[sims] Hosted SIMS, Solus 3, Groupcall etc

[synaesthesia]

A few weeks ago we started supporting a primary school. Oddly enough, it's only this week that it's come to light they have a Hosted SIMS setup. It's thrown us for a while as they have a running admin server with live SIMS/FMS/Discover/Solus databases etc.

I have absolutely no clue how Hosted SIMS reacts with 3rd parties, or indeed with Solus 3. I was under the impression that it was pretty much entirely online so there was no need to push clients out. However the previous technician appears to have been doing just this.

Are there any guides around on how hosted SIMS works please? Is the browser/RDP based SIMS merely an option and it can be set up so local clients can still be installed? If so, how does updating work?

And then how do Groupcall, MISSync and other sims connectors work?

[matt40k]

Hosted how? Few places host the database then your just install the client and connect to the database. No idea how'd this would work with SOLUS3.

[ajp233]

Users should just access SIMS through the browser. As part of the setup Capita should have made available a VPN connector to the Hosted system. I understand then that there needs to be one machine in the school with the SIMS workstation software installed on it and that connects to the Hosted SIMS DB via the VPN. This then allows MISSync to work correctly. Obviously MISSync needs to be installed on that machine too.

[synaesthesia]

Righto. Capita host it, there is indeed a VPN client installed on the machine, in this case the admin server. And there is a SIMS client installed on that machine with the connect.ini pointing at the hosted solution.

I then wonder where Solus3 comes into it!

[Banjo]

I would ask what agreement the school has with Capita re hosting. The school may be already paying for support from Capita with regard to upgrades.

[synaesthesia]

Waiting for them to come back to me on that. There's been such a turnover of staff I don't think it's something they can easily lay their hands on!

[Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun]

I then wonder where Solus3 comes into it!

Given the setup you describe, SOLUS3 is a redundant system in that scenario unless you have some additional legacy databases (e.g. from historical school merges, etc) that you are wanting to keep up to date. If no other databases then it's not a system you need to touch as it isn't doing anything useful.

[PhilNeal]

As Esteban says we will do all of the upgrades & patching. The only thing you might need to deal with is third party connectors.