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LabSim Accelerator

Instructions for Installing and Configuring the LabSim Accelerator

LabSim Accelerator is a new solution developed by TestOut to improve the speed of accessing LabSim course content. Instead of constantly sending data over the Internet while LabSim is in use, LabSim Accelerator stores course content locally and only retrieves it over the Internet when needed. Using LabSim Accelerator, your class will run more quickly and have less connection slowdowns.

How LabSim Accelerator Works

  • With LabSim Accelerator, LabSim only communicates account and score information over the Internet and retrieves course materials from inside the school network.
  • LabSim Accelerator is aware of all course materials available to your school and constantly checks for new and updated materials. Course content is patched and updated automatically without any work on your part.
  • LabSim Accelerator can be configured to load all or only a subset of LabSim courses for which your students have licenses. Multiple LabSim Accelerators can be used at a single location to prepare specific course content ahead of time.
  • LabSim Accelerator supports all types of LabSim clients, including Windows and browser-based clients (Windows or Mac-based browsers).

System Requirements

  • Windows Operating System: Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008
  • Minimum Free Hard Drive Space: 8GB per course to be downloaded 
  • Minimum RAM: Recommended 2GB–4GB or more 
  • LabSim client, version 2.9.87 or newer (go to Downloads to download the latest client version)

Installation of LabSim Accelerator

  1. Click here to download the LabSim Accelerator installation program.

    Note: LabSim Accelerator is a server product and should not be installed on students’ individual machines. Academic institutions will typically need only one or two LabSim Accelerator installations.

  2. Click Save file and select a location to save the file. Click Save.

  3. Open LabSimAccelerator.exe, and click Run. Click Continue if prompted. The LabSim Accelerator Setup Wizard will automatically open.

  4. Click Next and select a folder on your local system where LabSim Accelerator will be installed. Then click Next.

  5. Click Install to begin the installation of LabSim Accelerator.

  6. Click Finish.

  7. Launch LabSim Accelerator, and log in with your existing LabSim administrator login and password.

    Note: You do not need to use the same account every time you configure LabSim Accelerator if you have more than one administrator at your location.

Figure 1:
LabSim Accelerator Login Screen

Using LabSim Accelerator

Once you’ve logged in to LabSim Accelerator with your LabSim login and password, you can begin synchronizing the LabSim course content for which your students have licenses.

Click Start Accelerator. LabSim Accelerator will immediately begin synchronizing the content for the courses you have selected.

Figure 2:
LabSim Accelerator

LabSim Accelerator Interface

The LabSim Accelerator interface includes options for configuring settings. The first time you log in, default settings are in place. You may leave the default settings or make changes. If you make changes, click Apply Configuration Changes to save the changes. You may change them again at any time.

Supported Clients. LabSim Accelerator supports the LabSim for Windows client, version 3.1.57, and the browser based LabSim 4.0 client.

Accelerator Content Store. The Accelerator Content Store is the location on your computer to which LabSim course content is downloaded.

Accelerator File Share. LabSim Accelerator distributes content using two methods: a Windows File Share and an internal Web Server. Provide a name of your choice for the File Share. The default name shown is Accelerator.

Accelerator Web Server Port. LabSim Accelerator uses port 48621 by default to allow you to run another Web server on the same machine as LabSim Accelerator. After LabSim Accelerator has been installed and configured, it will register itself with TestOut’s online training system to allow LabSim clients to access it.

LabSim Courses. Select All or Specific Courses.

  • If you select All, the content for all LabSim courses for which your students have licenses will synchronize.
  • If you select Specific Courses, you may choose from the list of LabSim courses for which your students have licenses. Only the content from the courses you select with a checkmark will synchronize.

Note: Only courses marked with a checkmark will be available to LabSim clients via LabSim Accelerator. If a course was previously checked and the content downloaded, and then the checkmark is removed, the content will no longer be available.

When you have finished configuring LabSim Accelerator, you may close the configuration tool. LabSim Accelerator will continue to run in the background.

Understanding LabSim Accelerator Synchronization

LabSim Accelerator may take up to several hours to download a single course. LabSim clients will continue to pull course content directly from the Internet until the course has been completely downloaded.

Note: While course materials are downloading to LabSim Accelerator, you may see some system slowdown on the LabSim Accelerator machine. This is due to heavy file writes on the local hard drive. You can check the download progress and status of LabSim Accelerator by re-launching the LabSim Accelerator configuration tool.

You will know when students’ machines are receiving content from LabSim Accelerator by the Content Source: Network Accelerator indicator at the bottom left corner of the LabSim client interface while a course is in use.

LabSim Accelerator and Windows Network Service

LabSim Accelerator uses a NETWORK SERVICE local Windows account to download course materials. This account does not have administrative privileges and may not have access to the Internet if your proxy server requires authentication. Please make sure that the directory you have chosen for course content downloads allows read/write access by the NETWORK SERVICE account. For proxy authentication, you may need to use the Internet Connection Settings link in the LabSim Accelerator interface to provide proxy server credentials.

Note: The Use current Windows account username and password setting will probably not work because the current Windows account for the service is NETWORK SERVICE.

System Security Settings

Network and file system security should be prepared so that LabSim clients can retrieve course materials through LabSim Accelerator. Security considerations include:

  • File and folder permissions for the root folder of the Accelerator’s download folder
  • Firewall exceptions to allow communication over the chosen Web server port.

The Windows share used by LabSim Accelerator will be created and released automatically by LabSim Accelerator as needed. Any security settings should be applied directly to the file system directories and files rather than to the share.

Support: http://www.testout.com/images/backgrounds/support358315BB212FBD6536B64213.jpg?sfvrsn=3