matt40k

No, you can't create a SIMS account outside of SIMS. The password for starters is salted by SIMS .net application. Why would you need to do this?

Well they say they're from the same people as Teacher2Parent who support other MIS systems, so, one would hope they know about the others and maybe you just spoke to the new guy. I do know what you mean about the whole your not a school, it's like when we were replace a ton of school server and I phone a number of bolt-on companies and basically say, hey I'm going to break your product and I know your product is in school Y, fancy telling me how to reinstall\move it, then I'll do it every time from now on? No, you won't tell me because I'm not actually the school. At least with InTouch\SLG I know what needs to be backed up and I can get the ball rolling (like the school can put the PO in for the £260 it is to reinstall the dang thing).

Wonder if @mikiefitz knows anyone at SchoolPod you can contact @GREED

So basically the MASTER database that SQL uses for it's meta data like SQL login\password is got corrupted. You know have to reinstall SQL. I would seriously be looking into Event Viewer for errors (I think it's the SYSTEM logs) for bad blocks, this basically means the hdd has problems and needs replacing. The MASTER database doesn't get corrupted for no reason, OK it could be you had a power failure, it could be the antivirus, but it could be a hdd is on it's way out. It's worth doing now as it's going to get worse if it is bad blocks and you don't want to reinstall SQL only for it to get worse then the whole drive fails. Might be worth checking your backups.

My moneys on duff hdd.

Check Event Viewer for more info, failing that the errorlog in the SQL logs folder. Also worth checking Event viewer to see if Windows has recorded any bad blocks - ie duff hdd. Check the mdf\ldf are still present as well. I know I'd had it before when someone CUT the databases rather than COPY when they did a backup.

Not going to argue about best media type, if you're doing archives onto a removable device I think you're covering yourself. I don't trust usb drives, one drop and it's gone - not seen a external SSD yet however, so that might be a real option. Personally backing up onto DVD-R or a WORM tape at the end of term makes sense. From an audit point of view, once it's created, you can't edit it. I wouldn't intend to restore from it, but they are cheap, DVD-R are pennies and it covers you if you ask another school to hold it, just look at St Felix Middle that burnt down, the fireproof safe got melted into the rest of the building so "fireproof" isn't really "fireproof". DVD-R backups really are the absolute last line of defense and I don't see why you wouldn't do it. Pretty much every new machine comes with a writer, dvd-r a pennies. Order a pack then first week of the summer holiday, do a backup of the financial and MIS system use 7zip or something to compress and encrypt it (with a really rememberable password) and ask one of the local primaries to stash it in their safe.

From the point of view of security, "tapes" would be more secure in the sense it's physically disconnected once it's taken, so a remote hacker couldn't compromise the backup once it's been taken. It's why its often recommend taking a manual backup onto a CD\DVD\Bluray of your MIS \ Finance system in addition to your normal backup. It's a worse case scenario \ audit reason to do it. Also, if you go down the tape route you need to ensure that you have at least two tape drives as the drives can get unaligned so restoration can't occur on other drives - normally you find this out too late when the drive dies, so you need at least two, one to do the backup and another to test the backup. I find tapes only really work in a managed environment and most people just outsource it to a "cloud" provider. So you basically go disk > cloud then they go disk > disk > tape

It would have been interesting if you sent it to all the generic mailbox to see how well they deal with random requests, be an unofficial testing of their support system

SIMS has a stored procedure (sims.db_p_transfer_login) that copies the SIMS SQL logins from the MASTER database and stores them in the SIMS database, it doesn't get executed as often as it should. I believe Attix5 executes it pre-backup.

Eh, why? You can buy Attix5 from a number of people who aren't Capita. RedStor is one. Prefer RedStor\Attix5 as it covers you from your school burning down, take St Felix Middle in Newmarket for example, they had the backup tapes in a "fireproof" safe, never did find the safe let alone the tapes - lucky the technician took a backup tape home. Personally I wouldn't bother with the SQL add-in from Symantec\ARCServe, just add a dbattach backup to the pre-command, still you then start to question why you have Symantec\ARCServe for what is a robocopy. Still if it was me, I'd just stick with Attix5, backups aren't worth nothing if you can't restore from it so unless you've got multiple sites miles apart, it's not worth the hassle.

Hey @FN-GM do you know where they are going and do you trust them? Are they staying in the UK?

You just made some at Capita cry. They thought they're error messages were really useful Should I confess I was quite impressed how they got the error no, still I always wished they had a way to provide feedback and ideally a way to customize them.

You need to run the export tool prior to moving, then import them on the new server. Details see manual.

Kinda just proved my point - Seriously, we know why we're here, why it's the way it is. It's not ideal. It's the problem with success. You've personally invested alot of time and effort getting here and you've done well for staying on top. Despite what the "haters" might say, you and your team have truly earned it - we're just all sooo jealous.

If that was true, you'd be leaving Capita and starting up a new company. (I kinda expect\hope to find out you've secretly got shares in another MIS provider).

At least the documentation would have been simple - is it a word, is it a password, no it's SIMS procedure! We were ripping out the DOS version the first year I started - went from DOS version to SIMS .net (with a spell of WinFolder and BroDIS along the way). So worse thing I remember was the LANID as the Laptops for Teachers was rolling out at the time and trying it juggle them around so everyone could get on was... fun.

SOLUS3, it could be worse... Upgrade failed. Why, cause floppy disc corruption.

Like a trip down memory lane, out of interest how many of those old MIS systems do you remember, like SMAC? No, it's all bolt-ons. He's a businessman now!

@PhillipHamlyn I think you missed out on the timeout errors - been nice to see a bit of Scotty injected into the messages. Still April 1st first coming up, perhaps it's a chance to add a easter egg or two.

Kinda wanna see something like the old Windows ads: Ballmer sells windows1.0 - YouTube Sure they'll do wonders for Capita image too. Help destroy that image that they are the enemy, they are the "man" pushing the people down and we the the people must rebel, yer man. It's Friday, may the dots all connect. More serious note, be good to see a bit of public humor coming out of Capita HQ. Long gone are the days of ASSman and if they do go MSI, so will the Wise installer with it's unwise.exe uninstaller. Be nice if they can include a bit in the new version.

Is this the only FMS database? Could you get away with installing FMS on SQL2012, then migrate SIMS later?

Be proactive and install and migrate to SQL2012

Well it looks pretty official - they're calling it SIMS8, bit disappointed that the marketing guys didn't get involve, they always come up with some weird name. Job post is up: - Senior Developer SIMS8 - UK - England - Bedfordshire UK - England - Bedfordshire NA In other news appears Capita hosted uses VMWARE: - Hosted Services Engineer - Bedford - UK - England - Bedfordshire UK - England - Bedfordshire NA ...and the hope of SIMS MSI rests on whoever gets this job: - Software Engineer (.NET; C#, TFS) - UK - England - Bedfordshire UK - England - Bedfordshire NA Gotta love a bit of dumpster diving in the job ads

And so begins the long nightmare of running a soon to be unsupported OS