SIMS Dec 08

[localzuk]

Just FYI, when you say 'I have to come in at 6am, 2 hours early to do this massive upgrade' (not your exact words but close), that gives the impression that the upgrade takes you 2 hours.

 

As I have said several times - why is it not automated? All SIMS.net updates (other than FMS ones at the moment) can be automated as far as I can see. Can you not do the same with PARS and your other applications? PARS lack of auto-update process is not SIMS.net and Capita's fault.

[Quackers]

Don't see any reason to reboot the server!! that might have been true during the common platform days but certainly is not the case now.

 

Equally have you not configured solus to run automatically at night?

 

 

In my experience pars should not need to be upgraded evry time that sims is upgraded either

 

I think the County recommend it to make sure all locks on the database go, but i could just do that from the SQL managment console.

 

Yes Solus runs automatically.

 

I do the PARS Upgrades out of habbit as the last couple of SIMS upgrads i have done, PARS has crashed afterwords and needed an update.

 

 

Its not the upgrades i have a disagreement with i know why they are done, its the way that they are forced because of a census. I feel that part needs seperating out. With 5 programs effected by these upgrades it has the potential to cause major issues for lots of people every few months.

 

If each upgrade was purely optional you could have a nice running stable system, then when say the Jan update comes along. You can read the notes it would show what Enhancements and what bug fixes. You can that go, we have no need for anything the Jan update offers, we will leave it. Everything carrys on working fine. Then you might find the Feb Update has somthing you need, you can then plan for that upgrade to happen and not feel rushed.

[PhilNeal]

I would absolutely love to be able to separate out cenus etc upgrades from everything else but we get changes every 3 or 4 months that have to be issued. Working enhancements that schools want into a constantly shifting returns background is hugely difficult to manage.

[Quackers]

I would absolutely love to be able to separate out cenus etc upgrades from everything else but we get changes every 3 or 4 months that have to be issued. Working enhancements that schools want into a constantly shifting returns background is hugely difficult to manage.

 

Is it Managment not listening or just not doable? I remember talking to the guy who installed our learning gateway, who was a nice chap, and talking about why there is no MSI Installer for deploying SIMS with group policy. He said they had been saying to do that for years, but the managment do not take any notice.

[matt40k]

You can build an MSI\SMS package to install it. I see your point tho.

[Mcshammer_dj]

There really is not a need for an MSI.

 

WHen we are talking about SIMS .net we have some generally good tools currently available to deploy the product and the future look better with the solus 3.(Yes Phil this is me saying this!!!)

 

The main problem comes with additions to SIMS either in house or third party. The in house products need to become more integrated to sims to ensure that backups can al be done via solus using the same processes.

 

The third party issues are a problem because in reality PARS and others do not need to worry about Census as they are being used to either record or enhance use of specific area's. If PARS were to actually try to develop a MIS of their own then I would expect to see a similar number of upgrades.

 

Even those MIS's that offer a browser based solution need to work with the DCFS at census time. Equally they are normally forced to use IE only and the various plugins

[woodham]

Matt

 

thanks for the link

 

Going to have a play with it as soon as it downloads

 

Andy

[Jeremy69]

There is repeated reference in this thread to needing to upgrade sims for the census but I've had no trouble downloading (only) the updated xsl files for the census and not yet taking the Dec/Jan upgrade. I could have ignored these files altogether if I had wanted to as the census does and will run without them but they do represent an improvement.

There is a commitment to fewer releases in 2009 which if met will be welcomed by me.

The upgrades don't always work perfectly but I can remember being presented with 63 floppy disks for an upgrade some years ago (and no way back if disk 62 was faulty ) so I can appreciate that things have moved on since then!

[matt40k]

Lol... I remember those days. The problem with Capita is keeping everything up-to-date. They have stated you can get the XSL from DSCF which would resolve the 2500 errors, they even made Nov 2b which included the files!!

 

You don't actually need them, if you upload the COLLECT website, it wouldn't appear as an error. It's just nice to have to 100% correct in SIMS (and on COLLECT)

[enjay]

There really is not a need for an MSI.

 

The advantage of doing it via MSI is the updates can be pushed out when people aren't using the computes. The problem with having teachers run the update themselves is sometimes they are in a hurry for what they need and can't wait/don't want to wait.

 

Also consider the time-saving - 15 or so computers X 3 minute install = 45 minutes; pushing an MSI out as the computer boots before people come in = 0 minutes.

[matt40k]

I see your point, perhaps look at terminal services. One update.

 

IMO I like the current simsload\solus. SOLUS3 is coming out in march (well beta) for those that don't

 

I just scheduled simsload to run regularly on the workstations, I guess you could deploy this.

 

The way simsload works is the only way to make sure all staff are on the latest version.

[Mcshammer_dj]

The advantage of doing it via MSI is the updates can be pushed out when people aren't using the computes. The problem with having teachers run the update themselves is sometimes they are in a hurry for what they need and can't wait/don't want to wait.

 

Also consider the time-saving - 15 or so computers X 3 minute install = 45 minutes; pushing an MSI out as the computer boots before people come in = 0 minutes.

 

But the reality now is that the machine will take the stated 3 minutes longer to boot up. Equally you will need to create an msi each time there is a SIMS update.

[enjay]

Of course the machine would take 3 minutes longer to boot, but since all our staff PCs are scheduled to boot at the start of the day, this wouldn't be an issue. This method also allows any other applications and Windows updates to be installed without any impact on the user.

 

It would require a new MSI each time, but I would be expecting these to either be supplied by Capita or I would continue using RM's wrappers, which use Capita's setup.exe files.

[Simcfc73]

 

It seems the Jan/Dec whatever the hell its called has messed up our Enquiry addresses just when we are going to do a mailing run. The report runs but 90% of the people have addresses missing even though the report is accurate and has worked in previous months.

 

Contacted support who asked me to send the report which I did, once in a reply to the [email protected] address and another to the persons email address at capita because I thought the response was a black hole.....I phoned up this morning and they haven't recieved it because, and I quote, some people have set their email accounts not to recieve emails' What a brillaint idea, take the personal service well out fo the equation and just use one big mailbox to lose stuff.

 

*I know this may have been my stupidity for not sending the email correctly but I am getting it in the neck from our marketting babe and she scares me*

Edited January 19, 2009 by Simcfc73

[Mcshammer_dj]

if you export the report and post it up here we could try running it to check on our test systems

[Simcfc73]

if you export the report and post it up here we could try running it to check on our test systems

 

you need the registrations and admissions to run it so if anyone has...

[matt40k]

 

It seems the Jan/Dec whatever the hell its called has messed up our Enquiry addresses just when we are going to do a mailing run. The report runs but 90% of the people have addresses missing even though the report is accurate and has worked in previous months.

 

Contacted support who asked me to send the report which I did, once in a reply to the [email protected] address and another to the persons email address at capita because I thought the response was a black hole.....I phoned up this morning and they haven't recieved it because, and I quote, some people have set their email accounts not to recieve emails' What a brillaint idea, take the personal service well out fo the equation and just use one big mailbox to lose stuff.

 

*I know this may have been my stupidity for not sending the email correctly but I am getting it in the neck from our marketting babe and she scares me*

 

It makes sence that everyone uses a group email. Solves the "what if you off sick" issue.

 

I believe Capita had an email server problem a while ago. Normally I just email it to [email protected]. I get a nice email saying they've recieved it too.

 

Just imported it, don't have any records to test against. Looks like the age old Addressblock problem.