ANNOUNCEMENT!!! =============== This document announces the second ALPHA release (version 1.1a2) of the Problem Tracking System (PTS). PTS is FREE software. SOFTWARE: PTS -- Problem Tracking System Xpts -- X Problem Tracking System Web/PTS -- World-Wide-Web Problem Tracking System VERSION: 1.1a2 (alpha release #2 of 1.1) -----> THIS IS ALPHA SOFTWARE. DO NOT UPGRADE TO THIS VERSION YET. This release is intended to provide you with a heads-up on where PTS is these days, and to provide ME with some input from YOU. Bring it up, try it out, and let me know what you think. SYNOPSIS: PTS helps with system management. It lets people report problems and lets support personnel record their solutions to those problems. It also helps automate other related communication activities. Some might call this "help-desk" software or a form of "groupware". SYSTEM REQMTS: The core of PTS is still "xpts", an X11R5/X11R6 application which uses the Athena widgets. Building PTS requires a Unix variant, an ANSI C compiler, lex, yacc, make and imake/xmkmf. PTS should build on most AIX, HP-UX, OSF/1, SCO, SunOS, Solaris, Domain/OS, Linux, Ultrix, IRIX, SGI, and Intergraph systems, among others. (The primary development system is now Linux.) The new WWW interface requires a web server, and should work with both CERN and NCSA servers. A WAIS server is required for searches. Users need a web browser. Most browsers will work, but Netscape 1.1N or newer is recommended. WHAT'S NEW: * A WWW interface for reporting, browsing, and searching the problem database has been added. This implies the following: a) Since web browsers exist on most platforms, users on other platforms (ok, PCs & Macs) can now report problems into the PTS system. b) Since there are text-mode web browsers out there, there is finally a text mode PTS. * Several screens in Xpts have been cleaned up. * A "priority" field is in the process of being added. * The software now installs into it's own directory, such as /usr/local/pts, rather than /usr/X11/bin. * SunOS/Solaris and Linux support improved. * Bug fixes, errr...ahhh...."unexpected feature" revisions. CAVEATS: The text-mode and command-line interfaces are limited at this time. This is an area for continued development. An e-mail interface is still being planned; however, a simple one could easily be built around the utility "newprob". The "priority" field is not fully implemented yet. Since the database format is currently in development, and since this is alpha software, there is currently no upgrade utility to convert your 1.0x database to 1.1a2 format. The Web/PTS portion of PTS is not complete as far as your sysops are concerned. It does not yet have a "solve" capability yet. Xpts is still required by your sysops. My goal is that this restriction will go away with the final release of version 1.1. AUTHORS: Dean Collins is responsible for most of the new enhancements, with the help of Chris Hyde for low-level database issues. PTS 1.0 was co-written by Dean and Chris with Luke Sheneman, Brian Goff, and John Hunter, among others, known collectively (for convenience only) as "Zombie Software". Additional support has been provided by the Internet community, for which we are *very* grateful. AVAILABILITY: PTS is FREE software. Sources may be obtained from the following sites via anonymous-FTP, which are the "official" distribution sites: ftp.x.org /contrib/applications/pts ftp.halcyon.com /local/dean/pts Source file is pts-1.1a2.tar.gz. Look for patches and README files, too. Numerous sites mirror the ftp.x.org site. PTS may be available from the following locations, and many others, as well as the "official" sites: public.x.org /contrib/applications/pts ftp.uu.net /systems/window-sys/X/contrib/applications/pts ftp.cs.columbia.edu /archives/X11R6/contrib/applications/pts ftp.germany.eu.net /pub/X11/XConsortium/contrib/applications/pts ftp.inria.fr /pub/X11/contrib/applications/pts ftp.luth.se /pub/X11/contrib/applications/pts SunSITE.sut.ac.jp /pub/archives/X11/contrib/applications/pts Also, the PTS source code is being distributed via Usenet and the alt.sources and/or comp.sources newsgroups. Web/PTS Demo: A demo configuraton of Web/PTS is available at: http://www.halcyon.com/dean/pts/pts-web-demo.html PTS Homepage: The PTS Homepage is: http://www.halcyon.com/dean/pts/pts.html DESCRIPTION ----------- PTS is a tool for improving communication between system users and support personnel (sysops) about problems encountered with the system. It consists of several programs, including "xpts" and "ptsager", as well as a set of World-Wide-Web documents and CGI programs. In a nutshell: Xpts or Web/PTS is used by system users to report problems. Support personnel (sysops) also use it to log their activities on solving each problem. Xpts also sends e-mail to problem reporters when their problems are solved. Problems are stored in a permanent database for future reference. With the addition of the WAIS feature, that database now has a full-text search capability. The problems are organized in a tree-like structure. For example, a problem with "tin" might be reported in "/Software/News/tin". A problem with a computer monitor might be reported in "/Hardware/Monitor". The problem tree structure is _completely_ configurable to meet your particular needs. Ptsager scans through the database once a day and sends electronic mail to certain system users about problems that have remained unsolved for several days. It's actions are very configurable. While PTS was originally designed with managing a network of Unix (well, Apollo) workstations in mind, it is general and versatile enough to be used in many other ways. For example, PTS itself was used by the PTS design team to report problems with and take suggestions about early versions of PTS. We are very interested in hearing about unique and creative ways in which you use PTS. PTS was originally designed and implemented by "Zombie Software", consisting of me (Dean Collins), Chris Hyde, Luke Sheneman, Brian Goff, John Hunter, Brent Heikkula, and Dayne Steed. It was designed an implemented in part on a volunteer basis for the University of Idaho Computer Science Department. Since then we've all moved on (i.e. graduated) and I have continued to work on PTS in my spare time. Chris continues to volunteer time to extend his portion of our original work when he has time. I can't really provide support for this FREE software, but I'll help WHEN I CAN. I would appreciate help from others in this project!!! PTS is being offered as a gift to the Internet community for it's generosity towards us. Enjoy! Dean Sat Jul 22 11:50:18 PDT 1995 -- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean Collins dean@halcyon.com http://www.halcyon.com/dean/