Update
California Department of Technology Service Desk Bulletin – Server Based Computing Services Servers Migration - December 3, 2022 | 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled a change window on Saturday, December 3, 2022, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 2:00 PM. During the change window, CDT will migrate the Server Based Computing Services (SBCS) servers from the On-Prem Cloud (OPC) to Managed Cloud Services (MCS).
There will be a short disruption in service during the change window for CWS/CMS Citrix users, either physical tokens or ‘soft’ tokens.
Probation users connecting to the Token-less environment will not be impacted during this migration.
Action Required
CWS/CMS Users
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
CWS-CARES Users
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled a change window on Saturday, December 3, 2022, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 2:00 PM. During the change window, CDT will migrate the Server Based Computing Services (SBCS) servers from the On-Prem Cloud (OPC) to Managed Cloud Services (MCS).
There will be a short disruption in service during the change window for CWS/CMS Citrix users, either physical tokens or ‘soft’ tokens.
Probation users connecting to the Token-less environment will not be impacted during this migration.
Action Required
CWS/CMS Users
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
CWS-CARES Users
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
End use of Internet Explorer (IE) 11 with CWS/CMS and CARES-Live - UPDATE
UPDATE:
In order to allow for more responses to this IE Query Form, we have extended the deadline to 11/30/22.
Please use this link to submit your responses: IE11 Query Form
If you have already submitted, please disregard this reminder.
____________________________________________________________________________________
November 7, 2022
End use of Internet Explorer (IE) 11 with CWS/CMS and CARES-Live - UPDATE
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and Training Coordinators:
On October 12, 2022, a communication was sent to all SPOCs and Technical Contacts regarding a work around for opening the CWS/CMS Training Portal directly within the preferred web browser since IE11 is out of support from Microsoft.
The CWDS Project is planning to end support of IE11 in early 2023 for CWS/CMS and CARES-Live.
The CWDS Project is currently exploring Microsoft Edge as the possible browser to use instead of IE11. However, we would like to ask all counties to provide additional information, which will be useful in planning the next steps.
We have prepared a form to solicit that feedback from all counties regarding the use of IE11 for both CWS/CMS and CARES-Live applications.
Link to Form: IE11 Query Form
We are asking for a quick turnaround on this request for information. Please submit your responses no later than November 15, 2022.
Action Required
Please submit your IE11 Query Form no later than November 15, 2022.
In order to allow for more responses to this IE Query Form, we have extended the deadline to 11/30/22.
Please use this link to submit your responses: IE11 Query Form
If you have already submitted, please disregard this reminder.
____________________________________________________________________________________
November 7, 2022
End use of Internet Explorer (IE) 11 with CWS/CMS and CARES-Live - UPDATE
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and Training Coordinators:
On October 12, 2022, a communication was sent to all SPOCs and Technical Contacts regarding a work around for opening the CWS/CMS Training Portal directly within the preferred web browser since IE11 is out of support from Microsoft.
The CWDS Project is planning to end support of IE11 in early 2023 for CWS/CMS and CARES-Live.
The CWDS Project is currently exploring Microsoft Edge as the possible browser to use instead of IE11. However, we would like to ask all counties to provide additional information, which will be useful in planning the next steps.
We have prepared a form to solicit that feedback from all counties regarding the use of IE11 for both CWS/CMS and CARES-Live applications.
Link to Form: IE11 Query Form
We are asking for a quick turnaround on this request for information. Please submit your responses no later than November 15, 2022.
Action Required
Please submit your IE11 Query Form no later than November 15, 2022.
CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance – November 18, 2022| 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Friday, November 18, 2022, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 6:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will remain accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, Riverside, and Santa Clara.
However, document generation functionality will not be available for CWS-CARES users during this maintenance window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Friday, November 18, 2022, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 6:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will remain accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, Riverside, and Santa Clara.
However, document generation functionality will not be available for CWS-CARES users during this maintenance window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance – November 2, 2022| 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM – UPDATE
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
November 2, 2022 UPDATE:
This maintenance has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. The new date and time will be shared in an updated communication once they become available.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, November 2, 2022, beginning at 6:00 PM and concluding at 9:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will remain accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, Riverside, and Santa Clara.
However, document generation functionality will not be available for CWS-CARES users during this maintenance window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
November 2, 2022 UPDATE:
This maintenance has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. The new date and time will be shared in an updated communication once they become available.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, November 2, 2022, beginning at 6:00 PM and concluding at 9:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will remain accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, Riverside, and Santa Clara.
However, document generation functionality will not be available for CWS-CARES users during this maintenance window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
CWS/CMS Release 9.1 Go-Live Update
All CWS and Probation SPOCs, Technical Contacts and Training Contacts:
The planned release date for CWS/CMS Release 9.1 has been rescheduled. The new release date for R9.1 has been finalized and updated below.
The tentative release date for R9.2 remains in April 2023. The final release date will be shared as soon as it becomes available.
Action Required
Contact the CWDS Customer Relations team if you have any questions regarding the CWS/CMS release schedules.
The planned release date for CWS/CMS Release 9.1 has been rescheduled. The new release date for R9.1 has been finalized and updated below.
The tentative release date for R9.2 remains in April 2023. The final release date will be shared as soon as it becomes available.
| CWS/CMS Release | Previous Scheduled Date | New Scheduled Date |
| R9.1 | January 2023 (Tentative) | March 11, 2023 (Final)
|
| R9.2 | April 2023 (Tentative) | April 2023 (Tentative) |
Action Required
Contact the CWDS Customer Relations team if you have any questions regarding the CWS/CMS release schedules.
CWS/CMS in Read-Only during Daylight Saving Time Change
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The CWS/CMS application will be in read-only mode for one hour during the time change from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time on Sunday, November 6, 2022. To prevent duplicate time stamps, users will not be able to save to the database starting at 1:00 AM, after the clocks have been moved back from 2:00 AM. The application will return to the normal read/write mode at 2:00 AM Standard Time.
This will not affect CARES-Live.
Action Required
Contact the IBM Help Desk (800-428-8268) if the CWS/CMS application has not returned to read/write mode after 2:00 AM Standard Time.
The CWS/CMS application will be in read-only mode for one hour during the time change from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time on Sunday, November 6, 2022. To prevent duplicate time stamps, users will not be able to save to the database starting at 1:00 AM, after the clocks have been moved back from 2:00 AM. The application will return to the normal read/write mode at 2:00 AM Standard Time.
This will not affect CARES-Live.
Action Required
Contact the IBM Help Desk (800-428-8268) if the CWS/CMS application has not returned to read/write mode after 2:00 AM Standard Time.
CWS-CARES DATA CONVERSION - INVALID HEX CHARACTER REMOVAL
All SPOCS, Technical Contacts, and Data Quality Analysts:
During data conversion activities the CWS-CARES team identified a minor issue that is preventing some of the conversion jobs from successfully completing. Hexadecimal (Hex) characters have been found in a few records in the CWS/CMS database that cannot be converted during the data conversion process. It is important to note these invalid hex characters were not introduced by counties intentionally in the CWS/CMS and they do not reflect actual data. The solution is to remove the invalid hex characters to allow the data conversion process to complete, leaving the county data unaffected and the user experience unchanged. To date, only three (3) records out of over 222 million records have been impacted, and these few records were last updated over 20 years ago.
Going forward, we intend to fix issues of this type, without notification, in the interest of time. A log has been created to track any corrections made to remove invalid hex characters during the data conversion process and is stored in the Data Quality portal at CARES Migration Corrupt CWSCMS Data Log. This log will be updated if new occurrences of invalid hex characters require removal.
Action Required
This is an informational communication only and no action is required.
During data conversion activities the CWS-CARES team identified a minor issue that is preventing some of the conversion jobs from successfully completing. Hexadecimal (Hex) characters have been found in a few records in the CWS/CMS database that cannot be converted during the data conversion process. It is important to note these invalid hex characters were not introduced by counties intentionally in the CWS/CMS and they do not reflect actual data. The solution is to remove the invalid hex characters to allow the data conversion process to complete, leaving the county data unaffected and the user experience unchanged. To date, only three (3) records out of over 222 million records have been impacted, and these few records were last updated over 20 years ago.
Going forward, we intend to fix issues of this type, without notification, in the interest of time. A log has been created to track any corrections made to remove invalid hex characters during the data conversion process and is stored in the Data Quality portal at CARES Migration Corrupt CWSCMS Data Log. This log will be updated if new occurrences of invalid hex characters require removal.
Action Required
This is an informational communication only and no action is required.
CARES-Live Training Environment Scheduled Maintenance – November 4, 2022| 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The CARES-Live team has scheduled maintenance to the CARES-Live Training Environment on Friday, November 4, 2022, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. This scheduled maintenance is to upgrade the Training Environment to the CARES-Live 2.8.21 version. Users will not be able to access the CARES-Live Training Environment during the scheduled outage.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live Training Environment, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
The CARES-Live team has scheduled maintenance to the CARES-Live Training Environment on Friday, November 4, 2022, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. This scheduled maintenance is to upgrade the Training Environment to the CARES-Live 2.8.21 version. Users will not be able to access the CARES-Live Training Environment during the scheduled outage.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live Training Environment, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
CWS-CARES (CARES) Version 1 (V1) Training Approach
All Child Welfare Directors, all Probation Chiefs, Office of Tribal Affairs, and CDSS Training Bureau
CC: All SPOCs and Training Coordinators
The CARES project has been performing analysis over the past several months with support from Organizations’ (Orgs’) representatives to determine how CARES Version 1 (V1) training will be delivered to all Orgs as the CWS/CMS replacement. We would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all Org and CDSS Regional Training Academy (RTA) representatives that participated and contributed input to help inform this important decision.
On October 20th, 2022, the CARES Board of Directors elected to proceed with a CARES V1 hybrid training approach that will support the delivery of training to all Orgs. In alignment with the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA), Tribal Consultation, and the CARES project, this hybrid approach will facilitate a partnership across the RTA, Juvenile Probation, Orgs, and the CARES project training team to deliver CARES V1 training statewide.
The training approach is intended to add the following benefits:
The project will continue to share details on a regular basis around CARES V1 training planning and coordination through a variety of communication forums and methods to keep Orgs informed.
Action Required
No action needed.
CC: All SPOCs and Training Coordinators
The CARES project has been performing analysis over the past several months with support from Organizations’ (Orgs’) representatives to determine how CARES Version 1 (V1) training will be delivered to all Orgs as the CWS/CMS replacement. We would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all Org and CDSS Regional Training Academy (RTA) representatives that participated and contributed input to help inform this important decision.
On October 20th, 2022, the CARES Board of Directors elected to proceed with a CARES V1 hybrid training approach that will support the delivery of training to all Orgs. In alignment with the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA), Tribal Consultation, and the CARES project, this hybrid approach will facilitate a partnership across the RTA, Juvenile Probation, Orgs, and the CARES project training team to deliver CARES V1 training statewide.
The training approach is intended to add the following benefits:
- Leverages benefits of each training organization/team and can be customized to meet the needs of each Org, providing an optimal training delivery approach.
- Enables training tailored to meet the needs of Orgs based on Org, RTA and Probation trainers’ knowledge of and experience with Orgs.
- Optimizes training delivery by capitalizing on both the project training team expertise in CARES and the Orgs, RTA and Probation trainers experience with CWS/CMS and child welfare practice in the Orgs.
The project will continue to share details on a regular basis around CARES V1 training planning and coordination through a variety of communication forums and methods to keep Orgs informed.
Action Required
No action needed.
California Department of Technology Service Desk Bulletin – CalCloud Windows Tenant Patching– October 28-29, 2022| 7:00 PM – 6:00 AM
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled security patching of the CalCloud Windows servers. The patching window begins on Friday, October 28, 2022, at 7:00 PM and concludes on Saturday, October 29, 2022, at 06:00 AM. The patching activity will cause intermittent interruptions in connectivity to the CWDS website and the CWS/CMS Portals website during the patching window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with the CWDS website or the CWS/CMS Portals website, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled security patching of the CalCloud Windows servers. The patching window begins on Friday, October 28, 2022, at 7:00 PM and concludes on Saturday, October 29, 2022, at 06:00 AM. The patching activity will cause intermittent interruptions in connectivity to the CWDS website and the CWS/CMS Portals website during the patching window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with the CWDS website or the CWS/CMS Portals website, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.