From the outset, OTOBO's developers designed for efficiency, adaptability, and visual appeal. With features such as Docker support, dynamic forms, and full-text search, the software enables fast information extraction and can be customized to your organization's needs. The free software makes full use of the possibilities of modern IT service management systems and offers a platform for an active community. The help desk system aims to be a cost-efficient technological alternative to proprietary products, to which its sophisticated features contribute.

Architecture and Functions

OTOBO [1] offers a range of advanced features for efficient and effective ticket processing. One of its key features is its ability to connect to Active Directory (AD) and other services that use the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to support centralized management of user accounts and group memberships. This integration simplifies user administration, authentication, and authorization. Best practices for integration include multiple backup LDAP servers for redundancy, minimized querying through targeted search and filtering, and regular reviews of access rights with a view to data security and compliance.

The platform also comes with secure email communication that supports OAuth 2.0 for POP3 and IMAP email protocols to enable modern and secure authentication for the retrieval of email from services such as Microsoft 365. The required OTOBO daemon automates the retrieval process by collecting email messages at predefined intervals and automatically running processing tasks. Also important is the configuration of postmaster filters for the automatic assignment of email to the correct queues.

The integration of single sign-on (SSO) means that users only need to authenticate once with their credentials to gain access to multiple systems, including OTOBO, without having to log in repeatedly. This feature enhances usability and security. Before moving on to the details of installing and operating the ticket system, I'll look at the new features in the major release 11 published in May 2024.

New in OTOBO 11

Release 11 of OTOBO offers a number of new dynamic fields designed to offer greater flexibility and performance. One particularly interesting candidate is the new Script field, which can use logical operators to check conditions or perform calculations. Two examples of how this field is useful are ensureing that orders comply with budget specifications and determining the warranty status of products. The DynamicFieldSet parameter lets you group several dynamic fields in a set, which considerably accelerates the process of configuring complex forms. The MultiValue function allows dynamic fields or sets to be added or removed at runtime, which is particularly useful for entering multiple items with quantities and prices.

The ticket screens in version 11 can be customized even more and more clearly than in the past. Dynamic fields can be provided in different orders on different screens and with individual labels. The option of arranging dynamic fields in a grid with an arbitrary number of columns further improves flexibility, and dynamic fields and sets can be added or removed at runtime by the MultiValue function, which in turn enables flexible customization. Read-only fields with default values on selected screens are also helpful in processes that offer information from upstream steps as a reference.

The operation of multilingual systems is also more convenient. System administrators can now maintain translations directly in the admin interface instead of in hidden system files. Convenient filter and display options let you run targeted searches for untranslated elements in the system. Terms can either be translated directly in the interface or exported to an Excel list and re-imported in translated form, making the process far easier.

OTOBO 11 also offers the option of subsequently editing and deleting internal articles. The new CKEditor 5 is designed to ensure user-friendly text editing. Ticket wait times can be individually configured and adjusted by the new QuickTime buttons. The Customer Info Tile allows you to create rich-text tiles for the customer area, which are managed in the admin interface. Support can also add tickers for particularly urgent messages to these tiles if needed.

Installing OTOBO

With support for Docker and Docker Compose, OTOBO offers great flexibility and an easy installation process across a wide range of operating systems. Docker is required to operate OTOBO on Windows servers; a native installation is only supported on Linux machines. Containers let you run the software in isolated environments to minimize compatibility and dependency problems. Docker Compose simplifies the process by enabling the deployment of multicontainer Docker applications with a single configuration file, which automatically sets up and configures all required OTOBO services.

OTOBO hardware and software requirements vary depending on the deployment scenario, from minimal installations to systems optimized for high-volume ticket processing. When you are planning your OTOBO installation, take a look at the guidelines [2]. The free disk space requirements can vary depending on the number of tickets and the size of the attachments. Performing regular backups can prevent potential data loss. If incoming email messages often have large attachments, your storage requirements can grow quickly.

Before you start the installation, make sure Docker and Docker Compose are installed. This process can vary depending on your choice of operating system; on Ubuntu it would be

sudo apt update && sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Next, clone the official OTOBO Docker repository, which contains all the Docker Compose files and configurations you need:

cd /opt
git clone https://github.com/RotherOSS/otobo-docker.git --branch rel-10_1 --single-branch
cd otobo-docker

The --branch rel-10_1 option indicates the version; versions 11 (--branch rel-11_0), 10.1 (--branch rel-10_1), and 10.0 (--branch rel-10_0) were available at publication. To install specific patch versions, enter --branch rel-10_1_<X>.

The primary management interface is the Docker Compose ENV configuration file, which you first need to create and then customize. To simplify the task, you can refer to several sample files as your starting point. Which to choose depends on your use case. In most cases, the decision will be between docker_compose_env_http and docker_compose_env_https, depending on whether you need TLS support. The other files are for more specific use cases such as HTTP, HTTPS with NGINX running as a reverse proxy web server, or SSO. Kerberos support is available but still tagged as experimental.

By way of an example, to create a configuration file for HTTPS, use

cd /opt/otobo-docker
cp -p .docker_compose_env_https.env

Then, go to the directory in which your docker-compose.yml and ENV files reside, change the password setting, and start the OTOBO containers with Docker Compose:

OTOBO_DB_ROOT_PASSWORD=<password>
nano .env
docker-compose up -d

The command downloads the images you need and starts the containers; use docker ps to check that all containers are in operation.

With the containers running, you can now access the OTOBO installer from a web browser at http:///otobo/installer.pl and follow the instructions in the web installer. Among other things, you can configure the database and define the admin account. Once you have completed the configuration in the web installer, OTOBO is ready for use. You can now log in to the admin area and configure your ticket system to suit your organization's needs.