MEETING EGI/PRACE HELPDESK 10/07/2012 PARTICIPANTS PRACE . Marcello Morgotti/CINECA (RT helpdesk) . Liz Sim/EPCC (PRACE support) . Jules Wolfrat/SARA (PRACE operations) EGI . Tiziana Ferrari/EGI.eu (EGI operations) . Peter Solagna/EGI.eu (EGI operations) . Emir Imamagic/SRCE (EGI integrations) . Torsten Antoni/KIT (GGUS helpdesk) . Helmut Dres/KIT (GGUS helpdesk) . Guenter Grein/KIT (GGUS helpdesk) INTRODUCTION T. Ferrari ======================= GGUS/EGI G. Grein ================= GGUS is based on remedy (commercial tool). Interfaces: SOAP for creating and updating tickets. SOAP interfaces are available to interface with other ticketing systems at an NGI level. GGUS proposes SOAP as integration interface with PRACE. e-mail exchanges are no longer supported. RT is used by 3 NGIs within EGI. All are of the same kind, based on SOAP web services. RT provides a soap web service nativey. JW: what is the flow of information between the two systems? what is the deployment model of these RT systems? GG: e-mail interface was retired. Currently we have a worflow for 1. creation of tickets (if a ticket is assigned to NGI X, the web service of the RT system is called to create a ticket there) 2. synchronization of status updates and comments between the two systems, including the synch of the solution, so that the support staff can use RT and the two tickets are in the same status. IMPORTANT: we have to agree on field mapping. JW: how GGUS learns that a ticket is created in the remote RT? GG: Triage is needed to assign a ticket to the appropriate support unit. The user has an opportunity to bypass triage, if the user is really sure that the problem affected a site, by assigning the ticket to the site directly. Assignment of tickets depends on the type of problem. If a ticket is opened locally in RT within an NGI, it can be migrated to a central GGUS support unit if needed, this is done seamlessly. RT/PRACE (M. Morgotti) ======== PRACE helpdesk is based on RT, RT was chosen as successfully used in DEISA already for both user and internal problem solving (e.g. networking, operations). Users use a web interface to access to the helpdesk. Registration is needed (identification through X.509 certificate, needed to access the web interface). Two profiles which provide different views: - user profile (only own problems are seen) - staff profile (wide access to information) An e-mail interface is possible. Correspondence is sent to the owner of the ticket. A virtual machine used to host RT (web front end and DB/mysql). RT is customizable and was adapted to fit the PRACE user model. JW: the e-mail interface is avaialble, but the e-mail address of the originator must be knwon. Different queues available (users can assign tickets to sites). on-duty shifts across PRACE sites to monitor status of tickets, or tickets in a general queue. GG: the ticket workflows have to be discussed. DISCUSSIOn ========== Assignment of tickets to queues shortens the time for solution. There is no PRACE topology information in GOCDB of EGI, but this is strictly not needed (at least to start with) as tickets originated through GGUS, could be assigned to the PRACE RT general queue. JW: authorization should be based on the e-mail address of GGUS or X.509 certificate. Where is the interface documented? is there an interface to be tested? GG: documentation is available (Action on GGUS to distribute information) MM: a test instance of RT is available for development work. It is identical to the production instance. GG: a test instnace of GGUs is also available. GG: does PRACE/RT handle attachments? JW: yes attachments are possible. Mandatory fields have to be discussed. LS: discussion on workflows and type of tickets to be transferred across the two systems is needed (discussion of policies will take place at the EGI conference with users). TIMELINE ======== Report on design and preliminary test activities at the EGI conference 17/21 Sep (Tue, 18/09, 2:00 pm) - https://indico.egi.eu/indico/sessionDisplay.py?sessionId=10&confId=1019#20120918 ACTIONS ======= ACTION: Marcello to circulate slides on PRACE/RT ACTION: Guenter to circulate documentation on the GGUS-RT interface and RT requirements (possibly via wiki)