Office of
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Washington Online Testing
LOAD SIMULATION
PROCESS TRAINING
MARCH 8, 2013
Introductions
2
 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 MSP
 DRC INSIGHT Team
Agenda
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 New Version of the Test Engine – 2013.3.4.1526
 Brief Review of Technical Basics
 Brief Review of LCS Installation & Set-up
 Brief Review of the Bandwidth Calculator
 Background on the Load Simulation Tool
 Setting Up the Load Simulation Process
 Running the Load Simulation Process
 Load Simulation Results
 Next Steps
New Version of Test Engine
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 Version Number: 2013.3.4.1526
 If you have never installed the LCS and the INSIGHT test engine on your
machines:
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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:
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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 Guide
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 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 Requirements
6
 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 - Prohibited
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 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 Downloads
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 Software downloads
 Test Engine and Online Tools Training
 Tutorials
 Are all available within the eDIRECT System
 Test Setup/General Information
LCS Overview
9
 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 – General
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 Same system requirements as the test engine with two exceptions:
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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 Number
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 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-tomcat5.5.29/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 – General
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 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 Calculator
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 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 Calculator
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 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 Tool
15
 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
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 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
Setting Up the Load Simulation Process
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 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
Setting Up the Load Simulation Process
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 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 Process
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 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
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 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 Process
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 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 Process
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 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 Process
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 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 Results
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 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 Results
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 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 Results
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 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 Checklist
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 Action Required by Friday,
April 12
 Helps prepare for a successful
online testing experience
Next Steps
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 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