Page MenuHomePhabricator

Convert glam@wikimedia.org OTRS into a Google Group
Closed, ResolvedPublic

Description

So we have a super low-traffic OTRS feed at glam@wikimedia.org that historically was used to triage general requests to the community. However, because of the low number of people approaching the email handle, and us removing it from some of the key communications channels for the movement, we have not tried to maintain a group of volunteers to answer the thread. That being said, because its in OTRS, our team has a hard time "handling" it because it gets lost outside of our normal communications workflows.

The most similar email address that has a team handling it at the foundation education@wikimedia.org is redirected to a google group that has historically been easier to handle. We are going to be reevaluating our communications strategy next year, but we suspect a similar google-group focused address would handle the current flow, and set us up for better use in the future.

Event Timeline

Restricted Application added subscribers: OldUser02, Aklapper. · View Herald Transcript
herron triaged this task as Medium priority.Sep 27 2019, 7:17 PM

No objection from the OTRS admins. It's always a little sad when we move things to Google Groups, as a matter of both using non-free software and having data stored externally, but, at the end of the day, the most important thing is that these emails get handled in a timely fashion, and it seems like this will help accomplish that better than our current setup.

This can certainly be done but needs coordination with the Wikimedia ITS team. Basically we have to create a request by emailing techsupport@ to ask them to create the new group and who should be the admin of that group.

Then the Google group can be setup by the new admin and eventually we can remove it from the config that sent it to OTRS (VTRS) and finally from VTRS.

This being said, when I look at the setup of glam@wikimedia.org right now then it's already on Google. I checked like this on mx1001, prod mail server:

[mx1001:~] $ sudo exim4 -bt glam@wikimedia.org
glam@wikimedia.org
  router = gsuite_account, transport = remote_smtp
  host aspmx.l.google.com [142.251.163.27]

So I think this ticket is resolved.

P.S. I agree with the summary by Emufarmers both re: Google Groups and non-free but also the "end of the day" what is most important part.

@Astinson @Sadads Sorry for using both users, I wasn't sure. Would you say this ticket has been resolved meanwhile? Looks like things are already on Google. Cheers!

@Arnoldokoth Could you maybe reach out to @Astinson to check the status on this? See the last comment from November. Cheers

I believe that has changed and this could be closed - @FRomeo_WMF -- I believe this is now managed by you right?

I can confirm glam@ says it's a GSuite account, still, when I look from the WMF prod mail server side.

@Dzahn: Did you have any luck getting a reply?

You can close this ticket. Its been resolved.

The Google Group was set up (thanks) and we just refreshed the membership and management.