Technical Requirements for
IBM Anywhere Proctored Events
This document describes the minimum technical requirements for Internet Based Testing
(IBT) in the Anywhere Proctored mode. It is designed around large scale event testing.
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All computers that will be used to deliver exams must run a connection test prior
to testing. Please Click Here to run a connection test. This test ensures your
computer is configured correctly to run an exam.
Delivering an exam in a virtual environment of any form is strictly
prohibited.
Microsoft announced support for Windows XP ends April 8, 2014.
After April 8, 2014, Pearson VUE will only provide support on a ‘best effort’
basis through the end of 2014.
All Exam Deliveries must be on Windows 7 no later than
December 31, 2014.
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System Requirements
Effective February 1, 2014, the following pages list the minimum system requirements
for delivering exams in the Anywhere Proctored mode. Pearson strongly recommends
using equipment that meets or exceeds the Recommended Specifications.
The minimum requirements will change periodically based on the needs of our exam
sponsors.
Software licenses
Exam Delivery machines are required to have appropriate software licenses for
the installed operating system and or any software that may be involved in exam delivery.
External mouse for laptops
Some candidates are not comfortable using a touchpad mouse; this could negatively affect
the results of their exam. Therefore, an external mouse is strongly encouraged
for exam deliveries on laptops.
Network Configuration
Pearson strongly recommends that any computer being used for exam delivery meets
the following network configurations.
LAN
The following LAN settings are known to cause disruption to testing individually
and in combination. Adhering to these configuration changes will drastically reduce
the chances of exam delivery disruption during event testing.
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Ensure DHCP is set to lease IP Addresses for a minimum of 2 days.
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Ensure all scheduled Anti-Virus scanning is disabled during exam delivery.
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Some on-demand or active scans can cause performance issues.
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All Delivery machines should be on a single dedicated VLAN.
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Ensure all other critical Networking services are in order: DNS, TCP\IP, etc.
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WAN / Internet Connection
1. Do not use IP pool for NAT, use single Public IP only.
2. For IBT exams, a base connection speed of 256kbps up / 128kbps down
is required. An additional 30kbps down and 15kbps up are required for each
simultaneous exam delivery beyond the first.
3. Port 80 (HTTP) and Port 443 (HTTPS) must have sustained continuous
connections. The traffic on these ports should be completely unfettered.
4. Ensure that WAN / Internet traffic are not subject to limits or allocation caps,
such as a Cellular Wireless Hotspot or network enforced bandwidth limitations.
5. The following settings can be very resource intensive if not turned off,
as it decrypts and encrypts every packet. These settings are usually turned on
by default with most firewalls, so it is important to check before testing.
a.
Ensure that HTTPS Inspection is turned OFF.
b.
Ensure that any form of Web Filtering is turned OFF.
6. The following IP Addresses must be set as approved / unblocked / or given
the highest priority. NOTE - The last 3 are IP Ranges, but if your system does not
accept '0/24', then please try using just '0' at the end.
a.
64.27.100.27
b.
64.27.64.232
c.
206.188.17.0/24
d.
64.106.193.0/24
e.
159.182.111.0/24
7. The following URL’s may require unrestricted communication.
a.
http://*.pearson.com & https://*.pearson.com
b.
http://*.pearsonvue.com & https://*.pearsonvue.com
c.
http://*.starttest.com & https://*.starttest.com
d.
http://*.starttest2.com & https://*.starttest2.com
e.
http://*.programworkshop.com & https://*.programworkshop.com
8. NOTE - Sometimes it works better on certain systems if you add them
in one of these fashions: (1) http://starttest.com (2) http://starttest2.com
(3) *.starttest.com* (4) *.starttest2.com*(5) *.programworkshop.com*
9. For exam traffic traversing WAN segments, use VPN connection or tunneling
across the Internet. Pearson has realized performance enhancements of exam
traffic by setting IP MTU to 1400 bytes, and TCP Max Segment Size 1360 bytes.
This is not a requirement, but does have the effect of limiting packet
fragmentation and potential reassembly issues in transmission.
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Anywhere Proctored Exam Delivery Machine
Minimum Required
Recommended Specifications
Windows XP SP3 (32-bit only)
Operating System
Processor
RAM
Graphics Adapter
Display
Internet
Connection
Supported
Internet Browsers
Windows 7 Pro (64-Bit)
Windows 7 (32-bit & 64-bit)
Note: Windows Operating Systems be able to must pass Genuine Windows
Validation.
Intel multicore CPU (x86) or (x64) or
Intel: Core 2 Duo series or newer
AMD multicore CPU (x86) or (x64)
AMD: Athlon X2 series or newer
2GB of RAM
4GB of RAM or more
DirectX 9c compatible graphics
adapter
DirectX 10 or newer compatible
graphics adapter
128MB of Video RAM.
256MB dedicated Video RAM or
more.
Minimum Resolution: 1024 x 768 in
16-bit color.
Recommended Resolution:
1280 x 800 or higher in 32-bit
color.
Broadband (DSL, cable or LAN/WAN).
256kbps down / 128kbps up
Broadband (DSL, Cable or
LAN/WAN). 1-Mbps down/up or
better.
Note: For each simultaneous exam delivery beyond the first an additional
30kbps down / 15kbps up is required
Internet Explorer 8, 9, or 10
Note: Internet Explorer 11 may have problems launching exams
Browser Settings
Internet Cookies must be enabled
Any Pop-Up blocking setting(s) must be disabled
Additional
Software
Some third part browser add-ons may need to be disabled
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Prohibited
Exam Delivery must adhere to the following restrictions
Portable
Computing
devices
Tablets and Smartphones are strictly prohibited.
Processor
Devices running Ultra Mobile Processors are strictly prohibited. This includes,
but is not limited to Intel Atom, AMD NEO CPU lines, and ARM CPUs.
RAM
Less than 2 GB of RAM
Operating
System
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Graphics
Adapter
Any Graphics Adapter that does not support DirectX 9c or newer.
Display
Dual monitors are strictly prohibited.
(E.g., Android, Blackberry, iOS, Windows 8 Phones)
Netbooks and Chromebooks are strictly prohibited.
Windows XP 64-bit is not supported
Windows Vista (64-bit) is not supported
Windows 8 (ALL) is not supported at this time
Windows Server OS is not supported as an exam delivery OS
Virtual environments are strictly prohibited for exam delivery
Mac OSX is strictly prohibited
Mac hardware running Windows is not supported
All Linux/Unix Operating Systems are strictly prohibited
Any Graphics Adapter that has less than 128MB of Video RAM.
Touch Screen monitors are not supported.
Display resolution less than 1024 x 768 in 16-bit color is strictly prohibited.
Network
Connection
Pearson Strongly Recommends avoiding networks configurations that involve
Proxy Servers, Advanced Firewall Security Configurations and other network
security measures such as but not limited to Packet Filtering or Packet
Inspection.
Internet
Connection
VPN connections are strongly discouraged and will result in disruption to exam
delivery.
SSL VPNs are strictly prohibited (e.g., Hotspot Shield).
Dial-Up Internet Connections are not supported.
Internet
Browser
Browsers not found on the list of Supported Internet Browsers in this document
cannot be used for exam delivery.
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