Training Solution

Troubleshooting end user failed browser tests.

CharlesCraig — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:15:47 GMT

When an end user wants to connect to a Surgient platform, they should first run the URT (aka User Readiness Test, browser test) to confirm that their local machine can connect to the Surgient lab.

The test can be accessed either by the "See if your Browser is ready?" link on the login page, or they can go directly to http://site.somewhere.com/(VxMS|Platform)/URA/

The top solutions to URT issues are covered under the "available on the help page." link in the first paragraph at the top of the URT test.

If none of the solutions provided in this help link lead to a successful test, it is likely that group policies at the site are not allowing the configuration changes to take effect or a local firewall is blocking the connections to the lab. In either case, you would need to talk to the local IT/Security group to see if you can get the URA server "white listed" (in the case of network problems), or to get an exception to the group policies in place for this connection.

Allowing Registrar to add new users to Groups (v6)

Jennifer Christiansen — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:57:38 GMT

Here is my scenario - students sign up for specific classes with match specific labs. I only want my students to see and access their matching labs.

So.... I created a user groups for each class. Then set permissions on the lab to match that group. Now, is there a way I can have my training coordinator setup the users and add to the group (without giving them ADMIN permissions).

Thanks, Jennifer

The Shadowing Registry Entry

jgross — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:30:35 GMT

My challenging question of the day came from a customer who was in an argument with his image developers. They were insistent that the last line of the registry data file to enable shadowing, install.reg, (located in s:\rdpshadow on a Surgient deployed image):

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]"rdpshadow"="s:\\rdpshadow\\rdpshadow.exe"

would make shadowing run for all users. He agreed that while this entry seemed suspect, he knew from experience that regular users can log in normally and only the shadowing request shadows. And so a great debate ensued and resulted with a phone call to me to resolve it. Since “I don’t know, it just does” is generally not an acceptable answer to a customer, I had to go research this one.

Investigation (really, just a conversation with a helpful and knowledgeable engineer) revealed that engineering does, in fact, desire the rdpshadow.exe to run for each user ever time the user logs in or the image is rebooted. This is the thing that allows Surgient to find the person to shadow when a shadowing session is requested. Our URA handshakes with the rdpshadow.exe and uses the information to connect to that session.

So, the next time your image developers are about to come to blows with you over what this registry entry does, you will have the answer. And so will I.

Jackie

Domains within images and their affect on shadowing

jgross — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:05:11 GMT

I recently assisted one of my customers with discovering why shadowing didn't always work for their images. This customer often does training with application configurations that involve domain controllers and thus, students get systems that are part of a domain. At times, shadowing would fail to log into these images, but not all the time. Why?

Well, as it turns out, Windows is very good at remembering information about the last login, and if the last login to the image console was in the domain, then the drop-down at the login prompt would be set to the domain. Since Surgient creates all user accounts as a local system account, when shadowing would attempt to auto-login, it would fail, because that account is not part of the domain. This is a windows issue and there really is no way for us to work around it. You will find this well documented throughout our product, in applicable sections.

The work-around for this is to ensure that before you save an image, your last console login is to the local System. An RDP session will have no affect on this, so as long as your users do not use the console for access, you will successfully be able to shadow them.

Jackie.

How do I prevent instructors from defining their own classes?

jgross — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:25:49 GMT

A common question customers seem to ask is how to prevent Instructors from deciding they want to define and schedule a class for themselves. The way to accomplish this without any kind of customization to the environment is to set your ACLs properly for all of your application configurations.

If you remove access for both the Users Group of your organization and of the Restricted Users for the Internal organization, then the Instructor will be unable to see the class in the library and thus, be unable to do anything on his own. However, the registrar is still free to define the class and assign the instructor to it, providing the instructor access to that particular class. The instructor will then have full control over that class, just as if he had defined it for himself.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Jackie.

Organization filter in custom reports

joel — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:51:17 GMT

Hi,

Anytime I write a report that queries any table with an OrganizationId field in it I get the follow error.

"Report specifies tables that contain Organization-specific data. For security reasons, you must append the following statement to the SQL query: WHERE OrganizationId IN (?)"

It wants me to use the organization filter which I do not need for the report I'm writing. This is very bothersome if you have only subqueried into that table for a piece of data because it can require you to totally restructure your query with a join just to add the string "OrganizationId IN (?)" to satisfy that error. How do I turn that off? I dont want the organization filter I just want to write SQL.

Thanks

Custom Reports

joel — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:02:51 GMT

Hi,

I hope I am posting in the correct forum. I am writing some custom reports for our Surgient instance and have a quick question. When using the date filter, what would be the SQL syntax to get the number of days between the two selected dates in the date filter?

SELECT DATEDIFF(d, ?, ?) as "Days"

I have noticed from the other reports that a question mark is used for the date ranges.

WHERE T.StartDate > ? AND T.EndDate < ?

But the system doesn't like it when I place a question mark somewhere else. Please advise on how I could get the number of days between the two selected dates in the date filter.

Thanks

local client access privileges

bgw67 — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:57:14 GMT

Some customers use Surgient in many different sites some of which they don't have administrative control over. Can surgient be used effectively without local admin right to a windows client? Many IT groups are quite reluctant to give local admin rights to their training facilities. Is there a known set of local or domain policies that can be given to a user that will allow them to use surgient without requiring local Admin rights?

Competitive products?

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:26:02 GMT

As part of any search for a solution a thorough review of the 'best of breed' is typically performed.

Does Surgient offer any 3rd party reviews that compare their product to others? For example, the Wainhouse Research white paper is very good. But is there a similar paper which actually performs a review of the various solutions? Of course there is just one Centra integration for virtualization.

Best, HiEdTechie

VTMS, scheduling sessions, & timezones

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:52:49 GMT

I am curious how tight the integration is with the Centra event scheduler? Is it possible to create a Centra Event and at the same time create the virtual lab? If so, then does the time span align between the two systems? Also what flexibility exists, if needed, to enable the lab compnent to begin later than the start time of the Centra event?

As a best practice we typically schedule our Centra sessions for quite a few hours. This mitigates any issues with time zone variances and prevents issues with using the the Guest Attend link. We simply don't like them to be denied entry because we underestimated the time requirement.

This leads me to a question, if there is no virtual lab that follows, will the system be passive and permit perons to stay connected or will it end at the predefined time? And does a 5-minute warning pop up near the end of the session?

Thanks - HiEdTechie

VTMS & reporting

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:46:49 GMT

I've read the user manual (http://www.surgient.com/pubs/53/base/VTMS/VTMS_Users_Guide.pdf) and instructor's manual ( http://success.surgient.com/files/folders/downloads/entry693.aspx) but the reporting tool is not decribed within.

Can you please point me to the documentation which details the reporting tool? I assume there is some mechanism for collecting utilization stats which can help us make decisions and conclusions regarding product use and demand for specific software titles. Thus plannig can occur for peak utilization as opposed to average guestimates.

Thanks HiEdTechie

Process for service packs, updates, and new releases

HiEdTechie — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:04:18 GMT

We continue to work ever closer with our ASP partners we continue to hone our partnerships seeking improved communications, shared decision making, and involvement in the identificaiton and testing of new features prior to beta release.

What decisions has Surgient made regarding new releases for hosted VTMS customers? Will a preview environment be made available prior to beta releases to enable persons to better understand the implications of pendign upgrades? How will the 'Voice of the Customer' be captured to ensure the needs of the customer are represented within the product development process?

What lead time will be given for new releases. Will hosted customers have input into downtimes for upgrades?

Best, HiEdTechie

VTMS - demonstration server ??

HiEdTechie — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:07:33 GMT

Microsoft has engaged customers by providing access to Office 2007 for anyone to test drive [ http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101687261033.aspx ] . I assume the motivation is to promote ease of access so that persons can develop a fuller understanding of why they are being asked to shell out a hundred dollars (or more) for an upgrade. MS uses a Citrix web client for this.

Infrastructure permitting, will potential VTMS customers be able to test drive the lab environment? Furthermore, will it be possible for Saba Centra customers to have access to a demo server for the purpose of evaluating and demonstrating the virtual lab capabilities prior to purchase? Are trial/ pilot programs available?

Licensing model?

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 02:05:23 GMT

I am curious as to the how licensing is structured for a hosted VTMS environment. One of the benefit touted is to redirect training assets to where they are needed. And so I need to ask if this is simialr to a fractionally owned aircraft? Meaning, we pay for time used plus a retainer; but not for time the service is not used? Or is it more complex?

I am of course most interested in the Saba Centra integration. Is that best discussed with Surgient, Saba, both? The websites aren't clear how that works.

Best, HiEdTechie

Any monitor/ hardware limitations or hiccups?

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 02:58:56 GMT

I ran the URT test on a system with mutiple monitors and received all green checks. I've also used other applications previously which all tested fine, but when it came to run them the muti-monitors prevented successul use. Are multiple monitors supported? I can see that the instructor would benefor greatly from having dual monitors - one for the VTMS interface, one for Centra and or other applications such as the Blackboard interface.

Thanks again for the heads up,

Best, HiEdTechie

URT & Active X / java

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:02:57 GMT

Hi again, I am curious as to the nature of the active X and java components that are installed/ run as part of a the URT test.

In terms of filesize, how large are these items?
How are these handled by the typical home computer security software (e.g. Norton)

In addition, there is a paragraph on page 15 of the VTMS Instructor Handbook that I am unsure of:

"URA plug-ins attempt to gain access to the Hosted Class Center by using as many as 10 different connection methods. If none of these methods succeed at establishing a connection, you will be asked to force URA and/or SSL sessions as a final set of attempts."

What does that mean -- "force URA..." ? Also, what are these 10 different conenction methods, is this referring to ports, Active X vs. java, etc? I am asking as understanding the logic behind the URA programming will greatly assist in troubleshooting and problem resolution.

Best, HiEdTechie

Surgient's data center(s)

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:47:12 GMT

Is information regrading the structure of the Surgient data centers available? Typical questions come to mind - are these on generators, have dual-homed Internet uplinks, auto fail-over to other locations, have load balancing between East and West coast, etc. Other basic questions such as bandwidth guarantees, etc. Certainly we shouldn't have much latency on that first hop from the data center. Are uptimes published?

Thanks!

HiEdTechie

Support offerings & hosted VTMS

HiEdTechie — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:34:09 GMT

In review of the support offerings posted here ( http://www.surgient.com/support/offerings.asp ) I have a few questions.

First to describe our environment - we have teaching locations throughout the US, Europe, and mideast. And so we have the beginnings of a global presence.

Given the existence of our own support line and that of Saba support, I am wondering if there would be some confusion as for who the end user and instructors should call. Is this ironed out in the arrangements with Saba? Would out help desk forward persons to Saba or Sugient? I would assume the latter.

Best, HiEdTechie

Saba Centra integration

HiEdTechie — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:23:21 GMT

We are eager to advance to Saba Centra ver. 7.6 so we can take advantage of the features and capabilities offered by the Virtual Labs product. I was in attendance at the Saba Summit last week in San Fran and took the opportunity to see a brief product demonstration. From what I gleaned persons are placed into nothing less than their own virtual lab space within which instructors can monitor, step into, take over (in a good way ;o) ), and support student learning.

A few questions:

What are the system requirements to include recommended bandwidth
What is the screen refresh rate? I am wondering about visuals such as 3D graphics.
This is good for MS Office and I believe I saw Photoshop; but what about computationally intensive applications such as Maple, Matlab, etc.?
Why was VMWare selected fro the backend over the alternatives?

Thank you, HiEdTechie

VTMS and classrooms

mred — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:52:38 GMT

Another question is how can use VTMS in a classroom environment? Is it only for online training/virtual classrooms? In the classroom environment are there any specialized tools that unique for onsite training? Can it only work in my classroom or can I use it in learning-provider classrooms as well?

Thanks again!

ROI estimates

HiEdTechie — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:09:42 GMT

When reviewing a business case to adop a new product there are obviously a number of factors to consider. The most pressing for most is ROI - and so, I am pressed to inquire if there are any estimates or testimonials available which share ROI calculations for organizations that have deployed the VTMS?

Obviously such an estimate would need to include all direct and indirect costs but might also attempt to calculate intangibles such as decreased time to market, as needed retraining, etc.

Thank you for your continued interest in answering these questions!

Best, HiEdTechie

User experiences

HiEdTechie — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:55:35 GMT

Is end user documentation available which can be employed to help establish participant expectations? Certainly use of virtualized applications is different cup of tea for most.

Is Surgient aware of any published studies on the topic of teaching using virtualized applications? Perhaps there is impact upon the computer-human interaction experience; perhaps there are means to mitigate these issues through promotion of best practices. That is a long-winded way to ask if product testing has revealed any concerns for usability and if there any work arounds?

Student - Instructor interaction

HiEdTechie — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:01:17 GMT

In the WebEx presentation given by Jim Recker (Products, VTMS, Resources) he discusses providing students immediate feedback on their learning experience. I am curious as to what tools are employed within Virtual Labs environment. That is, what features within the Virtual lab environment promote faculty-student interaction? For example, is there an annotation tool or other pointer (independent of the mouse pointer) that will enable an Instructor to lead the student to click at an appropriate location?

Best, HiEdTechie

Firewalls, ports, and communication protocols

HiEdTechie — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:59:04 GMT

The nice presentations and documentation are very user friendly and also point out that the application is Firewall friendly.

That's great, but I am rather curious as to the details. Too often we see bandwidth being throttled due to viruses, peer-2-peer apps, YouTube/Flash, etc. With that we need to proceed cautiously wih new ventures.

And so, does the Virtual Labs application require custom settings such as a Firewall port (other than port 80)? Is the traffic level as specified in the URT help file (noted below) indicate peak traffic? Or does the bandwidth burst beyond that as needed? All of the above? ;o)

Best, HiEdTechie

VTMS Self-Paced Training User Readiness Testing

Release notes

HiEdTechie — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:48:45 GMT

Over the years I have been a huge advocate of disclosing known issues, workarounds, and status of pending resolutions.

Other than listing a 'resolved issues' list in the service pack notes, what steps are being taken to communicate known issues, not real-time, but as confirmed? For example, within the Downloads section there exists VQMS 5.3 Release Notes. Do these same notes carry over to the VTMS product set?

Best, HiEdTechie