Do We need a Helpdesk in CrossGRID Task 4'3: Infraestructure Support

1
(Do) We need a Helpdesk in CrossGRID (?) Task
4.3 Infraestructure Support

• Santiago de Compostela, 11th February 2003
• CrossGrid Workshop
• V. Lara, J. Salt and J. Sanchez (IFIC-Valencia)

2
Contents

• 1.-Introduction
• 2.-Main features of the CrossGRID Helpdesk
• 3.-Test and Evaluation
• 4.-Collaboration with Datagrid Helpdesk
• 5.-Conclusions and Perspectives

3
1.-IntroductionDocumentation (User Supporter
Guide) http//cg1.ific.uv.es/hlpdesk/doc/hlpdesk-d
oc.pdf(draft)Web addresshttp//cg1.ific.uv.es/
hlpdesk
4
Partners

• Partners
• CSIC
• FZK
• UCY
• UAB
• USC/CESGA
• AUTh
• LIP

A.U.Th
5
Main guidelines of the Helpdesk

• Helpdesk is the main tool of the CrossGrid User
  Support Group
• The HelpDesk will be the main tool for the user
  support activities that will allow the cohesive
  progress of the testbeds of our project, so a big
  effort will be devoted to this aspect...
• to extend the User Support activities to the
  whole collaboration
• ... This essential tool will be implemented for
  WP4, and later extended to other packages
  (CG-4-D4.1-001-PLAN -1.1)
• to get support for encountered problems/questions
• to allow access to the CrossGrid user
  documentation

6
Main guidelines of the Helpdesk

• User scientists using CrossGrid or local
  administrators of a CrossGrid testbed site
• User can ask all kind of questions related to
  CrossGrid testbed
• to collaborate with other GRID Projects (DATAGRID)

7
Principles of the CrossGrid Helpdesk

• The Question-Answer Mechanism to follow the
  evolution of a given question by means of tickets
• The knowledge Base
• Interacion levels
• User
• Supporter
• Administrator

8
Technical details

• Crossgrid Helpdesk is based on OneOrZero v1.4 RC2
• It is distributed under GPL license
• Is a web based helpdesk system incorporating
• PHP
• MySQL
• Javascript
• It has been customized for crossgrid
• The source code has been modified to incorporate
  specific features

9
2.-Main Features of the CrossGRID Helpdesk
10
Helpdesk General Details

• You need to log in the Helpdesk system

11
Helpdesk General Details

• Supporters are divided into groups
• Biomediacl system
• Flooding crisis
• High Energy Physics
• Weather Forecast
• MPI tools
• Benchmarks
• Portals and User Interfaces
• Schedulers
• Data Access Optimization
• Middleware installation
• Helpdesk

• Tickets are classified into categories
• CA,
• Virtual Organization
• LDAP,
• Accounts
• MDS
• UI
• Resource Broker
• RPM
• GateKeeper

12
Users

• Consult the Knowledge database before creating a
  new ticket
• Create a Ticket
• Describe your problem
• Assign a supporter group
• Assign a category for your ticket
• Assign a (indicative) priority level
• Critical
• High
• Medium
• Low

13
Users
14
Users

• Open tickets
• Keep track of your questions
• Update your ticket if something new happens
  before it is answered
• Closed tickets
• Consult the tickets already answered
• You can still make updates to your ticket

15
Supporters

• Supporters are allowed to
• Consult the tickets assigned to themselves
• Consult the tickets assigned to their group(s)
• Consult tickets they have more recently accessed
• Add tickets to the Knowledge Database
• Answer tickets
• Assign tickets to supporters

16
Supporters

• are allowed to modify the ticket description
• Clarify the question
• Formating for the knowledge database
• However, the original description is always kept
  in the Update Log
• can send e-mails to Users and save the message in
  the Update Log
• can modify the Update Log directly
• Those changes will be seen only by other
  supporters
• It can help to communicate with other supporters

17
Supporters

• Procedure
• When a ticket is created a supporter is assigned
  from the supporter group list (criterion less
  tickets)
• Supporter is adviced by e-mail
• every supporter can re-address the ticket to
  another supporter or to another supp. Group
  according the level of knowledge of the assigned
  supporter for the question

18
3.-Test and Evaluation
19
Testing and Evaluation

• Testing is needed
• checking that the system works properly
• to find deficiencies
• sugestions for improvement
• ...
• feedback about the evaluation of the implemented
  procedure in order to improve the tool
• involved testing institutions FZK, AUTh, LIP,
  CESGA, Ucy, UAB,CSIC
• Testing and evaluation period 2 or 3 weeks from
  now

20
4.-Collaboration with Datagrid Helpdesk
21
CROSSGRID-DATAGRID coll.

• Since April/May 2002 there are periodic meetings
  to try to find a unified solution for the
  Helpdesk and the user Support in general
  establishment of the guidelines of the desired
  Helpdesk
• DATAGRID S. Nicoud, E. Fede, N. Lajili
• CROSSGRID J. Salt, V. Lara , J. Sanchez
• End October02 (29th and 30th October) joint
  presentation in the Round Table of DATAGRID for a
  Unified CrossGrid-DataGrid Tool (J.Salt)
• differences between both Hdesks human
  interaction, tasks of the administrators
• unifications scenario (1 KB, 2UI),(2KB,1UI),(1KB
  ,1UI),...
• recruitment of supporters from both projects

22
CROSSGRID-DATAGRID Coll.

• February03
• DATAGRID is not able to provide enough manpower
  but they want to have a Helpdesk tool.
• CROSSGRID CSIC-IFIC will continue the Help Desk
  activities.
• CrossGrid and DATAGRID have their own prototype
  of Helpdesk but we have a low level of use.
• To have a joint meeting in March to perform the
  convergence

23
5.-Conclusions and perspectives
24
Conclusions Perspectives

• Helpdesk prototypes have a very low level of use.
  Explanation users in our collaborations are
  very especialized (testbed administrators) and
  another collaborative tools are prefered
  e-mail, phone call, etc
• But PRO arguments for the use of the Helpdesk
  are
• main collaborative tool of the User Support Group
• to compile our knowledge/expertise in a robust
  and rational way ...Legacy of CrossGrid
• to provide an useful tool to the new groups which
  can join the GRID testbeds in the future ( new
  projects EGEE, LCG-CERN, national initiatives...)

25
Conclusions Perspectives

• PLEASE , BEGIN TO TEST IT !!
• Testers all institutes involved in task 4.3
• To continue the collaboration with DATAGRID to
  have a joint meeting in Marseille/Valencia to
  discuss about the user support issues