Touchpaper Support
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Technical Note: HDCS62002
Title: Monitor E-mail integration (Outlook and Lotus Notes)
Product : HelpDesk and SupportCenter
Version : 6.2
Environ : All supported platforms for 6.2
Date : 8th June 2004
Not only is Monitor capable of sending escalation’s messages, call assignment notifications and add-hoc reminders via the ‘HelpDesk/Support Centre’ message box, but it can also send these externally to e-mail address via a number of e-mail clients.
This involves the combination of a file called ‘hdmail.dll’ and a number of registry settings, there are three in total; ‘External E-mail’, ‘Mail Account’ and ‘Mail Password’, ensure these are of type ‘REG_SZ’ (String value). These need to be created under the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Touchpaper Software\HelpDesk\Monitor\
HelpDesk 6.2 saw the introduction of a fourth ‘hdmail.dll’ to be used with Lotus Notes, though this is also compatible with HelpDesk 6.1. The ‘hdmail’ files are located in the ‘HDBIN32’ directory on a machine that has a full install (thus not a workstation install) of HelpDesk, available are:
File Name / Size / Mail implementation and usehdmail.smp / 72KB / Simple MAPI – for viewing single inbox’s – primarily used for Outlook, Groupwise or other MAPI compliant mail clients.
hdmail.mp1 / 121KB / Extended MAPI – for viewing multiple inbox’s - primarily used for Outlook, Groupwise or other MAPI compliant mail clients.
hdmail.lot / 128KB (V1)
161KB (V1.5) / For Lotus Notes 5.x upwards. This no longer uses MAPI and talks directly to the Lotus API.
hdmail.cmc / 101KB / For CC-Mail etc.
The file ‘hdmail.dll’ is a ‘Dynamic Link Library’ that both ‘HelpDesk.exe’ and ‘Monitor.exe’ use to integrate with the chosen e-mail package, i.e. this file contains the programming code to talk to the e-mail package. This file is a dependant of both HelpDesk and Monitor and therefore must be resident even if e-mail integration is not going to be used.
Configuring Monitor to send e-mail via Outlook in an Exchange environment
Monitor’s integration with Outlook uses MAPI (Mail Application Program Interface) for sending e-mails, so requires the use of either ‘hdmail.smp’ or ‘hdmail.mp1’, though ‘hdmail.smp’ is the preferred method.
It’s best practice to configure Monitor as a ‘System Tray’ and then move to as ‘Service’ if so desired, when Monitor is working as expected. This practice not only gives a visual indication of Monitor’s activities but any associated error messages will be presented at a UI level and thus will be visible.
Install Outlook 98 or 2000 on to the chosen machine, create an Outlook profile to connect to the appropriate mail account and ‘log on’ to the chosen machine with a Windows or Novell account that has permission to view this account. Ensure that you can launch and send e-mails via Outlook with out any user intervention such as password requests etc. then on the machine chosen to run Monitor:
1) Rename the chosen ‘hdmail’ to ‘hdmail.dll’ - replacing the existing dll as required.
2) Set the string ‘External E-mail’ to the value ‘1’
3) Set the string ‘Mail Account’ to the name of the MAPI profile created above, this is not necessarily the ‘MS Exchange’ account name being used, this should be verified via:
a) Start, Settings, Control Panel, Mail, Show Profiles
b) From here you will be presented with a list of one or more profiles, the one under the drop-down called ‘When Starting Microsoft Outlook, use this profile:’ is the one ‘Mail Account’ should be set to.
4) Set the string ‘Mail Password’ to the password of the Windows/Novell account currently being used – this can be removed later.
5) Launch ‘Monitor’ as a ‘System Tray’ not a ‘Service’. If your prompted for any credentials you’re not logged on to the ‘Monitor’ machine with an account that has permissions to view the e-mail account.
From within HelpDesk;
6) Open an Analyst (a person who uses HelpDesk to support the user base) record and change the ‘Message Destination’ to ‘Send Internally and Externally’
7) Enter an e-mail address
8) Open an existing call in HelpDesk that is not resolved or closed
9) Create a reminder for the Analyst used in Step 5
Wait for the message to appear in the HelpDesk ‘Message Box’, once it’s been received here check the respective e-mail has arrived to the address specified in Step 6, if it has not please check with the ‘Licensing’ department that you licence key includes this functionality, if id does not please speak to your Account Manager. If this functionality is included try re-licensing HelpDesk and repeat Steps 7 and 8.
If e-mails are still not being delivered open Outlook on the Monitor machine and check that you can send an e-mail to the address chosen in Step 6, if this does not work please talk to your Exchange administrator.
Issue with Outlook 2000 SR1 and above
HelpDesk also allows you to ‘send HelpDesk calls’ via e-mail as well as ‘log calls’ from e-mails in your local inbox, this is all achieved from a local level, i.e. using your Outlook on your own PC. If your running HelpDesk from a workstation install your session will use the ‘hdmail’ located in the ‘HDBIN32’ directory on the ‘HelpDesk server’ otherwise it will use the ‘hdmail’ in your local ‘HDBIN32’ directory. When using ’hdmail.mp1’ in conjunction with the ‘send HelpDesk call’ via e-mail function, on a machine that uses Outlook 2000 with SR1 or SR2 then you will receive the following error message, if you don’t send the e-mail within 8 seconds:
Which you will see in the following environment:
Pressing either ‘Switch To…’ or ‘Retry’ will not remove the error, you have to end both HelpDesk and Outlook via ‘CTRL+AL+DELETE. The current work around is to use ‘hdmail.smp’ or upgrade to Office 2000 SP3, which still has the windows pop window but the ‘Switch to…’ or ‘Retry’ allows you another 8 seconds.
Issue with Outlook 97, 98, 2000 in conjunction with the Security Update
This behaviour will result in two issues; Monitor hangs on an attempt to send an external e-mail and HelpDesk Send/Read functionality is interrupted by the message below:
Note – Try clicking ‘Read’ e-mail from the HelpDesk client on the machine where Monitor is running, if the above message is displayed then you know Monitor is not going to send external e-mails.
If the following (or later) Service Pack’s have been installed the above behaviour will occur as default, unless your Exchange administrator has already taken the steps illustrated further down.
· Windows 2000 SP2
· Outlook 2000 SR1 with SP2
· Outlook 2000 SR1 with SR1 update: E-mail Security.
· Outlook 98 update: E-mail Security
· Office and Windows XP
More information available at http://www.microsoft.com/Office/previous/outlook/downloads/security.htm
Microsoft released the above Service Pack’s to address e-mail security vulnerabilities such as those exploited by the ‘ILOVEYOU’ and ‘Melissa’ strand of viruses. The three key areas covered by this patch are: E-mail attachment security, Object Model guard and heightened Outlook default security settings.
The object of the update is to stop viruses entering your organisation via e-mail attachments and to set the security on each desktop to the highest possible status. The additional purpose of the security measure is to limit the damage caused by these viruses, thus this update is highly restrictive and will effect any application, which a) sends items via CDO or simple MAPI, b) accesses the address information via CDO or MAPI.
More information available a: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q264/1/28.asp
These default settings are intended to affect, and in some cases stop, third party applications from interacting with the Outlook mailbox and Address book - both of which are used by Touchpaper applications.
If these Service Pack’s have been installed then your Exchange administrator should undertake the following actions:
1) Print out and familiarise yourself with the "Customizing the Outlook 98/2000 E-mail security update" available from http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2000/journ/OutSecUpdate.htm
2) Install ‘Admpack.exe’ (available from the URL below) as per the instructions in Step 1
http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2000/appndx/toolbox.htm#secupd
3) Change the values on the "Programmatic Settings" tab of the template to "Automatically approve" the sending of items and accessing of the address books via both CDO and MAPI
4) Deploy the new settings to the Monitor machine - also to the client machines that require the Send/Read functionality without any interruption - this can be achieved either by using the policy template or registry keys as described at:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2000/journ/OutSecUpdate.htm
(Noting that in the registry update, the value of the registry key should be set to "1")
5) After doing this, you will still have the additional protection provided by the screening of incoming e-mails for potentially harmful attachments, but you other applications such as Monitor and AutoE-mail will still be able to send e-mails via your Exchange server.
Monitor’s and HelpDesks integration with Notes in a Domino environment
HelpDesk 6.0.2 and previous version of HelpDesk, integrated with Lotus Notes via a MAPI profile. Thus you had to install ‘Windows Messaging’ first, then Lotus Notes – which would see that ‘Windows Messaging’ was installed and install the Lotus MAPI drivers – and then create and configure a ‘Lotus MAPI’ profile. This could cause administration overheads such as; a) Lotus had been installed first, b) the creation of the ‘Lotus MAPI’ profile.
HelpDesk 6.1 and onwards now incorporates the new ‘hdmail’ file that talks directly to the Lotus API. This has a number of key benefits:
a) Don’t have to install Windows Messaging
b) No order of install conflicts
c) Don’t have to create and configure a ‘Lotus MAPI’ profile
d) Seamless integration
e) Stable and reliable
There are currently two versions of hdmail.lot as detailed below.
Version 1 - Which is 128KB in size and ships with HelpDesk 6.2 (This is compatible with HelpDesk 6.1). This only integrates ‘Monitor’ with Lotus Notes, i.e. escalation points, call assignments and reminders via e-mail.
Version 2 - Which is 161KB in size and ships with HelpDesk 6.3 (This is compatible with HelpDesk 6.1 and 6.2). This integrates both ‘Monitor’ and ‘HelpDesk’ with Lotus Notes. The additional HelpDesk integration then allows you to log calls from e-mails and send calls via e-mail. There are a few limitations though; HelpDesk can’t browse the Lotus local and global address books - you have to type the e-mail address in manually. Also you can’t mark an e-mail as ‘read’ once you have read the e-mail from with in HelpDesk, see the screen shot below.
Configuring Monitor to send e-mail via Lotus Notes
If Lotus Notes has already been installed with an account other than the one you wish to use for ‘Monitor’ please follow the instructions in the section entitled ‘Un-installing Lotus Notes’ later in this document, before continuing.
1) Rename the chosen ‘hdmail’ (V1 or V1.5) to ‘hdmail.dll’ - replacing the existing file as required
2) Set the string ‘External E-mail’ to the value ‘1’
3) Leave ‘Mail Account’ blank – if it’s not already blank remove the current entry
4) Set the string ‘Mail Password’ to the password required for Lotus Notes
To confirm you have the correct password launch Lotus Notes on the machine running ‘Monitor’ and you should be presented with the following prompt:
Enter the password. If Notes then loads you know you have the correct password. Note - If Notes opens straight away without a password prompt then there is no password, so ensure ‘Mail Password’ is left blank.
5) Launch ‘Monitor’ as a ‘System Tray’ not a ‘Service’. If the above ‘Enter Password’ prompt is displayed and you’re sure the correct password has been entered as per Step 4 see the section entitled ‘Continuous Password Prompt’ later in this document.
Then From within HelpDesk;
6) Open an Analyst (a person who uses HelpDesk to support the user base) record and change the ‘Message Destination’ to ‘Send Internally and Externally’
7) Enter an e-mail address
8) Open an existing call in HelpDesk that is not resolved or closed
9) Create a reminder for the Analyst used in Step 5
Wait for the message to appear in the HelpDesk ‘Message Box’, once it’s been received here check the respective e-mail has arrived to the address specified in Step 6, if it has not please check with the ‘Licensing’ department that you licence key includes this functionality, if id does not please speak to your Account Manager. If this functionality is included try re-licensing HelpDesk and repeat Steps 7 and 8.
If e-mails are still not being delivered, open Lotus Notes on the ‘Monitor’ machine and check that you can send an e-mail to the address chosen in Step 6, if this does not work please talk to your Domino administrator.
Lotus Notes functionality not implemented yet?
When you click ‘Send or Receive’ e-mail in HelpDesk you receive the following message:
This is because your using Lotus ‘hdmail.dll’ version 1.0. Use version 1.5 that ships with HelpDesk 6.3, if your using HelpDesk 6.1 or 6.2 this can be supplied by the Support Centre upon request
HelpDesk keeps prompting for my Lotus password?
This is normal behaviour, when you try and read the inbox from with in HelpDesk, below is the prompt you should expect to see, simply enter your Lotus Notes password.
Continuous Password Prompt
When testing ‘Monitor’ as a ‘System Tray’ the following prompt is displayed every time ‘Monitor’ polls:
If this occurs ensure that the password entered in Step 4 of ‘Configuring Monitor to send e-mail via Lotus Notes‘ earlier in this document is correct. If this is correct, then try these steps: