1. Banner XE
Beyond The Hype
Presentation by:
Chris Frost
Simon Chio

2. Banner XE
Beyond The Hype
Presentation by:
Chris Frost
Simon Chio

3. Banner XE
Beyond The Hype
Presentation by:
Chris Frost
Simon Chio

4. Banner XE 9
Beyond The Hype
Presentation by:
Chris Frost
Simon Chio

5. Quick Recap to Banner 9 STEP ONE: Sell the Upgrade
STEP TWO: Plan Resources
STEP THREE: Find Your Single Sign-On (SSO) Solution
STEP FOUR: Set Up SSOManager
STEP FIVE: Set Up Ellucian Solution Manager (ESM)
STEP SIX: Deploy New Admin (INB) Servers
STEP SEVEN: Set Up Application Navigator
STEP EIGHT: Train and Test

6. Sell the Upgrade When is the Effective Deadline for INB De-support
December 2018
October 2018
August 2017
Greatest Vulnerability & Cause for Concern
Only One Browser Still Supports the INB Plugin
Internet Explorer Could Announce Discontinuation of Support at Anytime

7. Sell the Upgrade What is Your Backup Plan for INB Browser Support
Freezing Updates on Firefox
Developing a Bare Bones Plugin Browser
Using a Desktop VM
OUR GOAL: Have a 90 Day Window to INB Replacement

8. Sell the Upgrade Make Everyone Aware of the Risks and Benefits
Share the Overall Approach to Banner 9
Do this Early and Often
Build Regular Communication between IT and End Users
Monthly Banner User Group Meeting
Report Status to the IT Steering Committee

9. Sell the Upgrade Promote Banner 9 Videos and Literature with Users
ODSL
Webinars
Curate the Documentation
Provide Users with Relevant User and Release Guides
i.e. Student Self Service Release 9.5
Keep Them Informed about Important Milestones

10. Sell the Upgrade

11. Plan Resources - Hardware
Virtual Servers or Physical Hardware or Cloud
Operating System – Red Hat Linux 7
Database Server – Oracle 11g or Oracle 12c
Application Servers: Tomcat or Oracle Web Logic
Other Product Dependencies:
DegreeWorks & XE Registration
Banner Document Management (BDM)
Banner Workflow

12. Plan Resources - Hardware
Planning Worksheet
Assess the Number of Servers Needed
Number of Environments – Dev, Test, Production
ESM
SSO Solution
Memory and Storage Needed

13. Plan Resources - Hardware
Server Planning Sheet
Naming Convention for Servers
Used to Build Out New VM Cluster
SERVER
SERVER DESC
CPU
RAM (GB)
DISK SPACE (GB) OS
LOAD BALANCED
LEODBPROD
Banner Database Server - Production 8 64
3400
Linux
LEOBANPROD
Banner Apps Server 4
160
LEOWLINB01
Banner INB Server
131 X
LEOWLINB02
LEOWLSSB01
Banner SSB Server 16
140
LEOWLSSB02
LEOWLWEB01
Banner Web Services 40

14. Plan Resources - Hardware
Ellucian
Updates
Active
Directory

15. Plan Resources - Hardware
Active
Directory
Ellucian
Updates

16. Plan Resources - Hardware
Build Out Templates for the Various XE Boxes
Generic XE Image for Oracle Fusion Middleware
XE Allows Us to Replace with Old Weblogic Boxes New Oracle 12 Fusion Middleware Boxes
Developed a Requirements Sheet to Accompany Each Requested XE Server
Memory, Storage Size, Mounted Drives

17. Plan Resources - Hardware
Server Requirement Sheet
Solution Evaluation
Vendor Support for Technical Concerns
For each question, please provide a descriptive answer and/or additional comments:
IFXR
Request
New UNIX Server 1
If SFTP account, what name is requested for the account?
N/A 2
Will the server password expire? 3
What will be the local file retention policy? 4
What location will be generating the extract? (i.e. leobanprod, leobanqa, etc.) 5
What will be the naming convention of the extracts? 6
If SFTP account, will the files need to be directed to another location? 7
If new server, what will be its name?
LEOADMDEV01 8
If new server, will a template be used? If so, which one?
Yes, Use LEOXEIMAGE as a Template 9
If new server, what is the operating system to be used?
Red Hat Linux 7 10
If new server, what are the minimal requirements for the hardware?
4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 120 GB (2 Drives at 60 GB Each), 11
If new server, what local accounts need to be set up?
oracle, X-windows will need to be enabled for WebLogic Install

18. Plan Resources - People
Plan the Project
Break Down Banner XE into Major Milestones
Get Commitment for Preliminary Starting Dates
Estimate Hours for Each Task
Account for Blackout Dates, Holidays, and Other Projects
Have the Project Plan Drive Estimates on Hours
Let Administration Know What Those Hours Will Be

19. Plan Resources - People
Hourly Assessments

20. Plan Resources - People
Protect Your Key Banner Resources
Offload Responsibilities to Others
Start an Internship or GA Program
Requires an Investment of Time in Training and Admininstrative Overhead
Worth It
Can help with reporting and routine responsibilities
Fresh blood within the department

21. Single Sign-On (SSO) Solution
Ellucian Identity Solution (EIS) provided free of charge
On Active Directory installs, set up initial user store to Internal JDBC Database
Do not set up to create Admin in config properties file unless you have Directory Manager level permissions with your Bind User
Shibboleth is also an alternative
Must support CAS 2.0 and preferably CAS 3.0

22. Single Sign-On (SSO) Solution
Each user needs a UDCID assigned in GOBUMAP
UDCID should be added into Active Directory
Banner users need to be reconciled against Active Directory user accounts
Recommend GOBTPAC_LDAP_USER as a Spot to Store Active Directory Username
Helps match users between two systems

23. Single Sign-On (SSO) Solution
Audit Banner Against Your School Directory
Many Times Deans and Vice Presidents are not in Banner
Adjuncts are Also an Issue
Many Can Slip through the Onboarding Process

24. Single Sign-On (SSO) Solution
Blackboard / Starfish AD
Banner
Banner
TAMU
WebFocus
Banner XE
Unique Identifier
098908YVF7890 AD
AD Username
Oracle Username
UIN
Webfocus Username
Blackboard ID

25. SSO Manager Initially portrayed as optional
Banner 9 is CAS-aware, Banner 8 is not
Left off project plan at first because we were going with all Banner 9 Admin modules at once
Necessary for links into Banner 8 Self-Service Banner (SSB)
Makes seamless navigation possible

26. Ellucian Solution Manager
ESM is mandatory to get Banner 9 updates
Works with your Banner Job Submission Server
Seems to handle app deployments well, database scripts can require some manual “pushes” at points

27. Replace INB with XE Admin
Deploy BannerAdmin
Comes as One Deployable War File
Can Deploy Individual Modules or Pages
Controlled within Banner

28. Application Navigator
One Stop Link to Banner Apps
Allows Seamless Navigation Between Banner 8 and Banner 9 Apps
Since We are Launching a Portal, Rebranded Banner 8 SSB with New Look

29. Train and Test Banner XE Working Sessions Reserved a computer lab
Set up recurring five hour appointment with primary Banner functional users
Kept running issues log updated each week

30. Train and Test Navigation Aids
Developed Navigation Guide
Made Sure to Include All Keyboard Shortcuts
After Initial Visual Shock, Even Old Time Users Settled In After an Hour and a Half
Place to Share Important Banner XE Information