CBE architectural overview

and system requirements

January 2013
2
ARCHITECTURAL OVERVIEW EXAMPLE OF CBE SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
The following diagram shows the users, programs in use and the link between these for the operation of CBE.
The following terms describe the elements in the above diagram:
Student A student who is sitting in front of a PC running a live ACCA exam
ACCA Examiner An application that is installed on each student workstation that enables students to sit exams
SNA Secure Network Administrator; SNA enables you to both manage student access to exams and upload exam results
File Server Server storing questions and configuration files
CBE server installation exam files, system configuration files and student exam results
Online administration system website used for managing exams, that is accessed via a standard web browser.
Notes
The file server must be used to host the ACCA CBE server files for only one CBE centre.
The workstation with the online administration system is used by the examinations co-ordinator/administrator to:
register students
create access tokens
run reports and check results.
The online administration system is accessed via a web browser.
The workstation with the SNA installation is used by the examinations co-ordinator/administrator or invigilator to:
physically download the access tokens
monitor exam activity
upload the results immediately after the exams.
The diagram above shows SNA and the online administration system operating from two different workstations, however, please note that
those can operate on the same workstation providing all system requirements are met.
As SNA only operates on one PC, you must consider this when choosing the location of this PC, particularly if you hold CBEs in more
than one room at your centre. The PC with SNA needs to be located in close proximity to the exam rooms to allow for download and
upload of access tokens, plus the monitoring of exams, during the session.
Depending on how you wish to set up your CBE environment, the workstation containing SNA can reside in the examinations
co-ordinators office or in the exam room.
If the workstation with SNA resides in the examinations co-ordinators office, this must always be accessible by the examinations
co-ordinator, administrators or invigilators, as they require to download tokens before the exams and upload results after the exams.
The workstation with SNA must be secure and password protected, especially if it resides in the exam room, as students must NOT be
given access to this.
Server
File server containing
CBE server installation
Student
Examinations
co-ordinator/
administrator/
invigilator
Examinations
co-ordinator/
administrator
Workstation
with ACCA
Examiner
Workstation
with SNA
Workstation with web
browser for online
administration system
Workstation
with ACCA
Examiner
Workstation
with ACCA
Examiner
Student Student
CBE CENTRE ACCA HQ
Internet
ARCHITECTURAL OVERVIEW
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The following system requirements relate to running the CBE system, with SNA.
1 Hardware and software requirements for workstation running SNA
a Where installation image and results files are stored on the file server (as per the diagram and our recommendation), the workstation
running SNA should meet the following requirements:
the latest version of one of the following operating systems, kept up-to-date with the latest Microsoft service packs: Microsoft
Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition, Microsoft Vista (any edition) or Microsoft Windows 7 (any edition)
Pentium 4 or equivalent
100Mb RAM over and above other applications running concurrently
50Mb available hard disk space above the minimum Windows requirements
1024 x 768, 256 colour video card
one network card or another single connection to the LAN (multiple network cards will cause the software to fail)
a permanent Internet connection (or at least while Secure Network Administrator is running and exams are being held). It is a
requirement that a broadband connection to the internet is used
when installing the software you have administrator rights. In Vista or Windows 7, if UAC is on, you will have to ask an
administrator to run the SNA installer.
b Where installation image and results files are stored on SNA workstation (an alternative setup), the workstation running SNA should
meet the following requirements:
the latest version of one of the following operating systems, kept up-to-date with the latest Microsoft service packs: Microsoft
Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition, Microsoft Vista (any edition) or Microsoft Windows 7
Pentium 4 or equivalent
100Mb RAM over and above other applications running concurrently
1Gb available hard disk space above the minimum Windows requirements
1024 x 768, 256 colour video card
one network card or another single connection to the LAN (multiple network cards will cause the software to fail)
a permanent Internet connection (or at least while Secure Network Administrator is running and exams are being held). It is a
requirement that a broadband connection to the internet is used
when installing the software you have administrator rights. In Vista or Windows 7, if UAC is on, you will have to ask an
administrator to run the SNA installer.
2 Hardware and software requirements for student workstations running ACCA Examiner
The minimum specifications for the student workstations running ACCA Examiner are as follows:
the latest version of one of the following operating systems, and are kept up-to-date with the latest Microsoft service packs: Microsoft
Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition or Microsoft Vista (any edition)
Pentium 4 or equivalent
100Mb RAM over and above other applications running concurrently
250Mb available hard disk space above minimum Windows requirements
1024 x 768, 16 bit high colour video card
a network card or another single connection to the LAN
printer connected to all workstations for students to print results notifications immediately after their exam
when installing the software you have administrator rights. In Vista or Windows 7, if UAC is on, you will have to ask an administrator
to run the SNA installer.
Exams must only be run on desktop PCs exams must not take place on laptops.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
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3 Hardware and software requirements for the File Server
The minimum specifications for the file server is as follows:
a network share with 1Gb of available space. Note: A network share created on a Windows workstation (rather than a Windows file
server) does not allow for unlimited user connections. This restriction is imposed by Microsoft, and has the effect that only a maximum
of five exams can be run at the same time
unlimited user connections to the share is recommended
only Microsoft-based networks may be used (Microsoft file server 2000, 2003 or 2008).
4 Requirements for workstations running online administration system
Reliable Internet connection.
5 Network requirements
The minimum network requirements are as follows:
At least 100Mbps network
The student workstations running ACCA Examiner, SNA and the File Server must all be able to communicate over a network in the
same network domain
Examiner and SNA must be able to communicate across the network using TCP-IP on port 19284. This port must be open and
available in the network. All communication between workstations over this port is encrypted. Note: In the unlikely event that you
cannot use port 19284 on your network, ACCA must be notified when you submit your licence application
The network has to be capable of resolving host names to the corresponding IP addresses
The shared installation directory on the File Server must be available to the workstations running Examiner and SNA with permissions
specified in the installation instructions which will be provided to you
The workstation running SNA requires fast, permanent broadband Internet access while SNA is running on port 443 (SSL). Permanent
is defined as a fast (non dial-up) access which reliably stays open, eg broadband (see formula in section 6 for calculating minimum
speed required)
Whilst wireless networks can be used, exams cannot be guaranteed to run without interruptions if the wireless network is not
stable (which can be the case). The exam software constantly monitors the network connection and logs any irregularities. If any
interruptions occur, the exam is terminated (but can resume when the network problem has been corrected).
The online administration program is accessed via a standard web browser (preferably Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 7 or above.
Netscape, Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Safari are also acceptable). This workstation requires fast, permanent Internet access through
port 443 (SSL)
Note that the workstation running SNA and the workstation that the online administration program is accessed from may be the same
workstation
Adequate firewall and virus protection must be in place and must be updated regularly
Printer. Students require printer access via the network to allow them to print results notifications immediately after the exams. The
results notifications will be printed to the default printer.
Please note that you are permitted only one installation of ACCAs Secure Network Administrator program.
In order to download the CBE software from the online administration system, you must have one of the following programs:
Winzip 8.0 or above; or
Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 compression facility; or
Stuffit Expander 9.5 for Windows
Winrar
6 Broadband upload speed
The software does not rely on the Internet in any way while students are answering exam questions.
The upload speed to the Internet must be at least 2KB/sec per student at the times when exams are started and exams are finished. To
calculate the required speed (in KB/sec), use the following formula:
Upload speed = 2 x number of students
Example: Five students are starting or finishing exams simultaneously. Upload speed must be at least 10KB/sec
Example: 20 students are starting or finishing exams simultaneously. Upload speed must be at least 40KB/sec.
We recommend that you check your Internet upload speed using one of the many online services for this purpose before agreeing that
your setup meets our minimum requirements.
As an example, a 1Mbps broadband connection typically provides 1Mbit/s download and 125Kbit/s upload which equals approximately
seven students.