Well, Claire's apparently not available, and this is more appropriate for a Friday anyway, so I'll repost the last version I remember seeing from her, with only the most obvious of corrections. Don't worry, Claire, I don't want your job (just your Jaeger). Anyway, probably 90%+ of it is still accurate. ARSLIST Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Version 2.1.2 Last Updated 03/18/2005
A. WHAT IS "ARSLIST"? ARSLIST is a user-operated mailing list for people interested in Action Request System (ARS), a product of Remedy Corporation a BMC Company. At last count (1/1/2004) there were 2456 addresses subscribed to the list, and over 6000 subscribed to the on-line archives. The ARSList was founded in Nov. 1993, after scrapping a 6 month effort to get it started as a Usenet News group, and realizing to keep it as spam free as possible there needed to be greater protection than the usenet system offered. ARSLIST is completely user-supported. Remedy Corporation has no direct affiliation with it. They don't own the list server hardware. They don't employ the list server administrators. They don't control the list of subscribers. They don't use the list - nor should anyone else - for official product announcements or official responses to user complaints. That being said, it has been noted that Remedy employees are subscribed to it, and Remedy employees may make a response here on rare occasions, and Remedy sales reps often recommend the list to their customers. The Founder of the ARSLIST and its guiding force throughout its existence is Dan Bloom, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Joel D. Sender is the backup administrator. The internet connection, system and software are usually sponsored by a corporation. The current sponsor is QMX Support Services <outbind://88/www.qmxs.com> www.qmxs.com. They have no editorial control, nor are they allowed access to the ARSList subscription list. B. WHY WOULD I WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO "ARSLIST"? Perhaps the most useful thing about ARSLIST is that it is an excellent way to hear about the direct experiences of people who have implemented ARS in their organizations. Subscribers include Remedy Partners, employees of many Fortune 500 companies, independent consultants, and the now more than the occasional head hunter. If you are trying to do something in ARS and aren't sure how to get started, ask here. You'll probably wind up with more answers than you bargained for, most of which will be technically correct. Hopefully the "best" solution will emerge from the pool of responses. Another good reason to subscribe is that, as any attendee of the Remedy User Group conference ARSLIST Birds-of-a-Feather session will tell you, it's great to have an ARSLIST subscriber at your side when you need to find a pair of glasses at the bottom of a pile of lingerie or if you're looking for someone to post bail. C. TELL ME ABOUT "ARSLIST" ETIQUETTE. We're glad you asked. The simplest rule of ARSLIST usage is, anything you post to the list is going to be seen by 2,000+ people all over the world, so: 1. The Important Rules a) all postings need to be Remedy system related. This includes 3rd party add-ons and related topics. This includes the operating systems and databases but only as they relate to a Remedy system. b) Occasional humor is good, but Friday is the best time for it. c) If it is a humorous or other off-topic posting, please say so in the subject line, e.g. "OT: Joke of the week". d) Posting jobs is ok, BUT not more than once a week for headhunter spam. e) Posting your resume is fine, but it will be like a pool of sharks circling. f) We are in 52+ countries, every continent, every time zone - let's try to not be too culture centric, and use culture neutral language. g) Think very carefully about what you write. After it's been posted, you can't take it back. 2. Remember that lengthy postings take longer to propagate, especially around the world and over slow links, so trim the included text as much as possible. Why include a 200-line previous posting just to add a one-line response? 3. This is email, not documents. Your posting should be simple text, not HTML or encoded MS Word binaries or non-standard MIME attachments. 4. When composing the question you want to ask, remember to include all useful information about your configuration. For example, the following items can be critical to solving your problem: Server: platform OS version ARS version Database vendor and version Client: platform OS version ARS version 4. If someone posts something inappropriate to the list, don't compound the problem by posting a personal complaint about it to the list as well. Send it directly to the original poster. The standard manager's rule applies: Praise in public, criticize in private. Only bring it to the list if it needs discussion and input from everyone. 5. Commercial traffic directly relating to Remedy and ARS is encouraged. Many Remedy Product Partners subscribe here and have excellent tools that will enhance your ARS implementation. They occasionally announce new products and upgrades and respond to user "how-to" requests. Like-wise, some ARSLIST subscribers decide to go into independent consulting and advertise their availability here. 6. Similarly, there are head hunters who are looking for qualified ARS developers, and they post job listings here. Ideally they will do so on an occasional basis - once a week at most. HOWEVER: If you decide to reply to a job search posting, please use common sense and reply privately to the poster, NOT to ARSLIST. People have gotten into very hot water (read: fired) for accidentally letting it be known that they were in the market for something new. Also, one has to wonder how attractive you look to a prospective employer if you don't know enough about email to keep your interest discreet. D. HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE TO "ARSLIST"? Send the following piece of email: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: <your email address here> Subject: <ignored> SUBSCRIBE ARSLIST <Your Full Name Here> <end> Or go to the Web based area: <outbind://88/www.arslist.org> www.arslist.org It sometimes takes a day before your subscription is activated. The first piece of email you receive should be a "welcome" message from LISTSERV, telling you many important things about the list and your subscription that you'll probably forget. Until you receive this, don't send "TEST" messages to the list; they're seen by all 2,000+ subscribers, and 6,000+ archive readers. E. HOW DO I UNSUBSCRIBE FROM "ARSLIST"? Read the instructions at the bottom of EVERY email posted on the list. F. WHY CAN'T I SEE MY POSTINGS? When you subscribe to a LISTSERV mailing list, you are given a set of options selected by the list owner. By default, for ARSLIST your options are set so that you receive no acknowledgement that your posting was received. Nor do you receive a copy of the posting during the actual distribution to the list subscribers. Change your settings at http://www.arslist.org G. SOCIAL CONVENTIONS (NETIQUETTE) Like so many other things, network users tend to expend a great deal of virtual gunpowder about the subject of etiquette on the network (otherwise known as netiquette). Part of the culture of the network is built on the fact that an individual user can put forward any face he or she cares to present. Thus over time, the network has evolved various sets of rules that attempt to govern conduct. To avoid taking up a great deal of space arguing the merits of differing systems of netiquette, the following general pointers that should be accepted by most users are offered for the convenience of the list owner. 1. Recognize and Accept Cultural and Linguistic Differences The Internet is international, and while English is generally accepted as the common language of the network, list owners and list subscribers cannot afford to take the position that everyone on the Internet understands English well. In a medium that is invariably connected to language, special understanding is required to deal with questions or statements from people for whom English is not the primary tongue. Often today (at least in the US) a person's first sustained interaction with others on an international basis is via the Internet. It is imperative that this interaction be on the highest level of cordiality and respect from the outset in order for all concerned to benefit. Additionally, care should be taken when using local idiom and slang. A common word or phrase used by Americans in everyday speech, for instance, might be taken as profanity or insult by those in other English-speaking countries, and may not be understood at all by non-native speakers of English. When a list has a high international readership, it is probably best to avoid non-standard English so as to provide the clearest and least-objectionable exchange of ideas. 2. Private Mail Should Dictate Private Responses If someone on a mailing list has sent a private message to you (i.e., not to the list at large) and you have lost that person's address but want to respond, do not post private mail to the list. The REVIEW command will give you a copy of the list membership that you can search for the person's address. If this approach does not work, contact the local postmaster or the list owner for help. 3. Flaming is (Usually) Inappropriate Flames (insults) belong in private mail, if they belong in mail at all. Discussions will often result in disagreements. Rebuttals to another person's opinions or beliefs should always be made in a rational, logical and mature manner, whether they are made publicly or privately. What is a flame can range from the obvious (ranting and raving, abusive comments, etc.) to the not-so-obvious (comments about how many "newbies" seem to be on the list these days, "RTFM!" exhortations, etc.). There is no such thing as a stupid question. 4. Foul Language Subscribers should refrain from abusive or derogatory language that might be considered questionable by even the most liberal and open-minded of networkers. 5. Unsolicited Advertising and Chain Letters Most of these are contrary to appropriate use policies governing the use of the poster's Internet access provider. Not only that, they are annoying and (in the case of chain letters) often illegal. 6. Identify Yourself It is common courtesy, and on the ARSList a requirement, to identify yourself. If you are posting about a competitor, it is at the very least unethical not to mention who you are. In special circumstances, where it is in the best interest of the ARSList, a blind posting will be authorized, but it must be agreed to by the list owner(s) first: [EMAIL PROTECTED] An example is a Remedy Corp. employee who wants to unofficially inform the list. H. PREFIXES Prefixes for a posting subject line, not currently in alphabetical order: AD:<subject line> for Advertisements usually software but also services ADMIN: the List Administrator's postings INTRO: if for some reason you think yopu have to introduce yourself TEST : you have decided to use up bandwidth but don't want anyone to read what you sent (I know there are legitimate reasons for it) JOB <subject line> for a Job EVENT <Type of Event><subject line> for announcing RUGS etc. JOB <subject line> for those looking for Employment HUH? <subject line> for Patrick, Gidd now that he has gone to the Patrick school of English, or me on a bad day trying to explain things ALERT <subject line> this is Doug Mueller, we should all listen or a posting that is applicable to anyone on the list e.g. ALERT: Virus IGNORE <subject line> Ignore, it's that darn list founder again But if you have some spare time, read on .... OT <subject line> Off Topic or as I like to call it OverTime jokes or things of interest but not purely Remedy Development NEWS<subject line> some piece of actual news or gossip related to the Remedy/BMC world. SPAM: anything to do with Peregrine Of course the more descriptive your Subject line is, the more likely you are to have folks read your post and respond. e.g. "ARS4.5.2 Oracle database connectivity issue on a SUN OS system" narrows it down nicely. If I don't know Oracle I probably can't answer and don't need to read it. I. SUFFIXES When you have posted a problem or a question to the list and it has been resolved, please respond to the list with what the end resolution was and put either "RESOLVED" or "SOLVED" at the END of your subject line e.g. How Do I create a filter? - RESOLVED = A. WHO MAINTAINS THIS FAQ? Daniel Bloom Enterprise Architect [EMAIL PROTECTED] WWRUG, Inc. co-founding member, Founder of the ARSList Claire Sanford Senior Application Analyst [EMAIL PROTECTED] Memorial Hermann Healthcare System Questions, praise, potential contributions, suggestions for improvements, and tollhouse cookies are cheerfully accepted. If you only want to complain, send it to /dev/null instead, or if on NT/Windows the recycle bin. B. WHAT OTHER FAQ'S EXIST FOR ARS? 1. Remedy's Tech Support Web Site: <http://support.bmc.com/> http://support.bmc.com/ This is the only official online documentation of ARS. The site was extensively revamped in 2002, and you must have a "modern browser" (Netscape 6 or Explorer 5.5) to use it. You must also have a Remedy support contract. 2. ARWikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Request_System Created and mostly supported by Axton Grams, the current ARSList MVP. 3. Remedy random FAQ's: <http://www.remedy.com/search> http://www.remedy.com/search Search the site for the string "FAQ". Some interesting things turn up. Rick Cook _______________________________________________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org ARSlist:"Where the Answers Are"
