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SIMS Deployment Crossroads - SOLUS3 or RemoteApp

mobybrick

By mobybrick
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mobybrick

mobybrick

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Dear all,

 

We currently have SIMS on 70 laptops and about 20 PCs. SIMS is used heavily by teachers to take class registers five times a day, plus weekly reports.

 

SOLUS2 has worked flawlessly for us for years; but SOLUS2 support is being withdrawn by our LA shortly and Capita will likely withdraw SOLUS2 support next summer.

 

The 70 laptops are taken home nightly by staff and therefore this apparently will make SOLUS3 deployment and updates very problematic; the laptops will be 'offline' when the updates are deployed. They may never get the update. They may require the update to be re-deployed. There is certainly no way of guaranteeing that when the laptops next try to run SIMS it will have been upgraded.

 

So, the question is... Do I either

 

1. Try to roll out SOLUS3 and hope for the best, or

2. Try to deploy SIMS as a RemoteApp application (i.e. a seamless TS application)?

 

Has anyone used SIMS under RemoteApp? Do things like reports that launch Word, work OK? What about laptops? Does anyone else have SOLUS3 working in a similar environment?

 

Grateful for any and all thoughts!

ChrisH

ChrisH

Posted
Posted
We have used SIMS as a remote app with no issues for a couple of years now. Reports and printing work fine, certainly takes the headaches out of updating.
mobybrick

mobybrick

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Thanks for your reply Chris.

 

For this to work do you also have Office installed also as a RemoteApp, for reports to work? Or can reports be made to open the copy of Office on the local PC?

 

Also... does SIMS run OK as a seamless application, or are there things you had to do to tweak it?

 

Thanks!

 

Moby

We have used SIMS as a remote app with no issues for a couple of years now. Reports and printing work fine, certainly takes the headaches out of updating.
jinnantonnixx

jinnantonnixx

Posted
Posted (edited)
On a similar note, as anyone managed to deploy SIMS using APP-V?

 

I trialled it a while ago and yes, it worked very well. It was only the APP-V licensing model which stopped us using it at the time. I think this might be a strong candidate for our future plans.

Edited by jinnantonnixx
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tmcd35

tmcd35

Posted
Posted
I trialled it a while ago and yes, it worked very well. It was only the APP-V licensing model which stopped us using it at the time. I think this might be a strong candidate for our future plans.

 

Very interesting! I've been looking at App-V licencing under EES and just this one program working is more than worth the cost alone!

 

Did you test it with Office? I assume an App-V'd SIMS.net would access a local office install? or could it work with a seperate App-V Office package?

mobybrick

mobybrick

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I know of this; but our LA take a different view and want to withdraw SOLUS2 at the end of this year. We'll be unsupported by them (and have to test & deploy our own updates) if we continue with SOLUS2.

 

At the recent Software Update Seminar, Jonathan Wood, Product Manager for all things SOLUS said that SOLUS2 will be supported by Capita (SIMS) until the Spring 2014 release ;)
mobybrick

mobybrick

Posted
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Posted

How would an App-V install be upgraded routinely (by SOLUS3 etc)? Would you not have to re-package it every time it got ugpraded (apologies, I don't know much about App-V yet)...

 

I trialled it a while ago and yes, it worked very well. It was only the APP-V licensing model which stopped us using it at the time. I think this might be a strong candidate for our future plans.
jinnantonnixx

jinnantonnixx

Posted
Posted (edited)
Very interesting! I've been looking at App-V licencing under EES and just this one program working is more than worth the cost alone!

 

Did you test it with Office? I assume an App-V'd SIMS.net would access a local office install? or could it work with a seperate App-V Office package?

 

It would be just as if the SIMS software is installed locally, so it would access the machine in the same way. The only difference is that the software is pulled down on demand, and kept locally. This is why it's important to sequence the software correctly when you set it up.

Edited by jinnantonnixx
Quackers

Quackers

Posted
Posted

 

The 70 laptops are taken home nightly by staff and therefore this apparently will make SOLUS3 deployment and updates very problematic; the laptops will be 'offline' when the updates are deployed. They may never get the update. They may require the update to be re-deployed. There is certainly no way of guaranteeing that when the laptops next try to run SIMS it will have been upgraded.

 

Please tell me this part is a joke?

jinnantonnixx

jinnantonnixx

Posted
Posted (edited)
How would an App-V install be upgraded routinely (by SOLUS3 etc)? Would you not have to re-package it every time it got ugpraded (apologies, I don't know much about App-V yet)...

 

How to upgrade a package:

VanBragt.Net Virtualization - How to: Update Virtualized Application Part 1: App-V

 

Though personally, I'd make a new package. You then have the flexibility of rolling out different versions, which is the only practical option if you host loads of schools.

Edited by jinnantonnixx
The_Windy_Miller

The_Windy_Miller

Posted
Posted
I know of this; but our LA take a different view and want to withdraw SOLUS2 at the end of this year. We'll be unsupported by them (and have to test & deploy our own updates) if we continue with SOLUS2.

 

I'm amazed - are they well ahead with SOLUS3? :eek:

tmcd35

tmcd35

Posted
Posted
How would an App-V install be upgraded routinely (by SOLUS3 etc)? Would you not have to re-package it every time it got ugpraded (apologies, I don't know much about App-V yet)...

 

Personally I'd rather repackage 1 install from scratch than visit every machine to manage a SOLUS2 update or fight with SOLUS3. I'd use an MSI packager if I could get it to work without creating a corrupt package. I tried running as a TS-App but the workload killed the server (actually, that was my fault - I forgot to take the upgrade checker out of the shortcut so every time anyone tried running SIMS the system checked for upgrades, 30 people run SIMS at the same time and bang :( ).

 

I think TS-App (setup properly) or App-V is the solution to managing SIMS upgrades.

Ghostgame

Ghostgame

Posted
Posted

Ok, into the fray i go.

 

The 70 laptops are taken home nightly by staff and therefore this apparently will make SOLUS3 deployment and updates very problematic; the laptops will be 'offline' when the updates are deployed. They may never get the update. They may require the update to be re-deployed. There is certainly no way of guaranteeing that when the laptops next try to run SIMS it will have been upgraded.

 

Shouldn't be as problematic as you think. The UI installs on the server. You then install an agent on each of your workstations. You can download updates but you get to choose when you deploy them out. When you deploy an update, any offline agents that come online should update automatically. Because of the agents installed on your workstations you can see which ones have and have not updated. For the ones that have not automatically updated for whatever reason you can redeploy the update to those specific workstations. I can't promise you will be problem free but I doubt it will be as bad as it has been made out.

 

I'm amazed - are they well ahead with SOLUS3? :eek:

 

Depends what you mean.

Does it do everything it says on the tin? - yes

 

Does it do it with no problems? - depends on if your network has no problems and you don't mind sorting out the teething problems that come with it (e.g firewall port exceptions)

 

What I will say is when SOLUS3 works, it works really well. When it does not, it can be a pain.

mobybrick

mobybrick

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Er, no. What made you think it was a joke?

 

There's quite a few stories around about offline clients not being upgraded, even if they are supposed to be simply upgraded when they come back on-line.

 

We went to a Capita SOLUS3 training course recently. It took their guy nearly an hour to roll-out an upgrade... to just 2 test machines in the lab.

 

When staff log on the first thing they do is go in to SIMS. I don't see this working any more if an upgrade is being done slowly in the background...

 

 

Please tell me this part is a joke?
mobybrick

mobybrick

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I don't suppose you know what happens to clients/users who are using SIMS when an upgraded is being deployed?

 

If a user logs in to SIMS as soon as the server (database) has been upgraded, say, - does the SOLUS3 agent kick them out of SIMS until the client has also been upgraded? I know a bubble message can appear in the system tray when an upgrade is about to take place - but does it actually boot the user out of SIMS, as it would need to?

 

Thanks!

 

Ok, into the fray i go.

 

 

 

Shouldn't be as problematic as you think. The UI installs on the server. You then install an agent on each of your workstations. You can download updates but you get to choose when you deploy them out. When you deploy an update, any offline agents that come online should update automatically. Because of the agents installed on your workstations you can see which ones have and have not updated. For the ones that have not automatically updated for whatever reason you can redeploy the update to those specific workstations. I can't promise you will be problem free but I doubt it will be as bad as it has been made out.

 

 

 

Depends what you mean.

Does it do everything it says on the tin? - yes

 

Does it do it with no problems? - depends on if your network has no problems and you don't mind sorting out the teething problems that come with it (e.g firewall port exceptions)

 

What I will say is when SOLUS3 works, it works really well. When it does not, it can be a pain.

alfatec

alfatec

Posted
Posted

I think there is a few mis-conceptions here about Solus 3. We have 180 workstations and 90 staff laptops that all have SIMS.Net on. When we roll out

a SIMS upgrade the 180 workstations are upgraded in about 30 minutes. We normally upgrade when staff have left work because the upgrade

can take place without anybody being logged in. With regards to staff laptops that have been taken home and then brought back in the next day,

as soon as they are switched on in the morning it will automatically update the SIMS client to the latest upgrade. You just need to ensure that

all your workstations and staff laptops Solus 3 agents are on version 3.4.118.0 as before this version the auto updating did not work. An email to

staff indicating when the upgrade is going to take place and to ensure that they bring there laptop in and have it switched on ensures the upgrade

normally takes place without a hitch.

  • Thanks 1
Ghostgame

Ghostgame

Posted
Posted (edited)
I don't suppose you know what happens to clients/users who are using SIMS when an upgraded is being deployed?

 

If a user logs in to SIMS as soon as the server (database) has been upgraded, say, - does the SOLUS3 agent kick them out of SIMS until the client has also been upgraded? I know a bubble message can appear in the system tray when an upgrade is about to take place - but does it actually boot the user out of SIMS, as it would need to?

 

Thanks!

 

Unfortunatly not. Thats one of the things we are trying to get Capita to add for SOLUS3.

What we tell people is that when the solus3 notification appears to log out of SIMS/FMS

 

There was a change request that could be voted for but I don't know where thats gone.

Edited by Ghostgame
Rawns

Rawns

Posted
Posted
Did I not see that the next release of SOLUS3 in December improves greatly on the area of devices being offline when a update is rolled out, and that workstations will now automatically check with the S3 Deployment Service when they next come online and upgrade automatically if they are out of date? Will remove the current sting of having to manually redeploy to out of date devices! (Which to be honest should have been blatant functionality from day 1!)
Rawns

Rawns

Posted
Posted
What I will say is when SOLUS3 works, it works really well. When it does not, it can be a pain.

 

A bang on statement right there. We installed and used SOLUS3 in a new BSF site which had all new kit. With only a few clicks, SOLUS3 installed SIMS, FMS, Discover etc onto loads of workstations! :)

 

The pain is getting it installed and working in existing environments. It's dependant on so may things (DNS, Firewall etc).

alfatec

alfatec

Posted
Posted

Hi Rawns, the current Solus 3 system already does the automatic redeploy now, you just have to ensure that all your workstations have the latest Solus 3 agent installed 3.4.118.0. If a workstation or laptop

is offline when an update is done it will automatically update the next time it comes online.

bossman

bossman

Posted
Posted
Hi Rawns, the current Solus 3 system already does the automatic redeploy now, you just have to ensure that all your workstations have the latest Solus 3 agent installed 3.4.118.0. If a workstation or laptop

is offline when an update is done it will automatically update the next time it comes online.

 

I think you will find there has been an update to the Solus3 agent 3.4.119 is what we are using. :)

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