LOAD SIMULATION PROCESS TRAINING

MARCH 8, 2013

Washington Online Testing

Office ofSuperintendent of Public Instruction

Introductions

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Data Recognition Corporation (DRC)

Vendor for the Measurements of Students Progress (MSP), High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) and End-of-Course Exams (EOC)

Online testing vendor for MSPDRC INSIGHT Team

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Agenda3

New Version of the Test Engine – 2013.3.4.1526Brief Review of Technical BasicsBrief Review of LCS Installation & Set-upBrief Review of the Bandwidth CalculatorBackground on the Load Simulation ToolSetting Up the Load Simulation ProcessRunning the Load Simulation ProcessLoad Simulation ResultsNext Steps

New Version of Test Engine4

Version Number: 2013.3.4.1526 If you have never installed the LCS and the INSIGHT test engine on

your machines: Install the LCS from eDIRECT, see the Technology User Guide for detailed information During installation of the INSIGHT client software enter the LCS Server Name and

Port Number when prompted during the installation wizard.  See the Technology User Guide for detailed information

If you installed the INSIGHT test engine with automatic updates enabled and the LCS on your machines since January 14: On each client computer upon which INSIGHT is installed, launch the software and

you will be prompted to update to the latest version On the LCS machine, install the LCS from eDIRECT (there is no need to uninstall the

previous version).  See the Technology User Guide for detailed installation information If you installed the INSIGHT test engine with automatic updates

disabled and the LCS on your machines since January 14: On each client machine install the INSIGHT test engine from eDIRECT, see the

Technology User Guide for detailed information On the LCS machine, install the LCS from eDIRECT (there is no need to uninstall the

previous version).  See the Technology User Guide for detailed installation information

DRC Insight Technology User Guide5

What does the Technology User Guide include: Installation Instructions: Test Engine, LCS, Online Tools Training,

and Tutorials System Readiness Guidance Troubleshooting tips FAQ

Where to find the Technology User Guide: OSPI website eDIRECT under Documents

Network Requirements6

Network Connectivity All workstations used for student testing should have access to

the Internet and should be able to access the servers using HTTP/HTTPS protocols on ports 80 and 443

Firewalls at the local workstation and the network level should allow Java connectivity on ports 80 and 443

All the URL’s corresponding to the testing servers should be whitelisted on content filtering or other proxy software used locally

https://wa-insight.drcedirect.com http://wa-insight-client.drcedirect.com

Monitoring Software - Prohibited7

If your testing location uses remote desktop monitoring software to monitor the computers that will be used for testing, you should disable the monitoring software on these computers during test times to guarantee adequate security. The particular steps you need to take vary, depending on the monitoring software you are using and the operating system of the testing computer (for related information, see “Operating Systems, Hardware Devices, and Virtual Desktops”)

Note: If it is not feasible to disable your monitoring software, you must ensure that any staff members that can use the monitoring software refrain from using it during testing periods

Software Downloads8

Software downloads Test Engine and Online Tools Training Tutorials

Are all available within the eDIRECT System Test Setup/General Information

LCS Overview9

Local Caching Service (LCS) – The LCS has three roles: Reduces bandwidth by caching the test content Provides the ability to save responses if the internet connection

between the testing site and DRC is temporarily lost Contains the Load Simulation Tool for required System

Readiness testing (new in 2013)

LCS Installation – General10

Same system requirements as the test engine with two exceptions: requires 1 GB of available hard disk space or greater needed to cache the test content, and 1 GB of RAM or greater to run the Load Simulation Tool

Runs on a computer within the local network Installed using an installation wizard; requires administrative

rights Populated with test content using the LCS Manager;

test content updates are automatically downloaded Student workstations must be connected to LCS or Internet;

otherwise test will terminate LCS highly recommended for caching whenever possible LCS mandatory for the Load Simulation Tool Reference the Technology User Guide for further installation

details

LCS – Changing the Port Number11

Windows, Mac and Linux After the LCS is installed, if this port is already being used or

conflicts with firewall settings, you can change the value by reinstalling the LCS or by updating the following file: <installation dir>/apache-tomcat-5.5.29/conf/server.xml

Before you change the port number you must stop the LCS. After you have changed the number, you must restart the LCS

LCS Manager – General12

Use the LCS Manager software to manage your LCS. The LCS Manager software helps you keep your test forms current and transmit responses for scoring

To start the LCS manager, select Start–All Programs–WA Online Assessments LCS–WA Online Assessments LCS Manager

Bandwidth Calculator13

Estimates the time it will take students to download tests and upload test results to help sites plan their testing based on a number of factors, including the time of day, the current network traffic, and the number of students testing

Uses sample data transferred from the LCS in its calculation of the time it takes for data to go to DRC (#1 in the figure) to estimate the upload speed of a testing computer to DRC (#2 in the figure)

Bandwidth Calculator14

The site can enter a different value if they have a more realistic number based on knowledge of their environment

The site enters the number of students who will download or upload tests on the school or district network at roughly the same time (concurrently). All students do not start and finish a test at the same time, so this number indicates a worst-case scenario

Background on the Load Simulation Tool15

The purpose of the rest of this presentation is to outline the steps necessary to run the Load Simulation Tool

This new tool will trace the entire route of the student data from the student workstation to the DRC servers

This simulation is required as part of the System Readiness Checklist

The simulation does require the new version of the Local Caching Service (LCS) (the client software available on March 6, 2013)

The simulation is activated via the LCS

Setting Up the Load Simulation Process

The Load Simulation Process requires an updated version of the LCS and the student workstation software have been installed

First, you select the Enable Load Simulation option of the System Readiness Check to put each workstation in simulation mode. Then, you use the LCS Manager to run the simulation

The Load Simulation Process will use 1 GB of memory on the machine running the LCS

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Setting Up the Load Simulation Process

To confirm that the LCS is running, pull up the LCS Manager page. If it comes up, the LCS Tomcat service is running

Note the LCS and Simulation Server Name and the LCS and Simulation Port Number. That information will be needed to set up the simulation settings on the student workstations

When the LCS Manager is launched the first time with the updated release, a window will pop up and prompt you to select your district from a list. Select your district and ensure it is correct before you click OK. The simulation results are tied to the district name that is selected in this step

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Setting Up the Load Simulation Process 18

At each workstation to be included in the load simulation process, launch the System Readiness Check

Within the System Readiness Check, select Settings–DRC INSIGHT Properties

Setting Up the Load Simulation Process19

If the workstation is configured to the LCS the LCS and Simulation Server Name and the LCS and Simulation Port Number fields will be populated. If not, you will need to manually populate

The Enable Local Caching Service checkbox indicates whether the simulation downloads the test content from the LCS or DRC

Setting Up the Load Simulation Process 20

The Unique Machine Name will be automatically populated; however you can update it to any value you choose to make the workstation more identifiable in the simulation. This name is what will appear with the results

Checking the Enable Load Simulation box will put the workstation in simulation mode

Complete these steps for each of the student workstations to be included in the simulation

These steps will need to be completed for each simulation

Running the Load Simulation Process21

Launch the LCS Manager and select the Simulation tab and then the Simulate Tests tab. This tab displays the number and name of each workstation included in the simulation and the Status displays as Ready

Review this list to ensure that all workstations intended to be included in the simulation are listed under Details

Running the Load Simulation Process22

Select the Run Simulation button to start the simulation The status will change to In Progress and the Run

Simulation button changes to Stop Simulation

If the simulation is stopped prematurely, no results will be presented and each workstation will need to be set up again

Running the Load Simulation Process23

Each of the student workstations will display a simulation completion message

Select OK Now you have the ability to close the System Readiness

Check application as the simulation is complete If you want to run another simulation, repeat the process

Load Simulation Results24

Once the simulation is complete, the results will be displayed in the Simulate Tests tab and the status changes to Complete

The simulation will time-out after 10 minutes Note that these results will vary based on the number of student

workstations included in the simulation and network configuration in your district

Load Simulation Results25

Evaluate results Look at the average load

and submit times Look at the load and submit

times for each computer to identify any outliers

Troubleshooting results Does the computer have

enough memory? Is the network connection

working as expected? How is the computer set up

the same or different than successful computers?

Load Simulation Results26

In the Historical Data tab, you can view the results of one or more simulations that you select

The results are sorted by Maximum Duration and Simulation ID. You can click on the column heading to re-sort the data

MSP Technology Readiness Checklist27

Action Required by Friday, April 12

Helps prepare for a successful online testing experience

Next Steps

Review the updated version of the DRC INSIGHT Technology User Guide

If you have questions, contact DRC’s customer service team

waonlinetesting@datarecognitioncorp.com 1-866-890-9480

OSPI Assessment Hotline Mailbox online.assessment@k12.wa.us

This presentation along with a FAQ document will be available: Washington Testing website, under the Online Testing Webinars

http://www.k12.wa.us/TestAdministration/Trainings/default.aspx WA eDIRECT site, under Documents https://wa.drcedirect.com

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