Gongalong

I'm now wondering how a staff member's timetable links to their user account, unless it's based on that in the first place, rather than their staff record?

Hi folks, Is there a specific need to create a user account from a staff record? My guess is that it just makes it easier to populate the details, but the two aren't connected. Is that right? Thanks

Do you have a specific pack just for the transition day(s), or cover it in the admission pack?

See the above comment.

I think most are assuming that this is for other than day-to-day in-school use e.g. SIMS photo. The intent of the "yes" was for use other than that e.g. public display in school, website, Facebook, media etc.

Is that a pack specific for the transition day(s)?

Hi folks, A simplistic poll, just to found out if other schools ask for permission(s) to use photos of students. I might ask a more detailed poll depending on what results from this. (I don't think you can view the poll on a mobile browser, but it works in a desktop browser and the Edugeek app) Thanks!

Hi folks, As with most if not all comprehensives, we have students that come here during transition, to see the school etc. If we take photos of them during that time, my opinion is that they have not joined our school at that time, therefore any photo permissions etc. we have asked of them do not yet apply. What do other schools do so they can use photos taken during that time? Do you ask for a specific (opt in) permission, or give the photos back to the feeder school? I'm thinking that we could give parents a separate form for that time, or perhaps change our consent letter that goes out while they are in Y6 to include something that covers this day. Thanks

Hi folks, Any school funding experts out there? Are the funds given to each school publicly available, and given in a a straightforward format e.g. amount per student? Ta

Thanks, the XML generator is very useful. Does that just generate download config files? There are bits about the EULA in there, but not sure if that applies to download or install. I'm guessing there isn't a product key for Office itself, does it have to be licensed via the user's Office 365 account? (Trying to think how that would work where you've got multiple students using a PC, if we deploy this to students)

I noticed the RemoveMSI article talks about using 64 bit versions, although previously MS tended to shy away from using those. Is this not the case any more? https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployOffice/upgrade-from-msi-version I guess I will find out in a minute, but I can't spot where a product key is entered...

Thanks. I was just doing some research on it and found this article about downloading click-to-run versions of Visio and Project https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/DeployOffice/use-the-office-deployment-tool-to-install-volume-licensed-editions-of-visio-2016 I've then used a combination of the information and that article and this to generate a download configuration XML and an install configuration XML https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/DeployOffice/overview-of-the-office-2016-deployment-tool I'm trying to install now, so will see if it's worked... (Seems bizarrely complicated to just get the versions to install side-by-side! Although I guess it helps to have these saved as an offline install)

Hi folks, I want to be able to use the monthly channel version of Office, but also be able to use Visio and Project 2016. When I try to install the Office 365 version I am unable, because of this incompatibility between the Click to Run and standard Office installer. Anyone know if it's possible to get a monthly channel version of Office 2016, or a standard install version of Office 365? Thanks

I think what happened is the server received an update that disabled it, so "out of the blue" SIMS would no longer install. Eventually we figured out that v1 had been disabled, and that enabling it again fixed the issue. It's a faff though because we need to enable it on new PCs, and it's also a security issue having it enabled. - - - Updated - - - Presumably others here have v1 disabled on their server (and clients) and SIMS is deploying happily with v2?

County said it's a problem with Windows on our server, so won't support it. The difficulty is that with SMB v1 disabled on the server I can't deploy SIMS. I've done a bit of digging and there seem to be various issues e.g. registry entries, that can cause SMB v2 to break. Aaaaaaagh! I'll have to troubleshoot over the Summer hols.

Hi folks, Anyone with experience of Chroma Keying? I’ve been asked to look into it, but never done it before. I guess a start would be recommendation for apps, can this be done live on tablets yet? Failing that, something on Windows please. Thanks

@DrCheese: Were these easy to setup? Do these require Azure, or can you use a traditional DC server?

Is it just a case of contact their relevant support and hooking up to AD? My biggest panic with extracting from Unify would be mailboxes i.e. losing them!

I think SMHW might be linkable with O365, but I'm not sure PES can be. Again, it's one of those making-life-easier things, which if saving time is saving cost, but that's becoming marginal with a 50% price increase. I've also forgotten the aforementioned increase from when we were a pilot school, so technically it's a 200% increase since we first started using it.

@markwilfan: Does it do bulk import of users from a CSV? I'm hoping to rely on an old RM Ranger tool to do that this Summer, but at some point I'm sure that's going to break (if not this Summer!).

@snagrat: Provide SSO to supported apps e.g. we use Parents Evening System and Show My Homework.

What do you find most useful about it?

Although Salamander Active Directory isn't quite the same thing, and what's to stop them putting the price up?

The difficulty we'd have now is migrating, as Unify provisions the O365 accounts.

We use a couple of other apps as well, so the SSO is nice. In fact that's the only benefit of Unify that comes to mind.