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SOLUS 3 - What a mess!

Koldov

By Koldov
in MIS Systems

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Koldov

Koldov

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi All,

 

Tl;dr Solus 3 is really messed up... How to clear out, reinstall, uninstall, get it working or use SOLUS 2?

 

So.... I've just been asked to do the Summer update for SIMS at a local School. However, I went on to the server to find they run SOLUS 3 and I have never used SOLUS 3!

 

I had a quick poke around and although it seemed reasonably intuitive, nothing actually appears to work as I'd expect!

 

I thought I would check for updates, download any outstanding and deploy them from the server to the clients. However, the download page 'Manage Updates' is a complete mess with failed, partial (and stopped), 'downloading' and plain not downloaded updates! Clicking on 99% of these does nothing, it does not offer to download them again or restart the partial or even start the ones that haven't downloaded... Reasons range from: 'Target machine actively refused the connection', 'Download was cancelled', 'The underlying connection was closed unexpectedly', 'The remote name could not be resolved', 'Connected party did not properly respond' and some others. The deployment service 'may' have stopped also... I restarted the service, but nothing seems to have changed, though to be fair I don't really know how it is all supposed to be set-up..

 

SOLUS 3 itself seems woefully out of date (3.2.74) but luckily, (or so I thought) this had an update (3.4.103.0) that would download, unfortunately it refuses to deploy as it says it is out of scope or something and I'm guessing the version number difference is too great and there must be a smaller increment update that is not showing.

 

All in all it's a big mess and I'm all for uninstalling it and getting SOLUS 2 up and running as it looks like SOLUS 3 has been messing things up there since March 2011 and I don't go to this School often enough to babysit SOLUS 3 through its quirks or sit there and wait for a support call. However, I know support for 2 is time limited so I will have to face this beast at some point and therefore it may be counterproductive not to sort it out now.

 

Does anyone have any idea where I could start sorting this out? Have SOLUS 3 and love it? Has anyone solved similar problems? Or any constructive advice?

 

Solus 3_1.jpgSolus 3_2.jpg

 

Kol.

Edited by Koldov
Ghostgame

Ghostgame

Posted
Posted

Wow, that is really out of date.

Latest version of Solus3 is 3.6.92.

I would start by getting hold of that installer.

Then uninstall S3 via Programs and features and install S3 using the latest version.

That should hopefully solve the majority of the issues with S3.

 

Then I would make sure that all the workstations either have their firewall off or these port exceptions.

 

Windows Firewall: Define port exceptions

52965:TCP:LocalSubnet:Enabled: SOLUS 3 Deployment Server

52966:TCP:LocalSubnet:Enabled:SOLUS 3 Agent

8739:TCP:LocalSubnet:Enabled:SOLUS 3 Agent Notifier UI

Windows Firewall: Allow remote administration exception

 

Above all make sure they do not have any DNS issues.

Personally I would also uninstall any existing S3 agents from the workstations as well and start totally from scratch.

 

From my point of view I very much like S3.

It gives me alot of information and a bit more access without needing to involve the customer. This can be the difference between a 10 minute job and a half an hour job.

The only issue I have got with it is that it is not stable enough in my opinion but that issue is getting better with every release.

 

I hope this is helpful and I'm sure if my advice is rubbish it will get corrected :)

  • Thanks 1
synaesthesia

synaesthesia

Posted
Posted
Plan ahead of that so you've got plenty of time to be up and running before you have no choice. It works fine when it's set up right and you've had the training/read the documentation! (Honestly, it's much better now than the mess in the above example, a very old version!)
Rawns

Rawns

Posted
Posted
Does anyone have a download link for 3.6?

 

I've opened a case via support net to ask the question but had no response.

 

The link and password is on the news post on SupportNet under 6th Sep 2013:

 

http://i.imgur.com/lNAdwlv.png

Koldov

Koldov

Posted
  • Author
Posted

OK..... So briefly, what happens when I install the latest SOLUS 3? Does it query the workstations to find out which updates are needed? Or does it hit me with every available update under the sun since it came out and require me to choose what to download and deploy? Thing is, this School has a shocking internet connection (in the region of 1 meg I think) and that would cripple it!

 

Also seems such a lot of overkill as it's only a little nursery! Can't even see why the LEA insist on such a massive hog of a system for the small amount of data they must need to record and send... SIMS lite anyone?! lol ;)

 

Kol.

synaesthesia

synaesthesia

Posted
Posted
I would suggest updating manually. Set your solus 3 up so it downloads updates late at night so they're ready - and then deploy the updates a few weeks later (giving Capita time to fix the updates ;) )
Ghostgame

Ghostgame

Posted
Posted

The S3 agent should tell the server what version SIMS/FMS is. If the version is different from what the server has got it should automatically update the workstation.

 

If the workstation has the upgrade, its skipped.

matt40k

matt40k

Posted
Posted
Also seems such a lot of overkill as it's only a little nursery! Can't even see why the LEA insist on such a massive hog of a system for the small amount of data they must need to record and send... SIMS lite anyone?! lol ;)

 

Yup, idea is your LA can host the S3 bit, they could also host the database tier as well... and the application tier. Does make sense if you have a single Windows 7 pc

ass17

ass17

Posted
Posted
The link and password is on the news post on SupportNet under 6th Sep 2013:

 

http://i.imgur.com/lNAdwlv.png

 

Sorry no it isn't there, it just a load of text

Rawns

Rawns

Posted
Posted
Hi,

 

Just to double check, is that download a full installer or an upgrade/patch to an existing install?

 

Kol.

 

Both and the same. Full installer, but will give you the option to upgrade if it detects SOLUS3 is already installed.

Koldov

Koldov

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Thank you!

 

However... I have to agree with ass17... Are there different levels of SupportNet account or possibly a different way in? That was what I found on the 6th.

 

.92 was released as a patch to .90 ?

 

Solus.jpg

 

Haha, never mind! Just took the 5 off the end and put a 6! :) All good!

 

Kol.

Edited by Koldov

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