GUIDE TO 1

ST
LEVEL HELP DESK TECHNICAL SUPPORT.
1 GUIDE TO 1
ST
LEVEL HELP DESK TECHNICAL SUPPORT.| CompuCom Systems, Inc.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Introduction ............ 2
IT Service Management . 3
Network Basics ... 4
Network Troubleshooting ............ 5
VPN ............ 6
Desktop Support (Windows) . 6
Common Tasks at Help Desk .................................. 8
a. Windows 8
b. MS Office .... 9
Disclaimer . 12
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LEVEL HELP DESK TECHNICAL SUPPORT.| CompuCom Systems, Inc.


INTRODUCTION
The following guide was conceived as a conceptual framework of general knowledge a Help
Desk Tier 1 associate must have to successfully perform his/her day to day duties in an
effective and efficient way.
This guide is not comprehensive. It is intended to be used as a starting point. The job will
require more extensive knowledge on the topics presented here and others not included.
For further information of the topics presented here you can visit the following websites:
http://compnetworking.about.com/
http://oreilly.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://msdn.microsoft.com/
http://www.dummies.com/
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IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT
A Service Desk is a primary IT service for in IT service management (ITSM) as defined by
the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). It is intended to provide a Single
Point of Contact ("SPOC") to meet the communication needs of both Users and IT
employees, but also to satisfy both Customer and IT Provider objectives. "User" refers to
the actual user of the service, while "Customer" refers to the entity that is paying for
service.
In order to keep track of all requests and incidents reported by users, it is necessary to use
a ticketing system that registers this information and allows the IT support professionals to
provide a proper diagnostic, solution and follow up to each case.
There are several applications used for IT service management like BMC Remedy and
Service Now, to name a couple.
Remedy Service Now

A service desk handles incidents and service requests, as well as providing an interface to
users for other ITSM activities such as (but not exclusively):
1. Incident management,
2. Problem management,
3. Configuration management,
4. Change management,

This information is usually received and processed by the professionals working at the
Service Desk. It is important to mention that ITIL regards a call center, contact center or
a help desk as limited kinds of service desk which provide only a portion of what a service
desk can offer. A service desk has a more broad and user-centered approach, seeking to
provide the user with an informed single point of contact for all IT requirements.

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A service desk seeks to facilitate the integration of business processes into the service
management infrastructure. In addition to actively monitoring and owning Incidents and
user questions, and providing the communications channel for other service management
disciplines with the user community, a service desk also provides an interface for other
activities such as customer change requests, third parties (e.g. maintenance contracts), and
software licensing.
NETWORK BASICS
A computer network is a telecommunications network that allows computers to
exchange data. In computer networks, networked computing devices pass data to each
other along data connections. The connections (network links) between nodes are
established using either cable media or wireless media. Although there are different
networking models we will Use TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).
There are various types of network arrangements (topologies) and each one serves a
particular purpose. The Network topologies are: Ring, Mesh, Star, Fully Connected, Line,
Tree and Bus.


Organizations use hybrid networks made out of combinations of the existing models and to
manage this networks they rely on diverse directory services.
One of the most common directory services is Active Directory (AD) which is included on
most Windows Server operating systems.
An Active Directory structure is an arrangement of information about objects. The Active
Directory framework that holds the objects can be viewed at a number of levels. The forest,
tree, and domain are the logical divisions in an Active Directory network.
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An AD domain controller authenticates and authorizes all users and computers in a Windows
domain type networkassigning and enforcing security policies for all computers and
installing or updating software.
Most requests received from Users at Help Desks are password resets, which can be fulfilled
through the GUI of this tool if the directory service being used at the organization is Active
Directory.
NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTING
When experiencing issues with TCP/IP connectivity we can follow a basic set of steps to
verify or determine where the issue is located.
1. Check physical connections,
2. Check the TCP/IP configuration by using the command IPCONFIG at the command
prompt,
3. Ping the loopback address (127.0.0.1) to verify if the NIC (network interface
controller) or network card is functioning properly,
4. Ping your own computer IP address (information that can be found with the
IPCONFIG command),
5. Ping the default gateway (a gateway is a router on a TCP/IP network that serves as
an access point to another network)
6. Ping the destination address,
7. Use the TRACERT command with the destination IP address to verify if theres any
problem with the routers crossed by the TCP/IP packet.
8. Check your DNS (Domain Name System) configuration
a. With the command IPCONFIG/ALL verify the IP address of your DNS Server
b. Ping the DNS Server IP address.
If the issue is caused by incorrect dynamically added DNS information the
IPCONFIG/FLUSHDNS and IPCONFIG/REGISTERDNS can be used.



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VPN
In the Internet addressing architecture, a private network is a network that uses private IP
address space, these addresses are commonly used for home, office, and enterprise local
area networks (LANs) and these are not necessarily connected to the internet. Private
networks used by organizations are normally inaccessible outside the company network
arrangement unless there is a bridge that allows the connection, here is when VPNs come
in handy.
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, such as
the Internet. It enables a computer to send and receive data across shared or public
networks as if it were directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the
functionality, security and management policies of the private network. This is done by
establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections,
encryption, or a combination of the two.

Different tools can be used to access VPNs such as clients or they can be configured with
the tools available on the operative system that is being used.
DESKTOP SUPPORT (WINDOWS)
There are several operative systems that can be used on home, office, and enterprise such
as OS X, UNYX, any of the various Linux distributions and Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft Windows was released in 1985 and has gone through constant versions (1.0, 2.0,
2.1, 3.0, 3.1, 95, 98, ME, NT, XP, Vista, 7 and 8).
Many organizations relied extensively on Windows XP as their main operative system but
Microsofts support to this OS is scheduled to end on April 8, 2014, therefore migrations to a
newer operative has been a constant nowadays. In this matter Windows 7 has been the
most widely spread operative system replacing Windows XP. Windows 7 was released on
July 2009 and six different editions were made available to specific markets (Starter, Home
Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate).

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In Windows 7 settings that are not managed by the domain administrators can be
configured through Control Panel.


System and Security Action Center, Windows Firewall, System, Windows Update, Power
Options, Backup and Restore, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and
Administrative Tools
User Accounts User Accounts, Windows Cardspace, Credential Manager, and Mail
(32-bit)
Network and
Internet
Network and Sharing Center, Homegroup, and Internet Options
Appearance and
Personalization
Personalization, Display, Desktop Gadgets, Taskbar and Start
Menu, Ease of Access Center, Folder Options, and Fonts
Hardware and
Sound
Devices and Printers, AutoPlay, Sound, Power Options, Display,
and Windows Mobility Center
Clock, Language,
and Region
Date and Time, and Region and Language
Programs Programs and Features, Default Programs, and Desktop Gadgets
Ease of Access Ease of Access Center and Speech Recognition


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COMMON TASKS AT A HELP DESK
WINDOWS
As mentioned before one of the most common request is a password reset, which will be
performed through the directory service platform (usually Active Directory) but also Users
may place requests such as configuring accessibility options, power administration, adding
devices to the computer, correct the display to match the screen capabilities, amongst
others can be fulfilled through the right manipulation of the various items on control panel.
Adding devices connected to the network, such as printers, scanners, etc. on to their
computers, is also a common request placed by users. To install a network device, its
necessary to go to DEVICES AND PRINTERS select the desired option and follow the
instructions shown on screen.


Users may also request having a network drive mapped on to their computers, for this it is
necessary to access COMPUTER and select the option MAP NETWORK DRIVE and enter the
destination address in the format shown on the example ( \\SERVER\SHARE ) being SERVER
either the Hostname (name of the destination computer) or the IP address and SHARE the
path to the desired resource.
E.G. \\161.108.201.189\Users\John\Shared
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MICROSOFT OFFICE
Microsoft Office assistance is also a common request from users; the assistance may cover
from basic inquiries such as formatting MS Word documents, help with both formulas and
cell formatting on MS Excel, assistance with MS Access Databases such as relations between
tables, linking objects to other slides, documents or even websites on MS PowerPoint,
creation of Macros to automate processes and configure mail accounts on MS Outlook to
name a few, being the last one the most frequent.
Most of the inquiries users may place on MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint can be
completed through the various tabs the MS Office suite applications have.

Regular requests on MS Office may include security related inquiries such as protecting with
password the files.

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Another type of requests may include assistance with advanced features such as Macros
which can help users to automate processes

We can face as well requests from workgroups in need to share MS Office files.


Regular requests MS Outlook may include how to configure an email account in MS Outlook,
for this its necessary to access INFO under the FILE tab and select ADD ACCOUNT and
follow the instructions of the add account wizard.
.
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Another type of inquiries or requests that may be placed is the capability to delegate the
administration of a personal calendar by granting the proper author rights to another user.


















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DISCLAIMER
All of the information presented here is property of their authors and it was not gathered
with profit purposes. The information is open and available to all public and its reproduction
with purposes other than academic is strictly prohibited.
The information was subtracted from the websites:
http://compnetworking.about.com/
http://oreilly.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://msdn.microsoft.com/
http://www.dummies.com/
and the images were taken from http://www.wikimedia.org/ and Microsoft applications
Licensed to CompuCom Systems, Inc.