Help.renci.org

IT support is provided to RENCI through the email address help@renci.org. When you email help@renci.org, a ticket is automatically created on https://help.renci.org/. The ACIS team (Advanced Cyber Infrastructure Support) monitors the help inbox and all new tickets. Do not send requests to ACIS through any other channel.

This page describes how to interact with help.renci.org to get the best support experience possible.

Opening a New Ticket

To open a new support ticket, send an email to help@renci.org. No specific format is required, however the following tips will help ACIS respond more quickly:

• Include a descriptive subject line. The subject becomes the title of the ticket and helps ACIS triage.
  • Good examples:
    • "2019 MacBook Pro screen flickering"
    • "Decommission VM something.edc.renci.org"
  • Bad examples:
    • "Laptop help" (what kind? what issue?)
    • "RENCI server update" (which server? update how?)
• Include sufficient context in the body of the ticket. The context can allow ACIS to instantly help you without having to ask clarifying questions.
  • Good examples:
    • "After the most recent macOS update, my screen has been flickering on and off every few seconds."
    • "This VM can be decommissioned since it's part of the SOMETHING project which ended last year. All the old data has already been transferred off of it."
  • Bad examples:
    • "Send me a new laptop." (what if it's a software issue?)
    • "Please delete the VM." (is all the old data off of it?)
• Include software versions, logs, screenshots, steps tried, etc. This info can help avoid back-and-forth questions.

For more information, refer to the following article, How to Write a Useful Tech Support Ticket.

Can I open tickets without using email?

Yes. Emailing help@renci.org to open tickets is just the more-convenient way of opening tickets. If you are unable to email help@renci.org (like if you are experiencing issues with email itself), you can submit tickets via the web interface of https://help.renci.org/

Log in with your RENCI username and password. Once logged in, you should see a "New ticket" button in the top right.

Replying to a Ticket

You do not have to go to the help.renci.org web UI to interact with tickets. To reply to a ticket, reply-all to any response emails. Ensure help@renci.org is included in the recipients and the subject line has not changed. This will ensure your reply is recorded in the ticket and forwarded to whoever has claimed your ticket.

After a ticket is resolved, you will receive an email informing you of the changed status. Do not reply to this email unless you wish to automatically re-open the ticket.