Westley_IT

Hi! I hope that you are all safely tucked away with plenty of snacks and an endless pot of coffee?!? I'd like to ask if any other schools out there are using the Oak National Academy for distance learning? If so, have you had the same access issues that our pupils/parents are stuck with - i.e. today's lessons being overloaded with users? That's what I am assuming is the case. In talking with one hacked-off parent and then testing it myself, Friday's lessons work just fine but today's do not. Now for the stupid question. Some pupils are able to get on without a hitch. That being the case, do web servers exist with a limit to the number of available sessions? The site seems to be based on a G-Suite platform. Thanks for your help!

Hi! Having switched away from Schools' Choice and back to E2BN last summer, it's plain that Suffolk are no further forward in improving the situation. This won't be of any help to you stuck in the middle of it but I received a call from a Suffolk CC management-type who wanted to get some background as to why we stopped subscribing to the broadband contract. Regrettably, I did not make a note of his name but I told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of the 'service' that was thrust upon us. I even voiced my opinion that it felt like Suffolk were looking to drop the schools' broadband service entirely (and save a pile of cash) by forcing us to take alternative options. He tried to assure me otherwise but what other explanation can there be for the silence and diabolical provision? By the bye, if you are suffering in silence, it's worth checking in with the School's Choice IT Helpdesk to make sure that your ticket has not been closed before it has been resolved. That's what happened to me at one point and was the proverbial straw. Good luck!

Thanks very much for that, @localzuk - Your solution makes more sense than you could know. I have just added a 'MeritecData' job via a company installer. I'll have to see if I still have the relevant file for the redundant job. If not, I will do as you say and contact Groupcall. @fredbayker - Just in case you need to know, localzuk has the right of it. Sadly, there is no facility to simply delete a job on mmc-Xporter. That said, thanks very much for chipping in. 8)

Hi. I have an old 'job' in xporter that is surplus to requirements as we no longer subscribe to the linked service. Is it possible to delete it? If so, how? Thanks very much.

Hi, @DJ-1701 Can I please ask for the G-Suite permission on this file, too? I have just requested it but wanted to send a proper request, too. One of my staff members is looking to wean herself off of Notebook but, with a new mac at hand, I have just found that my old copy is no longer working. Thanks very much!

That's all very well, @DGardiner , but there's not much point in wasting an account manager's time if you only need a few sound cables, a couple of mice and some headphones. I have a few account managers that I work with but I wanted a Misco-type site where I can just dip in and buy the basics without having to raise a PO. In and out, no fuss sort of thing. What's wrong with that?

That sounds right up my street, @JoeBloggs - Thanks! 8)

Hi, @christhetech That's a pretty comprehensive list. Thanks! If there isn't one already (?) there should be a recommendations page on edugeek. It could save us all a lot of time if there were a categorized resource. I'll be updating my 'BUY IT' bookmarks after this. 8)

Hi, @StevieM and @CHiLL Thanks for the tips. The Kenable site looks good and it has quite a wide range of focussed kit - as well as having a good name*! @CHiLL - Do you use Softcat's eCAT at all. I used to use that all of the time but, unless I am frozen out as an absentee, it wasn't exactly helpful. Thanks again, *Ken

The IDNS site seems pretty comprehensive, @localzuk Thanks! 8)

Thanks for that, @lyricalway I'll check them out. 8)

Morning! Can you please tell me what sites you use for your day-to-day purchases? Ideally, I am looking for a site with an online shop where you can make your own choices (rather than have an account manager sticking to promoted brands...) when buying things like patch cables, headphones, iPad cases... Any and all recommendations are welcome. Thanks!

For anyone viewing this item, I have solved the issue myself. That said, I did not really have to do much more than run SIMS as an administrator, log on (where it had previously not allowed me to) and run two processes - Database Diagnostics and Validate Memberships. Having run those processes, I had to sort out another issue. When I got back from there, I was told that SIMS was back on again. When logging on to a workstation elsewhere in the school, SIMS did work perfectly AND with a good deal of extra zippyness. Whatever solved the issue, I am happy with the outcome.

Hello! This is a case of seriously bad timing but a member of our SMT was getting the last acedemic year on his workstation and was told to change it via 'Routines...' rather than simply clicking on the hyperlink at the top of the homepage. Having run that process, every SIMS user is locked out of the program and the only message that we get at login is - 'The database query timed out'. Can anyone point me in the right direction on this? How does a change of academic year on SIMS lock it down? Thank you, I hope, for your help. Ken

That's bad news, @TomHD You cannot help but feel that they are trying to push schools out so that they can drop the service and save themselves some money. They seem to be running it into the ground which has dire consequences for the schools that cannot afford to move. That said, with our quotation from E2BN, we save £200 on our annual, Suffolk fee and it is a dedicated, leased line with all of the benefits that you would expect. I know that there is a setup fee but a functioning service has to be better than paying less for problematic, malfunctioning one?!?