[rt-users] Transferring requests through multiple instances?

[Bob Goldstein]

>
>Hi,
>
>We haven't done this yet, but we was wondering if it's possible to
>transfer requests between instances from queue to queue, and not e-mail
>forwarding the requests?
>
><URL:http://wiki.bestpractical.com/index.cgi?MultipleInstances>
>
>It's decided that we need multiple instances using RT 3.2.1, since we have
>thousands of possible users in different departments who wants to run
>their own instances. We guess it's a need to transfer requests from one
>instance to another.
>

   A separate instance, in the sense of that wiki article,
   is a separate mysql database, and at the least, a
   separate RT_SiteConfig.pm.  So the only way to fully
   transfer a request without using email would require
   code to read *both* configs (so as to obtain the mysql
   passwords) and then talk to both databases.  But you
   can't really do that in a single process, since once
   you 'use RT', you are commited to a single instance.
   You'd have to have a driver process that forked/execed
   a process to read the existing ticket info, and some
   other fork/exec process to write that into the database
   of the second instance.  And then probably "resolve"
   the ticket in the first instance.  Instances are
   really independent, so once transferred, any future
   appends to the ticket in the second instance would
   not be reflected in the data of the first instance.
   Without custom fields and a bunch more code, once
   the ticket is transferred, you've lost the connection
   between tickets, so the guy that initiated the
   transfer can't find out what action was taken
   on the ticket after the transfer.

   If you really need to transfer tickets, I'd suggest
   only a single instance.  You can give some users
   admin privs over some queues and not others.  Just 
   that all users have to share the same code customizations.
   (Actually, I suppose that's not even true.  You could
   run multiple instances as the wiki suggests, but
   have them all use the *same* mysql database.  Wasn't
   my original intent, and I think that is way overkill,
   but you could.)

   I'll tell you what I did, though.  Some large groups
   here use Clarify, but my group and a few others 
   much prefer RT.  To get permission to run RT, I had
   to make it easy enough for Clarify users to transfer
   tickets to RT.  Clarify does not provide source,
   but they were able to trigger specially formatted
   email to RT when tickets were dispatched to select queues.

   I mod'ed RT to parse this email, to find the original
   requestors, CC's, subject, content, and ClarifyID.
   Then RT creates a new RT ticket, using that info
   to set RT variables, and keeping the ClarifyID
   in a custom field.  If an append is later posted
   to the Clarify ticket, Clarify will send a different
   special email to RT, and RT will append that to the
   RT ticket.

   A reverse transfer would be possible, but a bit
   more intricate.  Haven't needed it yet.

   I was going to publish those mods to the wiki, but
   I've been too pressed for time so far.  Still on my
   list to do so.

       bobg