Helpdesk overview

NCSA HELPDESK
e-mail: help@ncsa.uiuc.edu

Why a Help Desk?

To provide resolution and tracking of any computer/network related problem for NCSA staff and users.

How do I reach you?

Send electronic mail to help@ncsa.uiuc.edu. You should receive a response to your message within the hour which will include a tracking number.

In a critical situation you may telephone the Helpdesk at 244-0709.

Who staffs the Helpdesk?

The NCSA Helpdesk is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, by members of NCSA's Technology Management Group.

The Technology Management Group is also responsible for maintaining NCSA's computational environment at the Advanced Computation Building, which houses all of NCSA's supercomputers. TMG staff provides frontline support for all of the computers housed in ACB, and are also responsible for maintaining and running NCSA user and staff backups, along with the management of mass storage data and systems.

What kind of problems can the Helpdesk assist me with?

Please contact the Helpdesk for problems with AFS , login accounts, system backups, local and remote dialup connections, e-mail, file restores, Kerberos/ssh, batch queues and Linux. The Helpdesk can also assist you with login problems, MSS problems, mail list/alias requests, NT accounts, networking issues, password problems, printer problems, security issues and spam mail. Not sure who can help you with your 'unique' problem? Call the Helpdesk - we will find the answer!

What are top priority problems?

Problems with logging in or reading your e-mail
E-mail servers, AFS servers, network servers, allocated machines
Mass storage problems or Security issues

What are lesser priority problems?

Individual user machine down
Individual machine or application problem
System or software installations, upgrade or move
Printer problems

How will I know if there is a center-wide problem?

If a system problem affects critical services, the Helpdesk staff will

notify the consulting office
start the VIP staff telephone calling tree
If mail services are not affected we may notify staff via e-mail

How quickly can I get support during the day?

You should expect a response within thirty minutes, if the message is received Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. After hours, this may take longer. If the Helpdesk staff is unable to solve the problem they will refer the problem with its assigned priority to the appropriate personnel for resolution.

If you should have questions regarding the status or progress of your request, please send e-mail or call the Helpdesk, and have your ticket number available.

What about support after hours?

The Helpdesk staff will provide support after hours. If there is a problem with a misson-critical system or function, and the operations staff cannot resolve the problem, they will call or page additional personnel if necessary. Problems of lesser priority will be addressed during regular business hours.