Objective

To develop an intelligent system that provides Help Desk assistance in solving computer related problems using HTML as the user interface and a web browser to process requests. The system will use the rules-based expert system, CLIPS, to define business procedures and provide a consistent and standard process that directs help desk personnel toward specific technical solutions. The product developed will incorporate the specific business rules, systems, and technical environment at NJ TRANSIT, the sponsor of this system.

Background

In the past, most systems were written on a mainframe computer with simple end-user requirements. It was possible to write very detailed and useful documents for non-technical help desk personnel to aid in solving problems. With the computer industry changing every day, the amount of information and technical expertise required to solve computer related problems is growing exponentially. It is unreasonable to expect one person at a help desk to know (and understand) all of this information. Some organizations think that adding more bodies to a help desk solves the problem. The problem is one of quality, not quantity. Adding more people who cannot solve problems, does not help the customer.

NJ TRANSIT faces the problems described above and, therefore, is very interested in a rules-based system to guide Help Desk personnel toward quick and accurate solutions in their computer environment. There is also a need to provide direct access to customers who require information about the systems they use. The extension of Help directly to customers supplements the Help Desk function which is structured around a 9:00 - 5:00 work schedule, Monday- Friday. The transportation industry operates on a 24-hour schedule, 7 days per week. Therefore, it is necessary to automate the Help Desk with a system that can be utilized by customers, non-technical customer service representatives, and technical personnel. The common goal of the system is to provide efficient and accurate information, direction, and resolution to computer problems throughout the Corporation.

There are multiple categories of Help that customers require from a Help Desk. At a general level, inquiries include:

• Descriptions of Systems
• Platform utilized by a particular system
• Contact information

At a more technical level, questions reach different stages of complexity as shown by the examples below:

• Location and access to PC software packages
• Functions of PC software (WP, Lotus 1-2-3, ...)
• Printer problems/Network errors
• Application system problems (Financial applications, Sys Support, ...)
• Access problems (mainframe, midrange, PC)

More general information can be brought to a customer's workstation for independent inquiry. This relieves Help Desk personnel from responding to general calls. The more complex problems, however, need screening and some research and analysis to determine level of complexity and type of expertise required. An intelligent system can work to breakdown a problem and direct an individual to the cause and possible solutions. This provides a more efficient Help Desk, quick response to customers, and overall customer satisfaction.

Goals Achieved

The goals met as part of the implementation of this project are ::

• Documentation and application of specialized knowledge

This is the core of the system. The ability for non-experts to reference documented expert knowledge is the main function of the system. This frees up valuable time for technical personnel to perform more productive work, while the system uses their expertise to solve user's problems.
• Scope of information processed by the system

A listing of the PC products supported in the Help Desk are as follows :

WordPerfect	Lotus
Visual dBASE	Harvard Graphics
Extra! (Mainframe terminal emulation)


Support encompasses software errors, non-functioning applications, and hardware problems, not application specific 'How-do-I' questions.

The following is a list of IBM mainframe systems supported in the Help Desk System:

VMIS	Rail Scheduling	MARS
SCAT	DBS Payroll/Personnel	TRS
TQS	CRAA

Acronym definitions and system overviews available on request.

• User Interface - HTML version 3.2

HTML 3.2 was chosen as the user interface for Help Desk Assistant due to its widespread acceptance in the Internet community. This version of HTML is fully supported by NJ TRANSIT's primary web browser, Internet Explorer, and most popular web browsers. It is also considered a standard by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
• Ease of Use

The original goal for ease of use was met through this common Internet format making system navigation as simple as the NJ TRANSIT home page or more personal interests such as downloading baseball statistics or ordering software. The simple interface allows continued focus on the key issue in transportation: movement of customers. Any interface must be intuitive. NJ TRANSIT is spread out across 45 locations in NJ, PA and NY. Training efforts are most successful when the systems presented are easy to use with virtually little instruction.
• Standard and consistent Q&A information gathering/problem solving

One problem that plagues the computer industry is second hand knowledge. This knowledge is often incomplete and solutions, therefore, inaccurate. By providing a consistent question base, a standard and complete response will be given each time a specific situation is encountered. This will result in better answers to the customers problems and ultimately a reduction in the number of calls placed at the help desk.
• An enterprise-wide repository for computer related information of a general nature

In some instances, problems can be resolved simply by contacting the correct person, providing a brief system description, or identifying simple keyboard sequences. By utilizing an information indexing utility (SWISH) and combining it with some simple HTML, a general search can be performed. Entry of a single keyword such as name, location or phone number provides Help Desk Personnel with a powerful tool for categorizing and retrieving information quickly.
• Reduce the overall time between problem recognition and resolution

Currently the Help Desk at NJ TRANSIT is strictly a dispatch function. The Help Desk personnel simply record the information and contact technical personnel for problem resolution. Frequently the information the technical person receives is incomplete. By giving the operator a tool to aid the customer directly, technical resources will be better utilized and the customer's problem solved in a shorter overall time frame.
• 7x24 operation

Since NJ TRANSIT is a 7x24 operation(7 days a week, 24 hours a day), the system should be available as often as possible. Min. downtime is a priority of the system.
• WebCLIPS

An interesting sub-project came about during the development of Help Desk Assistant, WebCLIPS. This system utilizes a special case of the inference engine. Where Help Desk Assistant prompts the user for information as it needs it (a so-called Discontinuous Neural Network), scripts that can run under WebCLIPs have all the information required to draw a conclusion.

Constraints

Help Desk Assistant is a working prototype for a fully implemented Help Desk system at NJ TRANSIT. The system was developed within the NJ TRANSIT structure to provide a familiar environment and reasonable parameters to help gain acceptance of the system by NJ TRANSIT IS Management.

The following parameters provided a framework for architecture definition, product selection, and overall cost:

• Architecture Definition

Constraint: Work within current infrastructure of NJ TRANSIT including hardware, software, and communication environment



The existing architecture at NJ TRANSIT consists of Intel-based Pentium PCs as a standard. Help Desk Assistant fully utilized this standard configuration avoiding the introduction of new technology or retraining of staff. The system operates across the existing Wide Area Network (WAN) that utilizes TCP/IP as a protocol at NJ TRANSIT..



• Product Selection

Constraint: Utilize products that operate in a Windows 95 environment



The prototype system operates with Microsoft Internet Explorer, the standard web browser currently in use at NJ TRANSIT. O'Reilly's WebSite functions as the web server and provides the interface between the web browser and the rules-based inference engine (CLIPS). The final component is the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) which supports all decision processing in Help Desk Assistant.

• Overall Cost

Constraint: Minimize cost for system development and operation



The prototype system has been developed "free of charge" for NJ TRANSIT as a graduate project demonstrating applied research in Artificial Intelligence systems running as an Intranet/Internet application. Product cost is minimal as both WebSite and CLIPS are available for free evaluation via download from the Internet. The choice of web browser was simplified by NJ TRANSIT who utilizes Microsoft Internet Explorer for internet access today.

Architecture

The architecture selected is client/server, implemented on an Intranet (as opposed to the Internet). There are several reasons why this system should not be implemented on the Internet:

• As this system will be a production system for NJ TRANSIT, response time is critical. NJ TRANSIT will have little control over any issues concerning response time if this system is implemented on the Internet.



• Implementing on an Intranet significantly reduces any security issues as the IS department will have more control over who and how the system will be accessed.



• This system is ultimately targeted for the general user community. Implementing this system on the Internet may distract individuals from business applications and, instead, entice users to outside interests as they 'surf the net.'

An HTML browser was selected as the user interface tool. The system was successfully tested with the following browsers :

1. Internet Explorer
2. Netscape

The browser requests service from a web server by using HTML forms and CGI. The web server is O'Reilly's WebSite version 1.1e.

The web server passes the request to WebCLIPS (via stdin) to process the form. Since the GET method is used to pass data, WebCLIPS handles requests in the following manner:

• Parses the name of the script to be executed
• Extracts any facts that need to be ASSERTED into the fact-base
• Formats the CGI parameter(s)
• Generates required HTML
• Passes the results back to the web server

The platform chosen to implement this project is Windows 95 for several reasons ::

• Stability -- Windows 95 is a mature product and rarely crashes. The 95 version offers more protection from runaway or corrupt tasks by giving each program instance its own address space.
• Superior resource handling -- Memory management is easier due to 95's linear memory model architecture.
• Multitasking.
• More Web-based products available for Windows 95.
• There is more support available in case of problems.

Help Desk Assistant currently runs on a laptop computer. As this is a prototype for a larger system, portability is a great advantage.

State of the Art

A closely related product called WebLS (web logic server) was reviewed in PC AI Magazine, September/October 1996. WebLS is a web-resident system that answers technical support questions. This product uses many of the same components as Help Desk Assistant (HTML, CGI etc.) The major difference from an architectural standpoint is that WebLS utilizes Prolog as an inference engine where we are using CLIPS. Prolog is a backward chaining system where CLIPS is a forward chaining system. The forward chaining approach is more appropriate in a Help Desk system as there are relatively few goals (i.e. answers to a specific problem) and few well-defined facts given a specific technical problem.

One of the main features of the system design is that all of the major components are replaceable and scalable :

Browsers : Any browser that is HTML 3.2 compliant can be used. This leaves NJ TRANSIT in a good position to upgrade or exchange as the business dictates. This project has been tested with Internet Explorer 3.0 and Netscape 3.01.

Web server : The system utilizes O'Reilly's WebSite web server for Windows 95. If the system is successful and NJ TRANSIT decides to move the system to Windows NT for performance reasons, the web server can be ported directly with no code or system modifications and little (if any) configurations changes.

Languages : Perl, C/C++, CLIPS

Inference Engines : Virtually any programming language (Perl, C++, etc.) that can output data to stdout can be a component of the Help Desk system. If a particular problem can be resolved in a more efficient way using C++ with an Oracle database, then NJ TRANSIT has the option of implementing the solution in this environment. If a different expert system (G2 or M.4) better fits NJ TRANSIT's need, then system design will support that decision.

Knowledge Domain

In order to implement this system the author must have knowledge in the following areas :

HTML

Expertise in this area was obtained through reading the following documents :

A Beginner's Guide to HTML [1]
Composing Good HTML [2]

Browsers/Web Servers

Knowledge is required for setup of the browser/server. The biggest obstacle encountered to date is emulating TCP/IP under Windows. This was implemented as an IP stack under Windows 95.

Networks

In order to implement this system only a very general understanding of networks is needed. The concept of an 'address' on the network is required as well as being able to connect to network drives on the Intranet.

CGI

Expertise in this area was obtained by reading the following documents :

• HTML-based Interfaces [3]
• An Instantaneous Introduction to CGI Scripts and HTML forms [4]
• CGI by Example, Robert Niles and Jeffry Dwight

CLIPS

The author needs to be fluent with CLIPS in order to properly implement this system. Information on how to program in CLIPS can be found in several sources :

Expert Systems, Principles and Programming, Second Edition by Giarratano and Riley, PWS Publishing Company, ISBN number 0-534-93744-6

CLIPS home page [5]

NJIT University, class : CIS672

Technical Specifications

This section details software products and their respective version numbers that were used in development of the system. If the product was obtained by downloading from the Internet, the address will be listed.

CLIPS 6.0
ftp://cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/project/ai-repository/ai/areas/expert/systems/clips

WebSite
http://website.ora.com

CLIPS DLL and C++ wrapper classes
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/marktoml/clipsstuf.html

HTML 3.2
http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/MarkUp/Wilbur/

CGI Specification
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/

References

Giarratano, J, & Riley, G. (1994). Expert Systems, Principles and Programming. Boston : PWS Publishing Company

Gonzalez, A, & Dankel, D. (1993). The Engineering of Knowledge-Based System, Theory and Practice. Englewood Cliffs : Prentice-Hall Inc.

Petzold, C. (1992). Programming Windows : the Microsoft guide to writing applications for Windows 3.1. Redmond : Microsoft Press

Niles, R, & Dwight, J. (1996). CGI by Example. Indianapolis : Que Corporation

Perry, G. (1992). Moving from C to C++. Indiana : Sams Publishing

Kroening, M. (1996, September/October). Web-Based Intelligent Tech Support. PC AI, pp. 38 - 44

Lipschutz, R. (1996, September 10). Web Servers : Microsoft® Internet Information Server, pp. 181 - 186

Hughes, K. SWISH (Simple Web Indexing System for Humans). http://www.eit.com/goodies/software/swish/swish.html

[1] Andreessen, M. (1996, December 19). A Beginner's Guide to HTML URL : http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/www/HTMLPrimer.html

[2] Tilton, J E. (1995, December 8). Composing Good HTML URL : http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tilt/cgh/

[3] Swoboda, N. (1997, February 2). HTML-based Interfaces URL : http://blackcat.brynmawr.edu/~nswoboda/prog-html.html

[4] Grobe, M. (1996 July). An Instantaneous Introduction to CGI Scripts and HTML forms URL: http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/info/forms/forms-intro.html

[5] CLIPS Home Page URL : http://hubble.jsc.nasa.gov/~CLIPS/index.html

Experimentation and Implementation Highlights

Given below are the milestones and attempted implementations of WebCLIPS. The list is sorted (roughly) in chronological order :

• Simple Web pages appearing in a browser

The first task for this project was to generate a static HTML document and display it in a web browser. This was fairly easy as there is a wealth of material available on the Internet to aid the novice programmer in this area.
• Select and implement a Web Server

At this point, it was thought (but not confirmed) that a web server was needed to meet our goal. Initially, Microsoft Personal Web Server was chosen as it was free and would (seemingly) be well supported. After installation the server would not come up. A TCP/IP error would display with NO help or further information. Since the product was free, Microsoft offered no support. This turned out to be a poor choice.

Next a different web server was tried. WebDisk from Ararat (http://www.ararat.com) was downloaded again for free and installed. The product displayed a 'Server Initialization Error' and would not run.

• Attempt to implement project without web server

A different approach was tried to circumvent the problem of not having a web server. Running in MS-DOS, the 'CLIPS386 -f' command allows a user to submit a batch file to the inference engine. The output from CLIPS can be redirected to a file allowing a different program to format the output into HTML. However, this mode of execution is not supported under web browsers.
• TCP/IP correction

Upon installing version Internet Explorer 3.0 (IE3), the setup utility detected the TCP/IP error and corrected it! At this point Personal Web Server now properly initializes and displays my home page. In the release notes for IE3, a reference is made to the TCP/IP loopback protocol (address : 127.0.0.1). This address has the reserve name 'LOCALHOST' for server names. This idea was implemented and now CGI programs appear in a DOS shell window instead of the web browser. This error could not be corrected as Microsoft is not supporting this product.
• Different Web Server

A different web server was discovered while looking through the Internet. WebSite by O'Reilly was offered free on an evaluation basis for personal use. The product was downloaded, installed and invoked. The server started properly on the very attempt. Simple CGI programs functioned correctly and as expected.
• Try to use CLIPS unchanged

Since CLIPS provides no support of environment variables, a simple program was written to invoke CLIPS. It was then discovered that only the top level program's output to stdout get redirected to the web server.
• Custom version of CLIPS under MSDOS

At this point the conclusion was drawn that standard version of CLIPS is not suitable for this project. A standard CGI program is written utilizing the source code provided with the standard version of CLIPS. After successful compilation, the program begins to execute but fails to complete successfully due to insufficient available memory. In looking in the User's Guide to CLIPS, it is discovered that CLIPS can only run under MSDOS with extended memory. As this was a CGI application, standard MSDOS programs do not have access to extended memory.
• Consider the Java version of CLIPS (JESS)

On the CLIPS 'Related Web Locations' page a reference is made to a Java version of CLIPS called JESS, (Java Expert System Shell). Internet Explorer was unable to run the 'Monkey and Bananas' problem available on the Internet, so no further investigation was performed into using this product. Later investigation found JESS working properly with Internet Explorer. The URL address for JESS is : http://herzberg.ca.sandia.gov/jess/
• Windows 95 DLL and CLIPS wrapper functions

Another site discovered on the CLIPS 'Related Web Locations' page was called 'CLIPS Dynamic Link Library'. The CLIPS DLL and supporting C++ wrapper classes were downloaded and extracted. A C++ CGI program was written to load, initialize and execute a CLIPS script. The program compiled in an acceptable fashion but would not link properly. Several different configurations of source code and accompanying library files were tried but none worked until Microsoft was called. The problem was a configuration issue with C++, the multi-threaded libraries that were required by CLIPS, needed to be included. WebCLIPS finally works.

Conclusion

This project demonstrates that CLIPS can be run as a CGI application under Windows 95/NT. By utilizing the 32 bit Windows 95/NT DLL, standard CLIPS functions were made available via MFC C++ wrapper classes. This opens the door for web-based application developers to utilize an Artificial Intelligence Inference engine in their systems.

Help Desk Assistant meets all of the goals set out in the proposal to help solve NJ TRANSIT's problem of correctly diagnosing printer problems. It runs in under Windows 95, an environment familiar to NJ TRANSIT, utilizes the browser that they have adopted and utilizes a GUI language that is easy for current IS staff to learn. The only real support issue is CLIPS is not known by very many programmers. This leaves NJ TRANSIT IS in an awkward position if no programmer know the language and bugs need to be fixed or enhancements made.

WebCLIPS lays a foundation for future projects in the academic world. With WebCLIPS running under a web application NJIT can easily add complex decision-making to any project, including Digital-Library-in-a-Box, Software Re-engineering or Operating Systems Simulation.

Future Work

This project has established the groundwork for other academic pursuits. By implementing an inference engine in the client/server paradigm, more robust applications may be developed on the Internet or an intranet. Listed below are future possibilities based on Help Desk Assistant :

• Implementing a version under UNIX

In order to transport a version of Help Desk Assistant to UNIX the following table details function calls that would need to be replaced :
CLIPSLoadFacts

WebCLIPS Function	Equivalent UNIX Function	Found in
CLIPSInit	InitializeCLIPS	sysdep.c
LoadDllReferences	N/A	N/A
CLIPSLoad	LoadCommand	filecom.c
CLIPSRouteCommand	RouteCommand	commline.c
CLIPSReset	ResetCommand	constrct.c
LoadFactsCommand	factcom.c
CLIPSExit	ExitCLIPS	router.c
CLIPSAssert	AssertCommand	factcom.c
CLIPSRun	Run	engine.c





Certain code refers to substituting '/' for '\', this can be removed as this is only required under Windows 95/NT. An equivalent function for GetPrivateProfileString would need to be written. Please see Appendix B for a first-cut version of a UNIX version of WebCLIPS.

• Blocks World implementation

An version of the classic 'blocks world' problem, utilizing Java to allow the users to arrange the goal state would be interesting. The computer would generate an initial state and the system would print out the steps required to achieve the goal state. The java applet would format and pass facts about the goal state, executing the CLIPS script. A second (more difficult) version would animate the block movement from the initial state to the goal state.
• Dynamic Tutorial Generation

A system to dynamically generate tutorials for students called CADETS (CLIPS Assisted Dynamic Education and Tutorial System). The system would gather information about a computer science students background and generate a tutorial (or perhaps requisite courses) aimed at strengthening any weak knowledge areas.
• Easier interface to HTML

For HTML interfaces, more readable functions for generating HTML tags would be useful. Some examples are:
1. (h3 "WebCLIPS Nuclear Reactor Monitoring for %s" Company_Name).
   This function call would automatically generate the following HTML for the user :
   <h3>WebClips Nuclear Reactor Monitoring for Utopia Nuclear Company</h3>
   
   
2. (table)
   (tr)
   (td "Row in a table", 3) ; Table Data with text "Row in a table" and colspan=3
   This function call would automatically generate the following HTML for the user :
   <table>
   <tr>
   <td colspan=3>Row in a table</td>
   

These functions could be developed in a separate module and then exported into any other WebCLIPS script.

• Multimedia extensions

WebCLIPS could be expanded to generate VRML, GIFs on the fly or utilize JavaScript for sound and animation. These elements could be combined and coordinated to produce polished, commercial-ready tutorials.

Information for generating GIFs on the Fly information can be found at URL :
http://www.greyware.com/greyware/software/

Information for the VMRL 2.0 Standard can be found at URL :
http://orgwis.gmd.de/projects/VR/vrml/dynamicWorlds.html

Information for JavaScript can be found at URL :
http://www.netscapepress.com/support/javascript/chapters.htm

Another possibility would be to utilize JESS as the inference engine. This would permit direct access to the Java classes. However, JESS is only a partial CLIPS implementation, some of the more critical components of CLIPS are missing. For example, the AND, OR and TEST statements are not present in the current version. COOL (CLIPS Object Oriented Language) is also not present in JESS.

• Utilize Fuzzy CLIPS as the inference engine

Some applications are better served by the use of fuzzy logic allowing the user to specify confidence factors in decision-making. A DLL for Windows 95/NT is available from URL : http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/marktoml/clipstuf.htm
• NJIT Undergraduate Application Screening

Students could fill out information about their background, GPA, courses taken, high school attended and the degree they would to apply pursue. The system could then advise the prospective student whether to apply to NJIT or not.
• Include ODBC query functionality

Allow a programmer to pass the name of a deftemplate, a standard SQL query and connect/User ID/Password information to a function. The function would then define the deftemplate and use the names of the fields in the SQL query as slot names. As records are fetched from the SQL query, they would be formatted as facts and ASSERTED into CLIPS. This would have the side-effect of rules firing and the script executing.
• Search for 'Quality' documents

WebCLIPS could be used to determine the 'quality' of a document retrieved by a web robot from the Internet. Rules could be a function of an individuals tastes or desires. Facts bases could be built up by individual user, to help the web robot find quality sites as well.
• Cost estimates

A system could be developed that would aid professors (or professionals) in determining the most appropriate hardware or software platform for a project based on a proposal. Other features could include giving recommendations for time estimates or manpower requirements.
• Student Advisor

Many times a student enters college without a clear idea of the subject area they would like to pursue. WebCLIPS could be utilized to develop profiles of students by major. For example there is very strong evidence that link Computer Science to music. People who excel in the music field also find the field of computers easy to understand. By utilizing information such as this, a student could fill out a form and obtain areas of interest for the student to investigate.
• Use files from Remote sites

WebCLIPS uses a file called 'webclips.ini' to obtain information about where a script, problem description or fact-base is stored. Currently, only files that exist on the local machine can be accessed. By utilizing the WWW library of functions available at http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/Library/, modifications could easily be made to read files from remote computers. If the file name begins with 'http:', for example, then parse the URL and obtain the file. The 'commline' example, available at the above site, would serve as an excellent starting point for this enhancement.

There are, of course, security concerns with this modification. Any HTML produced by the CLIPS script or residing in the description would have to be screened for any SSI (Server Side Include) commands or CGI executions (i.e. <!--#exec cgi=.....--> or <!--#exec cmd=....-->). The CLIPS scripts themselves would also have to be examined for any 'system' calls.

Technical Details

Contained in this section is the equivalent of a Programmers Guide to WebCLIPS. There will be two major topics discussed :

• Program Flow

This will describe the structure and implementation details behind how the WebCLIPS engine works.
• Installation Notes

Configuration and setup requirements will be explained to get WebCLIPS operating on any given computer.

Program Flow

To facilitate the technical explanation of the WebCLIPS engine, it will be useful to have a version of the program at hand. The program can be found in file webclips.cpp or under Appendix B.

Before any processing takes place the MIME and HTML headers are output to stdout. This sets up the document to display any error messages in the browser. The contents of QUERY_STRING are first URL decoded and the name of the script to be executed is obtained. CLIPS is then initialized via the CLIPSInit call. If CLIPS does not initialize an error is passed to the browser and the program terminates.

Next, the program locates the configuration file webclips.ini. It does this via the getcwd function call. One observation made while implementing this program, this function call has some unexpected behavior while running under a web browser. The manifestation of this problem is as follows :

• getcwd is executed while the program is running in a directory called C:\WEBSITE\CGI-BIN. The function however returned only

  C:\WEBSITE.

• If this same program is run under MSDOS, the result is as expected :

C:\WEBSITE\CGI-BIN.

The overall effect is to place webclips.ini wherever the web server wants it to be. This will be covered in Installation Notes.

The name of the files that contain the desired CLIPS script and problem description are obtained, the description file open, read and displayed in the browser. Please note that the problem description can contain HTML to make the problem description more pleasing to the eye. The CLIPS script is read into the program via the CLIPSLoad function. An error message is displayed in the browser in the case where the file cannot be found, cannot be parsed or if the CLIPS engine has not been initialized.

CLIPS will need to re-route its output to an intermediate file. In the [System] section under the CLIPSOutput entry in Webclips.ini the name of the re-routed file is given. Since CLIPS was originally developed under UNIX, the RouteCommand expects filenames to follow the UNIX standard. This means that all backslashes ('\') need to be translated to forward slashes ('/'). After this has been completed, the rest of the RouteCommand is formatted and submitted to the CLIPS engine.

The Agenda is cleared via the CLIPSReset command. The program then checks to see if a separate fact-base has been defined. If one exists, it is loaded via the CLIPSLoadFacts command. If an error exists, it is displayed in the browser in the same fashion as the CLIPSLoad command. The CLIPSRun command is issued and the CLIPS program runs.

The re-routed CLIPS output file is then closed (freeing any buffered output) and the CLIPS engine is shut down via the CLIPSExit command.

The re-routed file is now opened, read and displayed in the browser. HTML trailer tags are then sent to the browser and the program terminates.

Please note that all scripts adhere to the CLIPS standard. The only unusual facets are that the printout statements must be pointed to 'clpout' and the printout statements contain HTML for formatting the results in a readable fashion.

Installation Notes

The information given below assumes that the target platform for implementation is a Windows NT/95 platform.

1. Put the executables (webdemo.exe, webclips.exe), CLIPS.DLL and webclips.ini in the web server's 'CGI-BIN' directory. If the directory name is different, then put the executables, the INI file and DLL there (obviously) and change the file webclips.html-ssi.

   The SSI tag should look like <!--#exec cgi="/DIRECTORY/webdemo.exe"-->

   Once the SSI is working, if it can't find webclips.ini, it will tell you where it thinks it should be. Please put the file there. I have run into some quirky behavior with web servers in conjunction with the 'getcwd' function.

2. Put the CLIPS scripts and problem descriptions scripts any where on the host machine.

3. Update webclips.ini to reflect the location of the scripts and problem descriptions. As a note WebCLIPS uses the [System] CLIPSOutput entry to route intermediate output, so it must be a valid file name.

The only thing that is web server specific is the SSI in the HTML page Web CLIPS Demo Page. The extension on the document is 'html-ssi'. This tells the web server to look for and process Server-Side-Includes in the document.The web server utilized was WebSite by O'Reilly (URL : http://software.ora.com/download/).

You do have to configure the web server a little differently for SSIs. The following information was taken from KB article found at O'Reilly's site :

Article ID: 09Dec110506.html
Title:.HTML-SSI using an 8 and 3 naming convention
Date: 12/9/96

SSI operates on any file that has a MIME content type of "wwwserver/html-ssi". By default, the extension .html-ssi is configured this way. You can add Content-Type mappings so that additional file extensions will be treated as SSI enabled documents.

As an example, in Server Admin, Mapping tab, Content Type mapping, add a new extension, .ssi with a content-type wwwserver/html-ssi. This change will allow a document named "test.ssi" to be treated as an SSI enabled document. Change the content type of ".html" from "text/html" to "wwwserver/html-ssi" and SSI will operate on all "regular html" files ending in ".html". There will be extra overhead, but it may not be noticeable to you unless you are serving a really heavy load.

Appendix A - User Manual

Overview

Help Desk Assistant is a system designed to aid help desk personnel in the process of troubleshooting problems called in by clients. Ease of use is a top priority in the design due to the nature of the business. Help desk calls are frequent, with typically angry customers demanding answers to their questions.

With these points in mind, the following decisions were made about the user interface for Help Desk Assistant :

• The system must be easy to navigate. Frequently, all required information to solve a problem cannot be kept to a single page. In order to minimize typing mistakes while working with a customer, a simple 'point-and-shoot' method would be ideal.
• The system must be intuitive. Help desk personnel are under a lot of pressure. By making the user interface easy to understand, mistakes are kept down and new elements can be introduced with little or no training.
• The system must be consistent. Interpreting computer related instructions wastes time. This is a key element to be successful at solving clients problems in a timely fashion.

To satisfy these requirements a web-based interface was decided upon. The interface may already be familiar to existing help desk personnel and will reduce training time for new users. It's ease of use is already proven as it is utilized by millions of people (technical and non-technical) every day. New and easier to use products are introduced daily.

User Interface

The web-based design of Help Desk Assistant should make operation of the system obvious. The cursor will change from an arrow to a hand when passed over 'clickable' items. This will lead a help desk person to information required to resolve the problem.

In figure 1 through figure 9, a sample troubleshooting sequence is illustrated. A report from Lotus 1-2-3 was requested to printer ISS_CIO2. This is an example of sending a PC report to a network printer.

* Review figures 1 - 9 to familiarize yourself with this sequence *

An example of requesting a report from an IBM mainframe system is shown is figure 10 through figure 14. Please note that after figure 14 the system directs the user back to figure 4.

* Review figures 10 - 14 and note differences in the questions presented *

The user interface is self-documenting. As questions are presented and subsequently answered on-line, each screen is displayed in series to guide you step-by-step to the resolution of a problem.

Invoke Help Desk Assistant for yourself and see how easy troubleshooting can be!