[sims] connect.ini... anyone have a working one that they could share?

[CyBeRkId2002]

Hi all,

 

having one or two issues with our connect.ini file at the minute, mainly that we get the following error at startup:

The SIMS.ini file cannot be located or is incomplete which means this system cannot be automatically updated.

 

Please contact your local support team for assistance.

 

I have tried playing with the [setups] section on both the server connect.ini and client connect.ini to no avail. Is anyone willing to share a working connect.ini (both from workstation and server) to help us work out where we are going wrong.

 

Thanks,

Michael

[imiddleton25]

i have pm you mine

[Jamman960]

Workstation:

 

[sIMSConnection]
Redirect=S:\SIMS

 

Server:

[sIMSConnection]
ServerName=Prep-admin1\MIS2008
DatabaseName=SIMS

CommandTimeOut = 288000

[Reports]

Timeout=1000000

 

Only the first few lines of the server connect.ini are required, the timeout bits have been added to ours after issues.

 

James

[smithson83]

Do you mean the connect.ini or the sims.ini, the connect.ini on my network only have a few lines in it

 

[sIMSConnection]

ServerName=ADMIN-SIMS\sims2008

DatabaseName=SIMS

CommandTimeout=100000

 

the sims.ini has what seems all the setup and directory info in it

[Jamman960]

ah reading the error you may need the sims.ini -

 

[setup]
SIMSSetupsDirectory=\\prep-admin1\capita$\SIMS\Setups
SIMSDotNetDirectory=C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net
SIMSDirectory=S:\SIMS
SIMS Directory=C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net
FinanceDirectory=C:\Program Files\SIMS\Finance
OfflineSQLAppsDirectory=
SIMSSQLAppsDirectory=
Folder=SIMS Applications
WorkStation=5.28
NeedIcons=FALSE
[LastChecked]
SIMSInfrastructureSetup=5.590.5.0
[installationLogs]
SIMSApplicationSetup.exe=C:\Users\user1\AppData\Local\Temp\SIMSApplicationSetup.log
[bDE]
BDEVersion=2.52
BDEPath=C:\IDAPI
BDEConfigPath=C:\IDAPI\IDAPI.CFG
[Fonts]
SIMS Attendance Key 8pt (VGA res)=SIMSATT.FON
SIMS Monospaced 6,8pt (VGA res)=SIMSMONO.FON
SIMS Field Navigator 8pt (VGA res)=SIMSFNAV.FON
SIMS Clear 'a' font 8,10,12,14,18,24pt (VGA res)=SIMSCLRA.FON
[NOVA-MC]
CurrAcadYear=2010
PulsarLocation=C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net
CurrentTip=1
RecentFile:0=I:\RC SIMS data.SPL
RecentFile:1=
RecentFile:2=
RecentFile:3=
RecentFile:4=
RecentFile:5=
RecentFile:6=
RecentFile:7=
LoadAcadYear=2011
LastFile=I:\RC SIMS data.SPL

[fiza]

I get this error everytime I use SOLUS3 to deploy SIMS. The user can click "ok" on the error and is still able to login but its a right pain.

[matt40k]

@CyBeRkId2002 Your missing simssetupsdirectory=, you shouldn't copy sims.ini from machine-to-machine. It contains machine specific information.

 

@fiza Are you using S3 v.3.4?

[NorthernSands]

I've usually come across this error message on Windows 7 when UAC is still on. During installation SIMS is unable to update the SIMS.ini file after it's initial creation. Therefore it contains some info, but not everything it needs and then SIMS fails to run correctly.

 

@CyBeRkId2002 & @fiza ; could you post a copy of the SIMS.ini from a machine that's not working?

[sparkeh]

I had this on Windows 7 64bit when I took my usual route of deploying Infrastructure, App, AMPARK and Manual separately.

Once I ran simsinst.exe it worked ok.

[fiza]

 

@fiza Are you using S3 v.3.4?

 

Latest 3.4. Capita have remoted in but couldnt resolve it. Sent me a dll file but this didnt do anything. Happens with both Win 7 and XP.

[matt40k]

@fiza Did you deploy SIMSLOAD Summer 11? Was it Paul or Steve? Or was it Mark who dialed in?

 

@NorthernSands and @sparkeh it's because it's SIMSINST that adds the simssetupsdirectory= line, if run it manually, you need to add it in manually.

[Hecate]

Check the SIMS ini file which is in the windows folder on the workstation. As others have already said it looks as if there is an error in your simssetupdirectory line. Mine reads SIMSSetupsDirectory=\\[sIMSServerName]\[simsShareName]\sims\setups. This won't stop SIMS running but it will stop it updating automatically

[sparkeh]

it's because it's SIMSINST that adds the simssetupsdirectory= line, if run it manually, you need to add it in manually.

Awesome! Thanks for that.

So rather then my normal method of installing each separately, can I use simsinst for a single silent deployment of all the components?

[fiza]

@fiza Did you deploy SIMSLOAD Summer 11? Was it Paul or Steve? Or was it Mark who dialed in?

 

It was someone called Steven. I was meant to ring him back today but with other things going on I didnt get a chance and now Im off on a training course til Monday.

[vikpaw]

Awesome! Thanks for that.

So rather then my normal method of installing each separately, can I use simsinst for a single silent deployment of all the components?

 

yes. I've only ever installed it with simsinst, installing the parts separately was only ever for troubleshooting.

[sparkeh]

yes. I've only ever installed it with simsinst, installing the parts separately was only ever for troubleshooting.

Wow you learn something new every day. I just followed how the LA showed me to install.

So are there commandline switches for things like the components to install or something?

Better yet can you point me to some documentation on this?

 

Or is just a case of /s and its all installed and ready to go?

Edited July 5, 2011 by sparkeh

[CyBeRkId2002]

Thanks for all the responses... as was correctly identified I was looking in connect.ini, hadn't found sims.ini! Put that in and boom, it works. Now just to sort out permissions. Am I right in thinking our teaching staff group have to have Admin user permissions for this to work? Is this something that is commonly given or do people have other ways to deal with upgrades?

[vikpaw]

Look at simsperm.bat in your S drive somewhere. Also if you search on here, there is a listing of equivalent group policy settings, and i think someone has modified for windows 7 too.