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Nyquest Consulting, LLC

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The OneStop for Ellucian Banner® Consulting and Technical Support

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Nyquest Archive Viewer

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Document Archiving Direct into Banner®

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Banner® XE

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Nyquest Consulting can help with XE Installs and Migrations

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Banner® Integration

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Our custom APIs will allow for seemless integration with third-party applications.

[H2] Who we are!

Having Technical Problems w/Ellucian® HE Banner® on Unix, Oracle, Windows 2k/XP, or Linux? Then you've come to the right place! Click here to find out more about Nyquest Consulting LLC.

[H3] Using Firefox to access to the Ellucian Site

One of the most annoying things about accessing the Ellucian site for me, is that when you use Firefox by default, you get this strange loop where you alternate between the signin screen opening the default_app screen as shown below.

Click here for the fix.

[H2] Banner SSB9 Configuration File Updater

After an ESM upgrade, we need to login to the jobsub server, find the deployment directory and then perform a ton of find-and-replaces for the various required parameters such as CAS Server location, PageBuilder directory root, etc.
In an effort to simplify the lives for Banner Admins everywhere, we wrote a VERY BARE BONES script that will perform some find/replaces on a Banner SSB9 configuration file.
[H3] ESM 23.2+ (Part 1 and Part 2)

For all you Banner clients, one of the "rare" Banner upgrades which have been relatively easy was for ESM. You basically click upgrade, wait a bit, and then you are done.

However, as of version 23.2+, that is no longer the case. Starting with 23.2+, ESM longer uses the Jenkins "Copy-to-slave" plugin. Instead it uses a new plugin for agents which requires a Jenkins upgrade.

Unfortunately the Jenkins upgrade also requires a Java upgrade/installation on the ESM server and all agent nodes.
Thus if you are planning to update ESM to version 23.2 or above, you should upgrade Jenkins version 2.401.1 first.

Click here to view how to update Jenkins
Click here to view how to update ESM

[H2] Jenkins Security Issue 3314-3315

Last week Ellucian reported a security issue 314-3315 found in Jenkins, which is used by ESM as referenced below:

The fix for this was to disable two Jenkins components which were vulnerable to attack: the SSH port and HTTP CLI.

However, the fix presented was a bit brief and somewhat confusing.

Here is (hopefully) a more complete set of steps on how to do this with screenshots:
[H2] Banner® 9 Terminology
Are you having trouble understanding all the new terms for Banner 9? For example ESM, Application Navigator, SSOManager? We did for a long while.
Click here for a short tutorial on what all these things actually are.
[H2] DBA & Unix Services
Nyquest DBA & Unix Services provide all the benefits of a full-time Senior DBA and/or Sysadm at your site without most of the headaches. Most routine tasks are performed remotely while larger tasks are done on-site. For additional information please take a look at our DBA & Unix Services page here.
[H2] Banner® 9 Update
Is your institution worried about migrating to Banner® XE? Nyquest Consulting offers XE install and configuration assistance so that you can be up and running with XE right away. We offer installs. upgrades and installs of XE products along with integration with authentication (CAS) and other third party applications. Click here for the latest news.
[H2] Setting a Wildcard SSL Certificate w/Let's Encrypt
This week, let's go over how to setup a FREE wildcard certificate using Let's Encrypt which is valid on ALL web servers in your domain.

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[H2] Nyquest Consulting, LLC
Who we are

Nyquest Consulting, LLC formed in 1997 to provide high-quality technical consulting services to customers running Oracle, OSX,Windows, Linux, and Ellucian Banner® Software.

Services that we are currently offering include the following:
Banner® New Installations
Banner® /Oracle Upgrades
Oracle Troubleshooting and Performance Tuning
Training Classes
Migrations
Banner® Security Implementation/Training

We also specialize in website development, particularly using LAMP stacks. Given content, we can quickly setup a professional website for your company.

Services in this srea include:

Website installation (Linux/Apache/MYSQL/PHP Install)
Site development
Website Optimization
Website Localization (complete website translation)
Server migration (onPrem to Cloud or vice-versa)
Remote support

[H3] All Nyquest Consultants are Oracle Certified and have worked with Ellucian Banner® products for over twenty years. Customers may choose to work with Nyquest consultants onsite using Nyquest Express Services or remotely using Remote Services.

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[H2] Remote DBA/Unix Technical Services

The demand for experienced Techical Consultants has placed the cost of hiring such individuals out of the reach of most smaller educational institutions.

The high cost of experienced Technical staff typically forces smaller client sites to bring on contract employees to fill the necessary positions. This has several disadvantages:

Typically, a contract lasts 3-6 months, and must be renegotiated at the end of each duration.
If a new contractor is brought on, time is lost on training and getting him/her "up to speed" with the environment.
The smaller "technology shops" also typically have few tasks/goals than larger firms, and thus again are less attractive for experienced IT professionals which prefer longer duration assignments.
Nyquest DBA & Unix Services was created to allow sites to have access to Senior Level Oracle DBAs and Unix System Administrators at a fraction of the cost.

Under Nyquest Remote Services, clients are assigned a specific Nyquest consultant which allows him/her to become familiar with the environment of the site. However, the DBA / SysAdm's time is allocated to a client on an "as-needed" basis.

Nyquest consultants are also proficient on Windows as well as all Unix/Linux variations that are out in the market.
What is the experience level of Nyquest Consultants?
All Nyquest Consultants are Oracle Certified Professionals (OCP) that have worked a minimum of 20 years using Oracle and Banner® on a variety of platforms. These environments include Oracle 11/12c on Open VMS, UNIX and Windows. Each Nyquest consultant has seen and can handle most technical situations that arise.

Each Nyquest consultant, while being an Oracle/UNIX/Windows expert, also has a specific field of expertise. For example, certain consultants are expert PL/SQL script-writers, others are experts of interfacing the Oracle RDBMS with the Oracle iAS and still others are expert System Administrators that are good at tuning a Unix system to run Oracle.

How do Nyquest Consultants perform tasks??
Typically, each site will have a series of routine tasks to be performed on a periodic basis as well as "one shot" specific tasks that appear from time-to-time. Routine tasks include creating user accounts, monitoring of database usage, and database/system backups. Specific "one shot" tasks include upgrading Oracle versions, full export/import of database, and new Oracle installations.

Typically, routine tasks are defined at the start, and the Nyquest consultant will perform these tasks at the request intervals. These intervals can be very frequent (such as checking to see if new users need to be added to the database daily) or less frequently (such as tuning the database buffer cache every other month). For specific one-time tasks, Nyquest consultant's time is scheduled in advance, upgrades, tuning and other tasks are planned out. The client site will notify the Nyquest consultant of a specific task to be performed, such as an Oracle/OS upgrade, installation, etc. The consultant & the client will then agree on a time in which these tasks are to be performed.

In emergency situations, such as a system/database crash time can be scheduled immediately. The turnaround time in these situations is typically within the hour.

Most tasks for clients are performed REMOTELY, Nyquest Consultants typically will login to the client system either via the Internet or via some dial-in server at the client location. OnSite visits & stays are available, but typically these visits are arranged in advance. During OnSite visits, clients are responsible for all of a Nyquest Consultant's travel expenses.

You only pay for what you use!
Under Nyquest DBA services, you only pay for the time that you use. If you are a small company, and only use 4 hours of a Nyquest Consultant's time each month, then you simply pay for that time. This billing approach eliminates the waste of resources that sometimes occurs when full-time or contract employees are hired.
How is am I billed for services?
Typically, Nyquest DBA contracts with clients last anywhere from six months to three years. At that point, a Nyquest consultant is assigned to the client. Bi-monthly, clients will receive a summary with the number of hours & travel expenses (if any) that will be charged.

Will the Nyquest Consultant work with my full-time staff?
Absolutely. Nyquest Consulting believes that information should be shared, not locked-up. We don't believe that Oracle information & skills is some sort of black art that needs to be hoarded. All Nyquest Consultants spend a great deal of time interacting with the existing staff to make sure they have a clear idea of the task at hand. Nyquest also provides OnSite, hand-on Oracle classes that will further help bring to full-time staff up to date on the current technology.

While each client has a principal Nyquest Consultant that they should contact, keep in mind that they are feel to use other consultants if they have more specific needs. For example, if the assigned Nyquest Consultant has a specialty in PL/SQL coding, and the client suddenly finds a need for installing Fusion Middleware, the client is free to contact other Nyquest Consultants for advice or assistance.

Is DBA & UNIX Services Right for my site?
Being perfectly honest, DBA & Unix Services is not for everyone. The majority of a Nyquest Consultant's work is done remotely. If you require a consultant to be OnSite at all times, this is probably not the right type of service for you. However, aside from not being physically present at the client site, Nyquest Consultants function identically to onsite DBAs & System Administrators. Nyquest Consultants participate in conference calls with full-time staff, help train junior & entry level personnel and interact daily with others on-site.

If you are interested in finding out more information about Nyquest's Remote Services, please call or Email us!

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[H2] Nyquest Express Services
Nyquest Express Services allows sites utilize the services of highly experienced Unix/Oracle/Windows consultants on-demand.

The usual turn around time for getting a consultant is twenty-four hours or less.

Nyquest Consultants are Oracle Certified Professionals (OCP) that have worked a minimum of 15 years using Oracle on a variety of platforms. These environments include Oracle 11g/12c on Linux, UNIX and Windows. Each Nyquest consultant has seen and can handle virtually all situations that arise using Oracle.

Nyquest consultants are also proficient on Windows/OSX as well as most flavors of Unix/Linux & Windows that are out in the market.

How do I schedule for Nyquest Express Service??
When a site determines that they need to schedule a Nyquest Consultant. All they need do is call Nyquest to request Express Services. Once the exact nature of the problem has been defined, the Nyquest Consultant will begin work as soon as possible.

Will a Nyquest Consultant work remotely or Onsite??
That depends. Many Oracle tasks (upgrades, patches, installs) can be done remotely, either via the Internet of via a dial-in server. Most Unix or OS level tasks need to be done onsite. Ultimately, the final decision rests with the client. Some sites prefer having Nyquest Consultants onsite for the personal interactions, while others have no real preference. When a Nyquest Consultant performs tasks onsite, the client covers for all travel expenses. Currently Nyquest Consultants will travel to all parts of US, most parts of Europe, and some parts of Asia.

How long will a consultant work with a site under Express Services??

Typically, we like to keep the duration of an Express Service Assignment under two weeks. Express Services is for clients that have very specific, defined tasks that need to be done on their system. Express Service Tasks that take longer tend to interfere with our scheduling process.

If you have an assignment in mind that would longer than two weeks, we suggest that you take a look at our DBA & Unix Services Page and request service there.
How will I be billed for Express Services??
Under Express Services, a client will be charged for each hour that a Nyquest Consultant spends with a client. For onsite visits, this includes travel time.

Is Express Services right for my site??
As we mentioned earlier, Express Services is for clients with well-defined problems, examples include installation of Oracle or an OS, setting up x number of workstations to connect to a file server, setting up networking between an Oracle Databases, and so forth.

If you are interested in finding out more information about Nyquest's Express Services, please call or Email us!