New to SIMS | What's in the S:\SIMS

[Bigsby]

Hi Folks,

 

I am currently trying to get SIMS to deploy through SCCM (looked at SOLUS3 but couldn't find much documentation and we already have SCCM).

 

From this forum I have got the following line to run the installer:

"Source\SIMSapplicationsetup.exe" /s {QuietMode} {NoServerApps} [sIMSDirectory]="C:\SIMS\" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SIMS .net"

 

It seems to work and all looks fine however through manual install we get a file at C:\SIMS & C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SIMS .net however with the above line I only get the file in Program Files (x86)

What are the files in C:\SIMS (I know some people map it to a share, not sure if this is a better approach) and are they needed?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Jamman960]

Hi, unfortunately Solus 3 is the only supported method for installing Sims.net, there are other Exe's to run such as SimsAmpark on each workstation. Solus handles this fairly well(these days) although it may miss a computer here and there. Solus 3 does the server & workstation updates

 

The files on whats often mapped as the S: drive tend to relate to Solus(setup files), NovaT6

 

I would take a look at the Solus handbook here - https://myaccount.capita-cs.co.uk/search/RequestSharePointFile?i=KKKL5QU54zI%2Bkm8KoezlDyly2TbML08kiO8TaXohkT3v9xqaMMbk%2BJRcXlW%2F2O1e1PmtcYVcMzrbKkC5YnVUniS3uERR%2B5fUqSrbrUD8haFQsGpe03vEDc1uH8pPzMC6

 

If you haven't already got a supportnet account I'd get on to it asap, that'll give you access to their knowledgebase, customer support etc

 

Regards

 

James

Edited July 24, 2019 by Jamman960

[localzuk]

There's a host of files on S. Some letter templates, CTF input and output, census handling etc... It does a bunch of stuff.

 

I'd highly recommend giving up with the manual install approach and get SOLUS 3 working - your SIMS support should be able to get this working for you. Its also important for keeping it all up to date.

[Bigsby]

Thanks for the reply, I do have access to MyAccount and have seen this PDF, I believe there is also a separate one for Local Authorities that I have passed around.

 

However the current setup of SIMS is 100% manual (updates and installs) and getting a SOLUS3 server setup would require the assistance of other teams such as DBA and provisioning backups, this is not possible & so I was looking for an alternative way to get it working.

 

Do you think the only way would be the SOULS route?

[Bigsby]

There's a host of files on S. Some letter templates, CTF input and output, census handling etc... It does a bunch of stuff. I'd highly recommend giving up with the manual install approach and get SOLUS 3 working - your SIMS support should be able to get this working for you. Its also important for keeping it all up to date.

 

Thanks for the reply. The issue is we are a LA and I am installing it for our SIMS team, I am not a SIMS guy and don't relay deal at all with SIMS (hence the lack of understanding).

I have spread the word of SOLUS and distributed the PDF however setting up a SOLUS server from scratch would required support from other teams and that is something that isn't current possible.

 

The SCCM package seems to deploy ok and we can update it each quarter to push out updates.

 

Apologies for the naivety as I say I am not a SIMS guy, and to be honest would much rather just use SOLUS if I could.

[GREED]

I was going to go with Dark Magic, but the sensible people on here got there first...

[Bigsby]

I was going to go with Dark Magic, but the sensible people on here got there first...

But it probably is dark magic, it is Capita after all

[localzuk]

Thanks for the reply. The issue is we are a LA and I am installing it for our SIMS team, I am not a SIMS guy and don't relay deal at all with SIMS (hence the lack of understanding).

I have spread the word of SOLUS and distributed the PDF however setting up a SOLUS server from scratch would required support from other teams and that is something that isn't current possible.

The SCCM package seems to deploy ok and we can update it each quarter to push out updates.

Apologies for the naivety as I say I am not a SIMS guy, and to be honest would much rather just use SOLUS if I could.

If your "SIMS team" aren't able to do it themselves, then they are not a SIMS team. They're certainly not going to be certified by Capita as such.

 

SIMS is a paid product, and part of that is support - which includes SOLUS!

[Jawloms]

@localzuk - I used to work for a SIMS team at an LA and we couldn't install SIMS on our own computers because we were all in a big office with loads of other people who worked for the LA, and as such *all* computers were tied down with GPOs, we didn't have admin rights because we were just other employees. The LA also didn't want to set us up a server with SQL on it etc for SOLUS. When there was a SIMS upgrade, the LAs IT team would do it per machine for us. It did not stop us supporting the schools who phoned us, or stop us going in to schools to set up SOLUS for them as we had all the knowledge, just not the rights on our own machines. All is not always as it seems, we certainly were a "SIMS team". And yes, I am well aware that was a stupid setup and we fought them all the way and eventually got local admin rights, but that is the way it worked and could be the same as this situation.

[localzuk]

If I found that was how our SIMS team worked, I'd be moving our support away. Being provided support by people who can't even get it installed themselves? Absurd.

[Jawloms]

If you chose to move your support away from a team which have the knowledge required but you don't like the politics behind it, that's up to you of course. It was an absurd situation.

 

Back to the OP and the topic, I suspect something is going to have to give somewhere and you'll need a SOLUS 3 server. Whilst it will be a headache to get going, it will save a lot of time in the future. The SIMS team should be able to do all the configuring of the server for you and then any future updates themselves.

[Bigsby]

If your "SIMS team" aren't able to do it themselves, then they are not a SIMS team. They're certainly not going to be certified by Capita as such. SIMS is a paid product, and part of that is support - which includes SOLUS!

 

I think you might have the wrong end of the stick, our situation is exactly as Jawloms said.

 

@localzuk - I used to work for a SIMS team at an LA and we couldn't install SIMS on our own computers...

 

Exactly, that's the same situation we are in only I am the LA IT, trying to make life as easy as possible for our SIMS guys.

 

If I found that was how our SIMS team worked...

Whilst I appreciate you taking the time to comment & value previous posts on my threads; however this seems a bit unnecessarily rude.

The situation I am in is like Jawloms has said & I am just LA IT trying to help get it sorted.

 

Back to the OP and the topic, I suspect something is going to have to give...

 

Exactly, the situation is as you said absurd however I don't have the authorization to hand out Local Admin.

As such I am just looking for the best solution possible.

 

How was this all resolved in your situation?

[Jawloms]

How was this all resolved in your situation?

 

It just got escalated and escalated until someone actually conceded that we needed local admin rights and we were (very begrudgingly) granted them, so long as we promised to behave. Sorry.

[theeggmaster]

If I found that was how our SIMS team worked, I'd be moving our support away. Being provided support by people who can't even get it installed themselves? Absurd.

 

I've worked with the SIMS team in two Local Authorities, and both of those SIMS teams required corporate IT to install the actual software on their corporate machines/servers as it was just another piece of software to the corporate IT team.

[Bigsby]

It just got escalated and escalated until someone actually conceded that we needed local admin rights and we were (very begrudgingly) granted them, so long as we promised to behave. Sorry.

I totally agree, whilst I can see both sides. We are talking about highly technical people who don't pose any risk.

 

 

I've worked with the SIMS team in two Local Authorities, and both of those SIMS teams required corporate IT to install the actual software on their corporate machines/servers as it was just another piece of software to the corporate IT team.

 

Speaking from the point of view of LA IT, it is another piece of software & if it could fall inline in SCCM just like everything else, our lives would be much easier haha

[clareq]

I know it's naughty, but we deploy SIMS via SCCM. I have four applications - SIMS AmPark, SIMS Application, SIMS Infrastructure and SIMS manuals. The installers run:

"SIMSAMPARKSetup.exe" /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="S:\SIMS" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="C:\Program Files\SIMS\sims .net"

"SIMSApplicationSetup.exe" /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="S:\SIMS" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net"

"SIMSInfrastructureSetup.EXE" -a {QuietMode} {SIMS Workstation}

"SIMSManualSetup.exe" /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net"

 

I have a folder for each application, holding the exe and the .signature files. In each case the detection method is the Date modified on the Setup.log of each application. Every time SIMS is updated I update the files in the folders, alter the date modified and redistribute the files. When a machine is reimaged SIMS is added as part of the TS, if needed.

 

It was done this way when I started here, and it's outside my payscale to change it, but I don't think I would - it just works. We don't need to remember to install the agent after a rebuild, and as soon as the build is complete the machine is ready for the end user.

[Bigsby]

I know it's naughty, but we deploy SIMS via SCCM. I have four applications - SIMS AmPark, SIMS Application, SIMS Infrastructure and SIMS manuals. The installers run:

"SIMSAMPARKSetup.exe" /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="S:\SIMS" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="C:\Program Files\SIMS\sims .net"

"SIMSApplicationSetup.exe" /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDirectory]="S:\SIMS" [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net"

"SIMSInfrastructureSetup.EXE" -a {QuietMode} {SIMS Workstation}

"SIMSManualSetup.exe" /S {QuietMode} [sIMSDotNetDirectory]="C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net"

 

I have a folder for each application, holding the exe and the .signature files. In each case the detection method is the Date modified on the Setup.log of each application. Every time SIMS is updated I update the files in the folders, alter the date modified and redistribute the files. When a machine is reimaged SIMS is added as part of the TS, if needed.

 

It was done this way when I started here, and it's outside my payscale to change it, but I don't think I would - it just works. We don't need to remember to install the agent after a rebuild, and as soon as the build is complete the machine is ready for the end user.

See this sounds like my dream, I have gotten a package with SIMSManualSetup.exe & it seems to work without issue, do I actually need the rest of the installs?

Also with the setup.log is this in SCCM or SIMS files?

 

Many thanks for the help.

[clareq]

You certainly need Application and Infrastructure. I believe AMPark is assessment manager, so if you use that, install it. If you look at the C drive of a machine after you've installed SIMS there are setup logs in the root of C for Application and Manual. The ampark log is in Program files\sims\sims .net. The infrastructure log is in the root of Program Files (x86).

[psumner1992]

We have a mix of SOLUS for fixed desktop machines and then App-V package deployed with SCCM for staff laptops.

 

This allows us to roll out the new version to staff laptops a few days before the main upgrade via SOLUS and staff on laptops simply double click the new shortcut on the desktop when we say it’s ready to use whilst continuing to run old version until this time and then we uninstall the old App-V package and remove old shortcut once new version is fully live.

 

This allows us to update server and desktop machines overnight and staff come in the following day with all machines running latest version of SIMS with no downtime regardless of machine type.

 

Not official Capita way, but has worked well with us over the last 3 years or so.

[Bigsby]

You certainly need Application and Infrastructure...

 

Many thanks for your help, I will update my package with all the .exes and get the guys who user it to test it out in terms of functionality

 

 

We have a mix of SOLUS for fixed desktop machines and then App-V package deployed with SCCM for staff laptops...

 

Thanks for the suggestion, to be honest this solution makes the 'official' capita solution look a bit pants.

Do you incur additional lenience costs with using App-V this way?

[psumner1992]

Many thanks for your help, I will update my package with all the .exes and get the guys who user it to test it out in terms of functionality

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion, to be honest this solution makes the 'official' capita solution look a bit pants.

Do you incur additional lenience costs with using App-V this way?

 

App-V is included as part of MDOP which is free for volume licensing customers with active software assurance through programmes such as OVS-ES.

 

https://www.uis.cam.ac.uk/reports/ees-briefing-from-microsoft

 

I would advise checking with your Microsoft Reseller though just to be 100% sure.

Edited July 26, 2019 by psumner1992

[Banjo]

The issue you will have is that the SIMS teams members will each need SQL installing. They will then need to run and install patches for testing. Some team members may upgrade to the latest version of SIMS whilst other may hold back as some schools will not be fully upgraded. Some might want to roll back an upgrade to test a bug/functionality. I had this battle with my ICT Dept in the LA. The SIMS team members will need local admin rights otherwise they will be logging calls every 5 mins as they wont have permissions to do to their job properly.

[oododkodkdo]

S:\SIMS contains application data such as SOLUS3 updates and the installation files.

It does contain stuff such as the connect.ini file so it can find the SQL server in the network.

The connect.ini file points it to S:\SIMS for me.

[Banjo]

But Solus 3 won't work in this instance. You can only have 1 instance of Solus 3 linked to your account. You will need SQL/SIMS/FMS/Discover/SSM/NovaT, etc installing on every laptop/desktop of each MIS techie in the team as if they where setup as individual MIS servers in separate schools. One central Solus server managed by corporate ICT won't manage these machines, especially when they have multiple DBs eg (Pri, Sec, Special & Nur).