength: 50
    Required: 1
  CountMin: 0
  CountMax: 100
  CountDefault: 0
  Sub:
  - Key: Quantity
    Name: Quantity
    Input:
      Type: Integer
      ValueMin: 1
      ValueMax: 1000
      ValueDefault: 1
      Required: 1
    CountMin: 0
    CountMax: 1
    CountDefault: 0

  - Key: ExpirationDate
    Name: Expiration Date
    Input:
      Type: Date
      Required: 1
      YearPeriodPast: 20
      YearPeriodFuture: 10
    CountMin: 0
    CountMax: 1
    CountDefault: 0

- Key: LastUsed
  Name: Last Used
  Input:
    Type: DateTime
    Required: 1
  CountMin: 0
  CountMax: 1
  CountDefault: 0
  SuppressVersionAdd: UpdateLastVersion

Agent Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the agent interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Customers

Customer Information Center

Customer User Information Center

CMDB

Overview

New

Search

Customers

After installation of the package a new widget will be available in the Customer Information Center and Customer User Information Center.

Contents

Customer Information Center

Customer User Information Center

Customer Information Center

After installation of the package a new widget named Assigned CIs will be available in the Customer Information Center.

Assigned CIs Widget

This widget displays the configuration items that are assigned to the customer.

Configuration items can be filtered by clicking on a class name in the header of the overview widget. There is an option All to see all configuration items. The numbers after the class names indicates how many configuration items are in each classes.

The assignment is done via attribute CustomerID by default. If the configuration item uses different attribute for linking, you should change it in the system configuration settings.

See also

See AgentCustomerInformationCenter::Backend###0060-CIC-ITSMConfigItemCustomerCompany system configuration setting for more information.

The default setting is:

ConfigItemKey → Computer → CustomerID
                Hardware → CustomerID
                Location → CustomerID
                Network  → CustomerID
                Software → CustomerID

You also need to have this CustomerID attribute in the class definition to display the assigned configuration items. Check the existing class definitions in the Config Items module.

If your class definition doesn’t contain the CustomerID attribute, then you have to add it manually.

- Key: CustomerID
  Name: Customer Company
  Searchable: 1
  Input:
    Type: CustomerCompany

Customer User Information Center

After installation of the package a new widget named Assigned CIs will be available in the Customer User Information Center.

Assigned CIs Widget

This widget displays the configuration items that have this customer user as owner.

Configuration items can be filtered by clicking on a class name in the header of the overview widget. There is an option All to see all configuration items. The numbers after the class names indicates how many configuration items are in each classes.

The assignment is done via attribute Owner by default. If the configuration item uses different attribute for linking, you should change it in the system configuration settings.

See also

See AgentCustomerUserInformationCenter::Backend###0060-CUIC-ITSMConfigItemCustomerUser system configuration setting for more information.

The default setting is:

ConfigItemKey → Computer → Owner
                Hardware → Owner
                Location → Owner
                Network  → Owner
                Software → Owner

You also need to have this Owner attribute in the class definition to display the assigned configuration items. Check the existing class definitions in the Config Items module.

If your class definition doesn’t contain the Owner attribute, then you have to add it manually.

- Key: Owner
  Name: Owner
  Searchable: 1
  Input:
    Type: Customer

CMDB

After installation of the package a new menu will be available in the agent interface.

Note

In order to grant users access to the CMDB menu, you need to add them as member to the group itsm-configitem.

The menu items that were added by this package will be visible after you log-in to the system again.

Contents

Overview

New

Search

Overview

This screen gives an overview of configuration items. Configuration items have an Incident State column, which includes two state types:

Operational

Incident

For each state type, any number of states can be registered. The state of a configuration item affects the service state, which will be dynamically calculated and displayed in the Service screen of the agent interface.

See also

To enable the dynamic calculation, activate the following system configuration settings:

ITSMConfigItem::SetIncidentStateOnLink

ITSMConfigItem::LinkStatus::TicketTypes

ITSM Configuration Item Overview Screen

Configuration items can be filtered by clicking on a class name in the header of the overview widget. There is an option All to see all configuration items. The numbers after the class names indicates how many configuration items are in each classes.

To limit the number of displayed configuration items per page:

Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the overview header.

Select the maximum number of configuration items displayed per page.

Click on the Submit button.

To see the details of a configuration item:

Click on the row of a configuration item.

ITSM Configuration Item Zoom Screen

The Configuration Item Zoom screen has an own menu.

Back

This menu item goes back to the previous screen.

History

This menu item opens a new window to see the history of the configuration item.

ITSM Configuration Item History Screen

Edit

This menu item opens a new window to edit the configuration item.

Edit ITSM Configuration Item Screen

Print

This menu item opens a PDF file to show the printer friendly version of the screen. You can save or print this PDF file.

Link

This menu item opens the standard link screen of OTRS. Configuration items can be linked to any other objects like FAQ articles, services, tickets or configuration items. Existing links can also be managed here.

Link ITSM Configuration Item Screen

Duplicate

This menu item opens a new window to duplicate the configuration item. This screen is the same as the edit screen, but clicking the Save button will create a new configuration item instead of modify the current one.

Duplicate ITSM Configuration Item Screen

Delete

This menu item opens a modal dialog to confirm the deletion of configuration item.

Delete ITSM Configuration Item Screen

New

Use this screen to add new configuration items to the configuration management database.

Add Configuration Item Screen

To add a configuration item:

Select a class from the list of classes.

Fill in the required fields.

Click on the Save button.

Add Configuration Item To Class Computer

See also

The fields in the Add Configuration Item Screen can be very different on each classes. To see the available fields, check the Config Items module in the administrator interface.

Search

Use this screen to search for configuration items.

ITSM Configuration Item Database Search Screen

To search for configuration items:

Click on the Search menu item in the CMDB menu.

Select a class from the drop-down field.

Fill in the required fields.

Click on the Run Search button.

See the search result.

External Interface

This package has no external interface.

ITSM Incident Problem Management

The service desk (which, according to ITIL, is not a process but a function) is usually the ticket system’s main field of application. All user messages and notifications from system monitoring and internal IT organization converge here. The ITIL service management process, closely interwoven with the service desk, describes which work steps, information, escalations and/or interfaces are relevant in connection with the processing of incidents or service requests.

The incident and problem management processes within OTRS::ITSM are based on ITIL recommendations and ITIL terminology. At the same time, user comfort was a main consideration, and terms known from OTRS have been retained as much as possible.

Contents

Install, Update and Uninstall

Requirements

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

Install Via Command Line

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

Update Via Command Line

Uninstall

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

Uninstall Via Command Line

Administrator Interface

Ticket Settings

States

New State

Types

New Types

Processes & Automation

Dynamic Fields

New Dynamic Fields

Agent Interface

Tickets

Status View

New Email Ticket

New Fields

New Phone Ticket

New Fields

Search

Ticket Zoom

Priority

Additional ITSM Fields

Decision

Close

Free Fields

Ticket Compose

External Interface

Install, Update and Uninstall

This package can be installed, updated or uninstalled with the package manager in the administrator interface or using the command line tool.

Note

You need to be in the admin group to access the administrator interface and use the Package Manager, which is described in the administration manual more detailed.

Note

We assumed that username otrs is created for OTRS and it is installed to /opt/otrs. If you use different user or install location, you need to change the install command. For more information about the command line tool execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Search 'Admin::Package'

Then execute the needed command with --help option to see its possibilities.

Requirements

OTRS Framework 7.0.x

General Catalog 7.0.x

ITSM Core 7.0.x

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

To install this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file from your local file system.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Install Via Command Line

To install this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Install /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

To update this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file which is newer than the installed package.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the update instructions.

After updating, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Update Via Command Line

To update this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Upgrade /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Uninstall

Warning

If you uninstall this package, the ticket types and states that were added during installation will be deactivated. They can be activated again in the administrator interface.

The statistics that are associated with this package, will no longer be available if the package is uninstalled.

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

To uninstall this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Select the package from the Local Repository widget.

Click on the Uninstall link in the Action column.

Follow the uninstall instructions.

Uninstall Via Command Line

To uninstall this package from the command line:

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Uninstall PACKAGE_NAME

Administrator Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the administrator interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Ticket Settings

States

New State

Types

New Types

Processes & Automation

Dynamic Fields

New Dynamic Fields

Ticket Settings

After installation of the package a new state is added to the ticket states and some new types are added to ticket types.

Contents

States

New State

Types

New Types

States

After installation of the package a new state is added to the system. The state management screen is available in the States module of the Ticket Settings group.

State Management Screen

New State

closed with workaround

This end state is for tickets, that are closed successfully, but with a workaround.

Types

After installation of the package some new types are added to the system. The type management screen is available in the Types module of the Ticket Settings group.

Type Management Screen

New Types

Incident

For tickets that are created for normal incidents.

Incident::Major

For tickets that are created for major incidents.

Problem

For tickets that are created for problems.

ServiceRequest

For tickets that are created for service requests.

Processes & Automation

After installation of the package some new dynamic fields are added to the system and activated on screens.

Contents

Dynamic Fields

New Dynamic Fields

Dynamic Fields

After installation of the package some new dynamic fields are added to the system. The dynamic field management screen is available in the Dynamic Fields module of the Processes & Automation group.

Dynamic Field Management Screen

New Dynamic Fields

ITSMReviewRequired

This is a drop-down dynamic field that contains Yes and No to indicate if a review is required.

ITSMDecisionResult

This is a drop-down dynamic field that contains some possible results for decisions.

ITSMRepairStartTime

This is a date/time dynamic field for holding the repair start time.

ITSMRecoveryStartTime

This is a date/time dynamic field for holding the recovery start time.

ITSMDecisionDate

This is a date/time dynamic field for holding the decision time.

ITSMDueDate

This is a date/time dynamic field for holding the due date.

The new dynamic fields are activated in many screens by default.

To see the complete list of screens:

Go to the system configuration.

Filter the settings for ITSMIncidentProblemManagement group.

Navigate to Frontend → Agent → View or Frontend → External → View to see the screens.

Agent Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the agent interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Tickets

Status View

New Email Ticket

New Fields

New Phone Ticket

New Fields

Search

Ticket Zoom

Priority

Additional ITSM Fields

Decision

Close

Free Fields

Ticket Compose

Tickets

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the ticket screens.

Contents

Status View

New Email Ticket

New Fields

New Phone Ticket

New Fields

Search

Ticket Zoom

Priority

Additional ITSM Fields

Decision

Close

Free Fields

Ticket Compose

Status View

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the Status View screen.

Ticket Status View Screen

Some new dynamic fields are also displayed in this view.

New Email Ticket

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the New Email Ticket screen.

New Email Ticket Screen

New Fields

Impact

Select the impact level from 1 very low to 5 very high.

Due Date

Select a date as due date for the new ticket.

New Phone Ticket

After installation of the package some new fields will be available in the New Phone Ticket screen.

New Phone Ticket Screen

New Fields

Impact

Select the impact level from 1 very low to 5 very high.

Due Date

Select a date as due date for the new ticket.

Search

After installation of the package some new attributes are added to the Ticket Search screen.

To see the new attributes:

Open the Search menu item from the Tickets menu.

Click on the Add another attribute filed.

Scroll down the list and check the available attributes.

The new attributes are:

Impact

Review Required

Decision Result

Repair Start Time (before/after)

Repair Start Time (between)

Recovery Start Time (before/after)

Recovery Start Time (between)

Decision Date (before/after)

Decision Date (between)

Due Date (before/after)

Due Date (between)

Ticket Zoom

After installation of the package many new dynamic fields will be available in the Ticket Zoom screen and in its child windows. Additionally, two new menu items are added to the ticket menu.

Ticket Zoom Screen

Priority

After installation of the package a new field is added to this window.

Ticket Priority Window

Impact

Select the impact level from 1 very low to 5 very high.

It is possible to add an article to the ticket if the action needs to be explained more detailed.

Additional ITSM Fields

After installation of the package a new menu item Additional ITSM Fields is displayed in the ticket menu. Clicking on this menu item will open a new window.

In this window the additional ITSM fields can be set regarding to repair and recovery start time, as well as the due date.

Additional ITSM Fields Window

Title *

This is the title of the ticket.

Repair Start Time

Select the date and time when the problem started to be repaired.

Recovery Start Time

Select the date and time when the recovery of the problem started.

Due Date

Select the date and time as due date for the ticket.

Decision

After installation of the package a new menu item Decision is displayed in the ticket menu. Clicking on this menu item will open a new window.

In this window the decision result and the decision date can be set.

Ticket Decision Window

Decision Result

Select a possible result for the decision. The available decision results can be set as Dynamic Fields.

Decision Date

Select the date and time when the decision was made.

It is possible to add an article to the ticket if the action needs to be explained more detailed.

Close

After installation of the package a new field is added to this window.

Ticket Close Window

Review Required

Select if a review is required after the ticket close.

It is possible to add an article to the ticket if the action needs to be explained more detailed.

Free Fields

After installation of the package a new field is added to this window.

Ticket Free Fields Window

Type

Select a type for the ticket.

See also

To remove this field, disable this system configuration setting:

Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketFreeText###TicketType

Ticket Compose

After installation of the package a new field is added to this window.

Ticket Compose Window

Review Required

Select if a review is required after the ticket compose.

External Interface

This package has no external interface.

ITSM Service Level Management

This package adds new statistics to the system for ensuring that all service level agreements are appropriate and satisfy the agreements, as well as to monitor and report on service levels.

Contents

Install, Update and Uninstall

Requirements

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

Install Via Command Line

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

Update Via Command Line

Uninstall

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

Uninstall Via Command Line

Administrator Interface

Agent Interface

Reports

Statistics

New Statistics

External Interface

Install, Update and Uninstall

This package can be installed, updated or uninstalled with the package manager in the administrator interface or using the command line tool.

Note

You need to be in the admin group to access the administrator interface and use the Package Manager, which is described in the administration manual more detailed.

Note

We assumed that username otrs is created for OTRS and it is installed to /opt/otrs. If you use different user or install location, you need to change the install command. For more information about the command line tool execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Search 'Admin::Package'

Then execute the needed command with --help option to see its possibilities.

Requirements

OTRS Framework 7.0.x

General Catalog 7.0.x

ITSM Core 7.0.x

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

To install this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file from your local file system.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Install Via Command Line

To install this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Install /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

To update this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file which is newer than the installed package.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the update instructions.

After updating, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Update Via Command Line

To update this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Upgrade /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Uninstall

Warning

The statistics that are associated with this package, will no longer be available if the package is uninstalled.

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

To uninstall this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Select the package from the Local Repository widget.

Click on the Uninstall link in the Action column.

Follow the uninstall instructions.

Uninstall Via Command Line

To uninstall this package from the command line:

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Uninstall PACKAGE_NAME

Administrator Interface

This package has no administrator interface.

Agent Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the agent interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Reports

Statistics

New Statistics

Reports

After installation of the package some new statistics will be available in the agent interface.

Contents

Statistics

New Statistics

Statistics

After installation of the package some new statistics are added to the system. The statistic management screen is available in the Statistics menu item of the Reports menu.

Statistics Overview Screen

New Statistics

The following statistics are added to the system:

Total number of all tickets ever created per Ticket-Type and Priority
Total number of all tickets ever created per Ticket-Type and State
Total number of all tickets ever created per Ticket-Type and Queue
Total number of all tickets ever created per Ticket-Type and Service
Monthly overview of all tickets created in the last month per Ticket-Type
Monthly overview of all tickets created in the last month per Priority
Monthly overview of all tickets created in the last month per State
Monthly overview of all tickets created in the last month per Queue
Monthly overview of all tickets created in the last month per Service
Number of tickets created in a specific time period per Ticket-Type and Priority
Number of tickets created in a specific time period per Ticket-Type and State
Number of tickets created in a specific time period per Ticket-Type and Queue
Number of tickets created in a specific time period per Ticket-Type and Service
Number of currently open tickets per Ticket-Type and Priority
Number of currently open tickets per Ticket-Type and Queue
Number of currently open tickets per Ticket-Type and Service

External Interface

This package has no external interface.

Import/Export

This package provides a tool as a generic framework to import and export objects like tickets or configuration items in several formats like CSV or XML.

Note

To use this module, you need to install ITSM Configuration Management or any other package that provides back end for objects to be imported and exported.

Contents

Install, Update and Uninstall

Requirements

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

Install Via Command Line

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

Update Via Command Line

Uninstall

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

Uninstall Via Command Line

Administrator Interface

Administration

Import/Export

Manage Import/Export Templates

Import/Export Template Settings

Agent Interface

External Interface

Install, Update and Uninstall

This package can be installed, updated or uninstalled with the package manager in the administrator interface or using the command line tool.

Note

You need to be in the admin group to access the administrator interface and use the Package Manager, which is described in the administration manual more detailed.

Note

We assumed that username otrs is created for OTRS and it is installed to /opt/otrs. If you use different user or install location, you need to change the install command. For more information about the command line tool execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Search 'Admin::Package'

Then execute the needed command with --help option to see its possibilities.

Requirements

OTRS Framework 7.0.x

ITSM Configuration Management or any other package that provides back end for objects to be imported and exported

Install

Install Via Administrator Interface

To install this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file from your local file system.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Install Via Command Line

To install this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Install /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Update

Update Via Administrator Interface

To update this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Click on the Browse… button in the left sidebar.

Select an .opm file which is newer than the installed package.

Click on the Install Package button.

Follow the update instructions.

After updating, the package is displayed in the Local Repository widget.

Update Via Command Line

To update this package from the command line:

Save the .opm file to a folder where otrs user has read permission.

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Upgrade /path/to/Package-x.y.z.opm

Uninstall

Warning

If you uninstall this package, all database tables that were created during installation will be deleted. All data from these tables will be irrevocably lost!

Uninstall Via Administrator Interface

To uninstall this package from the package manager:

Open the Package Manager module in the administrator interface.

Select the package from the Local Repository widget.

Click on the Uninstall link in the Action column.

Follow the uninstall instructions.

Uninstall Via Command Line

To uninstall this package from the command line:

Execute this command:

otrs> /opt/otrs/bin/otrs.Console.pl Admin::Package::Uninstall PACKAGE_NAME

Administrator Interface

This chapter describes the new features that are available in the administrator interface after installation of the package.

Contents

Administration

Import/Export

Manage Import/Export Templates

Import/Export Template Settings

Edit Common Information

Edit Object Information

Edit Format Information

Edit Mapping Information

Edit Search Information

Administration

After installation of the package a new module will be available in the administrator interface.

Contents

Import/Export

Manage Import/Export Templates

Import/Export Template Settings

Edit Common Information

Edit Object Information

Edit Format Information

Edit Mapping Information

Edit Search Information

Import/Export

Use this screen to create import and export templates. The import/export template management screen is available in the Import/Export module of the Administration group.

Import/Export Template Management Screen

Manage Import/Export Templates

To create a new template:

Click on the Add Template button in the left sidebar.

Fill in the required fields in all steps.

Click on the Finish button.

Create New Import/Export Template Screen

To edit a template:

Click on a template in the list of templates.

Modify the fields in all steps.

Click on the Finish button.

Edit Import/Export Template Screen

To delete a template:

Click on the trash icon in the list of templates.

Click on the Confirm button.

Delete Import/Export Template Screen

To import data based on a template:

Click on the Import link in the list of templates.

Click on the Browse… button and select a CSV file.

Click on the Start Import button.

Import Data Screen

To export data based on a template:

Click on the Export link in the list of templates.

Choose a location in your computer to save the Export.csv file.

Import/Export Template Settings

The following settings are available when adding this resource. The fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Note

Import/Export package is meant to be independent. This means, that the following settings can be different if no configuration items will be imported or exported.

Edit Common Information

Edit Common Information Screen

Name *

The name of this resource. Any type of characters can be entered to this field including uppercase letters and spaces. The name will be displayed in the overview table.

Object *

Select the object type you want to import to or export from.

Format *

Select the import and export format.

Validity *

Set the validity of this resource. Each resource can be used in OTRS only, if this field is set to valid. Setting this field to invalid or invalid-temporarily will disable the use of the resource.

Comment

Add additional information to this resource. It is recommended to always fill this field as a description of the resource with a full sentence for better clarity.

Edit Object Information

Edit Object Information Screen

Name

This is a read only field from the previous step. Use the Back button to edit it.

Object

This is a read only field from the previous step. Use the Back button to edit it.

Class *

Select the class that is needed to be affected by the import and export.

Maximum number of one element *

Specify, how many items can have an item.

Empty fields indicate that the current values are kept

Select this checkbox if the empty field should keep the data in OTRS. Otherwise the data will be overwritten with blank value.

Edit Format Information

Edit Format Information Screen

Name

This is a read only field from the previous step. Use the Back button to edit it.

Format

This is a read only field from the previous step. Use the Back button to edit it.

Column Separator *

Select a column separator for CSV file.

Charset

Select a character encoding for the CSV file.

Include Column Headers

Specify if column headers should be included or not.

Edit Mapping Information

Edit Mapping Information Screen

Click on the Add Mapping Element button to add element from the class. You can also specify if this element is an identifier. The order of the elements is sortable.

Edit Search Information

Edit Search Information Screen

Template Name

This is a read only field from the previous step. Use the Back button to edit it.

Restrict export per search

You can add search term for each attribute of the selected class to restrict the import and export functions. The possible fields are listed below this field.

Note

The other fields come from the back end driver, and can be different depending on the used object to be imported or exported.

Agent Interface

This package has no agent interface.

External Interface

This package has no external interface.

Index