vclass 4.1 installation guide - blackboard · template section ... specific room parameters in...

Elluminate Live! Installation and Configuration Guide i

Contents Chapter 1 Using This Guide ...........................................4

Audience...................................................................................4

Chapter 2 Using the Elluminate Live! System...........5 An Elluminate Live! Overview ...................................................5

The Elluminate Live! Server........................................5 The Elluminate Live! Client.........................................6 The Web Server .........................................................6 Elluminate Live! Server Administration .......................6

Minimum Elluminate Live! Server Requirements ......................6 Client Technical Requirements .................................................8

Chapter 3 Changes in Release 5....................................9 Release Notes ..........................................................................9

Cross Platform Differences.......................................11 Upgrading from vClass 4.x......................................................13

Configuration Differences between vClass 4.1 and Elluminate Live! 5 .............................14

Chapter 4 Installation Overview...................................15 Collecting Installation Information ...........................................15

Elluminate Live! Host Information .............................15 Classroom Server Information..................................17 Web Server Information............................................17 Administration Tool Information ................................17

Installing on Windows NT/2000/XP.........................................18 Installing on Linux ...................................................................19

Required Linux OS software.....................................19 Accessing the Installation CD-ROM .........................20 Installing with the X-Windows wizard........................20 Installing with the UNIX Console Mode

Wizard ...........................................................22 Uninstalling .............................................................................22 The Java Runtime Environment..............................................23

ii Elluminate Live! Installation and Configuration Guide

Chapter 5 Creating Virtual Rooms...............................24 About the Elluminate Live! Server...........................................24 Concepts.................................................................................24 Configuring the Elluminate Live! Server..................................25 General Installation Parameters in elive.conf .......................26

License Section ........................................................27 Paths Section ...........................................................27 Network Section .......................................................28 Log Section...............................................................29 Updating the elive.conf File....................................30

Default Room Parameters in .tmpl Files ...............................30 Template Section......................................................31 Properties Section ....................................................32 Labels Section..........................................................33 Authorization Section................................................33 Services Section.......................................................34 Commands Section ..................................................35 Updating *.tmpl Files ..............................................37

Specific Room Parameters in .session Files ........................37 Session Header Section ...........................................38 Properties Section ....................................................39 Schedule Section......................................................40 Authorization Section................................................40 Commands Section ..................................................41 Creating, Updating, and Deleting .session

Files ...............................................................42

Chapter 6 User Authorization.......................................44 User List Authentication..........................................................44

The Master Password File master.passwd.............45 The User List File {Room Name}.users..................45 The Room Password File {Room

Name}.passwd..............................................46 The Room Chair File {Room Name}.chair..............46

URL Authentication.................................................................47 Implementing an Authentication Script .....................47 Authenticating a user................................................47 Identifying the Chair..................................................48

Elluminate Live! Installation and Configuration Guide iii

Example Script .........................................................48

Chapter 7 Elluminate Live! Web Links ........................54 Making JAR Files, Web Start, and Open JNLP

Accessible....................................................................54 Creating JNLP Files for Each Virtual Room............................55 Creating Web Pages to Launch the Elluminate Live!

Client............................................................................56

Chapter 8 Administrative Tools ...................................57 Elluminate Live! Administration Overview...............................57 The Admin Console ................................................................58

Using the Admin Console .........................................58 Controlling Access to the Admin Console.................58

GUI Admin Key Tool ...............................................................59 Command-Line Admin Key Manager......................................59

Chapter 9 Session Recording and Playback ..............63 Recording ...............................................................................63

Creating .vcr Files.....................................................64 Playing Back A .vcr File ..........................................................64

List Available Recorded Sessions (playlist.pl) ..........65 Play a Specific Recorded Session

(playvcr.pl) .....................................................66 Template jnlp File For Playing Recorded

Sessions (playvcr.jnlp)...................................68

Chapter 10 Configuring SSL ..........................................70 SSL Over Shared Network Ports ............................................70

Server Configuration in elive.conf ..........................70 JNLP Configuration ..................................................71

SSL Using a Hardware SSL Accelerator or Appliance............71 Server Configuration in elive.conf ..........................71 JNLP Configuration ..................................................72

Configuring SSL Key Files ......................................................72

Chapter 11 Technical Support .......................................74

Chapter 1 Using This Guide

Elluminate Live! Installation and Configuration Guide 4

Chapter 1 Using This Guide

The Elluminate Live! Installation and Configuration Guide provides all the necessary information you need to install and administer Elluminate Live! servers.

Audience This guide is intended for anyone responsible for the preparation, installation and administration of Elluminate Live! virtual classroom servers.

It assumes a basic working knowledge in:

The Web Server used to host download files and JNLP files which launch the Elluminate Live! client through a browser.

The operating systems which will be used to host Elluminate Live! clients. These may include:

o Microsoft Windows

o Apple Macintosh

o Sun Solaris

If the Live! server software is to be installed in a Windows environment, a basic working knowledge is assumed for:

The administration of Windows Services.

If the Live! server software is to be installed in a Linux environment, a basic working knowledge is assumed for:

The Red Hat Linux operating system.

The Linux Daemon process, as controlled through the Run Level.

If the Live! server software is to be installed in a Solaris environment, a basic working knowledge is assumed for:

The Sun Solaris operating system.

The UNIX Daemon process, as controlled through the Run Level.

Chapter 2 Using the Elluminate Live! System



The Elluminate Live! collaboration tool provides an online, interactive, moderator-led learning environment. Elluminate Live! lets participants and moderators interact through a variety of mechanisms including live audio, direct text messaging, shared desktop applications and a shared whiteboard.

An Elluminate Live! Overview Elluminate Live! is a Java based client/server application. The Elluminate Live! client runs on Windows and Macintosh personal computers, as well as Suns SPARC Solaris systems. The Elluminate Live! server software runs on Windows (NT, 2000, and XP), Red Hat Linux (7.x and higher), and Solaris 9.

The Elluminate Live! client is launched through a web browser interface, using Sun Microsystems Java Web Start. Java Web Start downloads the Elluminate Live! JAR files and then starts the Elluminate Live! application. On Macintosh classic operation systems (Mac OS 9.0 to 9.2) the Open JNLP application WebLauncher, provided by Elluminate, performs the function of Java Web Start.

An Elluminate Live! server acts as a hub connecting Elluminate Live! clients in common meeting rooms (or sessions). Each server provides real-time messaging, interactive graphing, real-time administration, and Voice Over IP (VOIP) to the classroom participants. Each Elluminate Live! server can host multiple rooms.

The Elluminate Live! Server

The Elluminate Live! server runs as a Service on Windows and as a Daemon process on UNIX.

The Elluminate Live! server accepts client connections on one or more specified TCP/IP Conference Ports and validates users identification. An authorized participant has a single connection to the Elluminate Live! server, and can join with other participants within a virtual meeting room.

When a participant interacts in the virtual room with audio, online messaging, or by using the whiteboard, data is sent from that participant through this single connection to the Live! server. The server routes the data to all other room participants through their own individual connections. To accommodate participants that may have varying connections speeds, the Elluminate Live! server manages the bandwidth of all data transfers within the virtual room.


6 Elluminate Live! Installation and Configuration Guide

The Elluminate Live! Client

An Elluminate Live! client is a virtual collaboration environment on a Windows or Macintosh personal computer, or on a SPARC Solaris workstation. The Elluminate Live! client is automatically downloaded, launched, and connected to a specific session on an Elluminate Live! server when the user clicks on the appropriate link in a browser.

The Web Server

The Elluminate Live! client is launched through a link on a web page, using Java Web Start to ensure the user has the appropriate version of the Elluminate Live! software for the session. Web Start will retrieve and validate the appropriate Java JAR files and will launch the Elluminate Live! client. Note that Java Web Start is not available for the Macintosh OS 9.0 to 9.2. For these operating environments, Open JNLP is used to perform the web launching function.

The Web Server performs several functions to permit the launching of the Elluminate Live! client.

The Web Server provides a copy of Java Web Start and Open JNLP so that the user may download and establish the web launching application for their browser. This only has to happen once to get Web Start or Open JNLP onto the participants machine.

The Web Server hosts a page (or pages) with JNLP links that automatically launch Sun Microsystems Java Web Start or Open JNLP to start An Elluminate Live! client.

Java Web Start or Open JNLP downloads the appropriate versions of the JAR files needed for the Elluminate Live! client session from the Web Server, and starts the Elluminate Live! client.

Elluminate Live! Server Administration

Elluminate Live! server administration is performed by manipulating configuration files that are normally located in the installation directory or subdirectories. Refer to Chapter 5 Creating Virtual Rooms for more details. Several Elluminate Live! server functions can also be administered through the Elluminate Live! Admin Console (Administrative Tools) which can run on a Windows system.

Minimum Elluminate Live! Server Requirements Minimum Requirements for a 25-seat Elluminate Live! license:

Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, RedHat Linux (7.x or later), or Solaris 9

75 megabytes of free disk space. This does not include the optional space required for extended log files and session recordings. In general, log files grow slowly, but about 5-10 megabytes of disk space could be required for each recorded 1-hour session.

A static IP address.

Internet connectivity with firewall access permitting an outside connection to the servers Conference Ports for Elluminate Live! clients, and to the Control Port for administrators.



1Mbps (outbound) bandwidth

A 500 MHz Pentium 3 for Windows and Linux, or a 300 MHz UltraSPARC II processor for Solaris

256 megabytes of RAM

For each addition 25 seats in your license add:

1Mbps (outbound) bandwidth.

200 MHz of Pentium 3 processor speed, 250 MHz of Pentium 4 processor speed, or 150 MHz of SPARC processor speed

50 megabytes of RAM

These requirements assume an average room size of 25 participants or less. Larger rooms place higher instantaneous loads on the server and you should increase your hardware configuration accordingly. For instance, if you wish to hold single sessions with as many participants as your license will allow, the additional requirements for each 25 seats increases to: 2Mbps outbound bandwidth; 100 megabytes of RAM; and either 400 MHz of Pentium 3, 500 MHz of Pentium 4, or 300 MHz of SPARC processor speed. This is shown in the following table:

Licensed Seats

Maximum Room Size

Processor(s) in Total MHz

Available Memory in Megabytes

Internet Bandwidth in Mbps

25 25 500 Pentium 3 300 SPARC 256 1

50 25 700 Pentium 3 450 SPARC 300 2

50 50 900 Pentium 3 600 SPARC 350 3

100 25 1,100 Pentium 3 750 SPARC 400 4

100 100 2,000 Pentium 4 1,200 SPARC 550 7

200 25 2,250 Pentium 4 1,350 SPARC (multiple processor system recommended)

600 8

200 200 4,000 Pentium 4 2,400 SPARC (multiple processor system required)

1,000 15

These requirements also assume that the Elluminate Live! server is not required to perform SSL encryption and decryption for secure communications. See Chapter 10 for more details.



The Elluminate Live! host has asymmetric bandwidth requirements, with a higher outgoing bandwidth than the incoming bandwidth. For instance, each Elluminate Live! session generally has a single incoming audio stream that is used to generate multiple output audio streamsone to each participant.

Elluminate Live! server is a real-time application and may be significantly affected if limitations require the host system to page to disk. While these specifications are only minimum system requirements, installing Elluminate Live! on a faster server will not necessarily affect performance. However, a more powerful machine can reduce risk of service slowdown under very heavy loads.

Client Technical Requirements For a Windows PC:

Pentium II 266 MHz processor or faster

64 megabytes of RAM for Windows 95/98/ME, and 128 megabytes for Windows NT/2000/XP

Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Server 2003

20 megabytes of available disk space on your hard drive

Soundcard with speakers and microphone or headset

28.8 kbps or higher Internet connection

For a MAC:

Mac OS 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, Mac OS X 10.1 or later

G3 233 MHz or better.

64 megabytes for OS 9, and 128 megabytes for OS X and above


Stuffit Expander

Speakers and microphone, or headset


For a SPARC Solaris:

UltraSPARC IIc 300 MHz or faster

Solaris 9

128 megabytes of RAM


Soundcard with Speakers and microphone, or headset


Chapter 3 Changes in Release 5



Release Notes Release 5 of Elluminate Live! is an upgrade from vClass 4.1 that provides for a number of improvements in both the client and the server. New user interface and server configuration features are described in the table below.

Feature Description

New Name and Multiple Versions

vClass is now called Elluminate Live!, and it now comes in an Enterprise Edition and an Academic Edition. Both versions have similar functionality, with the addition of a shared calculator and some extra clip art (including several new categories of math symbols) in the Academic edition.

Window Layouts The layout of the Elluminate Live! internal windows (participant info, direct messaging, audio, and whiteboard) can now be locked. When the layout is locked, these windows cannot be moved or resized individually. They will be automatically sized and positioned when the Elluminate Live! application window is resized. The option to lock or unlock these windows is found under the view menu. The initial default is to have locked windows, but changes to this setting are persistent.

There are two new window layouts: tall and minimal flat. The tall layout is suitable for displays that are taller than they are wide, like the portrait display of a tablet PC. The minimal flat layout is suitable for sharing a screen region located underneath or above the Elluminate Live! application window. The window layouts are now selected by single drop down button.

The whiteboard and application sharing displays can now optionally scale down to preclude the use of scroll bars. If whiteboard scaling is on, the whiteboard will also scale up to maximize available space. The options to scale these displays are found under Tools -> Application Sharing and Tools -> Whiteboard. Non-scaled is the initial default for both the whiteboard and application sharing display. Changes to these scaled settings are persistent.



Whiteboard A new laser pointer allows anyone with whiteboard privileges to highlight content without marking up the whiteboard. Other participants can see the mouse movements of the laser image.

Moderators have a new visual cue that participants are not following and might not be seeing the same screen. The whiteboard navigation bar changes to a pink color when Follow Moderator is turned off, or when a Moderator moves to a screen to which participants cannot follow (i.e. a private screen or a breakout room screen).

References to the Image Palette have been replaced with Clip Art and the whiteboard comes with new standard images. Academic Edition users also have a number of new math related symbols available. All users may now create their own clip art collections. These collections are stored in local archive files and can be emailed to others.

Whiteboard content can be protected from saving and printing, when a moderator selects Protect Whiteboard under the menu item Tools -> Whiteboard. With this option on, users will not be able be able to save or print any whiteboard screens -- even after disconnecting. When the whiteboard is protected, all participants follow the moderator and the Follow Moderator checkbox is replaced by the highlighted label Protected.

A new object explorer provides a hierarchical listing of groups and objects for the current screen and displays who created them. The object explorer can be used to select objects even ones that are contained within groups or are in the background. The object explorer is found under the Tools -> Whiteboard menu entry.

You can select objects on the current screen created by specific participants by selecting names in the participant info window, right clicking, and then choosing Whiteboard -> Select all Objects Originated by Participants.

Whiteboard loading has been simplified and enhanced. A single Load File dialog box is used for Whiteboard, PowerPoint, and Image Files. When the file filter is set for PowerPoint files, the user has the option of importing the PowerPoint file either quickly or with higher quality. When the file filter is set for image files, the user has the option of importing multiple images at the same time each to its own screen. The imported sequence can be in one of: the selected order; alphabetic order; or alpha-number order (e.g. slide2 will be in sequence before slide11).

When a participant does not have permission to use the whiteboard, the whiteboard tool buttons are no longer visible, and the whiteboard display shifts to use the unused button space.

Application Sharing It is now possible for the application sharing host to specify that the display window for the other participants will be fitted to the area being shared instead of covering the entire whiteboard. This facilitates the sharing of a pop-up application on top of the whiteboard, like a calculator or even a video display. This new display mode is now the default for application sharing.

Since application sharing is now regularly used in unison with the whiteboard, both features now equally share bandwidth. In previous versions, application sharing data



always took precedence over whiteboard data.

The application sharing window is now always displayed on top of all other windows.

Audio A new audio set-up facility walks first time users through the testing and level setting of the speakers and microphone. This facility is available at any time from the menu item Tools -> Audio -> Set up Audio.

A new menu item Tools -> Audio -> Select Audio Source allows the user to select from multiple audio sources on their system, such as an alternate microphone. By selecting another audio source such as Stereo Mix the user can share audio from other applications. The available options will vary depending on installed sound cards and audio drivers.

Recording A moderator may now choose to erase, and optionally restart, the current recording. Buttons for starting and pausing the recording are now available in the bottom status bar.

Calculator (Academic Edition only)

A new menu item Tools -> Calculator -> Follow Moderator replaces the previous Follow moderator setting in the Calculator window itself. This new menu item allows a Moderator to globally hide the Calculator without having to disable the private Calculator function.

Help A new menu item Help -> Web Support provides direct access to Elluminates HTML support pages.

Supported Platforms SPARC Solaris 9 is now supported with both the client and the server functions of Elluminate Live!.

CD Server Installation The Windows Server installer will now start automatically when the CD is loaded. The installers for other supported platforms must still be started manually. Instructions for doing so are contained in the file readme.txt in the root directory of the CD.

The Elluminate Live! Installation CD now comes with an optional, but default, Whiteboard available for preloading into each session.

Note that the new user features are described in detail in the Moderator and Participant Guides included on the Elluminate Live! installation CD-ROM. The server changes are detailed in the appropriate sections of this document.

Cross Platform Differences

The Elluminate Live! server will provide essentially the same functions, irrespective of whether it is installed on Linux, Windows, or Solaris. The client portion of Elluminate Live! does have slight variances depending on operating platform.



The following table lists the features that differ on the various client versions of Elluminate Live!:

Feature Windows (98,ME,2000,XP)

Mac OS 9.x Mac OS X Solaris 9

Whiteboard

Whiteboard AppSnap from all displays or from the main display only

All All All Main

Can Import PowerPoint presentations Yes No Yes With OS X 10.2 and later

No

Can scale the whiteboard display Yes No Yes Yes

Application Sharing

Can share own desktop, a region, or an application with others

Yes No Yes No

Can scale the application sharing display Yes No Yes Yes

Printing

Can print the Whiteboard and Direct Messages (without having to first save to a PDF file or text file)

Yes No Yes No

Audio

Audio encoder/decoder is high performance native code or java based

Native Native Native Native

Audio input processing is high performance native code or java based

Native Native Native Java

Hotkeys

Client can use Hotkeys Yes Yes Yes No

Secure Communications

Client can use SSL communications with the Elluminate Live! server

Yes No Yes Yes



Upgrading from vClass 4.x You may install Elluminate Live! 5 on a machine which already has a previous vClass version installed. By default, the new Elluminate Live! installation will not overwrite vClass 4.x directories or commands. The new default installation directory is C:\Program Files\ELive5 on Windows and /opt/ELive5 on Linux. Installation over existing vClass directories will cause erroneous operation and is not recommended.

Elluminate Live! 5 can operate simultaneously with an earlier version of vClass on the same server hardware provided these programs do not simultaneously use the same TCP/IP conference and control ports. As the default ports have not changed with Elluminate Live!, you will need to choose alternative values if there is a conflict with a running vClass server. Note that this can be particularly problematic with the firewall friendly ports 80 and 443. It is not possible for Elluminate Live! and vClass to simultaneously listen on the same ports.

To upgrade from a running vClass server, the following steps are recommended:

1. Install Elluminate Live! into directories that are different from existing vClass directories. The default installation directories should be fine. When prompted for a license file during the installation, you must provide an Elluminate Live! 5 license file. You cannot use a vClass license file.

2. Assign the Elluminate Live! server unique TCP/IP conference and control ports. This can be done in the wizard during the installation, or afterwards by editing the installed elive.conf file. See Chapter 5 for details.

3. Update the Elluminate Live! server configuration:

a. Copy all of the vCLass .session and .tmpl files into the Elluminate Live! session directory. Edit these files and update any internal pathnames as appropriate. No other changes are required.

b. Copy all of the access control files under the vClass access directory to the Elluminate Live! access directory. No changes are required.

4. Update the web links:

a. Copy all of the new Elluminate Live! 5 jar files to a new web directory.

b. Copy any web pages with vClass JNLP links.

c. Create new JNLP links for the copied web pages that use the new Elluminate Live! JNLP template, template.jnlp. This template is found on the installation CD-ROM.

Do not change any JNLP links for existing vClass recorded sessions. vClass recordings have to be played with the appropriate vClass playback utility. Elluminate Live! recordings will require new links to the Elluminate Live! playback utility.

5. If you assigned Elluminate Live! the same TCP/IP ports as vClass (in step 2 above), you must now shut down the previous vClass server.

6. Start the Elluminate Live! 5 server.



7. Test the new web links.

8. Replace the old web pages with the new pages.

Configuration Differences between vClass 4.1 and Elluminate Live! 5

This section lists the configuration changes between vClass 4.1 and Elluminate Live! 5. Please refer to Chapter 5 for complete information on how to configure an Elluminate Live! server installation.

Changes in Vclass.conf

1. vclass.conf has been renamed elive.conf.

2. A vClass 4.1 license file is not compatible with Elluminate Live!.

Changes in *.tmpl files

1. The commands section contains a new whiteboard setting for protected whiteboard files.

Changes in *.session files

1. The commands section contains a new whiteboard setting for protected whiteboard files.

Changes in *.jnlp files

1. All new JNLP files are required for Elluminate Live!.

Starting and Stopping the Server

The Windows service is now called Elluminate Live! Version 5 Server.

The Linux daemon is now invoked with /etc/init.d/elive5d.

Chapter 4 Installation Overview



Installing and using Elluminate Live! Software is a process that involves several steps. These steps, and the chapters in which they are discussed, are as follows:

Collecting information needed for the installation and configuration in Chapter 4.

Installing the server environment in Chapter 4.

Creating virtual classrooms in Chapter 5.

Setting up user authorization in Chapter 6.

Enabling the client web based interface in Chapter 7.

Generation of administration keys to enable the Elluminate Live! Admin Console in Chapter 8.

Collecting Installation Information During installation the administrator will need a number of pieces of information. It is always easiest if you prepare for the installation by gathering this information in advance.

Elluminate Live! Host Information

Type of Info Explanation

Elluminate Live! License File

The Elluminate Live! server software requires a license file to operate. This file is normally sent by email from Elluminate. You may either save this file to disk prior to installation (and then provide the pathname to this file during installation) or after installation you can copy your license file over the default file elive.lic that will be found in the installed ELive5\lib directory. If you copy the file after installation, you will need to restart the Elluminate Live! server. As this file is critical to your use of Elluminate Live!, be sure to maintain a backup copy.




Elluminate Live! Installation Directory

The Elluminate Live! software needs to be installed in a directory on the system. For Windows the default is C:\Program Files\ELive5. For UNIX the default is /opt/ELive5.

Elluminate Live! Server UserID

On a UNIX system the Elluminate Live! server can either run as root or can run with a UserID with considerably limited access. If you want to save logs in /var/log or use a Conference Port with a number of 1024 or less, you will need to run as root.

Elluminate Live! Server Run Level

On a UNIX system the Elluminate Live! server can be automatically run as a Daemon process and managed by the Run Level the system is set to.

You will be asked the Run Level to start the Elluminate Live! server. The default level for a UNIX system is 3.

Elluminate Live! Log File Directory

The Elluminate Live! server reports virtual classroom usage and various errors in log files.

For Windows the default log directory is C:\Program Files\ELive5\logs.

For UNIX the default log directory when run as root is /var/logs. When not run as root the default is /opt/ELive5/logs.

Elluminate Live! Recordings Directory

A directory must be provided for recorded Elluminate Live! sessions. A directory should be chosen with sufficient available disk space. While the size of recordings can vary, it is a good rule of thumb to assume that 5 to 10 megabytes will be required for each 1-hour session.

The Windows default recording directory is c:\Program Files\ELive5\recordings.

The UNIX default recording directory is /opt/ELive5/recordings.

If recordings will need to be communicated to a Web Server to be disseminated over the web, it is advisable to consider where it is best to place recordings to make them accessible to the Web Server.

Elluminate Live! IP address

The Elluminate Live! server communicates with the Elluminate Live! clients via TCP/IP. The IP address is the host address that the clients need to know to find the Elluminate Live! server.



Classroom Server Information


Elluminate Live! classroom Conference Port number(s)

The Elluminate Live! client connects to the Elluminate Live! classroom server on the servers TCP/IP Conference Port number(s).

The Elluminate Live! server can listen on a number of Conference Ports. To be accessible, these port numbers must pass through all firewalls between the client and the server. The single default port number is 2187, but alternate or additional ports, generally ports 80 and 443, can be specified to deal with limitations imposed by some firewalls.

Elluminate Live! classroom Control Port number

The Elluminate Live! Admin Console connects to the Elluminate Live! server on the servers TCP/IP Control Port number. This Control Port must pass through all firewalls between the Admin Console host and the server. The default port number is 2188.

Web Server Information


Document Root

A Web Server serves information from a hierarchy starting at its Document Root. You will use this to determine a Download Directory (below).

For Apache, this can be found in the file httpd.conf at the DocumentRoot keyword. If you were installing to an IIS web server, you can determine the document root through the IIS management interface.

Download Directory

The Elluminate Live! clients JAR files are retrieved from a download directory on the Web Server. You should determine what you want this directory to be, since you will enter it as the Code base in the JNLP files used to start the Elluminate Live! client.

Administration Tool Information


Administrative Key Users and Names

The Admin Console tool uses sets of keys to control access to the Elluminate Live! server. You should determine which user(s) would be getting access keys before you start to generate and distribute these keys.

For each user you will be asked for a user name and the password to be associated with that users key. You will also be asked the key file name and location to save the keys.



Installing on Windows NT/2000/XP To start the Windows installation process, insert the CD-ROM into a CD drive. The installer will start automatically. Follow the instructions to provide the following information:

1. The installation directory

2. Your license key file (this will normally be provided via e-mail)

3. The log file directory

4. The session recording directory

5. The Elluminate Live! server Control Port and Conference Port(s)

6. The maximum bandwidth available to the Elluminate Live! server

7. The maximum available physical memory (or heap size) for the Elluminate Live! server

After providing this information, click Install to continue. The software environment will then be copied to your hard drive and the Elluminate Live! 5 Service will be installed.

You will then be asked if you wish to create a key for the Admin Console utility:

If you do not wish to create one or more keys files for the Admin Console at this time, you may ensure Launch AdminKeyTool is deselected and click Next to continue. Refer to Chapter 8 for details about how to use the Admin Key Tool and the Admin Console.

After the Admin Key Tool is either run or skipped, the Elluminate Live! Service will be automatically started and the installation is complete.



Installing on Linux UNIX installations can be performed in either an X-window environment or in a console mode environment. Each is started through a command-line which specifies how the installer is to be started.

If the argument -i console is added to the command-line, the installer will work in console mode, and will not attempt to use the window system (which might not be present).

Required Linux OS software

To ensure a smooth installation of the Elluminate Live! server, the necessary Linux OS software must be in place.

Sun Microsystems Java Virtual Machine

The Elluminate Live! installation includes version 1.4.2 of Sun Microsystems Java Virtual machine. However, prior to installing Elluminate Live! Server on Red Hat Linux, you should check that your Linux system meets Sun Microsystems stated software requirements.

The 1.4.2 version of the Java 2 SDK is supported on Intel Pentium platforms running the Linux kernel v.2.2.12 and glibc v2.1.2-11 or later.

To check the version of glibc your machine is using, type the following command:

ls /lib/libc-* to determine what version of glibc is installed

You may have to update your glibc if it is not v2.1.2-11 or later. Please consult you Red Hat documentation to determine how to do this.

Ncompress Utility

The installation process requires ncompress. To find out if it is available on your system, run the command:

whereis ncompress to see if the command can be found.

If it is not available, you need to install the RPM file, ncompress-4.2.4-26.i386.rpm from our CD under the installs\Linux\supporting_rpms directory. To install ncompress, please consult your Red Hat documentation.



Accessing the Installation CD-ROM

If your system does not automount the CD-ROM, when it is inserted, examine the file /etc/fstab to see if there is a line specifying the CD-ROM drive and where it will mount. If there is, you can simply execute the mount command for the CD-ROM device, such as mount /dev/cdrom. If not, you will have to specify both the device and the mount point, like: mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom.

Installing with the X-Windows wizard

To start the UNIX GUI installation process, execute the file elive5.bin that is located in the installs\Linux\Disk1\InstData\VM or installs\Solaris\Disk1\InstData\VM directory, of the installation CD-ROM. Follow the instructions to provide the following information:



3. The UserID to run the server as (this will preset the log file directory default)



6. The Elluminate Live! server Control Port and Conference Port(s)



After providing this information, click Install to continue. The software environment will then be copied to your hard drive and the Elluminate Live! Daemon will be installed.

You will then be asked:

9. The Run Level to start the Elluminate Live! server daemon and if you wish this to be started at the end of the installation process.

10. To generate the Master.keys file, and if you wish to create a key for the Admin Console utility:



If you do not wish to create one or more keys files for the Admin Console at this time, you may ensure Launch AdminKeyTool is deselected and click Next to continue. Refer to Chapter 8 for details about how to use the Admin Key Tool and the Admin Console.

After the Admin Key Tool is either run or skipped, the Elluminate Live! Service will be started as specified, and the installation is complete.



Installing with the UNIX Console Mode Wizard

To start the UNIX Console Mode installation process, execute the file elive5.bin -i console that is located in the installs\Linux\Disk1\InstData\VM or installs\Solaris\Disk1\InstData\VM directory of the installation CD-ROM. Follow the instructions to provide the following information:



3. The UserID to run the server as (this will preset the log file directory default)



6. The Elluminate Live! server control port and conference ports



After providing this information, click Install to continue. The software environment will then be copied to your hard drive and the Elluminate Live! Daemon will be installed.

You will then be asked:

9. The Run Level to start the Elluminate Live! server daemon and if you wish this to be started at the end of the installation process.

10. To generate the Master.keys file.

Refer to Chapter 8 for details about how to use the Admin Key Tool, Admin Key Manager, and the Admin Console.

After the Master.keys file is generated, the Elluminate Live! Service will be started as specified, and the installation is complete.

Uninstalling

Windows NT, 2000, XP Uninstall

To uninstall the Elluminate Live! Server Scheduler from Windows, run the Add or Remove Programs applet in the control panel. Select Elluminate Live! Version 5 and click the Change/Remove button.



UNIX GUI Mode Uninstall

To uninstall Elluminate Live! from UNIX in Console Mode, run the Uninstallelive5/Uninstall_ELive5 script located in installation directory. No files created after the installation will be removed. This includes: configuration files, user authentication files, and recorded sessions.

UNIX Console Mode Uninstall

To uninstall Elluminate Live! from UNIX in Console Mode, run the Uninstallelive5/Uninstall_ELive5 script located in installation directory, with the command-line argument of -i console. No files created after the installation will be removed. This includes: configuration files, user authentication files, and recorded sessions.

Installation Directory Cleanup

The Installation Directory and some files will be left after uninstallation to hold various configuration changes (and in the case of UNIX, the java runtime environment, and the UninstallerData directory).

To completely cleanup the installation, you will need to manually delete the installation directory and any directories and files left under it.

The Java Runtime Environment Both the Windows and UNIX installers will set up the appropriate java runtime environment for the server and tools. This is done in a way that does not conflict with any other java runtime environment already installed on the server.

Chapter 5 Creating Virtual Rooms



About the Elluminate Live! Server The Elluminate Live! server is an application that runs within the Windows or Linux environment and hosts multiple virtual meeting rooms (or sessions).

The server runs on a host machine and listens on one or more network ports for connections from clients wishing to join a virtual room. The virtual rooms available on a given server are identified by a unique name.

Configuring the Elluminate Live! server consists of two basic parts:

1. Setting up the server by specifying license data, where to look for configuration files, and overall parameters affecting operation of the server. This is primarily done in the elive.conf file.

2. Defining what virtual classrooms are available, setting how the rooms behave, and when and to whom the rooms are available. This is primarily done in the .tmpl and .session authentication files.

Concepts The server manages a number of abstractions:

Virtual meeting room A virtual meeting room is an active room that users can join.

Session A session is a description of a single named virtual room, containing information about when it should be launched, whether it should be recorded, how the users are authenticated to join the room, etc. Sessions are used to define rooms and schedules. Sessions are defined in session files.

Groups and Templates A template is a generic session description supplying the information about unnamed, unscheduled sessions. Each template is used to provide a central location for defining information that is common across a single group of sessions. These group definitions can be omitted from individual session descriptions, and can



provide definitions for virtual rooms that are launched on demand, rather than on schedule. Templates for session groups are defined in .tmpl files.

Virtual rooms are launched in one of two ways:

Scheduled A .session file (e.g. Math10.session) is created for a room which runs on a scheduled basis. The server makes the room available as defined in the schedule, with the settings for the room (such as how participants get authenticated) defined by the session file, or if not defined in the session file, from a common template.

On Demand The server can be configured to automatically launch rooms on demand. When this is enabled, a user that joins a virtual room that is not running is verified based on the authentication information in an associated template. If the user is authenticated, the server will start the room. The room will stay running until it has been empty for a preset length of time, after which, the virtual room will be terminated.

Configuring the Elluminate Live! Server When you administer the Elluminate Live! Software, you are:

1. Managing the general installation parameters;

2. Setting default room parameters for Elluminate Live! virtual rooms groups; and

3. Setting specific room parameters for selected Elluminate Live! virtual rooms.

General installation parameters (in elive.conf) include:

The license key file path

Installation pathnames

Network configuration

The Elluminate Live! log file and flags

Default room parameters (in *.tmpl files) include:

Default virtual room participant permissions

Default virtual room participant authentication mechanism

Default recording action of virtual rooms

Default bandwidth limit for virtual rooms

Default preloaded whiteboard presentation (if any)

Default whiteboard protection status



Specific room parameters (in *.session files) include:

The virtual room operational schedule

The virtual room participant authentication mechanism

The virtual room start time setting

The virtual room recording action

The virtual room bandwidth limit

The virtual room preloaded whiteboard presentation (if any)

The whiteboard protection status

Normally, the general installation parameters do not need to be modified after installationunless support for secure communications is required. The definable parameters in this file come with reasonable defaults or are always configured during the installation of the Elluminate Live! software.

As a general rule, default room parameters only need to be specified when there is a group of rooms that must have an authentication method, a recording action, or a preloaded whiteboard that is different from the general default.

Also as a general rule, specific room parameters only need to be provided if there are individual virtual room sessions that require a unique authentication mechanism, recording action, or a preloaded whiteboard. Specific room parameters are also required if a virtual room must have a defined start and stop schedule and automatic room creation is not acceptable.

All of these installation and operational parameters are stored in editable XML format files. To set or modify a parameter, the appropriate XML file is simply modified in place with a text editor, such as Notepad in Windows, or emacs in Linux. Depending on which XML file is modified, the Elluminate Live! server may have to be stopped and then restarted to pick up the changes.

The format and use of each of the configuration XML files is described below.

General Installation Parameters in elive.conf The general installation parameters are provided in an XML format file called elive.conf which is located in the root of the installation directory. For a windows installation, this is typically C:\Program Files\ELive5\elive.conf. For a Linux installation, this is typically /opt/ELive5/elive.conf. The location of the root Elluminate Live! directory, and therefore this file, is chosen during installation and may vary between systems.

A typical elive.conf file for Windows may look like the following:



sessions="c:\sample server config\sessions"

services="c:\sample server config\lib\services"/>

log.load

log.launch

log.access.grant

log.access.deny

License Section

The license section is initially configured to refer to elive.lic in the installed lib directory. When prompted to provide the license file during the installation, the file you specify is copied over this elive.lic file. If you do not already have a license file at the time you do the install, and choose to accept the default values, elive.lic will contain a default 2-user license. When you receive your license file, overwrite elive.lic with the new one, or change the path in the license section to refer to the new file, and restart the server.

Paths Section

This section specifies:

The sessions pathname for the directory that contains:

o .tmpl files that define default room parameters for groups of rooms (see below)

o .session files that define specific room parameters for select virtual rooms (see below)

The services pathname for the directory that contains optional features of the Elluminate Live! server.

The values in this section are set during the installation. Modification of this section of elive.conf is not recommended.



Network Section

This section specifies the network ports and resources that are used by the Elluminate Live! server. The optional bandwidth attribute allows you to specify an upper limit to the bandwidth that will be used by the Elluminate Live! server (specified in bits-per-second). If it is not supplied, the server will not try to limit aggregate bandwidth. The network section has various sub-sections which define the network resources used by the server:

The console sub-section defines the TCP port and master key file needed to allow remote management of the Elluminate Live! server using the Admin Console tool.

Some administration operations for the Elluminate Live! server can be handled from a remote machine through the Admin Console tool. The Elluminate Live! Admin Console connects to the Elluminate Live! server on its single Control Port number. This number must be unique from all other network services on the host machine and from all Conference port numbers (see below). The Control Port number must be in the range 1-65535. Note that for UNIX, if a port is selected in the range 1-1024, the server must be run as root.

This Control Port must pass through all firewalls between the Admin Console and the Elluminate Live! server. Since some firewalls restrict access to some ports, or only allow access to specific ports, it may be necessary modify the value of this field. Normally, however, the default Elluminate Live! Control Port number of 2188 is sufficient.

The pathname of the master key file is used by the remote access Admin Console tool to authenticate connections to the console port. The keys in the admin key file are maintained using the Admin Key Tool or Admin Key Manager. Modification of this pathname is not recommended.

Only one instance of the console sub-section is allowed.

A conference sub-section defines a port on which the Elluminate Live! server will accept connections from clients wishing to join a conference, and the protocols that can be run on that port.

Elluminate Live! must be assigned at least one TCP Conference Port number. Multiple ports can be provided with multiple instances of this sub-section. The port numbers must be unique from all other network services on the host machine, and from each other, and the console port number (see above). Conference Port numbers must be in the range 1-65535. Note that for UNIX, if a port is selected in the range 1-1024, the server must be run as root.

This Conference Port must pass through all firewalls between the client and the server. Since some firewalls restrict access to some ports, or only allow access to specific ports (for instance, port 80), it may be necessary to configure multiple ports. Normally, however, the default Elluminate Live! Conference Port number of 2187 is sufficient. Refer to the Web Links chapter for information on how to specify connections to Conference Ports.

The protocols attribute of a conference port determines whether the port allows and/or requires a secured protocol for connections received on that port. The standard protocol for normal unencrypted conferencing is called jinx, and is configured automatically during installation. The protocols only need to be changed if secure conferencing is being configured. Secure conferencing can not be configured from within the installation.



For a description of how to configure secure conferencing, see Chapter 10.

A single ssl sub-section defines the file and password for the Secure Socket Layer (ssl) encryption keys required for encrypted communication. This section is NOT created during installation and is only required if secure client connections are to be used.

For a description of how to configure secure conferencing, see Chapter 10.

Log Section


The pathname of the current Elluminate Live! log file.

The maximum size in bytes of the Elluminate Live! log file.

When the log file grows over this maximum size, it is renamed to {prefix}.1.{suffix}. For instance, the default name for this log file is elive.log. When it grows over the maximum size, this file will be renamed to elive.1.log and logging will continue in a new file called elive.log again. Previous log files have their middle number increased by one. So, for instance, if there already was a file called elive.1.log, it is renamed to elive.2.log. In this way, if the current log file is always called elive.log. The previous log file would be called elive.1.log, the next oldest would be called elive.2.log, and so on.

As there is no automatic truncation of log files and no limit to the number of log files that can be generated, care should be taken to ensure sufficient disk space. It may become necessary to delete old log files.

The log file tracking specifications. There are four options that may or may not be provided.

Including the log.load option creates a log entry for each session or template that is loaded into the Elluminate Live! server. This occurs whenever a specific room parameters or a default room parameters file (see below) is created or modified.

Including the log.launch option creates a log entry whenever a virtual room starts.

Including the log.access.grant option creates a log entry whenever any virtual room participant is granted access.

Including the log.access.deny option creates a log entry whenever any virtual room participant is refused access.

Note that the values in this Log section are set during installation. Modification of the Log section of elive.conf is not normally required.



Updating the elive.conf File

For changes to this file to be processed, the Elluminate Live! server must be restarted. In Windows, this means that the Elluminate Live! Service must be stopped and then started again. In Linux, the Elluminate Live! daemon program must be restarted with the following command: /etc/init.d/ELive5d restart.

Note that stopping or restarting the Elluminate Live! server will immediately terminate all running virtual rooms.

Default Room Parameters in .tmpl Files Default room parameters for virtual rooms are provided in XML format files that have a suffix .tmpl. The purpose of .tmpl files is to specify behaviors for virtual rooms that are automatically created when participants and moderators connect to the Elluminate Live! server. Also, by defining default classroom attributes, the .tmpl files serve to reduce the size of specific operational parameter files (called .sessionsee below) and centralize possible changes.

Each .tmpl file defines default room parameters for a group of room sessions. The name of the associated room group is defined at the top of the file in the template header and is described in more detail below. There is one special file, typically called Default.tmpl, that contains parameters for sessions that do not belong to any named group.

The .tmpl files are normally located in the sessions directory under the root installation directory. For a windows installation, this is typically C:\Program Files\ELive5\sessions. For a Linux installation, this is typically /opt/ELive5/sessions. The location of the root Elluminate Live! directory, and therefore the sessions directory, is chosen during installation and may vary between systems. In addition, it is possible to change the name and location of the sessions directory by modifying the general installation parameters in the file elive.conf. See the previous section for more details.

Please refer to Chapter 7 for information on how to specify connections to classroom sessions and to different classroom groups.

A typical .tmpl file for Windows may look like the following. Please note that the highlighted section is actually just two single lines.



participant="participant"

Participant="Participant"

participants="participants"

Participants="Participants"

group="breakout room"

Group="Breakout room"

groups="breakout rooms"

Groups="Breakout rooms"

moderator="moderator"

Moderator="Moderator"

moderators="moderators"

Moderators="Moderators"/>

startTime set {schedule.start,date,yyyy-MM-dd}

{schedule.start,time,HH:mm}

recorder path c:\sample server

config\recordings\{session.name}.{schedule.start,date,yyyy-MM-dd}.vcr

recorder options append

recorder mode remote

whiteboard preload file:///C:\Preloads\Welcome.wbd

whiteboard maxImageCache 12000000

Template Section

This header section specifies:

The name of the Elluminate Live! session group for which the settings in the file are to apply.

If groupName="NAME" is provided, all of the settings in the file will apply to session names that start with the string NAME|. Note that NAME can be any alphanumeric string. One, and only one, .tmpl file in the sessions directory may exclude the groupName setting from the Template Section. The contained settings, normally provided in a file called Default.tmpl, apply to all sessions that do not belong to a named group (i.e. Elluminate Live! sessions that do not start with a NAME| string).

The default launching action for virtual rooms.



If autoLaunch="true" is provided, then the act of connecting to a virtual room in the associated group will result in the automatic creation of that room if it is not already running. If autoLaunch="false" is provided, or this setting is omitted altogether, than no participant or moderator will be able to connect to a room in the associated group unless it had been scheduled to run and is currently active. Rooms are scheduled by creating or modifying specific room parameter files (see .session files below).

The number of minutes that an automatically launched room will stay open after the final participant leaves.

The grace="N" parameter specifies N number of minutes. If grace=5 is provided, then the automatically launched room will stay open for 5 minutes after the final participant leaves. If this setting is omitted altogether, automatically launched rooms will close 15 minutes after the final participant leaves. Note that restarting a room involves some server overhead and may result in a new recording file (see Commands section below).

Peak bandwidth limits.

It is possible to limit the peak bandwidth of each connection to a virtual room. This may be desirable if the Elluminate Live! server is hosted on a machine with limited or shared connectivity to the Internet.

Peak participant bandwidth is limited by providing the speed= construct. For example, to limit peak speed to 56 kilobits per second, the string speed=56000 would be used. Valid options are:

speed=28800

speed=33600

speed=56000

speed=100000

speed=250000

Regardless of this setting, the Elluminate Live! server will not establish a connection to a client at a peak bandwidth setting that is higher than the maximum specified by the client. The absence of the speed= modifier allows the Elluminate Live! server to communicate with each client based solely on each clients bandwidth settings.

Note that any bandwidth limitation in this template section can be overridden on a per-classroom basis through the use of additional speed= modifiers in specific operation parameter files (see below).

Properties Section


The ability for moderators to see private messages and the permission status of participants immediately after the last moderator leaves.



If supervised="true" is provided, moderators can see all private messages, and participants will lose all virtual room communication permissions when the last moderator leaves the room.

If supervised="false" is provided, moderators do not see all private messages, and participants permissions are unchanged when the last moderator leaves the room.

The starting permission status of participants joining a virtual room.

If defaultAccess="false" is provided, participants will enter virtual rooms with all of their permissions off. If defaultAccess="true" is provided, participants will enter virtual rooms with all of their permissions on.

To ensure consistent behavior, the properties section should be included in every .tmpl file. The recommended default behavior of supervised="true" and defaultAccess="false" ensures that there are no unmonitored communications in a virtual room. Moderators must always be present for participants to communicate with each other and moderators are always privy to participant interactions.

Labels Section

This section specifies the names that are used to identify the moderator and participant roles as well as the names used for sessions and breakout rooms. For instance, by changing the moderator= settings, the moderator role could be changed to teacher or tutor. All references to moderator in the virtual room would reflect the new setting.

If one of the role names is changed, all plural and capitalization forms of that role should be changed. For example, if a moderator is to be known as a teacher in the virtual room, the following four strings should be provided: teacher, Teacher, teachers, Teachers.

Authorization Section

This section specifies the default authorization mechanism that is to be used to validate participants and moderators entering a virtual room. There are two supported mechanisms:

1. User List Authentication - The user names and passwords of the participants are specified via name lists.

2. URL Authentication User names and passwords are authenticated via a servlet or cgi script that is accessible to the room server by way of a URL.

Both of these mechanisms are described in detail in Chapter 6 User Authorization.



User List Authentication

To specify user names and passwords via name lists, the following format is used:

The class= line is internal to Elluminate Live! and should appear as shown.

The accessDir string= line specifies the directory that contains the per-room user authentication lists.

The passwordFile string= line specifies the file that contains the master user authentication list.

See Chapter 6 for more information.

URL Authentication

It is possible to perform user authentication via a web server cgi script or servlet that will lookup the participants from a database, internal data store, or whatever mechanism you choose to implement. However, this does require you to write, or already possess, a script to answer Elluminate Live! server queries.

To specify user names and passwords via a servlet or cgi script, the following format is used:

The class= line is internal to Elluminate Live! and should appear as shown.

The url string= line specifies a network URL for a servlet or cgi script.


Services Section

This section is for internal Elluminate Live! use and should not be modified.



Commands Section

This section specifies commands that are to be executed by a virtual room immediately after it starts running. The format for specifying commands is command parameters. There are several commands that are useful to specify.

1. Set the start time that is displayed in the virtual room with:

startTime set string

A string value of {schedule.start,date,yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm} is used to substitute in the scheduled start time. The next section about specific operation parameters explains how to specify a schedule. If a room is auto launched, the displayed start time will be the time that the first person joined the virtual room. If this command line is omitted, no start time will be displayed in the virtual room.

2. Set the filenames (which must have a suffix of .vcr) for session recordings with:

recorder path filename

If a session is recorded, it will be written to the specified file. The use of the substitution strings ensures that each recording is given a unique and easily identifiable file name. There are three possible substitution strings that may be used in filename:

{schedule.start,date,yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm} is replaced with the scheduled start time.

{session.name} is replaced with the name of the room (for example Toms Meeting).

{schedule.length} is replaced with the scheduled length in minutes. This value will be 0 for rooms that are automatically launched.

Note that if this path is not set, recording cannot be turned on.

3. Specify the recording file append/overwrite option with:

recorder options option

There are two values that can be used for option:

append specifies that new recordings to an existing file will add to the end of the file. This makes for longer recordings but ensures that previous recordings are not overwritten. Since new recordings are created every time a room starts up, it is strongly recommended that the append option be used. Otherwise it is possible for someone to join an auto launched room and inadvertently overwrite an earlier recording.

overwrite specifies that new recordings to an existing file will overwrite the file. If no option is specified, this is the default.



4. Specify the recording default with:

recorder mode option

There are three values that can be used for option:

on specifies that sessions will be recorded. The session moderator cannot control recording.

off specifies that sessions will not be recorded. The session moderator cannot control recording.

remote Recording is turned on and off by the session moderator.

Refer to Chapter 9 for more information about session recording and playback.

5. Specify a whiteboard file to preload with:

whiteboard preload URL

If this command is provided, then the Elluminate Live! whiteboard file specified with URL will be automatically loaded into the virtual room when the room starts. This file must be a native Elluminate Live! .wbd whiteboard format file.

The value used for URL can have either the http:// format specification for a remote web based file, or the file:/// format specification for a local file on the Elluminate Live! server machine. This URL can also contain the substitution strings defined in point 2 above.

6. Specify that the whiteboard file contains protected content with:

whiteboard ProprietaryOption

There are two values that can be used for ProprietaryOption:

proprietaryOn specifies that that the whiteboard content is to be protected. Participants will not be able to print or save the whiteboard contents.

proprietaryOff specifies that that the whiteboard content is not protected. Participants are able to print and save whiteboard contents. This is the default.

This command is generally only used in concert with the whiteboard preload command (above). By using these two commands together, a room can be automatically loaded with protected content.

Note that any moderator is able to change the protected state of the whiteboard from within the virtual room.

7. Specify a memory limit for whiteboard images with:

whiteboard maxImageCache bytes

http:///



If this command is provided, then the combined amount of compressed image data that can be present on all public whiteboard screens is limited to the number of bytes specified by bytes. If a room participant attempts to load an image or presentation that will exceed this total value, the user will be presented with a dialog box warning them to delete some unused images and/or reduce the number of images in their presentation.

Setting this value can be useful for controlling the overall Elluminate Live! server memory usage on machines with a limited amount of memory. If this line is not provided, the default value is 10000000 (10 million bytes).

Updating *.tmpl Files

Changes to these template files do not require the Elluminate Live! server to be restarted. The running Elluminate Live! server checks the sessions directory for *.tmpl file changes about once a minute. If any such file has been added, deleted, or updated, the changes are processed and will take effect on all subsequently launched virtual rooms.

To ensure that any changes were processed successfully, just check the end of elive.log in the installed logs directory. Processing information will appear in this file no more than one minute after changes are saved to a *.tmpl file.

Specific Room Parameters in .session Files Specific parameters for individual virtual rooms are provided in XML format files that have a suffix of .session. Each such file contains parameters for a uniquely named virtual room. The room name is provided at the top of the file in the Session header and is described in more detail below.

These room parameter files are normally located in the sessions directory under the root installation directory. For a windows installation, this is typically C:\Program Files\ELive5\sessions. For a Linux installation, this is typically /opt/ELive5/sessions. The location of the Elluminate Live! installation directory, and therefore these files, is chosen during installation and may vary between systems. In addition, it is possible to change the name and location of the sessions subdirectory by modifying the general installation XML file elive.conf (see above) after installation.

A typical room parameter file, which may be called Math10.session, may look like the following:



from="2002-09-01"

to="2002-12-24"

start="16:30"

duration="60"

grace="10"

/>

recorder mode on

whiteboard preload file:///C:\Preloads\Math10.wbd

Note a .session file is always used in conjunction with an associated default room parameters .tmpl file. If a session is not specifically used with a named group, the .session file will instead be used in conjunction with the default .tmpl file, which is normally called Default.tmpl.

Session Header Section

This header section specifies:

The name of the Elluminate Live! session for which the settings in the file are to apply.

The conferenceName="GROUP/NAME" specification is used to uniquely identify the optional associated group and the name of the room for which the included parameters apply. Note that NAME and GROUP can be any alphanumeric string and that the name, but not the group, is displayed in the title bar of the running virtual room.

To generate a web link to this virtual room, the session name in the associated JNLP file must match the group and name provided in this heading. For example, if conferenceName="AdvancedMath|Math 10" was used to define the session, the group name in the associated .tmpl file would be AdvancedMath, and the session name in the associated JNLP file would be AdvancedMath|Math 10. See Chapter 7 Elluminate Live! Web Links for more details.



Peak bandwidth limits.

It is possible to limit the peak bandwidth of each connection to the running virtual room session. This may be desirable if the Elluminate Live! server is hosted on a machine with limited or shared connectivity to the Internet.

Peak participant bandwidth is limited by providing the speed= construct. For example, to limit peak speed to 56 kilobits per second, the string speed=56000 would be used. Valid options are:

speed=28800

speed=33600

speed=56000

speed=100000

speed=250000

Regardless of this setting, the Elluminate Live! server will not establish a connection to a client at a peak bandwidth setting that is higher than the maximum specified by the client. The absence of the speed= modifier allows the Elluminate Live! server to communicate with each client based solely on each clients bandwidth settings.

Note that any bandwidth limitation in this template section will override the use of alternate speed= modifiers in the associated .tmpl file.

Properties Section

This optional section specifies:

The ability for moderators to see private messages and the permission status of participants immediately after the last moderator leaves.

If supervised="true" is provided, moderators can see all private messages, and participants will lose all virtual room communication permissions when the last moderator leaves the room.

If supervised="false" is provided, moderators do not see all private messages, and participants permissions are unchanged when the last moderator leaves the room.

The starting permission status of participants joining a virtual room.

If defaultAccess="false" is provided, participants will enter virtual rooms with all of their permissions off. If defaultAccess="true" is provided, participants will enter virtual rooms with all of their permissions on.



The default behavior of supervised="true" and defaultAccess="false" ensures that there are no unmonitored communications in a virtual classroom. Moderators must always be present for participants to communicate with each other and moderators are always privy to participant interactions.

This section is not normally included in a .session file as the defaults in the associated .tmpl file usually provide the desired behaviors.

Schedule Section

This mandatory section specifies the scheduled times that the current room is to be automatically started. By providing multiple versions of this section, any number of scheduled times may be specified.

The format of a schedule entry is as follows:

Note that if this section is not included, the room will never start.

Authorization Section

This optional section specifies the authorization mechanism that is to be used to validate participants and moderators entering the specified virtual room. This section is only required if the desired authentication method differs from the one specified in the associated .tmpl file.

As with the default room parameters specified in .tmpl files, there are two supported mechanisms:

1. User List Authentication

2. URL Authentication

Both of these methods are described in detail in Chapter 6 User Authorization.



User List Authentication

To specify user names and passwords via name lists, the following format is used:

The class= line should appear as shown.

The accessDir string= line specifies the directory that contains the per-room user authentication lists.

The passwordFile string= line specifies the file that contains the master user authentication list.


URL Authentication

It is possible to perform user authentication via a web server cgi script or servlet that will lookup the class participants from a database, internal data store, or whatever mechanism you choose to implement. However, this does require you to write, or already possess, a script to answer Elluminate Live! server queries.

To specify user names and passwords via a servlet or cgi script, the following format is used:

The class= line should appear as shown.

The url string= line specifies a network URL for a servlet or cgi script.


Commands Section

This optional section specifies commands that are to be executed by the virtual room immediately after it starts running. These commands can either replace or be appended to the commands specified in the associated default room parameters .tmpl file.

To replace the commands of the associated .tmpl file, include the string mode="replace" after



To add to the existing commands, include the string mode="append". If the mode is not specified, mode="replace" is assumed.

Note that, in append mode, commands provided in this section will override equivalent commands provided in the .tmpl file. Any command that can appear in the default room parameters .tmpl file (documented above), can appear in this section.

This section is primarily used in append mode in conjunction with the equivalent section in the associated default room parameters .tmpl file. The session start time, recorder path, recorder file append option, and default recording action (on, off, or remote), are all normally set in the .tmpl file. This section is then used to alter the recording action for the current room with:

recorder mode option

There are three values that can be used for option:

on specifies the session will be recorded. The session moderator cannot control recording.

off specifies that session will not be recorded. The session moderator cannot control recording.

remote specifies that the recording is turned on and off by the session moderator.

Refer to Chapter 9 for more information about session recording and playback.

This section is also sometimes used to specify a whiteboard file that is to be automatically loaded into the virtual room:

whiteboard preload URL

The URL to load must be a native Elluminate Live! .wbd whiteboard format file. The value used for URL can have either the http:// format specification for a remote web based file, or the file:/// format specification for a file that is local to the Elluminate Live! server machine.

Creating, Updating, and Deleting .session Files

Changes to these files do not require the Elluminate Live! server to be restarted. The running Elluminate Live! server checks the sessions folder for new, changed, or deleted files with the .session suffix about once a minute. If a file has been added or updated, it is processed and changes will take effect on all subsequently launched virtual rooms. If a file has been deleted, previously scheduled launches of the associated room will be cancelled, and if the room is currently running, it will be immediately shut down.

To ensure that all file changes were processed successfully, just check the end of elive.log in the installed logs directory. Information and errors will appear in elive.log when .session files are processed.

http:///

Chapter 6 User Authorization



Elluminate Live! Server supports two virtual room user access control mechanisms; User List Authentication, and URL Authentication.

User List Authentication uses user lists and passwords that are stored in appropriately named and formatted files. These files are typically stored in the installed Elluminate Live! access directory.

User List Authentication is easy to set up and administer, and it only requires the creation of a small number access specification files for each virtual room. The drawback of this user authentication mechanism is in its flexibility. Only an administrator with access to the authorization files can maintain the lists of users and passwords. And every virtual room must have its access control files defined even if the room is automatically launched.

URL Authentication permits user access control via a web server cgi script or servlet that can lookup the participants from a database, internal data store, or whatever mechanism you choose to implement.

URL Authentication can be as flexible as desired and can even tap into existing password databases that are maintained by the end users. Virtual room access can be as loose or constrained as needed. The drawback of this authentication mechanism is that it requires the necessary cgi scripts to be written.

Each of these user authentication methods is described in detail below.

User List Authentication User List Authentication provides access control through a number of files that typically reside in the installed access directory. The location of the access control files is defined in the .tmpl files and in specific .session files. Refer to Chapter 5 for a description of .tmpl and .session files.

User List Authentication provides a single central file that contains the user names and their passwords -- normally called master.passwd. Additional files are defined for each virtual room that define: the rooms Moderator or Chair; optionally a universal password for the room; and optionally a user list that may or may not be used to supersede the passwords in the master.passwd file.

Each of these four files is described below and working examples of these files can be found in the examples subdirectory under the installed access directory.



The Master Password File master.passwd

This master password file is typically called master.passwd and normally resides in the installed access directory. It contains the central list of users and their passwords.

Each line in this file should contain a single user/password specification in the form: "USER NAME=PASSWORD". Spaces are permitted in both the user name and the password. Note that blank lines and lines starting with # are ignored.

An example file: # The master

vclass 4.1 installation guide - blackboard · template section ... specific room parameters in...

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