solus 3 common tasks & troubleshooting guide (applicable to … · 2016-06-24 · solus 3...

School IT Systems Support Herts for Learning Ltd SROB202, Robertson House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2FQ

Doc Ref S1574

Published June 2016

© School IT Systems Support (SITSS) Herts for Learning Ltd, 2016

Technical Support Centre Accredited by the Learning and Performance Institute (formerly, the Institute of IT Training) RM Approved Support Partner

Fully accredited by Capita SIMS for proven quality of SIMS support

SOLUS3 Common Tasks &

Troubleshooting Guide

(Applicable to version 3.10 onwards)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1

HOW AN UPGRADE/PATCH RUNS UNDER SOLUS3 ................................................... 2

SOLUS3 DEPLOYMENT SERVER USER INTERFACE ................................................. 3

POST INSTALLATION CHECKS AND TASKS ............................................................... 4

Check Agents have installed correctly .................................................................. 4

‘Endpoint’ Communication Errors ......................................................................... 5

Add additional workstations into the environment ................................................. 6

Backup of the SOLUS3 Deployment Server Database ......................................... 6

Remove SIMS Packages from software distribution solution ................................ 6

ADDING WORKSTATIONS INTO THE SOLUS3 ENVIRONMENT ................................. 7

Pre-requisites for SOLUS3 .................................................................................... 7

Workflow for Adding Workstations into the Environment ...................................... 8

INSTALLING THE SOLUS3 AGENT ONTO NON-DOMAIN WORKSTATIONS .............. 9

DEFINING WORKSTATION TARGETS IN SOLUS3 ..................................................... 11

Using the Auto-Detect Functionality .................................................................... 12

Adding a new SIMS/SIMS Discover/FMS workstation ........................................ 15

Reinstalling a SOLUS3 Agent ............................................................................. 17

REBUILDING A WORKSTATION.................................................................................. 18

PROGRAM SHORTCUTS FOR SIMS .......................................................................... 19

Mixed 32-bit and 64-bit Environments ................................................................ 19

NOVA-T6 SATELLITE INSTALLATIONS AND UPGRADES ......................................... 20

Installing the latest version of the Nova-T6 Satellite ........................................... 21

FMS – FINANCE DATABASE SELECTOR (DFS) ........................................................ 22

DEPLOYING AN UPGRADE OR A PATCH .................................................................. 23

Scheduling a Patch or Upgrade .......................................................................... 24

Checking which Targets have applied an Upgrade ............................................. 26

REDEPLOYING AN UPGRADE/PATCH ...................................................................... 27

CHECK FOR UPDATES ON THE WORKSTATION ..................................................... 29

TROUBLESHOOTING .................................................................................................. 30

Warning: Unknown Agent .................................................................................. 30

Agent Install Failed ............................................................................................ 31

Download not progressing ................................................................................. 31

Upgrade/Patch Package not Visible in the Update Library................................. 31

Incompatible Database ...................................................................................... 32

“SIMS Connection failed for Login USERNAME, Reason 0” on Workstations ... 33

Deployment Failed: “Tolerance not met…” ........................................................ 33

Workstation Failing to Download/Deploy an Update .......................................... 34

Redeploying an Upgrade Reporting “Failed” in the Deployment History ............ 34

Exams Automation Error .................................................................................... 35

Unable to open Nova-T6 or Options .................................................................. 35

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Introduction

These notes are intended for use in schools to assist with commonly encountered tasks once your school has been migrated to use SOLUS3. In doing these tasks, it is helpful to understand at an overview level how SOLUS3 operates, as this is different from the SOLUS2 system you may be accustomed to working with. The diagram below illustrates this:

The model that we use in Hertfordshire operates as follows:

1. We authorise the release of software to the school – this could be an entire release upgrade or a patch for SIMS, FMS or Discover.

2. In school, the Deployment Server communicates directly with the Capita SOLUS Manager Server and downloads any authorised files from it into the school’s SOLUS3 repository, at specific times configured when SOLUS3 was set up.

3. Once the school has downloaded the files, they can be sent to workstations as an automated background task, again at specific times configured within SOLUS3. Each machine in the environment will have an Agent installed to manage all SOLUS3 task.

4. The school can then schedule a time for the upgrade or patch to be applied. In Primary schools a default auto-deployment time will have been configured when SOLUS3 was set up to run upgrades and patches, however patches can be run at other times if necessary. Scheduling ensures that stations can be upgraded when they are not in use.

The following sections of this document show you how to carry out common tasks when required to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of your MIS.

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How an Upgrade/Patch runs under SOLUS3

It might be useful to understand the process that SOLUS3 follows when installing an Upgrade/Patch across your environment. Further details are provided throughout this document with regards to each stage:

1. The Upgrade/Patch is scheduled to apply to your system, either having been scheduled manually (Secondary/Upper schools only) or for Primary Schools (including Middle, Special, ESCs & PRUs) as an automated process. Schedules include those that have been set to run immediately (Deploy Now).

2. Before the scheduled deployment time, the required files are distributed as an automated background task, so that they are available when the Upgrade/Patch is triggered to install. If the files are not present on the machine when the installation is triggered they will be transferred at that time.

3. At the scheduled time the Deployment Server sends an instruction to all applicable Agents in the environment to run the upgrade installations, in a set order. SOLUS3 supports Wake-on-LAN (WOL) and so can remotely start workstations that may be shutdown, assuming they have the applicable hardware installed. Once the instruction is sent a Notifier window appears on the workstations to advise the user to close any Capita software, with a 2 minutes countdown. The user can click to Deploy Now, bypassing the countdown. Users only need to close the applicable software type, e.g. SIMS, but it might be safer to close all Capita software.

Note: If the applicable software, e.g. SIMS, is open at the time the installation commences it will be forced to close and any unsaved work will be lost!

4. Some machines may have multiple items to install and so the Notifier may open a few times during the deployment. This is particular relevant on the SIMS Server/Office Master, or any FMS Workstations. We therefore recommend that the Network Manager advises users when they can log back in, once the Deployment shows as being Successful/Partially Successful.

5. If a workstation is not online and connected to the network at the time of the deployment, it will install the update when the workstation is next connected to the network:

• Once the Agent service starts during the workstation start-up process it will check with the SOLUS3 Deployment Server (on a Heartbeat) to see if there are any outstanding upgrades to be installed and if so will apply them straightaway, downloading files as needed. This will happen even if the user hasn’t yet logged into Windows.

• If the user tries to open SIMS/SIMS Discover/FMS and the upgrade hasn’t applied for some reason, the user will be informed as such and will be given the option to install the update at that time.

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SOLUS3 Deployment Server User Interface

To carry out any task in SOLUS3, you must run the Deployment Service User Interface at your database server (or office master in many primary schools):

• Either using the desktop icon (if present)

• Or via the Start menu

If you are logged into the SIMS Server/Office Master as a Domain Administrator user then you will have full functionality within the User Interface. However, some tasks, such as adding new workstations to the environment, require full Domain Administrator permissions.

If you are not logged in as a Domain Administrator you can either log off the machine and back on again with an appropriate user account, or alternatively you can run a script we have produced, as follows:

1. Navigate to S:\SOLUS3 Files\

2. Double click on the file named ‘Solus3UIasDomainAdmin.cmd’

3. Assuming SOLUS3 has been installed in an expected location, a window will appear prompting you to provide your domain name. Type this in and press Enter.

4. You will then be prompted to enter the password for the domain\Administrator account. Please type this in carefully as nothing will be displayed in the window to represent each character entered.

5. Press Enter. The SOLUS3 Deployment Server UI will now open with full functionality.

If you require the use of the script and it is not available on the S drive, please contact the SITSS Service Desk who will provide you with a copy.

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Post Installation Checks and Tasks

Following the initial installation of SOLUS3 on the school’s SIMS Server/Office Master by SITSS, it may be necessary for your Network Manager or Network Support Provider to carry out the following checks and tasks.

Check Agents have installed correctly

When SITSS initially install SOLUS3 onto the school system we will use an Auto detect function to add into the environment any machines that have been used to log into SIMS in the preceding 6 months. It is likely however that not all of these machines will have been available in school and powered on at the time of the installation and so it will be necessary to check the status of these machines as follows:

1. On the SIMS Server/Office Master, open the SOLUS3 Deployment Server UI and click on Environment > Agents > Agents.

2. You will be presented with the list of all the machines that have been added into the SOLUS3 environment. You will need to check the Status column for any machines that show as Install failed. You can use the funnel button on the column heading to filter the list to just show you those machines with this status.

3. It may be that some of the machines in the list are no longer relevant, either because they are no longer used for SIMS, FMS or SIMS Discover, the machine has been rebuilt with a different name or the machine is no longer in use. We would suggest highlighting these machines, using the shift or ctrl keys to multi-select if needed and then click on Remove computer, followed by Yes to the message that appears.

4. If any of the machines in the list are not on the domain you will need to remove these from the list, as above, and then following the instructions under Adding Workstations into the SOLUS3 Environment on page 7 to manually install the Agent onto the machine.

5. Once you have identified all the domain machines that have failed to install the Agent and are still required, you will need to do one of the following, depending on the error message being displayed in the last column.

Where it requests you reinstall the Agent, refer to Reinstalling a SOLUS3 Agent on page 17 (however if this affects more than 10 workstations you may instead want to consider removing the workstations, as above, and then adding them again referring to Defining Workstation Targets in SOLUS3 on page 11):

• ‘Access Denied to the remote machine’ – Either the Domain Administrator credentials entered when adding the machines were incorrect or that user does not have administrative privileges on the workstation(s), i.e. it is not part of the domain. Reinstall the Agent(s).

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• ‘The remote machine cannot be contacted’ – This usually means that the workstation was not available on the network at the time it was added into the environment. Reinstall the Agent(s).

• ‘The remote machine actively refused the connection’ – This usually indicates that the workstation is not on the domain or doesn’t recognise the domain administrator credentials provided. Reinstall the Agent(s).

• ‘Agent installer completed but agent not installed’ – This means that the msi failed to complete the installation, which could be for a number of reasons. Reinstall the Agent(s). Reinstallation normally resolves the issue but the error logs should be checked to investigate the cause if this persists.

• ‘Unable to obtain an ip address for the remote machine’ – This will either be because the machine has not been connected to the network recently and the DHCP lease has expired, or there is an issue with the forward and/or reverse lookups in DNS. Please ensure the machine is connected to the network, check the DHCP and DNS entries are all correct and then reinstall the Agent(s).

If you find that the Agent is not installing on domain machines from the Server and you are unable to ascertain why, try installing the Agent manually as if it were a non-domain workstation. You will need to remove the machine from the Agent list before doing so.

If after trying the above you find that the Agent will still not install, please contact the SITSS Server Desk. on 01438 844777 (option 1 then option 1), via email at [email protected], or via Service Desk Online (if registered).

‘Endpoint’ Communication Errors

Following successful installation of the Agent on the workstations, you may find that some of the Agents display an error message in the UI Agents list such as “Cannot run ExecuteAgentDeploymentPlan: Endpoint net.tcp://111.222.333.444:52966/ not found.” (where 111.222.333.444 is the IP Address of the workstation). The first part of the error can be a multitude of things, however the key factor is the “Endpoint net.tcp” string. This indicates a communication error between the Agent and the SOLUS3 Deployment Server.

This will usually be the result of the firewall exceptions having not been applied to the workstation, either manually or via Group Policy (please refer to Pre-requisites for SOLUS3 on page 7). Alternatively, this can indicate an issue in DNS and so you may need to check the entries for the workstation(s) in question, in the forward and reverse lookups within DNS, ensuring no duplicate entries with other machine names.

Also check that you can ping the workstation from the server by name, and vice versa, with the correct IP Addresses being displayed in the ping results. You may need to Flush DNS before communication can start again. We would also recommend restarting the agent service on the local computer, via services.msc.

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Add additional workstations into the environment

Please check the list of workstations in the SOLUS3 UI to ensure that all SIMS machines have been added. As the initial installation will only add machines that have been used to log into SIMS in the last 6 months it is possible that not all the SIMS workstations have been added. If this is the case then please refer to Adding Workstations into the SOLUS3 Environment on page 7 onwards.

Backup of the SOLUS3 Deployment Server Database

The email the school receives confirming the installation of SOLUS3 has been carried out will contain information regarding whether the SITSS MIS Consultant was able to add the SOLUS3 Deployment Server database into the existing backup solution or whether this needs to be done by the school’s Network Manager or Network Support Provider.

The database name is solus3_deployment_server and should be added in the same way as the SIMS database into the chosen solution.

Note: If the school uses the SITSS Azure Backup solution, this database will automatically be added into the backup schedules and no action is required.

Remove SIMS Packages from software distribution solution

If you school is using a management solution for deploying software packages onto workstation, e.g. has an RM CC4 network or equivalent, then you may have packages in place to install SIMS, FMS or SIMS Discover onto workstations.

Such packages are no longer required as when a machine is added into SOLUS3 (see Adding Workstations into the SOLUS3 Environment on page 7 onwards) the required software will be installed by the SOLUS3 Agent, at the correct version. Please ensure that these packages are removed from the system (delete them, do not withdraw them), however any associated shortcuts will still be required (see Program Shortcuts for SIMS on page 19).

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Adding Workstations into the SOLUS3 Environment

Pre-requisites for SOLUS3

All machines that will form part of the SOLUS3 environment, being those that are used for SIMS, SIMS Discover or FMS, will require certain pre-requisites before the installation of the Agent can take place.

Please ensure that:

• Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Full version, i.e. Client Profile and Extended) or later is installed. If SIMS is already running on the workstation then this is already present;

• Windows Task Scheduler is running;

• you can browse to network shares, e.g. the S:\ drive. This will confirm the requirement for TCP port 139, UDP port 137 and UDP port 138 to be open in the workstation’s firewall, supporting NetBIOS network browsing;

• TCP ports 52965, 52966 and 8739 are open in the workstation’s firewall. On workgroup machines you can run the Solus 3 Firewall Exceptions.bat file, located in S:\SOLUS3 Files to open these ports, although you may need to right click on the file and select Run as Administrator if errors are reported when run;

Note: there is a text file of the same name in this folder that can be used to set up Group Policy, however you will need to ensure that you run the .bat file on non-domain workstations. If you have an RM CC4 network then the route to follow in the RMMC to add these ports is <Domain Name> | Registry Policies | Computer Policies | Global | All computers. You can then add the exceptions into the Windows Firewall option on the right using the details in the text file.

• Some domain controllers also require that port 389 (TCP) be opened for LDAP;

• Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service is running and is enabled on the firewall; and

• there are no obvious issues with the workstation, e.g. suspected virus, unreliable network connection, etc. There should also be at least 1Gb of free disk space on the workstation system drive (i.e. C:\).

Note: Please ensure all the above ports are open in ALL firewalls, i.e. Windows Firewall, AntiVirus Firewall and any hardware firewalls in place.

If you are unable to confirm any of the above prerequisites please take advice before continuing.

If SIMS, FMS or Discover is installed on a workstation that is no longer required to run the software, please uninstall the software package (if this is how it was installed initially, otherwise simply delete the application folder(s)) and do not install an Agent.

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Workflow for Adding Workstations into the Environment

This diagram provides a representation of the processes to be carried out when adding a workstation into the SOLUS3 environment, assuming that all pre-requisites have been checked and applied. The following sections describe in detail how to perform these steps.

Note: Items shaded in tan are to be performed by the Network Manager or Network Support Provider. Items shaded in blue are carried out by SOLUS3 itself.

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Installing the SOLUS3 Agent onto Non-Domain Workstations

Any workstation that forms part of a domain will have the SOLUS3 Agent installed directly by SOLUS3. Unfortunately, SOLUS3 is unable to install the Agent software onto non-domain workstations and instead this will need to be installed manually:

1. Firstly you need to ensure you have access to the latest version of the SOLUS3 Agent Installer files. On the SIMS Server/Office Master, check the version of SOLUS3 installed at your school by opening the SOLUS3 UI and noting the version number displayed across the top window bar.

2. In Windows, browse to the folder name S:\SOLUS3 Agent Installer 3.10.88; the version number at the end of this folder name should match the version of SOLUS3 installed at your school. If the number matches then proceed to step 3. If this version number does not match, or the folder is missing:

• Delete any existing folder S:\SOLUS3 Agent Installer 3.10.88 (or equivalent)

• In the SOLUS3 UI open the Settings area and click on the SOLUS3 tab.

• On the SOLUS tab, click on the Export agent installer button.

• In the window that opens, navigate to and select the S:\ drive, click on Make New Folder and type in the name of the folder as “SOLUS3 Agent Installer xx.xx.xx”, where xx.xx.xx is the version installed.

• Click on OK. A message will appear towards the top of the UI to confirm the export has completed.

3. In Windows, navigate to the folder S:\SOLUS3 Agent Installer xx.xx.xx, right click on the file named Solus3AgentInstaller.bat and select Edit.

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• The first line of this file should begin “CScript AgentInstaller.js” (without the speech marks). If the CScript text is missing please add this to the beginning of the line so it reads as above, ensuring that a space is placed afterwards and that no other text is altered in this file! Save the file and close it.

4. Once you are satisfied that all the workstation pre-requisites have been met, ensure that you are logged onto the workstation as an administrator and can see the usual S:\ drive mapping. On the workstation, navigate to the SOLUS3 Agent Installer folder as detailed above and double-click the Solus3AgentInstaller.bat file to display the Welcome to the SOLUS 3 Agent Setup Wizard page.

5. Click the Next button to display the End-User License Agreement page.

6. Select the ‘I accept the terms in the License Agreement’ check box to accept the end-user licence agreement then click the Next button to display the Service Endpoints page.

7. The Agent Service Address and Deployment Service Address fields are populated automatically by the batch file and should not need altering.

8. Click the Next button to display the Deployment Server Public Key page. The Key file directory will automatically be entered by the batch file, being the folder detailed in step 2.

9. Click the Next button to display the Set Up Shortcuts page. Untick the Desktop checkbox.

10. Click the Next button to display the Destination Folder page – retain the default destination and click the Next button to display the Ready to install SOLUS 3 Agent page.

11. Click the Install button. When the installation process is complete, click the Finish button.

12. To confirm the installation:

o Look for the Agent Notifier icon in the icon tray, located next to the computer clock; or

o Look in the Services list on the workstation and ensure that the Solus3 Agent Service is running.

The Agent service will be installed in C:\Program Files\Solus3\AgentService.

13. If the Capita SIMS software required, i.e. SIMS, FMS and/or Discover, is not already installed on the workstation, proceed to the next section of this document so that the software can be installed by the system.

If the Agent does not install onto the workstation, please contact the SITSS Service Desk on 01438 844777 (option 1 then option 1), via email at [email protected], or via Service Desk Online (if registered).

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Defining Workstation Targets in SOLUS3

This process assumes that the SOLUS3 Agent has been installed onto non-domain workstations, as documented under “Installing the SOLUS3 Agent onto Non-Domain Workstations” on page 9. Once this has been done, SOLUS3 will automatically determine that the station is a part of its environment, but you must tell SOLUS3 which Capita applications it is to run, using the following instructions. If however the applications in question, e.g. SIMS, were already installed on the machine when the Agent was installed, these details will already have been added into the system by the Agent itself.

SOLUS3 will also need to know which Capita software is to be used on domain workstations, however the SOLUS3 Deployment Server will install the Agent automatically on these machines; you do not need to install the agent manually beforehand as with non-domain machines. You will however need to ensure that you are logged onto the SIMS Server/Office Master as a Domain Administrator (please see page 2 for full details).

If the workstation already has the relevant Capita software installed, you may need to redeploy the latest upgrade to that machine (see “Redeploying an Upgrade/Patch” on page 27), although any missed upgrade should automatically apply to the workstation when it is first added into the environment as a version check is performed by the system. If however this workstation does not have the software already installed, then the workstation/client software will be installed automatically.

Note: This will cause messages to be displayed on the workstation during the installation so please liaise with the user to ensure that an appropriate time is chosen to carry out this task; the user may not want this happening during a teaching session, especially if the workstation is connected to an interactive whiteboard.

If you use automated processes on the school network to deploy or update software (including Windows Updates) during the school day, it is recommended that you avoid times when these processes are underway.

It is possible to define machines for multiple Capita software at once, but you may find it easier to define machines for one piece of software at a time, i.e. follow the steps below for SIMS and then repeat them for SIMS Discover or FMS afterwards.

If you are rebuilding a workstation that has a SOLUS3 Agent installed on it, please refer to Rebuilding a Workstation on page 18, as you will need to follow certain steps to ensure that the Agent is also reinstalled and can communicate with the SOLUS3 Deployment Server after rebuild.

Note: If the workstation is going to be used to access Nova-T6 or Options, you will need to ensure that the Borland Database Engine (BDE) has been installed. This is not done by SOLUS3. To obtain a copy of the BDE installer you can run the ‘NovaSatelliteSetup.exe’, which can be extracted from SOLUS3 following the steps on page 20.

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Using the Auto-Detect Functionality

(Recommended for Secondary and large Primary schools)

When adding workstations into SOLUS3, as SIMS or FMS workstations, there is an option for SOLUS3 to interrogate the SIMS Database to obtain details of any workstations used to access SIMS in the last 6 months. Once the Agent is installed via this option, it will check the local SIMS.ini file to see if FMS is also present on the machine and if so will automatically add that target information back into the SOLUS3 Environment.

This option is not available to define SIMS Discover workstations or FMS workstations that are not also used for accessing SIMS.

1. Run the Deployment Server UI and click on Environment > Targets.

2. The Clients tab should automatically be selected. Note: All other targets will have been set up during the initial installation of SOLUS3 so please DO NOT change them!

A list of existing workstations in the environment will be listed.

3. Click on the Auto Detect button in the bottom left corner of the screen.

4. At the Auto detect dialogue, click Yes.

5. SOLUS3 will detect any workstations that have logged into SIMS in the last 6 months and will list them in the left hand side panel. You will notice that the radio button at the top is in SIMS database, being the source of the list.

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6. Click on the right facing double headed arrow to move all the identified workstations into the ‘selected computers’ panel on the right (or manually select those required and use the single arrow, or double click on the name).

You can move any you don’t want included back using the left facing arrow or again double clicking on the name.

7. Click OK at the bottom once satisfied with your selection.

8. A window will display requesting Domain administrator credentials – Enter your full domain administrator User Name (i.e. School123\Administrator) and the associated password. Click on Save.

9. The Auto detect message will indicate how many workstations have been selected for a SOLUS3 Agent to be installed. Click on Yes.

10. After a few moments you will see a ‘Save successful’ confirmation message. Click OK.

11. You should now navigate to Environment > Agents > Agents to monitor the Agent installations:

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Please refer to Post Installation Checks and Tasks > Check Agents have installed correctly on page 4 for details of what the different error messages mean and how to correct them.

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Adding a new SIMS/SIMS Discover/FMS workstation

1. Run the Deployment Server UI and click on Environment > Targets.

2. The Clients tab should automatically be selected. Note: All other targets will have been set up during the initial installation of SOLUS3 so please DO NOT change them!

A list of existing workstations in the environment will be listed.

3. Click Add in the bottom right hand corner to display a panel for adding new client machines.

4. Place a tick against the software that is installed/requires installation on the workstations to be added and then click on Choose clients.

5. The Computer Selection screen will be displayed and will provide 3 options for selecting the required machine:

The default is Active Directory and will allow you to search for workstations by their Organisational Unit (OU). Once you have selected the correct location in the AD, click on Select.

Network will only display workstations currently active on the network (both domain and non-domain).

Agents will display only those workstations that have previously had an Agent installed on them, such as non-domain machines.

6. If there is a very long list of computers, you can use the filter options across the top of the columns to reduce the number of computers being displayed at any one time.

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7. Select the computer name(s) in the left panel (you can use the Ctrl or Shift keys to multi-select) and then click on the button in the centre to move them into the right hand panel. If you wish to move all of the machines listed on the left across to the right then simply click on the button, without the need to individually highlight the names. You can also double-click on the machine name to add/remove it to/from the right hand panel.

When you are sure the correct machines have been selected, based on the software types selected at step 4, click on OK.

8. A window will display requesting Domain administrator credentials – Enter your full domain administrator User Name (i.e. School123\Administrator) and the associated password. Click on Save.

As mentioned before, if any of the workstations defined by this process are domain machines, SOLUS3 will now install the Agent first and then the assigned Capita software. If SIMS has not already been installed on the new workstation(s) then, after a short delay, SOLUS3 will install the software automatically. If the workstations are logged on then the user will see the Solus3 Agent Notifier screen appear to advise them that Capita Software is being installed and will appear for each piece of software to be installed. We would recommend that you inform the user before completing this task.

You can monitor the installation of the Agent via the Environment > Agents > Agents tab.

You can then select the Environment > Agents > Targets tab and you will see in here the version of the software installed on each workstation. You may need to go out of the UI and back in again before the version information will appear. Otherwise you can select the workstation and click on the Get Target Version button.

Currently the SIMS Discover Client will not automatically install onto a workstation and there are 2 methods that can be used to install the software:

• Redeploy the SIMS Discover upgrade to the required workstation(s) (see page 27); or

• Check for Update from the Agent Notifier on the workstation(s) (see page 29).

If you school has more than one FMS database please refer to FMS – Finance Database Selector (DFS) on page 21 (if this is used in your school).

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Reinstalling a SOLUS3 Agent

If an Agent installation shows a status of Install failed you may need to try reinstallation of the Agent:

1. Open the SOLUS3 UI and click on Environment > Agents > Agents.

2. Highlight the machine(s) that require a reinstallation of the Agent. To select multiple machines you can use the standard shift or ctrl key options for multi-selection.

Please note: you can only select a maximum of 10 machines at a time.

3. Click on the Reinstall agent button. A window will display requesting Domain administrator credentials. Enter your full domain administrator Username (i.e. School123\Administrator) and the associated password. Click on Save.

4. If you try to reinstall the Agent where the status is currently showing as Install active, you will receive an error message and will need to wait upto an hour before you can try again.

Alternatively you can select to Remove computer and add it again, using either the Auto-Detect or manual process used previously, as appropriate.

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Rebuilding a Workstation

Schools using a build image for the workstations may need to check if the SIMS.INI is inculded in the build (C:\WINDOWS) if so please remove from the image as this has on occasions stopped the Capita software from installing automatically after installing the Solus 3 agent.

On occasion it is necessary to rebuild a workstation and reinstall all the software. If you find you need to do this with a machine that has a SOLUS3 Agent installed on it, please follow the steps below to add the newly rebuilt machine into the SOLUS3 environment, as the rebuild process will remove the SOLUS3 Agent from the workstation:

1. Open the SOLUS3 UI and click on Environment > Agents > Agents.

2. Highlight the machine that you have rebuilt (the Agent status should show as Offline). The next step will depend on the workstation type:

• Domain Machine with a Different Name

Click on the Remove computer button and confirm the deletion when prompted. You will now need to add the newly rebuilt workstation into the environment, following the instructions under “Defining Workstation Targets in SOLUS3”, starting on page 11.

• Non-Domain Machine

Click on the Remove computer button and confirm the deletion when prompted. You will now need to install the Agent manually onto the newly rebuilt workstation, following the instructions under “Installing the SOLUS3 Agent onto Non-Domain Workstations” on page 9. Then you will need to add the workstation into the environment, following the instructions under “Defining Workstation Targets in SOLUS3”, starting on page 11.

On some occasions you may find that none of the Capita software will automatically install, it maybe nessecary to initiate the installation process manually Please refer to Page 27 for details on how to do this.

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Program Shortcuts for SIMS

All shortcuts for Capita software are placed in Start Menu > All Programs > SIMS Applications and these contain the correct settings needed to run the software. If it is possible it is recommended that this location is accessible to the end user, e.g. via changes to Group Policy where needed. If this is not possible you will need to check the following.

The standard shortcut created when SIMS is installed, which appears in Start Menu > All Programs > SIMS Applications, contains 2 targets. The first target, namely ‘SIMSLoad.exe’, is required in order to ensure that the version of the application is checked when launched. This allows for the workstation upgrade to be applied if the workstation has fallen out-of-step with the SIMS Server/Office Master.

Typically shortcuts created on desktops are missing this first target and therefore the version check is not performed, which will result in the user receiving an error message on launch (see Incompatible Database on page 32). The same applies if the application icon is pinned to the Taskbar whilst the application is running.

It is therefore recommended that you create these desktop shortcuts for the users centrally, if appropriate, and also ensure that any other shortcuts you have in the Start Menu folders are also correct, e.g. the Program Sets on RM CC4 networks.

The target line in the shortcuts should be as follows:

“C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\Sims .net\SIMSLoad.exe” “Pulsar.exe”

Although the standard shortcut target line looks slightly different, whereby the full path is written twice, the above wording is preferable on many networks with mixed architecture (see below).

Mixed 32-bit and 64-bit Environments

On many networks, such as RM CC4, the Program Files folder will be checked on each machine when the shortcut is added to ensure that it is the correct directory for the application, given that 32-bit machines will require the above path without the ‘ (x86)’ section.

Depending on the software being used to manage your network, you may find that 32-bit machines do not receive the modified shortcuts and instead they are added as written above. Therefore it may be necessary to create separate 32-bit versions for those specific machines.

We highly recommend that all users have access to the main program shortcuts in the Start Menu under All Programs > SIMS Applications, as this removes the need for any additional work on setting shortcuts up.

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Nova-T6 Satellite Installations and Upgrades

SOLUS3 does not currently manage the upgrades to Nova-T6 Satellite installations and so the school will need to arrange for these installations to be manually upgraded after each SIMS Release has been applied.

When initially setting up SOLUS3 at the school, an Auto-Extraction process may have been set up to extract the necessary files from the latest SIMS package. To check that this has been configured correctly, or to set it up in the first instance:

1. Open the SOLUS3 UI and navigate to Settings > SOLUS3 > Updates

2. Under AUTO EXTRACT ensure that there is a tick alongside SIMS and under the heading after deployment. If the tick is showing under After download please tick the other box instead. DO NOT untick the incorrect box first as this may remove the location path setting.

3. In the Extract to folder box should be detailed the UNC path for the folder to extract the files into. This should be in a shared area on your network so that it can be accessed from the satellite workstations. Initially this may have been set to the S drive, e.g. \\SIMSSERVER\Sims\SOLUS3 NovaT Installer. If this location is incorrect or requires changing, please ensure that the UNC path is entered and not the mapped drive or local drive location.

The screen should look as follows:

This setup will ensure that the latest installation files are extracted ready for the manual upgrade to the satellite installations, following the successfully completion of the SIMS upgrade. If you use the After download option in step 2 above then the extracted files will be newer than the version of SIMS on the workstation and Nova-T6 may not be compatible.

If the date against the files in the extraction location fall within an earlier term than the version of SIMS installed in the school then it is likely that the Auto-Extraction process has failed. The files can be manually extracted:

1. In the SOLUS3 UI, navigate to Upgrades > Update Library

2. Highlight to latest SIMS Release package, click on Extract and select the destination folder, as above.

Please refer to the next section for instructions on installing the Nova-T6 Satellite.

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Installing the latest version of the Nova-T6 Satellite

The Nova Licence file MLICENCE.DAT will be required on the first installation of the Satellite, but not when upgrading. This file is located in the folder S:\SIMS\SNOVA\NOVAT on the school network.

You will need Administrator rights to install the satellite. The Timetabler will also need Full Control to the file C:\Windows\Sims.ini in order to use Nova-T6.

Please ensure that you have matching versions of Nova-T6 on your satellite and SIMS system. If you save a file in a newer version you will not be able to open it with a previous version of the software.

If you are doing a new install then you will have to load the data from your main system.

Extract the Nova-T6 installation files

1. Navigate to the shared location into which you are extracting the Nova Satellite installer, e.g. S:\SIMS\SOLUS3 NovaT Installer.

2. Double-click on NovaSatelliteSetup.exe to run the Nova Satellite Wizard.

3. Click Next at each screen of the wizard until the installation is complete and then click Finish. This wizard will extract files into one of the following paths:

C:\Program Files\SIMS\SATS (32bit)

C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SATS (64bit)

Run the Nova-T6 installation

1. Navigate to the appropriate file below and double click on it to run:

C:\Program Files\SIMS\SATS\NOVA\NovaT6Setup.exe (32bit)

C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SATS\NOVA\NovaT6Setup.exe (64bit)

2. Click Next at each screen of the wizard until the installation is complete and then click Finish.

3. If you are installing Nova-T6 for the first time, copy the file MLICENCE.DAT from S:\SIMS\SNOVA\NOVAT and paste it into the folder C:\SNOVA\NOVAT on the satellite machine.

4. To run Nova-T6, go to:

Start | All Programs | SIMS Applications | NOVA-T6

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FMS – Finance Database Selector (DFS)

Currently SOLUS3 does not configure the Finance Database Selector (FDS) on FMS Workstations and so this will need to be set up manually (as has always been the case when schools used the previous upgrade software, SOLUS 2).

On the FMS Workstation:

1. Navigate to Start > Programs > SIMS Applications > FMSSQL > Finance Database Selector.

2. If this hasn’t been configured previously you will be asked to complete the Default Settings page:

3. Please enter the information requested, as per the example above.

• The location of the SS_FMS_Companies file in normally S:\Finance, however this can be located anywhere on a mapped drive, depending on your school’s initial setup of FMS.

• The FMS Applications folder, named FMSSQL, if installed by default into C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\FMSSQL\, however it is possible that this default had been changed when the program was initially installed onto the workstation. If you check the properties of the FMS shortcut in the Start menu, that will provide the correct location on the machine.

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Deploying an Upgrade or a Patch

This diagram provides a representation of the processes to be carried out when an upgrade or patch is made available to the school. The following sections describe in detail how to perform these steps, where needed.

Note: Items shaded in tan are to be performed by the Network Manager or Network Support Provider. Items shaded in blue are carried out by HfL or SOLUS3 itself.

Please note that when an upgrade is due, workstations must to connected to the network using a single connection and remain on the same connection type until the upgrade has completed. For example, if the laptop is started up using a wireless connection then a network cable must not be connected until the upgrade has completed, and vice versa. If this advice is not followed then you may get ‘Endpoint’ errors the morning following a deployment; please refer to point bullet 5 under Incompatible Database on page 32 for details of this error and how to rectify it. You may then need to redeploy the upgrade to the affected workstation(s); see Redeploying an Upgrade/Patch on page 27.

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Scheduling a Patch or Upgrade

When an Upgrade or Patch is released to your school, it may be necessary to schedule the package to be installed:

• Secondary Schools (including All Through and Upper Schools) ALL Upgrades and Patches will need to be scheduled manually, following the steps below, unless you have previously agreed with SITSS to set up Auto-Deployment.

• Primary Schools (including all Nursery, Middle, Special Schools, ESCs and PRUs) A schedule will have been set up within SOLUS3, at the time of installation, to automatically deploy upgrades and patches on a particular day each week, in the early hours of the morning. However, you may require a patch more urgently, or if a

patch is marked with it is not auto-deployable, and therefore the steps below will need to be followed.

If you are following these steps because of an email you have received from SITSS, please ensure that the entire email has been read as it may contain additional information that alters the below steps, or specifies the order in which upgrades and patches need to be applied. If your school is deemed secondary (see above) the email will contain details of the exact files you need to select and deploy.

1. Open the SOLUS3 Deployment Server UI and select Upgrades > Update Library.

2. A list of Upgrades and Patches that have been authorised to your school will be displayed.

3. You can use the filters on each column heading to help search for a particular item by clicking on the funnel symbol.

4. SOLUS3 is configured to automatically download any new items during a set time each morning.

5. If the Status shows as Available, highlight the item and click on the Download button at the bottom right of the screen.

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You can monitor the progress of the download by clicking on the Downloads tab. If you find however that the download isn’t progressing or remains at 0%, please refer to Download not progressing on page 31.

6. If the upgrade/patch you are looking for is not listed in the Updates Library (unless you click on the Show all updates box), please refer to Upgrade/Patch Package not Visible on page 31 to resolve.

7. Once the item has downloaded, highlight it and click on the Deploy button. If you have just downloaded the item you will have to select a different item and then click back onto it (or change tabs in the UI) in order for this button to become available.

8. The next screen comprises of 3 sections:

Updates lists the various components of the Upgrade or Patch;

Targets lists the various targets (server and workstations) that will receive the new software; and

The scheduler.

It is highly recommended that you schedule Upgrades and Patches to run overnight when no users are likely to be logged into the system, either when onsite or via remote access technologies, such as a VPN connection.

If you schedule the deployment during the school day the users need to be aware that they will receive messages on their workstations advising that the deployment is about to happen, during the installation process and then a confirmation when finished. This would not be convenient if, for example, the workstation is connected to an Interactive Whiteboard.

9. To schedule a deployment, enter the date and time (in 24 hour format) in the fields at the bottom of the screen and click the Schedule button.

10. If however you are sure that all users are out of all applicable Capita SIMS software on the affected server/workstations, you can click the Deploy now button. If anyone is still logged into SIMS/FMS/Discover when the upgrade starts they will be logged out automatically and any unsaved data will be lost!

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11. If you select the Deployment History tab at the top of the screen, you can see the current status of the deployment as it runs.

12. If you need to cancel a scheduled deployment, select it from within the Deployment History screen and click on the Cancel button at the bottom of the screen.

Checking which Targets have applied an Upgrade

When an Upgrade to SIMS, SIMS Discover or FMS is deployed, it is likely that some workstations will not be online at the time, or maybe the installation fails. It is possible to get a list of targets (server and/or workstations) that were included in the deployment plan, along with the current status for that device:

1. Open the SOLUS3 Deployment Server UI and select Upgrades > Deployment History.

2. Highlight the deployment you want to check and click on the View detail

button.

3. The next screen will display all the machines included in the deployment plan, showing the current status and any relevant comments. Where the status is Offline, this means that the device had not been powered up, either at all or long enough following the deployment time, for the upgrade to be installed.

If any of the workstations are showing a status of Failed and you are confident in reading developer style log files, you can highlight the target and click on the Agent deployment log button to display a verbose log of the deployment on that device which should enable you to identify the reason for the failure.

However, you can always contact the SITSS Service Desk for assistance in these circumstances as we are familiar with these log files.

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Redeploying an Upgrade/Patch

It may be necessary at times to redeploy an upgrade or patch, for example:

• Installing the Discover Client software on a new workstation; or

• An upgrade failed on certain machines and, following investigation, you wish to try again.

The latter assumes that you have read the deployment log files, determined the cause of the error and rectified it. Should you require any assistance in reading the log files or carrying out rectification work, please contact the SITSS Service Desk.

1. Open the SOLUS3 Deployment Server UI and select Upgrades > Deployment History.

2. Highlight the upgrade or patch that you wish to redeploy. This will change the section at the bottom of the screen to show the results at the point in time the deployment completed (not the current status of the machines). The number of lines in this section will depend on what the deployment (upgrade/patch) needs to update.

3. Click on the Redeploy button.

This will display a list of all the machines that have been defined as a target relevant to the upgrade/patch. The last column will indicate whether the version of software currently installed on the workstation is correct.

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4. Place a tick against the machines to which you wish to redeploy. Any workstations that are showing as False in the Up To Date column should already be ticked for redeployment by default. If you are redeploying an upgrade to SOLUS3 itself then all workstations will be listed and you will not be able to remove the ticks, however any machine on the correct version will be skipped during the redeployment.

5. To schedule a deployment, enter the date and time (in 24 hour format) in the fields at the bottom of the screen and click the Schedule button.

6. If however you are sure that all users are out of the relevant Capita software on the affected server/workstations, you can click the Deploy now button.

7. You will be returned to the Deployment History screen. A new entry will appear at the top of the list, with a Status of “Scheduled”. This will update, along with messages in the Stage column, as the redeployment runs.

8. If you need to cancel a scheduled deployment, select it from within the Deployment History screen and click on the Cancel button at the bottom.

It is highly recommended that you schedule Database Patch redeployments to run overnight when no users are likely to be logged into the system, either when onsite or via remote access technologies, such as a VPN connection.

If you schedule the redeployment during the school day the users on the selected machines need to be aware that they will receive messages on their workstations advising that the deployment is about to happen, during the installation process and then a confirmation when finished. This would not be convenient if, for example, the workstation is connected to an Interactive Whiteboard.

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Check for Updates on the Workstation

Some workstations may fail to apply an upgrade to SIMS/FMS/SIMS Discover, or the user may receive an application fault when trying to launch the software. It is possible to check for missed updates and reinstall the current version via the Solus3 Agent Notifier. If installing SIMS Discover on a new workstation you can also use these steps to install the Client software for the first time, assuming it has been defined in the UI as a Discover Client target.

1. Open the SOLUS 3 Agent Notifier via the Start Menu, or by double

clicking on the icon in the icon tray next to the computer clock.

2. Select the Applications tab in the Notifier window.

3. If the version of the software is out of date, or is showing as 0.0.0.0 (meaning not installed), then click on Check for update to install/update the software.

4. If you require to reinstall the software, possible due to an application fault, then click on Check for update. You will be asked to confirm if you wish to re-install.

5. If software has been selected for installation then the Notifier window will advise when this is being carried out and when it has completed.

6. Close the Notifier window on completion.

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Troubleshooting

This section contains some common issues that may arise and details of how to resolve them.

Warning: Unknown Agent

When in the Deployment Server UI, in the Agents screen, you may find workstations listed with “Warning: Unknown Agent…” against them. This normally occurs when either:

• The Agent hasn’t installed correctly on the workstation; or

• The workstation has been rebuilt with the same name and a manual Agent install is carried out but the original Agent wasn’t removed from the SOLUS3 environment during the rebuild process, as per the instructions on page 17.

1. Highlight the workstation in the Agent list and click on the Remove computer button on the bottom right, confirming the removal when prompted.

2. Open the Services list on the Workstation (Start > Run > services.msc) and restart the Solus3 Agent Service.

3. After a few seconds the workstation should reappear in the Agent list. If after a short time the warning message appears again you will need to do the following:

• On non-domain machines

i. Uninstall the Agent from the workstation (via the Programs and Features control panel on the local machine).

ii. Remove the computer from SOLUS3 as per step 1 above.

iii. Reinstall the Agent, following the instructions under “Installing the SOLUS3 Agent onto Non-Domain Workstations” on page 9; it should then appear again in the SOLUS3 UI.

iv. Once this warning message has been resolved you will need to follow the instructions under “Defining Workstation Targets in SOLUS3”, starting on page 11, to define the workstation as a target for SIMS, FMS and/or SIMS Discover.

• On domain machines, highlight the workstation name in the SOLUS3 Agent list and click on the Reinstall agent button.

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Agent Install Failed

When in the Deployment Server UI, in the Agents screen, you may find workstations listed with “Install failed” in the Status column. Please refer to Post Installation Checks and Tasks on page 4 for details of the common errors that occur and how to overcome them.

Download not progressing

If you have selected an upgrade/patch to be downloaded but you find that the download is not progressing, i.e. the percentage displayed under the Downloaded heading is not increasing or remains at 0%, it is likely that the SOLUS3 Deployment Server service requires a restart:

1. Pause the download(s) and close the SOLUS3 UI.

2. Open the Services list on the SIMS Server/Office Master by going into Start > Run > services.msc.

3. Right click on Solus3 Deployment Service, select Stop then Start.

4. Reopen the SOLUS3 UI and Resume the download(s).

Upgrade/Patch Package not Visible in the Update Library

If you are unable to see the required Upgrade/Patch in the Update Library (unless you click on the Show all updates box), then it is likely that either or both of the following is the cause:

• The SOLUS3 Agent Service on the Deployment Server host (i.e. the SIMS Server/Office Master) has stopped running. Go into Services.msc and check that the Solus3 Agent Service has a Status of “Started”. If it doesn’t, right click on the entry in the list and select Start; or

• The Database version is showing in the UI as 0.0.0.0. This can be linked to the above issue, or the System Administrator (SA) password for the SQL Instance has been changed. First try going into Environment > Agents > Targets, highlight the Database target showing as version 0.0.0.0 and click on the Get Target Version button. This may take a few seconds to process and you will likely need to close and reopen the UI for the value to update. If after a few minutes this is not displaying, check that the password has been entered correctly by going into Environment > Targets > Databases, highlight the relevant Database target and click on Edit. Re-enter the SA Password into both password fields. If you are given the option to Save then the password previously entered was different. Click Save.

Note: If the password has changed you may need to check that your SQL Database backups are still being created.

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Incompatible Database

When trying to access SIMS or FMS at a workstation, the user receives a message pertaining to “Incompatible Database” or “There is a module/database incompatibility” respectively. This happens when the database is on a different version of the software than the workstation.

Typical reasons for this to occur include:

1. The workstation hasn’t been defined as a Target in SOLUS3 for that piece of software.

Ensure that the workstation has been defined as a Target by navigation in the SOLUS3 UI to Environment > Agents > Targets > Clients. If the workstation is missing then please refer to “Defining Workstation Targets in SOLUS3” starting on page 11 to add the workstation. This should automatically run the upgrade.

2. The Agent service is not running on the workstation.

Open services.msc on the workstation and ensure that the Solus3 Agent Service is showing as Started. If not, right click and select Restart.

3. The shortcut being used to launch the software doesn’t contain the target that checks for missed upgrades.

See Program Shortcuts for SIMS on page 19.

4. The Workstation upgrade failed to run/complete and the user chose not to install the upgrade when asked at launching the software.

Ensure all users know to select Yes if they receive a message at launch to advise that an upgrade has been missed.

5. The Workstation upgrade failed to complete due to an error, which should be indicated on the Agents screen in the UI as a Message.

The solution to error messages will depend on the nature of the message being displayed. The most common of these however relates to Firewall/DNS issues that result in a communication error when the Agent starts on a workstation, with a message of “Cannot run ExecuteAgentDeploymentPlan: Endpoint net.tcp://111.222.333.444:52966/ not found.” (where 111.222.333.444 is the IP Address of the workstation), or similar.

Ensure that the Firewall Ports (listed in “Pre-requisites for SOLUS3” on page 7) are open on the workstation(s). Also check that all relevant DNS entries are up to date and that you can ping the workstation from the server by name, and vice versa, with the correct IP Addresses being displayed in the ping results. You may need to Flush DNS before communication can start again. We would also recommend restarting the agent service on the local computer.

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“SIMS Connection failed for Login USERNAME, Reason 0” on Workstations

If the above message is displayed to users on SOME (not all) workstations when trying to log into SIMS after an upgrade then it is likely that the updated connect.ini files haven’t been correctly installed on the machines as part of that upgrade.

To rectify this:

1. Open the SOLUS3 UI on the SIMS Server/Office Master

2. Navigate to Environment > Configure Workstations

3. On the connect.ini tab, at the bottom of the screen, click on Send to agents. This will force the latest version of the file to be placed onto the workstations.

4. After about 30 seconds, ensure that the SIMS login screen and error message are closed and then try logging into SIMS again on the affected machines.

Note: If this error message appears to ALL users then this typically indicates that the SQL Server service has stopped running on the SIMS Server/Office Master. In the first instance try starting the SQL Server (2012) service, or equivalent depending on the version of SQL installed on the machine. If this doesn’t overcome the issue then please contact the SITSS Service Desk for assistance.

Deployment Failed: “Tolerance not met…”

If a deployment is listed with a Status of “Failed” in the Deployment History screen, with a Stage similar to “Tolerance not met for target SIMS Database, deployment stopping”, there are a few possible causes:

• First, following the resolutions in the above section titled Upgrade/Patch Package not Visible in the Update Library, as these are the most common reasons for this type of deployment failure.

• Check that you have sufficient free space on the hard drive on which the SQL Server is installed, typically the D drive on SIMS Servers and the C drive on Office Masters, for a SQL backup to be created. This action is performed before applying the upgrade/patch to the database and if a backup cannot be created then the deployment will fail to run.

• Check the size of the database log files in the SQL Server DATA folder. If these are large, i.e. over 100Mb, then it is likely that the databases are in Full Recovery model and this will need changing to Simple Recovery model and the log files shrinking. If you have a copy of the SQL Maintenance Utility, created by SITSS, then you can use this to perform these checks for you and make the necessary changes where needed. If you do not have this utility, or have any concerns about making these changes, please contact the SITSS Service Desk to discuss.

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Workstation Failing to Download/Deploy an Update

If a workstation is failing to download or deploy an upgrade, this could be caused by the local Firewall:

1. Ensure that the Firewall Ports (listed in “Pre-requisites for SOLUS3” on page 7) are open on the workstation(s).

2. If they are missing you will need to do one of the following:

• Domain workstations – Ensure that these ports are added to the relevant Group Policies for the workstations and update the GP on the machines.

• Non-domain workstations – Navigate to S:\SOLUS3 Files and run the SOLUS 3 Firewall Exceptions.bat file, which will add the relevant port exceptions.

3. Check that the network connection on the workstation is allocated to either Domain or Private – If on a Public connection, the firewall may not allow communication between the workstation and the SOLUS3 Deployment Server.

4. Once these have been checked, in the SOLUS3 UI, open the Agents screen, highlight the workstation and click on Check status. If the communication issues have been resolved the status against the agent will confirm communication and you should start seeing the files downloading and/or deploying.

Redeploying an Upgrade Reporting “Failed” in the Deployment History

“Errors occurred validating the deployment plan”

This message is received when there is a communication error between the Capita Server and the local Update Repository:

1. In the SOLUS3 UI, open Upgrades > Update Library. If the Status of the files in this list are showing as “Not found” then the network share is not responding.

2. Navigate in Windows to D:\SIMS-SP\Solus3UR (this may be on the C:\ drive on Office Master machines) and open the folder; inside will be the update files. Check again as per step 1 above and the Status should now be showing as “Downloaded”. If not:

• Try closing this screen and opening the Update Library list again.

• If still showing as “Not found” then there is an issue with the Update Repository and a case should be raised with the SITSS Service Desk.

3. If the files already show as “Downloaded” at step 1 above, open Settings > My Site in the SOLUS3 UI and check that the Proxy Settings are correct. Check also that there is an internet connection on the SIMS Server/Office Master machine.

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Exams Automation Error

On a workstation, when trying to access Exams Organiser, the user receives an ‘Automation Error’. This requires the Exams application to be reinstalled:

1. Navigate to the SIMS application folder on the affected workstation(s), e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\Sims .net

2. Delete the file named Examsw.exe

3. You can now do one of the following:

• On the Server, follow the instructions under “Redeploying an Upgrade/Patch” on page 27, to redeploy the latest SIMS Workstation upgrade to the affected machine(s).

• On the individual workstation, follow the instructions under “Check for Updates on the Workstation” on page 29, clicking on Check for update against the SIMS Workstation entry and confirming you wish to re-install SIMS.

4. The SIMS Workstation software will then reinstall along with the affected executable file, resolving the issue.

Unable to open Nova-T6 or Options

This will likely be because the Borland Database Engine (BDE) has not been installed on the workstation, or the installation has become corrupted.

If you do not already have a copy of the BDE installer, the file can be obtained using one of the following methods:

• Follow the instructions under Nova-T6 Satellite Installations and Upgrades > Extract the Nova-T6 installation files on page 21. One of the items that is extracted as part of the Nova-T6 Satellite installer is the BDE installation files, which will be located in one of the following locations on the machine:

C:\Program Files\SIMS\SATS\BDE511 (32bit)

C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SATS\BDE511 (64bit)

Copy that folder into a shared location and run the Setup.exe file within it on the affected workstation.

• If the school uses FMS then, in the SOLUS3 UI, navigate to Upgrades > Update Library. Highlight the package named Borland Database Engine (FMS), click on Extract and select the desired destination folder (preferably in a shared location for future use). Run the BDE.exe file that is extracted on the affected workstation.

solus 3 common tasks & troubleshooting guide (applicable to … · 2016-06-24 · solus 3...

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