Getting Help

The CIS Department has a dedicated team of system administrators to handle most questions, however it is important to follow a few guidelines when asking for help.

Web Documentation

The first location to check for information regarding your question or concern is here at the CIS Support site. The User Guide has answers to the vast majority of questions you may have.

Asking for Help

In order to manage the tremendous volume of email and requests that we receive each day, we utilize an application called Request Tracker (RT) that creates a "ticket" for each request email we receive. Here are a few guidelines that you should follow to receive the most prompt support.

By E-mail -- preferred method of support

• Send to the correct address. Only send help requests to support@cis.ksu.edu or help@cis.ksu.edu. These email addresses will ensure that your request is seen by all of the administrators and can be handled by the most qualified member of our staff.

• Watch the ticket number. After you send an email into RT, it will assign a ticket number to your request. Every correspondence regarding that ticket should contain the ticket number in the subject line. This will ensure that your correspondence isn't lost and is always attached to your ticket.

• One request per ticket. Each request email should contain only one (1) request. Placing multiple requests into a single ticket makes tracking what you need harder for the team. This includes the initial email and also after your issue has been resolved. This means hitting "reply" to an old support ticket is an invalid way to make a new request.

• Use a descriptive subject line. Please use a descriptive and meaningful subject line for your email. Here are some examples:
  • Examples of good subject lines:
    • "I cannot login via SSH to linux.cis.ksu.edu"
    • "M: drive not mapped at login"
    • "Personal web page gives 500 Internal Server Error"
    • "Request for Microsoft Visual Studio 2003"
  • Examples of bad subject lines:
    • "cannot login"
    • "account broken"
    • "webpage"
    • "printers"
  • Examples of horrible subject lines:
    • "help"
    • "please help"
    • "problem"
    • "please fix"

• Use correct grammar and spelling, and accurate vocabulary. Please use correct grammar and spelling in your email requests. Also, it is critical that you use accurate vocabulary when describing your problem. The selection of words you use can have a profound impact on our understanding of your request.

• Include exact wording of any error messages you are seeing.

• Specify the specific computer, host, or system you are having trouble with. Many problems are "location dependent". Including the exact location of the problem speeds most troubleshooting tremendously.

By Phone

We are reachable through the CIS office (785) 532-6350. E-mail request will receive a higher priority than phone calls, but a phone call can sometimes be an appropriate way to follow up on a request.

In Person

The Systems Administrators' offices are in Nichols 116 and 119 (use door on Sysadmin Hallway). One of us is usually available from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. However, again, email is the preferred method for support.