In situations where internet connectivity is unreliable or district stakeholders prefer to host their data within the physical bounds of the district, Infinite Campus offers an alternative In-District Hosting option, with virtualized hardware that is located at the district and managed by Campus Hosting.
Campus Hosting provides nightly backups and disaster recovery.
In-District Hosting also includes the following benefits:
- A dedicated virtual environment installed on physical hardware will be hosted on-site at the district, with the data segmented in an Infinite Campus-hosted network for security purposes.
- Software maintained remotely by Infinite Campus Hosting
- Hardware and VMs remotely managed by Infinite Campus Hosting
- Capacity scaled to meet district needs and upgraded/replaced as needed
Additional Information
Campus Hosting ensures that all required system and software licenses are compatible with Infinite Campus products, and kept up to date, including management of the Microsoft SQL License. Any software updates or patches needed, or recommended, are also applied by Campus Hosting.
System hardware and software maintenance to keep the system running optimally is scheduled on a regular basis, at the times listed in Campus Maintenance below.
If or when a hardware failure causes a system to be inoperable, a cloud based DR site will be provided within one business day and be available until hardware replacement is configured and shipped. If it is determined that a server is not performing adequately, Campus Hosting will work to determine the best approach to resolve the issue. Alternative URL’s are available in the case of total server outage.
Available Premium Products
In this hosting solution, the following Premium Products are available:
- Campus Learning Suite
- Campus Passport
- Campus Payments
- Campus Workflow Suite
- Data Change Tracker
- Messaging (including Messenger w/Voice, SMS, and Remote Dial-In)
- Multi-language Editor - Report Module
- Online Registration
- Point of Sale/Food Service
- Self-Hosted Data Warehouse setup (district owned server)
- Staff Evaluations
- Ad Hoc Servers
Supported Environments
Campus In-District hosting provides districts with the following environments:
Production Environment
The production environment (also known as the "live" environment) is the web application and database where users do their day to day work. This includes all reports generated by Infinite Campus. Updated upon request, this environment handles all incoming data from the production URL, interfaces with the district’s production database and provides all outgoing data to that URL. This environment links to the Campus Community for easy access to product information and learning material, and provides individualized logins for each district user including teachers, staff and students.
Each login is access-restricted, meaning each Campus user will only see the features of Campus they have been assigned to by their district’s administrator. Districts have the option of authentication user accounts using LDAP or SSO/SAML and the Data Extract Utility is included at no extra charge.
Campus Managed Services is available to assist with implementing any additional Premium Products a district may choose.
A Salesforce case is needed to apply custom code packages to the production webapp.
Sandbox Environment
The sandbox environment is a database that replicates the production environment. When the production environment is updated to a newer version, the Sandbox environment is also updated to the newest version. The sandbox environment provides a place for districts to test Campus changes (such as LDAP implementation) prior to committing them to production. This environment is also the environment customers should use for training purposes. Infinite Campus will refresh this environment with data from the customer’s production environment at the request of the customer.
Some data in the sandbox environment is scrambled or removed and features may be disabled in order to prevent conflicts with the production environment. Messenger features and task scheduler are disabled however, some premium products such as Point of Sale/Food Service are available to test in the sandbox.
Staging Environment
The staging environment is a database and a web application where customers can review new releases prior to updating their production environment. By using a staging environment, users can get first-hand experience on how new functionality now works within Campus as well how the version is behaving with their configuration and set of data. A Salesforce case is needed to apply custom code packages to the staging webapp. Infinite Campus will refresh this environment with data from the customer’s production environment at the request of the customer.
Some data in the staging environment is cleaned/removed and features may be disabled in order to prevent conflicts with the production environment. Premium Products and Task Scheduler are disabled in this environment.
Campus Maintenance Window
Security updates or patches are required, the maintenance will be performed once a month on a Wednesday from 3:00am – 5:00am district time.
Hardware maintenance will be performed Saturdays, between 6 am to 2 pm[LC1] district time. A community announcement will be made approximately 2 weeks prior to scheduled maintenance.
FAQ
The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about In-District hosting.
Q: Who will provide the IP addresses for this hosting model?
A: Up to two IPs may be required from the district, one which will be used for connections to Infinite Campus. If a second is needed this will be a temporary IP that will be used during setup, so that the old and new hardware may be run in parallel before go live.
Q: Is the district expected to manage or maintain the server?
A: No. Infinite Campus Hosting is responsible for all aspects of managing and securing this server. The district must ensure the physical environment is secure and environmental controls are in place.
Q: How are extracts pulled for use with third-party software?
A: The Data Extract Utility in the Campus Cloud user interface allows the district to produce these extracts. Connect to your database instance using standard SQL Server database tools to perform any additional data extracts you require.
Q: Will the district still be able to have ODBC connections to their database?
A: Yes. This access is provided on a request-only basis, and requires both district staff and superintendent approval before it can be provisioned.
Q: Will the district still have RDP access to the system?
A: No
Q: Is Data Warehouse/Tableau still an option with this hosting model?
A: Data Warehouse/Tableau is still available, but requires the District to set up and maintain a Data Warehouse/Tableau server in-house. A server will not be provided by Infinite Campus. A quote will be provided for the initial configuration of the district hardware.
Q: Is it possible to have access to the SIS database?
A: Direct access to the SQL server is not allowed. Instead, administrators will need to leverage SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) on a district owned machine and connect to the database via an ODBC connection. A SQL user account will need to be created for each user requesting database access. This access will still be available at the following levels – SA, Read, Read/Write, and DBO. You can download SQL Server Management Studio directly from Microsoft.
Q: Is it possible to create a backup of our SIS database and store it locally?
A: MSSQL Database backups will need to be processed and sent to a district network share using SSMS as outlined above or by leveraging another JDBC compliant client software installed on a district resource. Upon request via a support ticket, Managed Services will provide the proper connection string and user account on the district’s server. This will be provided once the appropriate access forms have been completed via a support request.
Q: How do we leverage reports in SQL Service Reporting Services (SSRS)?
A: An account can be setup to access the SSRS server, or other reporting servers, in the district data center. Please work via a support request with Managed Services to make sure all needed accounts and access are setup.
Q: How do we refresh our Sandbox Database?
A: Sandbox database refreshes may be requested through the Campus Community Update Request Tool. If an expedited turnaround time is needed, you may submit a case once the Update Request has been submitted to have that Request escalated.
Q: How do we apply custom jsp scripts (or other custom development) we have created?
A: Custom jsp pages, or other custom development, will need to be applied to the server by Infinite Campus via a support case. As always, before submitting this type of request, a district representative must have attended the required training (billable) regarding the process. This includes topics such as configuring a local workstation environment to build the application and the process of testing the update before it is applied to the servers. If this is something your district may be interested in please add a note on your case.
