SIMS Patching - New User Prompts?

[Tefters]

Morning all,

 

Walked in this morning to a few users having a message on their screen when they went to log into SIMS about a patch being available and would they like to install. First time i have ever seen this before...

 

Looked in Solus3 and confirmed what I thought which was that I saw an email graze my Inbox about a patch being available, Workstation Consolidation Patch 2, but I decided to ignore it as I'm not in a position to schedule to deployment at the moment due to exams starting up etc...

 

I have our Solus3 auto Extract patches ready and then I schedule the installs and the patch does not show as deployed in the console yet so all good.

 

Question - Since when does the Solus3 client and/or SIMS check for available updates on the server and ask the user if they would like to install them via a pop-up box when they launch SIMS because this seems new behaviour.

[howartp]

Interesting.

 

Workstation Consolidation Patches are treated as "Releases" in SOLUS, so if a user double-clicks the SOLUS agent and goes to Applications > Check for update, it does then prompt them to install the workstation patch.

 

I've never seen it do it at SIMS launch though.

[Michael]

Same here, never at SIMS launch.

[howartp]

20 minutes after my earlier post, my technician mentioned that he HAS seen the prompt at launch earlier this morning.

 

Curiouser and curiouser.

[smarties11]

Yep, same here - users are being prompted when opening SIMS and in some cases the SOLUS client has both re-deployed the previous release and then the CWP immediately after using the normal process flow where it gives the user the option to 'deploy now' whilst it's counting down from two minutes.

 

We have not deployed the patch in SOLUS, its status is 'downloaded' and there is no evidence of it on the deployment history.

 

So it seems that ESS can now decide when we get the patches deployed?! Seems odd when this patch is only required for early years Schools.

 

Additionally, this Consolidated Workstation Patch 2 has messed up the census for us - census returns can now not be created or edited. Logged with ESS but for now have disabled SOLUS and done a manual reinstall of SIMS on the census admin PC to roll it back.

[Tefters]

Yep, same here - users are being prompted when opening SIMS and in some cases the SOLUS client has both re-deployed the previous release and then the CWP immediately after using the normal process flow where it gives the user the option to 'deploy now' whilst it's counting down from two minutes.

 

We have not deployed the patch in SOLUS, its status is 'downloaded' and there is no evidence of it on the deployment history.

 

So it seems that ESS can now decide when we get the patches deployed?! Seems odd when this patch is only required for early years Schools.

 

Additionally, this Consolidated Workstation Patch 2 has messed up the census for us - census returns can now not be created or edited. Logged with ESS but for now have disabled SOLUS and done a manual reinstall of SIMS on the census admin PC to roll it back.

I have just seen this morning as well a new Fileset got released today as well, could it be the census issue requires the new Fileset as well?

Just taking a guess here as i personally know F all about census other than when it has broken for us a new Fileset has resolved it for them.

[smarties11]

I have just seen this morning as well a new Fileset got released today as well, could it be the census issue requires the new Fileset as well?

Just taking a guess here as i personally know F all about census other than when it has broken for us a new Fileset has resolved it for them.

 

I imported the new fileset at the same time too.

 

ESS have responded to say that the fix is to deploy Consolidated Workstation Patch 2 from SOLUS. I think that the patch includes a DB patch, but because SOLUS is sending out the client updates automatically, the DB patch isn't in place.

 

Massive failing by ESS here!

[Tefters]

I imported the new fileset at the same time too.

 

ESS have responded to say that the fix is to deploy Consolidated Workstation Patch 2 from SOLUS. I think that the patch includes a DB patch, but because SOLUS is sending out the client updates automatically, the DB patch isn't in place.

 

Massive failing by ESS here!

 

Really?!?! So wtf did they have to say about this new patching method? I'm tempted to raise a support ticket about it because its ridiculous... They cant just make these changes without properly communicating... Especially if they then fail and no-one is aware anything has changed...

[mrwoberts]

I've only seen this happen when the Auto Download option was ticked - there are a few of them.

 

In the Solus DS...

Settings >> Updates Section >> Auto download (unticked)

 

Settings >> Deployments Section >> Agents >> Auto download (unticked)

 

Naturally, all the Auto Deploy boxes are unticked.

 

Is that how yours looks?

[Tefters]

Off the top of my head I have auto download and extract ticked, I even think I have auto deploy ticked but that stopped working years ago which is a shame because it was auto deploying everything nicely and Capita's answer back then was to uninstall and reinstall Solus from scratch. No thank you! So I settled for it only auto deploying Seasonal patches and Filesets and manually deploying others myself.

Never had issues before until now and this is 1 of 3 major issues I have had since the Spring SIMS release which is when some big changes behind the scenes seem to have been done.

 

First was the Eligibility code for SIMS licensing and census, second is user accounts disabling everyday and having to go in and activate every morning and third is now this, all in a short time span when between Winter and Spring releases I had no issues whatsoever.

 

The issue with this one is that I haven't authorised the patch but clients have managed to pick up it's available somehow and offer the user to install it and this is through Sims not the Solus agent so something major has changed in the deployment methodology with no communication or warning to admins right on the first week of Exam season for good measure.

 

Others have posted that this has also broke census. This is an ill thought out and implemented move at an awful time by ESS.

 

There are 2 times a year that you don't want to make big bold infrastructure moves in education, Exam season and start of academic year. Companies need to use some common sense when it comes to timing and sweeping changes.

Edited May 8, 2024 by Tefters

[smarties11]

I've only seen this happen when the Auto Download option was ticked - there are a few of them.

 

In the Solus DS...

Settings >> Updates Section >> Auto download (unticked)

 

Settings >> Deployments Section >> Agents >> Auto download (unticked)

 

Naturally, all the Auto Deploy boxes are unticked.

 

Is that how yours looks?

 

We have both of these 'auto download' options ticked, they have been set this way since we first started using SOLUS.

 

But auto download shouldn't mean auto deploy? This has never happened before?

[Tefters]

Got off the phone with an ESS engineer tonight regarding a different issue and quizzed him on this Consolidated Workstation Patch 2 and prompting users to install without being deployed.

 

Short version: Something went wrong with the patch and someone 'messed' up, this is not a new thing moving forward. They are investigating how and why this happened bla bla bla, all the usual fluffy, waffly talk but essentially they 'messed' up.

 

Now if only communication on this could of been clear the moment they realised and reports came in. Here we are at the end of day 2 and I have not seen any email communications regarding this.

Why is it so hard for people/companies to just throw their hands up and admit "OK, I/we 'messed' up and we will investigate how this happened so it wont happen again", that simple sentence alone would make me happy and be like "Fair play, **** happens, learn and move on".

Edited May 10, 2024 by Dos_Box
Edited for language!

[Planehazza]

Having bother with this in two schools. Our third part support are saying to ensure the DB patch has been applied and are otherwise slow to reply.

 

I'm not really experienced with SIMS patching etc. How do I deploy the patch to the database? I'm aware it has to be out of hours.

Like above, it has installed on clients after having "... is available, do you want to install?". It is there as a downloaded update, but does not appear in the deployment history for this school, and if I try to redownload/redploy, it errors with "object already exists". Getting shouted at by SBMs and frankly I don't have a clue how to sort it. Getting frustrated with third party just sending me the same copy and paste "install patch, restart service, import fileset...". I know. I can't. This is now the problem you need to fix..!

Thanks!

Edited May 13, 2024 by Planehazza

[Tefters]

Having bother with this in two schools. Our third part support are saying to ensure the DB patch has been applied and are otherwise slow to reply.

 

I'm not really experienced with SIMS patching etc. How do I deploy the patch to the database? I'm aware it has to be out of hours.

Like above, it has installed on clients after having "... is available, do you want to install?". It is there as a downloaded update, but does not appear in the deployment history for this school, and if I try to redownload/redploy, it errors with "object already exists". Getting shouted at by SBMs and frankly I don't have a clue how to sort it. Getting frustrated with third party just sending me the same copy and paste "install patch, restart service, import fileset...". I know. I can't. This is now the problem you need to fix..!

Thanks!

Is this still an issue for you and if so do you have access to the Solus3 deployment console?

If so feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] and if you can setup a remote session like Teamviewer or equivalent I can dive in and have a quick look for you.

[Planehazza]

Is this still an issue for you and if so do you have access to the Solus3 deployment console?

If so feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] and if you can setup a remote session like Teamviewer or equivalent I can dive in and have a quick look for you.

 

Thanks for the offer, very much appreciated. With the greatest respect, I'm not sure I could swing that without it coming from a third party support team.

 

Essentially we have the fix lined up to push up the newest, 'fixed' consol. patch 2, but whenever I try to push it out to the SQL agent, it says a deployment object already exists. I do not know how to purge this, and restarting SOLUS3 and the solus deployment service yields no results.

 

I don't want to just try it, but I wonder if the old purge the solus/sims programdata folder might help...

[Tefters]

Thanks for the offer, very much appreciated. With the greatest respect, I'm not sure I could swing that without it coming from a third party support team.

 

Essentially we have the fix lined up to push up the newest, 'fixed' consol. patch 2, but whenever I try to push it out to the SQL agent, it says a deployment object already exists. I do not know how to purge this, and restarting SOLUS3 and the solus deployment service yields no results.

 

I don't want to just try it, but I wonder if the old purge the solus/sims programdata folder might help...

I have support direct with ESS and quickly did a search on their knowledgebase, this might be of use?

 

KB0023811

[h=2]Solus3 - "Object already exists" when updating[/h]• 4y ago4 years ago • 360 Views • (*)(*) (*) (*) ( )

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[TABLE=width: 100%]

[TR]

[TD]- Solus3 - "Object already exists" when updating[/TD]

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[TD][/TD]

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[TD]Problem[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]When using Solus3 the error "Object already exists" is received.This error can occur in numerous contexts within Solus3, however most commonly when deploying an update from the Solus3 UI or "Checking for Update" from the Solus3 agent.

 

 

Update deployment error - An error has occurred creating the update deployment record: Object already exists.

 

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Solution[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]This is typically caused by an issue with the Windows permissions on the affected machine.

Please navigate to "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\MachineKeys".

Within here, you will find a file name beginning with "1728ba" and another beginning with "1db350".

On both files, right click this file and go to "Properties | Security | Edit | Add", please then add the Windows user account you are currently logged in as into the following prompt and hit OK.

You should then be greeted with screen reading "Group or user names", select the Windows user account you just added and check the "Allow | Full control" box below.

Please then restart the Solus3 agent and/or deployment service and attempt the routine once more.

 

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Additional Comments[/TD]

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[TR]

[TD]If the error persists following on from the above steps, please retry the steps once more, however instead of adding the Windows account you are logged in as, please add the group "Authenticated users".[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[johnpd]

Did someone just mention ess eligibility key and census issues since the patch update?

 

All three of our sites have been locked out of census returns and consolidated workstation patch 2 was auto deploying for us. We expedited the install during work hours and still have a broken census system.

[Planehazza]

Did someone just mention ess eligibility key and census issues since the patch update?

 

All three of our sites have been locked out of census returns and consolidated workstation patch 2 was auto deploying for us. We expedited the install during work hours and still have a broken census system.

 

Same here, knocked out census for all 5 of our primaries.

 

Run SOLUS3 deployment as administrator, do a request for updates, restart solus 3 deployment service and redeploy the new, fixed consolidated patch 2 to DB (out of hours, or get all staff to close SIMS) and client(s). After all that's done, get census user to reimport fileset 2701, restart SIMS client, and good to go. No more can't find table 12 error.

[johnpd]

Same here, knocked out census for all 5 of our primaries.

 

Run SOLUS3 deployment as administrator, do a request for updates, restart solus 3 deployment service and redeploy the new, fixed consolidated patch 2 to DB (out of hours, or get all staff to close SIMS) and client(s). After all that's done, get census user to reimport fileset 2701, restart SIMS client, and good to go. No more can't find table 12 error.

 

Ours is the eligibility key - but not got to the bottom of it yet.

[Tefters]

Eligibility key is an easy fix - Close SIMS and re-open so you get the prompt about the key, there is a URL on the pop box, go to that URL and fill in your school details, you will receive a new eligibility key via email, put that in and voula!

 

The formatting on the Eligibility key changed after the Spring SIMS update, again, great communication by ESS.

Edited May 15, 2024 by Tefters

[ajp233]

The Consolidated Workstation Patch 2 (for Early Years) contains 2 patches to apply to the main SIMS DB and also updated versions of pulsar.exe and various dll's to install into the client SIMS installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SIMS .net).

 

If a user gets a prompt to install the patch when logging in it will update the files on the workstation only as the SIMS DB will already have been patched.

[Planehazza]

The Consolidated Workstation Patch 2 (for Early Years) contains 2 patches to apply to the main SIMS DB and also updated versions of pulsar.exe and various dll's to install into the client SIMS installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SIMS .net).

 

If a user gets a prompt to install the patch when logging in it will update the files on the workstation only as the SIMS DB will already have been patched.

 

Not strictly the case. We had clients pull down the patch before the DB had received it.

[chrisgreenwood]

So after reading this thread, we've not done any patches apart from the filesets (i've not heard any known issues when they did the cenus) and we're a high school

 

Considering all the issues, is it worth just skipping the patches?

[Buzzer90]

So after reading this thread, we've not done any patches apart from the filesets (i've not heard any known issues when they did the cenus) and we're a high school

 

Considering all the issues, is it worth just skipping the patches?

 

As far as I'm aware the patches are only necessary if you are in an Early Years setting, not needed for some primary and obviously all secondary schools.