Nimsoft Service Desk Installation Guide - CAdocs.nimsoft.com/prodhelp/en_US/NSD/6.2.3/Installation...Modes of Deployment 12 Installation Guide For Localization in Simplified Chinese

Installation Guide 6.2.3

Nimsoft Service Desk

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Contact Nimsoft

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mailto:[email protected]

Contents 5

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction 7

Chapter 2: Prerequisites 9

Hardware Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 3: Operating System Prerequisites 11

Database Prerequisites ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Client Browser Requirements ............................................................................................................................. 13

Other Considerations .......................................................................................................................................... 13

Modes of Deployment................................................................................................................................................ 14

Chapter 4: Installation Process 17

Copy Install files from Installation Package ................................................................................................................ 17

Initiate Installation- GUI Installation .......................................................................................................................... 17

Initiate Installation - Console Based Installation ........................................................................................................ 20

Select Installation Mode............................................................................................................................................. 22

Typical Installation .............................................................................................................................................. 23

Custom Installation ............................................................................................................................................. 27

Installing on Multiple Application Server Instances ................................................................................................... 33

Clustered Installation ................................................................................................................................................. 34

Chapter 5: Post-Installation Actions 37

Restarting Application Server ..................................................................................................................................... 37

Validate Installation ................................................................................................................................................... 38

Installation Log and Configuration Files .............................................................................................................. 38

Set up Database Maintenance Tasks .................................................................................................................. 39

Application Setup Actions .......................................................................................................................................... 40

Adding Licenses ................................................................................................................................................... 41

Configuring Inbound Emails ................................................................................................................................ 41

Configuring Outbound Emails ............................................................................................................................. 43

Configuring and Enabling Job Triggers ................................................................................................................ 44

Chapter 6: Upgrade Installation 47

Backup Existing Installation ........................................................................................................................................ 47

6 Installation Guide

Upgrade Installation ................................................................................................................................................... 48

Restore Backed Up Data ............................................................................................................................................. 50

Overwrite Existing Installation ................................................................................................................................... 51

Chapter 7: Uninstall 53

Uninstall Windows Installation .................................................................................................................................. 53

Uninstall Linux Installation ......................................................................................................................................... 55

Chapter 8: Obtaining Additional Help 57

Chapter 9: Troubleshooting 59

Failed to initialize database connection ..................................................................................................................... 59

Failed to execute SQL Script ....................................................................................................................................... 60

Error message displayed during installation .............................................................................................................. 60

Fine tuning Tomcat Instance ...................................................................................................................................... 61

Glossary 65

Chapter 1: Introduction 7

Chapter 1: Introduction

This document contains instructions for undertaking installation of Nimsoft Service Desk Application on a desired operating system. It also contains instructions on related tasks that need to be performed by the administrator.

This document also provides information on how to upgrade or uninstall Nimsoft Service Desk.

The installation package installs the Nimsoft Service Desk application and its required components on Windows or Linux operating system. The installer can also be used to upgrade the application installation.

This section contains the following topics:

Prerequisites (see page 9) Modes of Deployment (see page 14)

Chapter 2: Prerequisites 9

Chapter 2: Prerequisites

The following prerequisites and requirements for installation and running of Nimsoft Service Desk are described below:

■ Hardware Recommendations.

■ Operating System Prerequisites

■ Database Prerequisites

■ Client Browser Requirements

■ Other Considerations

Hardware Recommendations

The Nimsoft Service Desk software can be installed on the same machine as the database server. However this is not recommended for production setups.

For production installation, we recommend installing the application and database on separate servers.

The minimum recommended memory for the application server is 8GB.

The database server should be sized as per the transaction volume anticipated.


Chapter 3: Operating System Prerequisites

For a list of supported operating systems, please refer to the Nimsoft Compatibility Support Matrix at:

http://support.nimsoft.com/downloads/doc/NSDCompatibility_SupportMatrix_current.pdf

Please ensure that the following Operating System requirements are met:

■ The Operating system must be installed and running.

■ You must have administrative privileges for the operating system to be used for installation.

■ On Windows you should have "Administrator" privileges on the local system

■ On Linux systems you should have "root" privileges.

Operating Environment Dependencies

There are a few operating environment dependencies for successfully installing and running Nimsoft Service Desk.

For Graphviz Installation on Windows server:

For installation of Graphviz on a Windows server, Windows operating system must have all current Windows Updates applied.

For Graphviz Installation on Linux Server:

For installation of Graphviz on Red Hat Linux machines there are few prerequisite and dependencies.

If these packages are not already installed on the machine where NSD is being installed, the installation will continue, but with Graphviz dependency errors. You will then need to manually install Graphviz after acquiring the list of files from the installer log files.

It is recommended that webdot, gts, gtkglet, gtkglarea2 packages are installed on the machine prior to NSD Installation.

The required files can be downloaded from:

http://www.graphviz.org/Download_linux_rhel.php



Modes of Deployment


For Localization in Simplified Chinese or Japanese:

For using Localization in Simplified Chinese or Japanese following fonts are required on Linux Operating Systems.

■ For Simplified Chinese: AR PL ShanHeiSun Uni

■ For Japanese: Sazanami Gothic

These fonts are not available on Redhat Enterprise Linux 4.x. These fonts are only available on Redhat Enterprise Linux 5.x and above. Hence, if you intend to use Localized version then please install NSD on Redhat Enterprise Linux 5.x and ensure that the fonts mentioned are installed before starting NSD installation.

Default configurations for the fonts can be found in the

<<InstallDirectory>>/webapps/<<instancename>>/conf/fontconfig.linux.properties file.

Database Prerequisites

For a list of supported databases, please refer to the Nimsoft Compatibility Support Matrix at: http://support.nimsoft.com/downloads/doc/Compatibility_SupportMatrix_current.pdf

Please take note of the following dependencies and prerequisites related to the database server.

■ Please ensure that MS SQL Server is installed and running. The database server must be running in SQL Server Authentication (mixed) Mode.

■ The database server must be setup to listen for incoming TCP connections on a dedicated port. Dynamic ports for incoming TCP connections are not supported.

Note: Currently this has been tested only for Port 1433.

■ Named Instance of SQL server is not supported. Installation will fail if the database is setup via a Named Instance on the SQL server.

■ SQL Server Administrator user name and password must be available.

Important! Microsoft SQL Server Express is not supported and should not be used. It is recommended that the database server be installed on a physical server due to performance considerations.

http://support.nimsoft.com/downloads/doc/Compatibility_SupportMatrix_current.pdf

Modes of Deployment


Client Browser Requirements

For a list of supported browsers, please refer to the the Nimsoft Compatibility Support Matrix at: http://support.nimsoft.com/downloads/doc/Compatibility_SupportMatrix_current.pdf

Note:

■ All browsers must be enabled to allow JavaScript

■ When using Nimsoft Service Desk as a portlet from within UMP via Internet Explorer 9.x, the Compatibility View mode needs to be enabled if the Browser Compatibility has been set to IE mode.

■ While using Cross browser mode with different browsers, you may encounter errors related to slow response to scripts. This is due to known performance issues on the scripts. The workaround is to stop the scripts when prompted by the browser.

Other Considerations

This section lists other prerequisite information for successful installation of Nimsoft Service Desk.

For Accessing the documentation:

Product documentation is hosted online; and access to the internet is required to access product documentation.

For Accessibility from client machines:

The Server(s) should be accessible from the client machines using the fully qualified DNS name of the server. Also the database server should be accessible from the Application Server using the fully qualified DNS name as well as the hostname of the server.

Hostname Character limit:

Please ensure that the Hostname of the application server is NO MORE THAN 15 characters.

If the hostname of the application server is more than 15 Characters in length then the Installer displays a message of successful installation, but the NSD application installed would not be functional.

http://support.nimsoft.com/downloads/doc/Compatibility_SupportMatrix_current.pdf

Modes of Deployment


For Email Integration:

The Nimsoft Service Desk server must be able to access the Email server by using a DNS name. The following conditions also need to be validated:

■ For enabling Incoming Emails:

■ At least one valid IMAP/IMAPS Email Account with Plain Text Password

■ For IMAP, the mail server must be running on Port 143.

■ For IMAPS the mail server must be running on Port 993.

■ The Email Server must be resolvable from Application using both Server Name and IP Address

■ For enabling Outgoing Emails:

■ SMTP Mail Server to which Emails can be forwarded from the application.

■ The Email Server must be resolvable from the Application

■ Secure SMTP Connection (SMTPS) is currently not supported.

Limitations related to Special Characters

Nimsoft Service Desk application does not support the ascii characters like single quote which get carried over when text is copied over from a Word file.

Do not copy data from Word files or other documents and paste the information in the fields when entering information into various fields during the Installation process, and during any configuration after installation.

Please do not use Special Characters like Pipes (||) and Tilds (~~) anywhere in the application. Using these Special Characters could cause the functionality to fail.

Avoid using Special Characters in platform database name. If the name has special characters like '-' (dash), '.' (period), '@' (at sign), etc. in it, the installation will fail

Modes of Deployment

Nimsoft Service Desk supports the following modes of deployment.

■ Single Machine Deployment

Nimsoft Service Desk application and the Microsoft SQL Server database are installed on the same physical server.

■ Multiple Machine Deployment

Microsoft SQL Server database is installed on dedicated Windows machine.

Nimsoft Service Desk application is installed on a separate machine running on Linux or Windows operating system.

Modes of Deployment


■ Clustered Deployment

Microsoft SQL Server database to be used with Nimsoft Service Desk can be installed on a SQL Server Cluster.

The Nimsoft Service Desk application can be clustered by installing it on two different machines. You will need to setup some kind of a load balancer to distribute the traffic from the users to the nodes running the Nimsoft Service Desk application.

Note: SQL Clustering must be in failover mode. NSD will not work in active/active MS-SQL cluster.


Chapter 4: Installation Process

You can choose to install the application on a Single Machine, Multiple Machines or in a cluster. Based on the system you wish to install the application on, and the installation mode, please browse to the relevant sections.

Note: For Custom Installation, Installing on Multiple Application Servers and Clustered Installation, this document describes the prompts and steps for GUI Installation. When using Console Based Installation, you can follow the prompts displayed to proceed with the installation. However, any notes or important items highlighted are valid for both GUI installation and Console Based Installation


Copy Install files from Installation Package (see page 17) Initiate Installation- GUI Installation (see page 17) Initiate Installation - Console Based Installation (see page 20) Select Installation Mode (see page 22) Installing on Multiple Application Server Instances (see page 33) Clustered Installation (see page 34)

Copy Install files from Installation Package

To begin, you have to download the Installation Package from the Nimsoft Support site. Then copy the package in the server where Patch has to be installed.

Follow these steps:

■ (Windows Installation) Copy nsd-<package>-<OS - name>-<OS bit>-install.exe file from the Installation Package into your Windows Directory.

■ (Linux Installation) Copy nsd-<package>-<OS - name>-<OS bit>-install.bin file from the Installation Package in your Linux Directory.

Note: Please ensure that you use the right binary for your platform

Initiate Installation- GUI Installation Valid on: Windows

To undertake the Nimsoft Service Desk installation, you have to log on to the server as user with Administrative privileges and double click on nsd-<package>-<OS - name>-<OS bit>-install.exe. You can follow the prompts in the UI to proceed with the installation.

Initiate Installation- GUI Installation


After the installation package has been extracted, the Introduction dialog appears. This dialog provides information and instructions useful to proceed with the installation process.

Note: Please quit all programs before continuing.

Click Next to proceed with the installation.

The License Agreement dialog is presented.

Review the license terms and select ‘I agree to the terms of the License Agreement and to continue.

You can now proceed with the installation.

Follow these steps:

1. Click "I accept the terms of the License Agreement", and then click "Next" to proceed with the installation.

The Choose Install Folder dialog appears. In this dialog, you can browse and select the folder you wish to install the application in.

Initiate Installation- GUI Installation


2. Click Choose to browse to and select the appropriate folder.

You can choose to Restore Default Folder option if you want to install the application in the Default Folder.

Important! When installing on non-English Operating Systems like Chinese or Japanese, please ensure that the Folder Name specified is in English. Also note that the directory name where you wish to install the Service Desk application should not include special characters.

3. Click Next.

The Database Server Properties dialog is displayed.

In this dialog, you can specify the parameters for the database server that you will use.

4. Define the Database Server Name or IP address of the machine on which Microsoft SQL Server is installed.

The Database Server Installation can be either local or in a remote site.

Important! While configuring the Database server, mixed mode authentication must be enabled.

5. Define the Database Server Port. This is the port number for the database server in the SQL hosts registry.

The Database Server Port should be a dedicated listening port. Please ensure the availability of the Database Server Port if you are installing on a remote site.

Initiate Installation - Console Based Installation


6. Define an appropriate Servicedesk platform database name, example, nsd_platform.

Important! Avoid using special characters like a '-' (dash), '.' (period), '@' (at sign), etc.in the name.

7. Define a Servicedesk platform database password.

8. Define the Database Administrator Username, (the default is sa).

9. Provide the Database Administrator Password –

This is same as the password used to login into Microsoft SQL Server.

Note: This Password is used only during installation and; and is not used by the application subsequently.

10. Click Next.

The installer verifies the parameters that you have provided for the database server.

If there are errors, the cause—as accurately as the installer can determine—is presented in the next dialog. Correct the errors, and proceed with the next step in the installation.

Note: Remember the Servicedesk platform database name and password as this information will be needed while upgrading or for custom install.

Once the Database Server Properties have been validated, the Choose Install Set dialog will be displayed. You can choose to proceed with either Typical Installation or choose Custom Installation.


For systems where you do not have access to the Graphical Console, you can use the Console Mode for installation. Console Based Installation can be undertaken for both Windows and Linux systems.

Valid for: Linux Installation

This section describe the procedure for initiating Installation on a Linux machine. The Installer will provide prompts that allow you to select Typical or Custom mode installation, and follow the prompts to undertake Custom Installation.

Follow these steps:

1. Login to the Linux system as "root" user.

Install.bin should have read and executable rights/permissions.



2. Execute the following command to change permissions on install.bin.

chmod ugo+rx <nsd-<package>-<OS - name>-<OS bit>-install.bin>

3. Execute the binary file for installation using

./ <nsd-<package>-<OS - name>-<OS bit>-install.bin>

The installation package will be extracted and the Introduction dialog appears. This dialog provides information and instructions useful to proceed with the installation process.

Note: Please quit all programs before continuing.

4. Press Enter to continue.

The License Agreement will be displayed.

5. Review the License Agreement and Press Y to accept the License Agreement.

6. You will be prompted to select version number of the base Operating System.

Select Installation Mode


7. Select the appropriate value to proceed.

You will now be prompted to Choose Install Folder.

8. Enter the Absolute Path to specify where you want to install the application.

The prompt will display the Path specified.

9. Press Y to continue.

You will be prompted to provide the Advanced Database Server Properties.

10. Enter appropriate values for Database Server, Database Port, Platform Database Name, Platform Database Password, Database Admin Name and Database Admin Password.

The installer verifies the parameters that you have provided for the database server.


You will be prompted choose either Typical or Custom Installation.

11. Choose an appropriate value to proceed with the installation.

Select 1 to choose Typical Installation or Select 2 to choose Custom Installation.

Depending on whether you choose Typical or Custom Mode installation, the prompts will vary. You can follow the prompts to complete the installation process.


If you want to install all components on a single Application Server, you can opt for Typical Installation.

For installing on multiple tomcat instances, or to install in a cluster mode, please follow instructions for Custom Installation.



Typical Installation

If you plan to install Service Desk application and the Reporting Engine on the same server, choose Typical Installation. In the Typical mode, the prompts are minimal and all parameters are defaulted to predetermined values. All the required components get installed automatically.

Important! Typical Installation automatically specifies Port 8080 for Tomcat HTTP connection. If your system is already using Port 8080 for some other service, choose Custom Installation instead of Typical Installation.

To continue with Typical Installation follow these steps.

1. Select the option Typical in the Choose Install Set dialog

2. Click Next.

The Application Admin Properties dialog will be displayed.

3. Provide the following information in the Application Admin Properties dialog:

■ Organization Name- Enter your Organization Name

■ Administrator First Name- Enter the First name of the Application Administrator

■ Administrator Last Name – Enter the Last name of the Application Administrator

■ Admin Email – Enter the Email ID of the Application Administrator

■ Copy Demo Transactions – Check this Checkbox if you want to copy demo transaction data for Tickets, Configuration Items etc.

Once the application installation is complete, you can use the Email ID entered in Admin Email field as login User Name. The default password is set to ‘admin’.



4. Click Next.

The Pre-Installation Summary Dialog is displayed. You can review the Pre-Installation Summary to confirm the details.

5. Click Next to begin the installation process.


6. Click Next to continue with the installation.

The Installing Nimsoft Service Desk dialog appears. The progress bar in this dialog will display the progress of the Installation.

As the Installation progresses, the Graphviz Setup Wizard is displayed. Graphviz is needed for appropriate functioning of the application.

If the machine where Nimsoft Service Desk is being installed already has Graphviz, you will be prompted to Remove or Repair Graphviz.



7. Click Next to start installing Graphviz.

The Select Installation Folder dialog is displayed.

Note: You can click Cancel to abort installation of Graphviz. Canceling Graphviz installation will not cancel Nimsoft Service Desk Installation.

A message indicating that the installation is not complete will be displayed. If you confirm the cancel action, a message ‘Installation Interrupted’ will be displayed. This is a message indicating that Graphviz installation was interrupted. The NSD Installation will progress.

You can retain the default destination for installing Graphviz or Browse to select a destination of your choice.

8. Select ‘Everyone’ in the ‘Install Graphviz for yourself or anyone who uses this computer’ option.

9. Click Next to proceed with the installation.

The Confirm Installation message is displayed, indicating that the installer is ready to install Graphviz on the machine.



10. Click Next to install Graphviz.

The Installing Graphviz message is displayed. The progress bar displays information on the progress of Graphviz installation.

11. Click Next when Graphviz Installation is complete.

The Installation Complete message is displayed to show that Graphviz was successfully installed.

12. Click Close to exit the Graphviz Setup Wizard.

The Installation Summary dialog appears.

A message indicating successful installation of Nimsoft Service Desk will be displayed.

13. Click Done to complete the installation and exit the installer.

You have now successfully completed Typical Installation!

You can review the log files to ensure that all components including Graphviz have been installed successfully.

Note: Please Restart the Tomcat (Application Server) after completing the installation.



After Restarting Tomcat, you can log on to Nimsoft Service Desk

■ URL:http://hostname:port/applicationname

■ Username: Admin Email (as specified in Application Admin Properties)

■ Password: admin

After Logging in, you can undertake the Post Installation Actions to prepare your instance of the application.

Custom Installation

Custom Installation allows you control over aspects like which component gets installed on one Application Server, and other details like the Port etc. You will be prompted for additional inputs during the installation process, as compared to Typical Installation.

For installing on Multiple Application Server Instances or installing in Clustered mode, you have to choose Custom Installation.

To continue with Custom Installation, follow these steps:

1. Choose Custom in the Choose Install Set dialog.

2. Click Next.

The Configure Main Deployer Properties dialog appears. This dialog allows you to choose which component(s) you want to install on that Application Server instance.



3. Click the checkbox against the component(s) you want to install on that Application Server Instance.

You can choose from Service Desk and Reporting Engine.

■ If you select both: Both Service Desk and Reporting Engine will be installed on a single Tomcat instance.

■ If you choose only Service Desk: Service Desk Application will be installed on a dedicated Tomcat server. You can then undertake a separate installation for the Reporting Engine on a separate Tomcat Instance.

4. Click Next.

The Application Server Properties dialog is displayed.

Application Server Properties are predefined. You can change the predefined values and add alternate (appropriate) values in these fields.

5. Provide a valid Application Instance Name.

Note: If the hostname of the application server is more than 15 Characters in length then the installation shows success but your application would not be functional.

6. Specify valid port numbers for Tomcat HTTP Port, Tomcat AJP Port and Tomcat Shutdown Port.

Note: Network Administrator must ensure that the Ports specified are Free Ports and are available for service desk installation.



7. (Optional) Provide a valid Application URL.

Note: If the URL used for accessing your application from outside is different from your actual server IP/hostname then you need to put the external URL in Application URL field (for example, if you have configured your URL to a public IP which is natted to the internal Private IP of your application server).

In that case; if the URL that you intend to access NSD from outside is https://yoururl/servicedesk, the Application URL section should be put as https://yoururl

If you are not making any modification on how the URL is being accessed from outside (Natting, URL redirection, Port redirection...etc) then Application URL field can be left blank

Application URL is required for Cluster Installation. To install NSD in Clusters Mode, refer to the steps in Clustered Installation.

Please note down the Tomcat HTTP Port, Tomcat AJP Port, and Tomcat Shutdown Port numbers; they will be needed later for upgrade installation etc.

8. Click Next.

The Application Admin Properties dialog appears.

9. Provide the following information in the Application Admin Properties dialog:

■ Organization Name- Enter your Organization Name

■ Administrator First Name- Enter the First name of the Application Administrator

■ Administrator Last Name – Enter the Last name of the Application Administrator

■ Admin Email – Enter the Email ID of the Application Administrator

■ Copy Demo Transactions – Check this Checkbox if you want to copy demo transaction data for Tickets, Configuration Items etc.

Once the application installation is complete, you can use the Email ID entered in Admin Email field as login User Name. The default password is set to ‘admin’.



10. Click Next.

The Pre-Installation Summary dialog appears. The Pre-Installation Summary Dialog is displayed. You can review the Pre-Installation Summary to confirm the details.

11. Click Install to begin the installation process.


12. Click Install to continue with the installation.

The Installing Nimsoft Service Desk dialog appears. The progress bar in this dialog will display the progress of the Installation.

As the Installation progresses, the Graphviz Setup Wizard is displayed. Graphviz is needed for appropriate functioning of the application.

If the machine where Nimsoft Service Desk is being installed already has Graphviz, you will be prompted to Remove or Repair Graphviz.

13. Click Next to start installing Graphviz.

The Select Installation Folder dialog is displayed.



Note: You can click Cancel to abort installation of Graphviz. Cancelling Graphviz installation will not cancel Nimsoft Service Desk Installation.

A message indicating that the installation is not complete will be displayed. If you confirm the cancel action, a message ‘Installation Interrupted’ will be displayed. This is a message indicating that Graphviz installation was interrupted. The Nimsoft Service Desk Installation will progress.

You can retain the default destination for installing Graphviz or Browse to select a destination of your choice.

14. Select the ‘Everyone’ for the ‘Install Graphviz for yourself or anyone who uses this computer’ option.

15. Click Next to proceed with the installation.

The Confirm Installation message is displayed, indicating that the installer is ready to install Graphviz on the machine.

16. Click Next to install Graphviz.

The Installing Graphviz message is displayed. The progress bar displays information on the progress of Graphviz installation.

17. Click Next when Graphviz Installation is complete.

The Installation Complete message is displayed to show that Graphviz was successfully installed.



18. Click Close to exit the Graphviz Setup Wizard.

After the installation is complete, the Installation Summary dialog appears.

A message indicating successful installation of Nimsoft Service Desk will be displayed. The message will display instructions on the path to access the application and the location of the Installation logs. You can note this information if required.

19. Click Done to complete the installation and exit the installer.

You have now successfully completed Custom Installation!

You can review the log files to ensure that all components including Graphviz have been installed successfully.

Note: Please Restart the Tomcat (Application Server) after completing the installation.

After Restarting Tomcat, you can log on to Nimsoft Service Desk

■ URL: http://hostname:port/applicationname

■ Username: Admin Email (as specified in Application Admin Properties)

■ Password: admin

After logging in as Administrator, you can undertake Post-Installation Actions to set up your instance of the application.

Installing on Multiple Application Server Instances


Installing on Multiple Application Server Instances

Nimsoft Service Desk components can be installed in multiple Application Server instances. To do so; you must choose to install in Custom Mode.

You may choose to install Service Desk Application in one Application Server instance and the Reporting Engine on a separate Application Server Instance; or each component on a different Application Server instance.

The Application can be installed on a Windows or Linux system. However, the database has to be installed on a Windows system as the database supported is MS SQL.

Follow these steps:

1. Select the option ‘Custom’ in the Choose Install Set dialog and click Next.

The Installation will progress in Custom Mode. The Configure Main Properties dialog will be displayed.

2. Select the component that you wish to install on one Application Server Instance.

Example: You can check against the checkbox for Service Desk if you wish to install only Service Desk component on that Application Server Instance.

3. Click Next

The Application Server Properties dialog will be displayed.

4. Define appropriate values in the field and progress with the installation.

Refer to Custom Installation for details of the Custom Installation process.

After the installation of the Service Desk Component is complete, you will have to being installation again for installing the Reporting Engine.

5. Run the Installer again

Refer to Initiate Installation for the detailed procedure.

Important! In the Choose Install Folder, the path specified for where the second set of components are to be installed must be different from the path specified for the first component selected above.

The Database Server Properties must be the same for both Tomcat instances.

6. Select the option ‘Custom’ in the Choose Install Set dialog and click Next.

The Installation will progress in Custom Mode. The Configure Main Properties dialog will be displayed.

7. Select the Reporting Engine component to be installed in the second Application Server Instance and click Next.

Clustered Installation


8. Provide appropriate values In the Application Server Properties, ensure that:

■ Application Instance Name is same as specified in the Service Desk Installation.

■ Tomcat Instance Name is different from the one used for Service Desk Installation.

■ Port Numbers (Tomcat HTTP Port, Tomcat AJP Port, and Tomcat Shutdown Port) for this Tomcat Instances are different from the Port Numbers you entered for the Service Desk Tomcat Instance.

For example, if in the Service Desk Tomcat instance, the port Numbers (for Tomcat HTTP Port) is 8080, then, in the Reporting Engine and Documentation Tomcat instance, it can be 9090 or any other free port.

■ Similarly, choose appropriate port numbers for Tomcat AJP Port and Tomcat Shutdown Port.

9. In Application Admin Properties, the values for both instances must be common.

10. Review the Pre-Installation Summary to ensure appropriate values have been entered and click Install.

Progress with the installation till the installation is complete.

11. Restart both Application Servers after the installation is complete.

First restart the Application Server on which Service Desk component is installed. Then restart the Application server on which Reporting engine has been installed. This is necessary to ensure that the Reporting server is recognized by the Service Desk application server.


Nimsoft service Desk can also be installed in Cluster Mode for handling higher volumes.

This is achieved by installing on additional Tomcat instances and a Load balancer to ensure effective distribution of the load to different nodes.

For Clustered Installation, the Application must be installed in Custom Mode.

Important! You must take care of the following conditions to ensure that Nimsoft Service Desk is installed successfully in Clustered mode.

■ You must install the Reporting Engine on the same server as the NSD Application, though you can install them on a separate tomcat instance.



■ In the Application Server Properties, a common URL for the Cluster must be provided in Application URL field.

■ This URL gives access the application site when the application is installed on two independent application servers. For example the example for Application URL would be: http://LoadbalancedURL

■ So, If the URL that you intend to access NSD from outside is https://yoururl/servicedesk then the Application URL section should be put as https://yoururl

■ The Installation Parameters must be common for first and all additional Tomcat instances in the following dialogs:

■ Database Server Properties

■ Application Admin Properties

When all additional Tomcat instances have been installed, restart all Tomcat instances.

Important! SQL Clustering should be failover mode. NSD would not work on active/active MS-SQL cluster.


Chapter 5: Post-Installation Actions

After completing the installation and restarting the Application Server(s), you can log into the using the path provided in the Installation Summary dialog. You can validate the installation and undertake essential Application Setup actions before you being to use the application.


Restarting Application Server (see page 37) Validate Installation (see page 38) Application Setup Actions (see page 40)

Restarting Application Server

You have to Restart Application Server after you complete the installation process.

Follow these steps:

Valid on: Windows Installations

1. Navigate to Services Management console, using Start > Run > Services.msc OR Navigate to Control Panel > System & Security > Administrative tools > Services

2. Select <Tomcat Instance Name> for instance to be restarted from the List

3. Right Click and select action "Restart".

Valid on: Linux Installations

1. Logon to the Linux Server where the application is installed using the "root" account or gain super user access.

2. To restart the Application Server, use the following command:

/etc/init.d/< Tomcat Instance Name > restart

Example: /etc/init.d/servicedesk restart.

If you have installed Nimsoft Service Desk in a clustered mode, you will need to restart the application server on all the servers in the cluster.

Validate Installation



You can validate the installation by logging into the application.

Follow these steps:

1. Access the application using the URL provided in the Installation Summary Dialog

URL: http://hostname:port/applicationname

For e.g. : http://localhost:8080/servicedesk

2. Log into the application using the login information provided in the Installation Summary Dialog

Username: Admin Email (as specified in Application Admin Properties)

Password: admin

You should be able to see the Administrator Interface of the Nimsoft Service Desk Application. You can navigate to different forms in the application. This will validate successful installation of Service Desk Component.

3. Click the Help icon to access Documentation.

You will be directed to the online documentation.

Note: Internet access is required to access the documentation.

4. Click on Reports in Request Management

A list of available reports will be displayed.

5. Click on any report on the list.

The report will be displayed in a new window.

6. Modify the parameters like start and end date, select Format as ‘On Screen’ and click Show.

A message ‘No Data Available’ will be displayed, as there are no transaction records. This will help validate successful installation of Reporting component.

Thus you can validate that all components have been successfully installed.

Installation Log and Configuration Files

During the installation process, Configuration Files and Installation Logs are created. These can provide useful input for upgrades and to troubleshooting failed installation.

All the configuration and log files are text files and they can be viewed using any text editor on Windows or Linux platforms.



Configuration Files

The following two Configuration Files are created during the installation process:

1. Installer.properties: This file stores the details of the inputs provided during the installation. This file is created in the temporary directory from where the installer was launched. If any subsequent upgrades are launched from the same folder, the installer will pick the default inputs directly from this file.

2. servicedesk-master-deploy.properties: This file, which is created in the installation directory, is used by the installer to deploy the application on the specified location. This file is used by the installer to detect any existing installation and prompt for upgrades. If this file is not present or has been tampered with, then the installer may not work correctly.

Log Files

The following log files are created during the installation process.

1. Deployment.log: This file is created directly under the installation folder specified. This file contains a basic log of the installation process and may not provide detailed error messages related to the installation.

2. Logs under <installation_directory>/ deployment-<versionnumber>/deploylogs folder: There should be one log file per subcomponent of Service Desk instance, which stores the detailed log of installation of that component. If there are failures or warnings encountered during the installation, they will be logged in the appropriate subcomponent log. These logs are very useful in troubleshooting failed installations or upgrades.

Set up Database Maintenance Tasks

For ensuring optimum system performance, it is necessary to schedule a few database maintenance tasks on the SQL server. These tasks can be scheduled by your database administrator based on the anticipated system usage and the database maintenance practices followed in your organization.

It is recommended that the following database maintenance tasks be setup:

Scheduled Backups:

It is recommended that a task be set up on the SQL server to take a scheduled backup of the database. This backed up data can be used as a fall-back in case of failures or if needed.

It is recommended that the backup be scheduled based on the recovery time objectives in your organization.

Application Setup Actions


Index Reorganization:

It is recommended that database indexes should be periodically reorganized to ensure that the system performance does not degrade over time.

The periodicity of this task is determined by the volume of transactions happening on your database. Please consult your database administrator for the optimal frequency for index reorganization.

Update Statistics:

For some databases (based on the specifics of data updates), it is required to add a process to update statistics on a regular basis. While this maintenance is usually not required, we recommend that you run this task as a best practice. However, for some databases this is needed for performance reasons.

The SQL Server updates the table and index statistics automatically; but only if 5% of the data has changed. This is not enough for some databases in cases when the tables are too small or too large; or if the data updates are high as compared to the table size.

The frequency of this maintenance procedure is database specific. In general, our recommendation is to start with a daily process and increase the frequency only if required.

Please consult with your database administrator to plan and schedule these database maintenance tasks.


To begin using Nimsoft Service Desk, you have to take the following Application Setup action:

■ Add Licenses

■ Configure Inbound Emails

■ Configure Outbound Emails

■ Configure and Enable Job Triggers.

The following sections provide more information on how you can perform these actions.



Adding Licenses

When the service desk instance is created, an auto generated license of 30 days is allocated to the instance. Within these 30 days you will have to apply the valid licenses to continue using the application.

Seven days prior to the License Expiry Date the Application displays the following notice every time an Application Administrator logs into the Service Desk Application:

"License Expiration Warning License will expire on <>. Renew the license immediately to continue running the system."

Please contact Nimsoft Sales Representative for your License Keys.

You can add Licenses from the Manage Configuration form.

Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Nimsoft Service Desk Application.

2. Click on Application Setup in the Navigation Menu.

3. Click on Manage Configuration in Application Setup to open the configuration management form

4. Click on Licenses tab

A list of licenses currently allocated to the instance will be displayed.

5. Paste the license keys you have received in the License Key(s) field.

6. Click on Add Licenses action button to add licenses.

Configuring Inbound Emails

The inbound email engine can be configured to fetch emails periodically from the mail server, which receives the emails from users of requesting IT support. A background job can be configured as a scheduled job to fetch the emails.

Configuring inbound email enables emails sent to the support email ID to be received by the application and processed into a new ticket, or update an existing ticket.

Note: Please configure the email addresses on the IMAP/IMAPS server with plain text password before initiating this process.

You can configure Inbound Emails from the Manage Configuration form.



Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Nimsoft Service Desk.

2. Click on Application Setup <Manage Configuration<Inbound Email Tab.

You can configure the inbound email in the form that is displayed.

You will need to provide the following details:

Mailbox Name:

This is a logical name to identify the mailbox.

Example: 'Standard IT Support’ for a mailbox to which users will send routine IT request for Information, or pre-approved changes.

Associated Email Address:

This is the email address configured for IT support requests; on the IMAP/IMPAS email server.

Example:[email protected]

Server Name:

This is the name of the IMAP/IMAPS mail server that hosts the email address.

Username:

This is the username that is to be used to connect to the IMAP/IMAPS server mailbox.

Password:

This is the password for the IMAP server mailbox.

Leave Messages on Server:

This field lets you choose whether emails will be retained in the mail server after they have been accessed by Nimsoft Service Desk or not.

You can choose either "Yes" or "No".

If you choose "Yes", the email will not be deleted from the Mailbox after it has been processed. It will be marked as “Read” so that it is not processed on the next connection to the mailbox.

If you select "No", the email will get deleted from email server after the application has processed it.

Ticket Type:

This field lets you select which ticket type is to be created from emails received in that mailbox.

You can select from available drop-down options.

Default: Service Request.

3. Specify an appropriate name for the mailbox.



4. Specify a valid email ID in the Associated Email Address field.

5. Specify the Server Name.

6. Specify the username and password for the server mailbox.

Important! You must ensure that the values supplied for fields like Associated Email Address, Server Name, User Name and Password are correct. If incorrect values are entered, email received will not get processed correctly. The application will not prompt you when you enter invalid values in these fields.

7. Choose Yes or No in the Leave Email on Server field.

8. Choose Ticket Type to relate the Mailbox to a Ticket Type.

9. Click on Add icon to save the inbound email configuration.

Configuration of the mailbox is now complete.

You can repeat the process for all mailboxes you wish to configure.

Note: You can configure more than one mailbox for the same Ticket Type, depending on how you wish to use the functionality. However, please take due care to ensure that you do not configure the same Mailbox details for more than one Ticket Type (Example Mailbox Name- IncidentEmail >>Ticket Type-Incident and Mailbox Name- IncidentEmail>>Ticket Type – Problem). This could lead the functionality to behave in an unexpected way.

Configuring Outbound Emails

Configuring Outbound Email ensures that emails can be sent out by the application. The SMTP Mail Server must be configured to allow email forwarding from the Nimsoft Service Desk Server for both internal and external contacts.

You can configure Outbound Emails from the Manage Configuration form.

Follow these steps:

1. Click on Outbound Email tab in the Manage Configuration form.

The form for configuring Outbound Emails will be displayed.

2. Specify the Email Server (Hostname)

This is the SMTP Email Server to which Outbound Emails will be delivered to by Nimsoft Service Desk; and which will further deliver the Emails to intended recipients.

3. Specify the Email Server Username and Password.

This is the Username and Password to access the SMTP Email server.



4. (Optional) Specify Reply-To Display Name

This is the Display Name that will be contained in Emails sent from the Application. Example ‘Companyname Service Desk.’

5. (Optional) Specify Reply-To Address

This is the Email ID that will be displayed in the ‘From’ field of Emails sent from the application. Example [email protected]

During initial testing and configuration, you can choose to Block and Redirect Outgoing Emails.

6. (Optional) Select ‘Yes’ to Block Outgoing Emails and Specify the Email ID to which Outbound Emails must be redirected to in the ‘Redirect Email Address’ field.

Once this is set, Outgoing Emails will be sent to the recipient indicated in the Redirect Email Address field.

7. (Optional) Type in the HTML script in the HTML Template field. Specify the token ${messagebody} in the HTML Script. This will allow the Message Body to be replaced with the actual contents when the Outbound Email is generated.

This lets you set an HTML Template which will be used as a format for all Outgoing Emails. For example, setting a standard Header and Footer for all Outbound Emails.

8. Click Apply Changes

The Outbound Email configurations will get saved.

Configuration of Outbound Emails is now complete.

Configuring and Enabling Job Triggers

Job Triggers need to be configured or enabled to ensure that background processes needed for enabling inbound and outbound email actions, scheduled tasks etc. function properly.

By default, your instance will contain a list of commonly used background jobs. However, these will be in disabled state. Post installation, you will have to enable these jobs triggers manually.

You can configure or Enable Job Triggers from the Manage Configuration form.

Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Nimsoft Service Desk Application.

2. Click on Application Setup <Manage Configuration <Job Triggers

Triggers for most of the background jobs are already configured. They are disabled when the application is first installed. You have to manually Enable each trigger.



3. Click on the Enable option for each Job to Enable the trigger.

This will enable all the background Jobs for actions such as Approval Notifications, SLA monitoring etc.

For enabling Inbound and Outbound Email Functionality, you will need to configure two new Background Jobs; ‘Polling Mailbox Provider’ for setting a Job to Poll the IMAP Server for Incoming Emails and ‘Notification Delivery’ to set the Job for delivering notifications from the application to the SMTP mail server.

You can configure these new triggers from the Job Triggers tab. You can start by configuring the background job for enabling Inbound Email function.

Follow these steps:

1. Click on Create New option in the Job Trigger form.

The Configure Job Triggers lookup will be displayed.

2. Specify an appropriate Trigger Name to identify the Job.

This will help identify the Job Trigger.

3. Click the dropdown in the Job field and select the Job 'Polling Mailbox Provider' from the dropdown list.

4. (Optional) Add a Trigger Description, to give more information about the Job.

5. Define the frequency for the background Job by choosing an appropriate option from the Cron Expression dropdown list.

The background Job will run at the frequency specified and will poll the mailbox for new emails received in the email server.

6. Define the Priority of the Job.

You can choose from Critical, High, Medium and Low.

7. Specify the Time zone.

The time-zone set here should be the time-zone of the physical location where the application is installed.

8. Click Apply changes

The new Job Trigger will be created and included in the Job Trigger list. The new trigger will be in disabled state.

9. Click Enable

The Job Trigger will get Enabled.



10. Follow steps 1 – 9 again, selecting the Job ‘Notification Delivery’ in step 3.

This will create and enable the background job for enabling Outbound Emails.

This completes all actions needed for the Initial Application Setup.


Chapter 6: Upgrade Installation

You can upgrade to an updated version of Nimsoft Service Desk to exploit newer features built into the product.

If you choose to upgrade, the installer will automatically upgrade all the required components as well as the database schema.

If you have installed Nimsoft Service Desk on multiple application server instances, you will need to upgrade each application server instance. If you have installed Nimsoft Service Desk in a clustered mode, you will need to upgrade the installation on all systems in the cluster.

Important! Please make sure that you make a backup of the previous installation, which can be used as a fallback in case of unsuccessful upgrade. The Installer does not rollback the upgrade in the event of a failure.


Backup Existing Installation (see page 47) Upgrade Installation (see page 48) Restore Backed Up Data (see page 50) Overwrite Existing Installation (see page 51)

Backup Existing Installation

Before proceeding with the upgrade, it is highly recommended that you take a backup of the existing installation. This can be used in case the upgrade fails. You will have to take back up of the Application folder as well as the database.

Note: Please stop the application server (tomcat) before you initiate the procedure for backing up the installation.

Take backup of the Application.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the installation folder.

2. Take a backup of the entire installation folder.

You can save this back folder in an appropriate location that you can retrieve it from in case the upgrade fails.

Upgrade Installation


Take backup of the databases.

Follow these steps:

1. Log into Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. .

2. Take a backup of the following databases.

1. Name of Database specified at the time of installation (Servicedesk Platform Database Name).

2. <installation database name> esd_app_db_999999

3. <installation_database_name>esd_mgmt_db

4. <installation_database_name>_esd_doc_db

You can specify a file name and location in the database server where you want the backup database files to be saved. You will need to backup files to restore the database in case the upgrade fails.


The Installer can be used to upgrade Nimsoft Service Desk installation to a newer version.

When you initiate installation and specify a file path to where Nimsoft Service Desk application has already been installed, the Installer will automatically detect upgrade mode, and will prompt you to upgrade the installation.

Note: During upgrade, the Tomcat application server gets reinstalled, and all the configuration settings like https and other tomcat settings are removed. Any database modifications like enabling secure ssl (HTTPS) for configuring Single Sign-On (SSO) also get modified. You will need to redo any configuration changes to the application server and the database to enable SSO configuration.

To begin the upgrade, select the appropriate binary for the Windows or Linux system where Nimsoft Service Desk is installed. Copy the Installation package to the appropriate directory and begin the installation.

Follow these steps:

1. Log into the server with appropriate permissions.

2. Execute the command to initiate installation.

After the Installation package is extracted, the Introduction dialog is displayed.

3. Click Next.

The License Agreement is displayed.



4. Choose I agree to the License Agreement and click Next.

The Choose Install Folder dialog will be displayed.

5. Specify the file path to the folder with the application has been previously installed.

If the path specified is the same as where the application has been previously installed, upgrade mode will be detected.

You will be prompted to enter the Database Server Password.

6. Specify the Database Server Password.

If the Password specified is not valid, an error message will be displayed, indicating that the credentials could not be validated. Specify the valid password to proceed.

If the Password is validated, Upgrade Mode Detection message will be displayed. This message will provide a prompt for you to choose if you want to upgrade the Installation.

7. Click OK

The installer will now upgrade the installation. There will be no further prompts for you to enter any information or make any further selections.

Restore Backed Up Data


After the Upgrade is complete, the Installation Summary will be displayed, confirming successful upgrade.

If you have installed Nimsoft Service Desk on Multiple Application Servers, you will need to upgrade the installation on each Application Server. If you have installed Nimsoft Service Desk in a Clustered mode, you will need to upgrade on each server in the cluster.

Note: When you upgrade from 6.2.1 (or earlier versions) to current version, the xWiki documentation database will be removed. No fresh documentation database is installed. All Help links within application are redirected to the online documentation site. Users will need internet access to access the product documentation.

Restore Backed Up Data

In case the upgrade fails, you can restore the application and all databases using the backup that you took before starting the upgrade process.

Stop the application server (tomcat) before you initiate the procedure of Restoring backed up data.

First, restore the Database.

Follow these steps

1. Log into Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.

2. Remove the below databases (if databases with the same name exist)

1. Name of database given at the time of installation (Servicedesk_Platform_Database_Name)

2. <installation_database_name> esd_app_db_999999

3. <installation_database_name>esd_mgmt_db

4. <installation_database_name>esd_doc_db

3. Restore the backed up databases using the files created during the backup of the databases before upgrading the installation.

Important! Please ensure that the data is restored on the same SQL server from where the backup was taken. Failure to do so could result in the application not working correctly.

Overwrite Existing Installation


Next, restore the Application Directory.

Follow these steps:

1. Remove the folder from <installation folder>, if any.

2. Restore the backed up Installation folder

Important! Please ensure that the Application is restored to the same location from where you took the backup, Failure to do this could result in the application not working correctly.

After the Database and Application directory have been restored, you can start the Application Server. You should now be able to log into the application and validate the data and configurations.


You can choose to Overwrite existing installation. The existing application directory will be deleted and a fresh application directory will get installed. However, this will not delete or overwrite anything in the database.

You can choose to Overwrite existing installation if you have made a mistake during the installation process (for example, you have installed the Service Desk component on more than one application server, or specified incorrect values during other steps during the installation), and wish to reinstall a fresh application directory.

When the Installer is used to Upgrade Installation, and the Upgrade Mode is Detected, you can choose to either Upgrade the Installation or Overwrite Existing Installation.

Initiate the installation process, and accept the license terms.

Follow these steps:

1. In the Choose Install Folder, select the file path as the same location where the Application Directory has been installed.

You will be prompted to enter the Database Administrator Password for validation.

2. Enter the Database Administrator Password.

When the Database Administrator Password is validated, the The Upgrade Mode Detected message will be displayed.

3. Click Cancel.

This will indicate that you do not wish to upgrade the application installation.



The Overwrite Existing Installation message will be displayed.

4. Click Ok

If you click Cancel in this message, the installation process will be aborted.

When you click Ok, the existing Application directory will be deleted.

The Installer will display the Database Server Properties dialog, and all other prompts will be displayed as if this were a scratch installation process.

Important! If you want the new Application installation to point to the existing database, please ensure that the values provided in the Database Server Properties dialog is exactly the same as entered during the initial installation. If you provide different values in this dialog, a new database will be created for the new application directory that is being installed.

You can provide appropriate input and complete the installation using either Typical Installation or Custom Installation.

The Application Directory will get overwritten and a new directory will get installed.


Chapter 7: Uninstall

You can uninstall the entire application, if required. The Uninstall removes all the executable components installed on the system as well as drops the databases used by installation. The uninstaller is provided in the application package.

Note: Please take note of the following before you start uninstalling Nimsoft Service Desk:

■ If you have installed Nimsoft Service Desk on multiple Application Servers, you will have to uninstall from each Application Server individually. If you have installed the application in a clustered mode, you will need to uninstall from each machine in the cluster.

■ If you uninstall the application from one node of the cluster would destroy all data so the other nodes of the cluster would also stop functioning.

■ Graphviz will not get uninstalled with Nimsoft service Desk. You will need to spearately uninstall Graphviz.


Uninstall Windows Installation (see page 53) Uninstall Linux Installation (see page 55)

Uninstall Windows Installation

To ensure clean uninstall, make sure that the that the Application is shut off and is not running during uninstallation process. You will need to log into the application as Administrator.

You can navigate to the uninstall option using either one of the below options

Follow these steps:

1. Click on All Programs in the start menu.

Nimsoft Service Desk will be listed in the Programs list.

2. Click on Nimsoft Service Desk.

The Uninstall icon will appear.

3. Click on Uninstall icon.

Uninstall Windows Installation


Alternatively, you can also navigate to the Uninstall option from the Application folder.

Follow these steps:

1. Click on the file name _Nimsoft Service Desk_installation in the Application folder.

The Uninstall option will be displayed in this folder.

2. Click Uninstall.

You will be prompted to enter the Database Administrator Password for validation.

3. Specify the Database Administrator Password.

The Database Administrator Password will be validated. If the Password specified is incorrect, an error message will be displayed. Specify the correct password before proceeding.

The Uninstall Nimsoft Service Desk Introduction dialog is displayed. when a vaild password is specified.

4. Click Uninstall.

The Uninstallation Process will be initiated. The Uninstalling dialog is displayed. The various components related to Nimsoft Service Desk installation will get removed. Once the Uninstallation is complete, the Uninstall Complete dialog is displayed.

5. Click Done.

The process is complete and you can exit the installer.

Uninstall Linux Installation


Uninstall Linux Installation

To uninstall Nimsoft Service Desk installed on a Linux machine, you can follow the instructions in this section.

Follow these steps:

1. Logon to the Linux system as "root" user.

2. Enter the following command to Uninstall:

/home/<service desk installation folder name>/_NimsoftServiceDesk_installation/uninstall

You will be prompted for the Database Administrator Password.

3. Specify the valid Database Administrator Password.

The password will be validated. You will be unable to proceed if the Password specified is incorrect.

Once the password is verified, you will be prompted to proceed with Uninstallation.

4. Press “Enter” to confirm Uninstallation.

The uninstallation process will begin.

At the end of the uninstall process you can exit the command prompt.

Chapter 8: Obtaining Additional Help 57

Chapter 8: Obtaining Additional Help

A complete help system is available via the Help button in the upper right corner of the Nimsoft Service Desk, after you log into the application. This takes you to the documentation with instructions for usage and administration of the Nimsoft Service Desk Application.

You can contact Nimsoft Support in case you require additional information.

Note: Internet access is required to access the Documentation Library.


Chapter 9: Troubleshooting

This section lists common errors displayed during the Installation process, and other information that can help you when you have installed Nimsoft Service Desk.


Failed to initialize database connection (see page 59) Failed to execute SQL Script (see page 60) Error message displayed during installation (see page 60) Fine tuning Tomcat Instance (see page 61)

Failed to initialize database connection

Symptom

When I click Next after specifying the Database Server Properties, I get an error message "Failed to initialize a new database connection using the database connection".

Solution

The system tries to validate the connectivity to the database using the credentials provided by you.

If there is a mismatch, an error message will be displayed, stating

"Failed to initialize a new database connection using the database connection parameters: [Database URL: <JDBC URL used for connecting to database>] [JDBC Driver: <JDBC driver class name used for database connection>] [Database User: <Database username used for connection>]]. Please check the database connection parameters."

This indicates that the database server name or port is specified incorrectly. As there is a mismatch, you will be taken back to the requisite page to rectify the error.

Failed to execute SQL Script


Failed to execute SQL Script

Symptom

I get the error message "Failed to execute the SQL script" when I am uninstalling Nimsoft Service Desk.

Solution

When you are uninstalling, a database script is executed which drops the installed databases. If this fails, it will display one of these messages:

■ Failed to execute the SQL script

■ Failed to locate the SQL Script file

This implies that during the uninstallation process the databases were not removed. This situation arises only when the script file or databases have been changed manually at the back end.

The only solution is to manually remove the databases from the database server.

If the database is not removed manually, it can cause issues if you try to install Nimsoft Service Desk again. If you try to run the installer to install Nimsoft Service Desk again, the installer will try to upgrade the application instead of installing it afresh. This is because the installer will find previously installed databases.

Error message displayed during installation

Symptom

I get an error message when too many files are open when installing Nimsoft Service Desk.

Solution

You may get an error message that too many files are open. To solve this, restart the Tomcat Instance.

Your Service Desk may be on one Tomcat instance and the Reporting Engine and Documentation on a separate Tomcat instance. You can restart the Tomcat instance giving the error, without interrupting the other instance.

Fine tuning Tomcat Instance



Symptom

I want to know how to improve performance when all components are installed on the same application server.

Solution

Tomcat allocates 1536 MB automatically to Service Desk. When all Service Desk components (Application, Reports, and Documentation) run on the same Tomcat instance, it is recommended to increase maximum memory limit to 2048 MB or more.

To increase maximum memory limit, follow the steps given below:

Valid on Windows:

1. Execute the following command from the tomcat directory under the installation folder as a user with Administrative rights on the system.

tomcat5w.exe //ES//tomcat

2. Click Enter

The Apache Tomcat Properties lookup will be displayed.



3. Open the Java tab

The Maximum Memory Pool will display 1536 MB

4. Increase it to 2048 MB or more

5. Click Apply and OK to increase memory

6. Restart the Tomcat Service.

Valid on Linux:

1. Logon to the Linux system as "root" user.

2. Edit the startup file for the tomcat instance. For e.g. /etc/init.d/devtomcat



3. Locate JAVA_OPTS variable. The defaults would be as shown below.

JAVA_OPTS="-Xms1024m -Xmx1536m -XX:+UseConcMarkSweepGC -XX:CMSInitiatingOccupancyFraction=60

4. Increase memory allocation by editing the -Xmx parameter. For e.g. change -Xmx1536m to -Xmx2048m or more

5. Restart the Tomcat Service.

Glossary 65

Glossary

This is a list glossary of terms. They have been explained in context of their use in Nimsoft Service Desk.

Typical Installation: Typical installation is a mode of on-premise installation that allows installation of the application with very few prompts. During Typical installation most of parameters are defaulted to predetermined values. The required components get installed automatically and the database required for the installation get created and populated.

Custom Installation: Custom installation is a mode of on-premise installation where that allows more flexibility during installation. You will be prompted for more inputs, like choosing which components you wish to install on an Application Server, port numbers etc. You will use custom installation for installing on multiple application servers and in a clustered mode.

On Premise On-Premise means on location - if an application runs on an "on-premise" server it means the server is physically in the organization. The installer for Service Desk Application enables On-Premise installation and Upgrade of Nimsoft Service Desk Software.

Documents

Nimsoft Service Desk Installation Guide - CAdocs.nimsoft.com/prodhelp/en_US/NSD/6.2.3/Installation...Modes of Deployment 12 Installation Guide For Localization in Simplified Chinese