Abacus Evolve $%^**(&()**) and some other rude words

[Ramsel]

We had a good laugh reading the manual for AE IP, noting "Must not be installed on a critical server, for example one running SIMS".


Anyway I've been handed the full suite of this software. The resources are no problem, each being shipped with their own MSI so it's just IP and ITR to give me a headache.

I have a nice little MS virtual server for this one. All the different IP and ITR packages are installed, and now I'm on the client deployment stage.


IP has a nice lil MSI which seems to be suitable for deployment. ITR however doesn't appear so helpful with its "Client Install.exe"
This exe seems to extract an ITR client MSI, an IS Script 10.5 MSI and an Easiteach MSI. The IS MSI unsurprisingly appears to be an original one, so is happy installing silently. However the ITR one and Easiteach one just return errors which usually imply "we don't want you to do this, run the exe".
Installing Easiteach from it's own original MSI works, but doesn't license it.

I've tried running "client install.exe" with just about every msiexec parameter there is (you can pass parameters with a /v), but without fail the Easiteach GUI comes up.


How did you guys get around this?

[TechSupp]

If you a search on here you will see some of us have already got fed up with this software. You're lucky to have MSI's as originally they had to be installed on each PC. I know thats not helping much with your problem but it may be that they are still an install on the server and install from each PC by using the client install exe run from the client? Just a stab in the dark which is what Abacus Evolve needs actually!

[firefighting]

Had a similar problem installing ITR. Have you got a mapped drives on the client pc setup?

[Ramsel]

If you a search on here you will see some of us have already got fed up with this software. You're lucky to have MSI's as originally they had to be installed on each PC. I know thats not helping much with your problem but it may be that they are still an install on the server and install from each PC by using the client install exe run from the client? Just a stab in the dark which is what Abacus Evolve needs actually!

I did a search and read everything that came up. Some people reported that they had solved this issue but none explained how.
Yes, the idea is that one runs the client install on the client from the server. However I need to make this run silently in order to deploy it. Worst comes to the worst I'll create my own MSI, but I'd rather not for various technical reasons in this instance.

Had a similar problem installing ITR. Have you got a mapped drives on the client pc setup?

I have no issue installing the client manually, but am unwilling to do so on every client machine

[firefighting]

Had a similar problem installing ITR. Have you got a mapped drives on the client pc setup?

Map drive in login script?

[chrbb]

I've installed it locally on staff laptops in case they use it at home, with only one server and no vpn I thought it night be 'safer'

I ran an answer file and then run a silent install script on each laptop (only 12 so not too bad!) The easiteach bit is a pain.

[Ramsel]

Map drive in login script?

SMS wouldn't like it, and that still won't make the installation silent.

I've installed it locally on staff laptops in case they use it at home, with only one server and no vpn I thought it night be 'safer'

I ran an answer file and then run a silent install script on each laptop (only 12 so not too bad!) The easiteach bit is a pain.

What's in this silent install script?

[chrbb]

Can't remember - I installed it as I wanted with an answer file, including serial number, then use the .iss file to run a silent install.

[CHR1S]

I just installed them manually to a clean PC then reimaged the whole suite, was far easier but I was doing the re-image anyway

[eean]

The IS MSI unsurprisingly appears to be an original one, so is happy installing silently. However the ITR one and Easiteach one just return errors which usually imply "we don't want you to do this, run the exe".
Installing Easiteach from it's own original MSI works, but doesn't license it.

Now, unfortunately I can't quite remember what I did. It was one of these 3 things!:
Either:
The problem is caused by easyteach msi being made using install shield. Install Sheild needs it's own driver. You can turn of the check for this my making a transform file (MST) for your MSI. You need to change the property ISSETUPDRIVEN=1. When you install via activedirectory you need to make sure the IISScriptx.msi file is installed first. However, because Install Shield are rubbish, if you have done this with another iscript file (they are all separate) you will have problems, and you will need to repackage the iiscript file.

or

I found a CC3 MSI version of Easyteach. this might have been on the CD but I think I downloaded a more recent version from RM.

or

Above (and) To fix the licence problem: I installed it once using Setup, then had a hunt through the registry for where the licence is stored. I then made a msi that installed this licence key and ran that MSI after the easyteach msi.
- This one rings a bell, I think that's what I did!

If you email me at the end of december, I should be able to check on my servers. I also made some scripts that installed the Server version on staff laptops so staff could use it at home, then a little program that allowed staff to choose whether they were running the database on the local machine (when offline) or the shared network database (when at school).

[Andie]

I've installed Abacus Evolve to one of our networked PCs, using the standalone install for the planner and the multi-user local install for the Resources. (I daren't put it on our one very critical server!).

Planner works fine. In administrator login, I can call the Resources from the Planner. In ordinary user mode, I can't - I get an error message saying that access restrictions are in place and to contact the system administrator. This is usually a permissions thing, but I am changing the permissions on the ITR folder and not getting anywhere.

Anyone had to do this and can point me in the right direction? Or have I done the install incorrectly???

[Ramsel]

Andie,

I believe that the location of the ITR is defined by a reg key on the server in HKLM. This means that as far as the software is concerned, it attempts to access the ITR in the same way.

Basically this is something to do with either NTFS perms or an odd path.
You said you've been playing with the perms on the ITR folder; what about the share permissions?

[chrbb]

Andie, I installed it the same way as you minus the problems you seem to be having, I didn't want to put it on our only server either so installed it all locally. Have you tried uninstalling the resources and trying again, or installing it on a different machine to narrow down the problem?

TBH it seems to be a bit of a pain in the neck typical educational software that the company could perhaps do with doing some research on how we run our networks in primary schools

[Andie]

Andie, I installed it the same way as you minus the problems you seem to be having, I didn't want to put it on our only server either so installed it all locally. Have you tried uninstalling the resources and trying again, or installing it on a different machine to narrow down the problem?

TBH it seems to be a bit of a pain in the neck typical educational software that the company could perhaps do with doing some research on how we run our networks in primary schools

Thanks for the input. At least I know it is possible!

Did you just install to the C: drive (ie. accept all the defaults?)? I have done that, and put the permissions up to modify on the folder called Abacus Evolve Teachers in Program Files. Still coming up with a restrictions error message.

I will try uninstalling, but I have already tried two different machines, one Win2k and one XP. Both have the same problem.

[chrbb]

Accepted all defaults and didn't have to set permissions either. Everyone's using it and no one's complained yet! Vanilla network? One solution would be to make a user a poweruser or local admin of that machine to see if it makes a difference, at least you'll know it is permissions and not something wierd gone astray with the software.