[sims] Which patches to apply - SOLUS

[CyBeRkId2002]

First time using SIMS in about 5 years... I am the new IT Manager and none of the remaining team have carried out a SIMS update so far (all fairly new in post).

 

Only info I have is that the Spring patch definitely hasn't been run yet, and nobody thinks the Autumn update was run.

 

Looking on SOLUS there are LOADS of releases / patches on there and I am lost on which to apply!

 

• Even if Autumn 2023 hasn't been applied can I just approve SIMS / FMS DB and Full Releases? Will this get us up to date?
  
• What about Statutory Return Filesets? Do I need to run all of these? How do I find out what I am missing?
  
• Finally Patches... do I need to run the missing ones? Or is that included in the latest DB update file?
  
• What backups do you like to take first? I will be running a VEEAM backup immediately before. Is that sufficient or do you take one from SQL Mgmt Studio?
  
• 
  

 

Any other tips to make this go as smooth as possible greatly appreciated.

[howartp]

Ignore the FileSets and Patches for now, unless someone tells you to. (Filesets can be imported manually by the data manager or census/workforce census staff)

 

Open SIMS and see what version you're on in Help > About. Version 7.216 is Spring Release, 7.214 was Autumn 2023 and 7.212 was Summer 2023.

 

Personally I would go through Autumn before Spring. Make sure you've got a number of client PCs on because the upgrade will fail if it doesn't meet a certain %age of clients online/successful, then approve the Full Release - it will do the DB automatically so you don't need to do them separately.

 

I'm pretty sure SOLUS takes a backup before it runs - our disk ran out due to three copies of backups the same night I did SOLUS so I reckon SOLUS made one of them.

[howartp]

One other note about patches though - if you see Workstation Update patches, they can/should be deployed as they fix things that the server update missed, usually when DfE change stuff.

 

Otherwise ignore the patches unless someone says "x is broke" and there's a patch that fixes "x".

[dapaulio]

For efficiency quickly run around all the teaching machine switching them on.

 

Check in solus agents in solus deployment that they are all online (not a huge issue if they’re not. But the whole update process will update a lot quicker if they turned on. Otherwise the delay will start if the agent not contactable)

 

1st I would Apply the major updates in order up to the latest. If memory serves the updates have database validation checks and won’t allow you to jump updates. Watch out for your sql database backup folder as the updates will fails will tolerance not met if the disk runs low on disk space. SQL install root\instance\backups

 

Next apply any workstation/database patches related to the spring 24 release.

 

Deploy the latest fileset (optional) this can be done by the data manager.

 

Insert updated .rptdef files from the server sims install root location in to sims

 

Deploy reindex patch and update table statistic patch (patches 22573 and 20647).