Diagnostics

Administrators will use this section to fine-tune the performance of SmarterTrack. By default, SmarterTrack is set to run optimally on the majority of systems, regardless of how busy the help desk is. However, there may come times when system administrators want to manage these settings and customize the performance of SmarterTrack. Note: These are advanced settings and it is not recommended to change them without understanding the impact of the changes.

Administrators may also use this section to adjust or review the SmarterTrack log files. (SmarterTrack creates daily log files containing information about license activations, SMTP connections, POP connections and errors.)

To access this section, log into the management interface with an administrator account. Then click on the Settings icon. In the Tools area of the navigation pane, click on Diagnostics. The settings will load in the content pane and the following tabs will be available:

Options

Use this tab to edit the following settings:

Email Address to Receive Errors - When an email address is entered here, an email will be sent each time an error is written to the Error log.
SMTP Account - The email address used for sending error reports.
Heartbeat Interval - The amount of time between communication attempts to the server to refresh tree view counts, reminder popups and counts, live chat popups, and other automatic functions. By default, this option is set to 10 seconds.
Who's On Interval - The amount of time between communication attempts to the server to refresh visitor information displayed in Who's On. By default, this option is set to 8 seconds.
Delete Log Files After - The number of days after which the log files are deleted. Deleting log files on a regular basis will minimize the amount of disk space that SmarterTrack uses. By default, log files are deleted after 14 days.
Enable short query logging - Checking this box will allow SmarterTrack to keep a short log of every query executed. This setting is useful for identifying database-related issues. Note: Because of the performance impact of enabling this setting, SmarterTools recommends enabling it only when requested by a support agent.
Enable full query logging - Checking this box will allow SmarterTrack to keep a very detailed log of every query executed. This setting is useful for identifying database-related issues. Note: Because of the performance impact of enabling this setting, SmarterTools recommends enabling it only when requested by a support agent.
Enable lock tracing - Checking this box will allow SmarterTrack to keep a detailed log about objects being cached in server memory. Note: Because of the performance impact of enabling this setting, SmarterTools recommends enabling it only when requested by a support agent.
Enable cache tracing - Checking this box will track all system level locks to identify points of conflict in the software. Note: Because of the performance impact of enabling this setting, SmarterTools recommends enabling it only when requested by a support agent.

Administrators can use the Self Diagnostic button in the content pane toolbar to test the SmarterTrack server for errors. SmarterTrack will perform a test and display the results in a popup window. SmarterTrack's self diagnostic tool will review a variety of different settings to help administrators troubleshoot potential issues. For example, the tools will check file permissions, internet connectivity, folder permissions and more.

Current Thread Status

Use this tab to start and stop background threads. Changing the status of background threads may disable certain areas of the application and will affect functionality. For this reason, it is not recommended to change the status of background threads unless instructed to do so by the SmarterTools Support Department for debugging purposes. A number appears in the tab itself to show the total number of threads available to manage.

Below is a list of each thread, what it controls and the consequences of disabling the thread.

Auto-Inactive Thread - This thread controls automatically sets an Agent to an "inactive" status, and will then hand off tickets and/or live chats. If it's disabled, Agents will not be automatically set to an inactive status.
Auto-Purge Deleted Items Thread - This thread controls automatically purging deleted tickets, chats, call logs, tasks, canned replies, news items, KB articles, groups, departments and users every 90 days. If it is disabled, deleted items will not be automatically purged.
Call Log Watcher Thread - This thread watches the call log and will automatically delete call logs older than 7 days. This thread also checks to make sure the database is not being upgraded when it runs, and that an update of SmarterTrack is not running. If it is, then this thread will run after these updates are complete. If it's disabled, call logs are not automatically deleted.
Chat Manager Thread - This thread calculates chat wait times, auto assigns live chats, removes ended/abandoned chats and automatically deletes chats older than 7 days. If it is disabled, therefore, wait times would not be captured, chats would not be auto-assigned, and abandoned/ended chats would not be removed.
Cleaner Thread - This thread automatically cleans out various folders: Raw Content, Call Recording, Temp, Failed Emails, Logs, User Handshakes, Orphaned Ticket Attachments and Zip Files. Essentially, any folder that holds metadata. If it's disabled, none of that information would automatically be purged, and the folders would grow in size and, possibly, compromise total disk space.
Email Import (POP) Thread - This thread turns .eml files in the email folder that are pulled in from any POP accounts that are set up into actual tickets. Therefore, if it's disabled, tickets would no longer be created from any .eml files imported via any POP accounts.
Email Report Thread - This thread controls the automatic sending, via email, of any Report. If it's disabled, therefore, no Reports -- scheduled or otherwise -- would be sent out.
Event Processing Thread - This thread controls any system-level events such as version updates, license renewals, etc. It also controls ticket and live chat counts, and knowledge base article status. (E.g., when they go stale.) This thread also checks to make sure the database is not being upgraded when it runs, and that an update of SmarterTrack is not running. If it is, then this thread will run after these updates are complete. If it's disabled, therefore, ticket and live chat counts wouldn't work, KB article status isn't checked, etc.
Indexing Thread - This thread automatically creates a list of indexable strings that are used when using regular and advanced search. If it's disabled, those searchable strings will not be created, essentially crippling SmarterTrack's search features.
POP Download Thread - This thread handles the importing of .eml files via POP and running POP imports from the various accounts that are set up. If it's disabled, therefore, POP importing would stop.
SMTP Delivery Thread - This thread manages the Spool, sending ticket replies using the SMTP accounts that are set up and then clearing the Spool after messages are sent. If it's disabled, therefore, ticket replies will not be sent.
Task Watcher Thread - This thread watches adn runs Tasks and also deletes completed Tasks that are older than 7 days. If it's disabled, this does not occur.
Ticket Watcher Thread - This thread watches Tickets and runs checks for auto-closing tickets, auto-locking tickets, auto-deleting of tickets, ticket rebalance rules and ticket assignments. If it's disabled, therefore, tickets will not auto-assign, rebalancing will not work, and any other automatic ticket tasks will not run.
Task Scheduler Thread - This thread runs the Task Scheduler and manages any recurring Tasks. If it's disabled, therefore, this does not occur.

Log Files

SmarterTrack logs a number of different items, and these logs can be used to help troubleshoot issues. Generally, they'll be used by SmarterTools support, but administrators who are familiar with how SmarterTrack runs can also use these logs when problems arise. For example, if tickets stop importing for a particular department, the ticket import log and/or the POP log can be accessed to help find out why. Log files are generally kept for 30 days, but they can be manually deleted as needed. The following columns are available:

Checkbox - Use these boxes to select multiple log files. Log files must be selected before choosing an action from the toolbar.
File Name - The name of the log file.
Date - The date the log file was created.
Size (bytes) - The size of the log file in bytes.

To view a specific log file, select the log and click the Open button or simply double-click the file and it will load in a pop-up window. A number will appear on the tab itself that displays the total number of log files that are available to view.