SIMS Crashes PC's

[Dean]

Hi

 

Is anyone else experiencing Sims crashing PC's, it looks like Sims is not dumping memory correctly as the amount of RAM it uses rises until it is using over 100% ?

 

Fred up with Sims

[Domino]

not here....hmm

 

any upgrades/changes recently?

[Guest Guest]

Oh please dont! Its half term here and ive just updated sims on EVERY pc in the school ready for the teachers coming back. If it dont work it dont work, they can use some fecking paper to take the register like they always used to.

 

I swear, has sims actually got ANY benifits? All it seems to do is create work rather than reduce it, as everything needs to be done on paper and then put on SIMS (when it decides to work of course). You cant rely on sims to be working anywhere near 100% of the time. Probably say 70-80%

[Domino]

I'd have to disagree there,

 

A couple of years ago, I would have been swearing right along with you, but recently it's been absolutely fine (touch wood, dammit! wheres some wood?!).

 

Stable, reliable, etc. Since the sql 2005 conversion anyway.

 

although we did buy a Hench new server to do the conversion with too....

[apeo]

Not here as far as i know but i have had problems in the past with one particular user. She tends to use Assessment and Exam Organiser alot. Sims doesnt seem to release memory once its done with something sometimes, and mem usage just gets higher and higher... Only work around is the close sims and all related modules completely and relaunch... Having said that i havent had the problem i a few months.

[Guest Guest]

I'd have to disagree there,

 

A couple of years ago, I would have been swearing right along with you, but recently it's been absolutely fine (touch wood, dammit! wheres some wood?!).

 

Stable, reliable, etc. Since the sql 2005 conversion anyway.

 

although we did buy a Hench new server to do the conversion with too....

 

It has actually been ok recently, but ive put that down to there being no upgrades recently! lol Last year it was every other upgrade completely fecked everything up. Even this year Nova T kept changing the timetable randomly (but can i call that sims?).

 

Ive just finished my little script to update them on computer startup seen asthough the SIMS autoupdate feature has a mind of its own and even under admin rights picks and chooses wether to work or not. Please dont tekk me ive picked the wrong month to impliment it!

[Domino]

the SIMS autoupdate feature has a mind of its own and even under admin rights picks and chooses wether to work or not.

 

 

Really? have you checked the local connect.ini under C:\WINDOWS has the right simssetupsdirectory path?

 

I changed mine to point at the FUll path, not the mapped drive location, and seems much better. Also we had an issue where a slow link to an external site caused update issues, so all the computers at that site point to a setups directory on a local machine there.

 

Just means I have to copy the setups folder every time there's an update

[Dean]

I have about four machines now that are effected users are re-booting an average of 3 times a day, and all these PC's have a gig of RAM in them!!

 

I used to work on a SIMS helpline and so have always liked Sims but I am rapidly changing my mind..!! as I have never had so many problems with it.

[localzuk]

Yep, I have the same problem. It only seems to affect machines with smaller amounts of memory - ie 512Mb or less. The ones we have which are 1 or 2GB seem to muddle through.

 

A memory leak problem has been found according to Capita (well, according to our LEA who said Capita say this), in the Assessment Manager module. When people here were doing reports (which we do via AM) the system got slower and slower until it would take 10 minutes for anything to happen - including typing things in a box.

 

So, hopefully it will be fixed somepoint soon, as it is a major problem.

 

One thing that seems to be crashing is when reports are ran with Word. The machine just dies. Not all the time, but sometimes.

[skunk]

Capita have acknowledged that there is a memory leak in the workstation software and there will be a fix in the March (IIRC) release.

 

There is a thread on the capita support forums about it.

 

Skunk

[Guest Guest]

Really? have you checked the local connect.ini under C:\WINDOWS has the right simssetupsdirectory path?

 

I changed mine to point at the FUll path,

 

Ill give that a shot, cheers. Its totally random which ones update and which ones dont. They are all identical installs so feck knows what it is. Like i say even admin rights dont make a differance, it doesnt fail it just doesnt even look to see if theres any updates.

 

I think my main hate is that no matter who you phone you get the same answer of "there is no problem, other schools are using it fine". But when you actually speak to other schools they tell you they have the same problems as you.

 

Maybe capita/the LEAs/etc honestly do think it all works fine as us IT techs have got sick of phoning in the same old problems and have given up?

[localzuk]

I think my main hate is that no matter who you phone you get the same answer of "there is no problem, other schools are using it fine". But when you actually speak to other schools they tell you they have the same problems as you.

 

Maybe capita/the LEAs/etc honestly do think it all works fine as us IT techs have got sick of phoning in the same old problems and have given up?

 

This is a problem I've found. It seems to be quite common that I hear from Capita that 'not many people have asked for X feature' and 'no-one else has that problem' when in fact a great number of people do, but Capita just don't seem to know about it.

 

They do seem to expect everyone to make use of the supportnet site, which a large number of schools won't do. I know I'm not supposed to post any problems on there, and am supposed to pass problems to our LA instead. But what if they don't pass on the problem or request?

[Domino]

That is a point though, supportnet is an absoulte BITCH to use..

 

I've lost count of the number of times I've sat shouting at it cause I can't find anything!

 

A nice sharepoint-y (which they use for learning gateway) easy to navigate/search site would be FAR better than having everything spread into different categories and sections

[Oops_my_bad]

SupportNet is only useful if you know the article KB numbers

[Tiger]

j17sparky: "Oh please dont! Its half term here and ive just updated sims on EVERY pc in the school ready for the teachers coming back."

 

I also read under a different thread saying:

 

ittech: " I spend more time on sims upgrades than any software I have used in my life!

 

Their upgrade cycle is ridiculously frequent and really badly managed(way too often and too many small things that cause big problems). Upgrades often go wrong for no reason, and client machines need all sorts of special privileges to be kept up-to-date. "

 

The answer is very simple:

The time has come to change to all-browser MIS.

 

In the US every major MIS software is all-browser based and it has been so since early 2000s!

 

In the UK schools were left behind the times in 'DOS world' for five years and now lets hope that schools will not be kept behind with WINDOWS rather moving forward with BROWSER for the next five years!!!

 

There must be such a waste going on in schools that makes you wonder - as so well put by:

 

j17sparky: "I swear, has sims actually got ANY benifits? All it seems to do is create work rather than reduce it, as everything needs to be done on paper and then put on SIMS (when it decides to work of course). "

[sahmeepee]

We've had some problems with SIMS memory usage going skyward in the last few days, but we're taking part in a trial/beta and it's that module which is the culprit in this case.

[kxv2020]

I also read under a different thread saying:

 

 

 

The answer is very simple:

The time has come to change to all-browser MIS.

 

In the US every major MIS software is all-browser based and it has been so since early 2000s!

 

In the UK schools were left behind the times in 'DOS world' for five years and now lets hope that schools will not be kept behind with WINDOWS rather moving forward with BROWSER for the next five years!!!

 

There must be such a waste going on in schools that makes you wonder - as so well put by:

 

I think a browser based system MIS would compliment windows based solutions.

 

I personally prefer using the SIMS.net client for a variety different reasons and I am sure that some staff will agree. Indeed there is the SIMS.net learning gateway webparts if you wish to go down the browser based route. All I am saying is that SIMS.net has got *alot* better over the last few years in a software industry which is constanly evolving and trying to keep up with changing user requirements which we all know is so difficult = that it is why so many software projects fail!

Edited February 22, 2008 by kxv2020

[Dean]

As much as I complain about sims .net at the moment it is still probably the best option on the market, Capita just need a kick up the a@s# every now and then.

[Tiger]

Dean: "As much as I complain about sims .net at the moment it is still probably the best option on the market, Capita just need a kick up the a@s# every now and then."

 

You misundersood the point. This is not about Capita vs XYZ company.

 

This is all about "All-browser zero client" vs "Thick WINDOWS Client" argument.

 

To put it another way it is Microsoft vs GOOGLE argument - and do I need to tell you who is worried!!!

 

Hence as I stated:

The time has come to change to all-browser MIS.

 

In the US every major MIS software is all-browser based and it has been so since early 2000s!

 

In the UK as a matter of fact it was Capita who left the vast majority of the schools behind the times with 'DOS database engine(Clipper)' for five years and now lets hope that schools will not be kept behind with WINDOWS rather moving forward with BROWSER for the next five years!!!

 

Unless the schools get wiser and demand so - they will not get any better offering!

 

In fact in Scotland LAs are already demanding "all browser" MIS for their schools.

Edited February 22, 2008 by Tiger
typo

[PhilNeal]

Strange that Apple have not gone for a browser approach with iTunes. Could it be that browsers are a tool to be used in the right circumstances rather than "more advanced"? I've tried Google WP/Spreadsheet and would not use on a regular basis but I was impressed that it managed so well in a browser.

 

I often ask people that are experiencing difficulties with SIMS to drop me an email, a few do and we will help sort out the issue.

 

SupportNet does not require you to know KBs - you can free text search our solution database.

[Guest Guest]

I'd have to disagree there,

 

Well it looks like i spoke too soon! The SIMS update has broke NovaT. All of the class lists have been jumbled up (again, happens quite often) so now one of the office staff have the fun task of putting 1200+ students back into the correct class

[Domino]

 

SupportNet does not require you to know KBs - you can free text search our solution database.

 

We know that Phil, the comment was a build on what a few people had said, which was that search functions just not that good.

 

Indexing seems random, search terms are far from fully covered, and tagging (if there is any) is woefully inadequate.

[Tiger]

PhilNeal: "Strange that Apple have not gone for a browser approach with iTunes. Could it be that browsers are a tool to be used in the right circumstances rather than "more advanced"? I've tried Google WP/Spreadsheet and would not use on a regular basis but I was impressed that it managed so well in a browser."

 

iTunes is a consumer application, each user making a personal choice on the burden of installing and/or updating the application. This bears no comparision to overheads inflicted onto schools Network Managers to cope with over 100 workstation installation for 'thick client application' every month/update. In the US with free market, all leading software providers have moved to all-browser MIS.

 

But in the UK - it is now offical from horses mouth - UK schools will be condemned to another time warp for the next 5-10 years with SIMS outdated 'thick client' technology/era.

 

Unless schools network managers wake up and look out and demand for alternatives - all browser MIS which will have 'zero client' installation overheads.