[sims] SIMS commissioning documentation & files

[synaesthesia]

Anyone know the resource # on supportnet to download the commissioning documentation and relevant files please? (starting preparations to move from 2003 to 2012)

 

PS: bit disappointed at Capita's reliance on Adobe Reader. This day and age and we still must install Adobe rather than X or Y far better products that don't rely on Adobe to cock up for you! Office I can understand to a point but adobe reader

Edited April 20, 2013 by synaesthesia

[PhilNeal]

Tell me more.

[synaesthesia]

Hi @PhilNeal

 

What would you like to know? Basically we need to get off our 2003 server and onto 2012 with solus 3.5 etc.

Before we do that, I'd like to get a test server set up and get everything installed, a copy of the database over and running and make sure everything works as it should. Mostly as none of us have done this before, and can't spare the budget for Capita to come in and do it for us. I know the documentation is there somewhere but my supportnet-fu fails me

[PhilNeal]

It was the reference to Adobe not being great that I noticed. I hadn't picked up that this bit was problematic. (I do know about Flash!)

[synaesthesia]

Ah. It's not problematic in SIMS, it's just problematic generally (It is Adobe after all). As said, there's many products available that are generally preferred by those in the know than Adobe Robber (I haven't actually noticed "Windows Reader" in 8 even though I use it - I just installed Foxit immediately). Cross dependency interoperability would be ideal especially in situations where one vendor may significantly change something, or cease to exist! (My opinion of course).

 

I'm rather happy with how SIMS works generally anyway - S3.5 just works, the only real problems with have with SIMS are user based and not program based

 

Can you offer any insight on that documentation please?

Edited April 21, 2013 by synaesthesia

[Arthur]

bit disappointed at Capita's reliance on Adobe Reader.

Perhaps it is too difficult to open PDFs in anything other than Adobe Reader?

[vikpaw]

@synaesthesia - check SupportNet Forums - thread id 39043 , it mentions a number of docs/threads/KB articles.

If you just want a basic test setup, there are a couple of threads on here that outline it.

First step is get the installable ISOs, you can't do much without them. Get a nice clean setup folder. Also get the update ISOs between the installable release usually spring and the one you're currently on. Hopefully you're on spring 13 already so don't need any update iso.

I know nothing about SOLUS 3 apart from a mental note to avoid. Server 2008 made some security changes compared to 2003, i presume 2012 should be fairly similar. The biggest issue was opening up the firewall to allow SQL traffic to the intranet.

If you also want to move to SQL 2012 - then you'll need to be on Autumn 12 release and need doc #20081 but this is only for sims and fms, discover and other things are not supported on that yet.

[john]

Tell me more.

 

From our POV, we are having to deploy this bugger software (which needs nearly as many patches as Flash and Java) to support SIMS which is not good given we had moved to Foxit Enterprise which is free and far lighter footprint on machines and quicker and gives a number of useful tools for free compared to Acrobat Reader. Moving away from the forcing of a particular program such as Adobe, MS Office etc... is a good thing as with budget cuts commercial V open source will become a much bigger debate for some schools so opening the market up will stand the product in better stance compared to those who dictate a route.

[synaesthesia]

Some good points there!