Requirements

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Web Server or Personal Computer

Test Pilot requires a web server. The server can be a dedicated machine OR it can be a personal computer running some server software. Test Pilot comes in distributions for most common web server platforms as well as distributions for use on a networked personal computer. Most commercial web servers can run or be be extended to run Test Pilot. Server software which can run Test Pilot includes, but is not limited to:

MacOS 8, 9, and X	UNIX / Linux	Windows
Star*Nine WebSTAR QuidProQuo Appleshare IP Apache Tomcat Apache for MacOS X	Apache Netscape's Enterprise Netscape's FastTrack iPlanet	Netscape's Enterprise Netscape's FastTrack Lotus Domino Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) Microsoft Personal Web Services

Java - on the web server machine alone

As Test Pilot's web server component is written in Java, the server must have a 100% Java compliant virtual machine (VM) installed upon it. Such VM's include but are not limited to:

MacOS 8, 9, and X	UNIX / Linux	Windows
Macintosh Runtime Java (MRJ) version 2.1 or better MacOS X Java 2 or better	Sun Microsystems' Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.1.8+ Sun Microsystems' Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.1.8+	Sun Microsystems' Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.1.8+ Sun Microsystems' Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.1.8+

Finally, the web server software must be able to run Java programs like Test Pilot's web server extension. Some web server software (e.g Netscape v3.6, Sun Java Web Server, Lotus Domino 4.6) support this capability out of the box. Others (e.g. Apple and Microsoft web servers) require third party software, called a servlet runner, to connect the web server software with the Java VM. You'll need to consult your web server's documentation to see if it supports Java servlets natively or with the assistance of a plug-in. Common servlet runners include:

MacOS 8, 9, and X	UNIX / Linux	Windows
Apache Tomcat	NewAtlanta ServletExec Macromedia/Allaire JRun Apache Tomcat	NewAtlanta ServletExec Macromedia/Allaire JRun Apache Tomcat

Hardware Requirements

Memory Usage

Test Pilot typically consumes no more than an additional 64 megabytes of main memory on your web server. This includes the memory consumed by the Java VM. At today's prices, 64 megabytes of memory represents an investment of $80.

Disk Usage

Test Pilot tests consume roughly 2K of disk space per question; thus a 50 question test should consume 100K of disk space. User responses typically consume 2K per question answered; thus the data from 50 students responding to a 50 question test could consume 10 megabytes of disk space. Thus, to host 100 such tests a gigabyte of disk space is required. At today's prices such space represents an investment of $10.

This resource consumption usually represents such a small impact to most web servers that there is no need to purchase additional hardware in order to support Test Pilot.

Performance Issues

The performance of Test Pilot is dependent on a variety of factors. Some of these include:

• the server's processor speed
• the server's disk i/o speed
• the efficiency of the server's operating system
• the efficiency of the server's operating system's Java VM
• the efficiency of the server's web server software
• the server/user connection speed
• the number of other tasks the web server is performing
• the number of users simultaneously accessing the web server
• the number of users simultaneously accessing Test Pilot assessments

Test Pilot's web server extension performs its job as transactions. A typical assessment session consists of two transactions: the request for an assessment and the submission of responses to the assessment. Performance on web servers is impacted most by multiple simultaneous transactions. You will have to estimate the usage in your environment and make sure that sufficient server horsepower is available to handle the task.

Typical installations include, but are not limited to:

Scale	MacOS 8, 9, and X	UNIX / Linux	Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2K, XP
small	300 MHz PowerPC G3 128 MB main memory 9 GB hard disk 10 Mb Ethernet	500 MHz processor 128 MB main memory 9 GB hard disk 10Mb Ethernet	500 MHz Pentium III 128 MB main memory 9 GB hard disk 10 Mb Ethernet
medium	500 MHz PowerPC G4 512 MB main memory 18 GB hard disk 10/100 Mb Ethernet	700 MHz processor 512 MB main memory 18 GB hard disk 10/100 Mb Ethernet	700 MHz Pentium III 512 MB main memory 18 GB hard disk 10/100 Mb Ethernet
large	MacOS X ONLY 733 MHz PowerPC G4 1 GB main memory 36 GB hard disk 100 Mb Ethernet	Dual 800+ MHz processor 1 GB main memory 36 GB hard disk 100 Mb Ethernet	Dual 800+ MHz Pentium III 128 MB main memory 36 GB hard disk 100 Mb Ethernet

We have included some information on how Test Pilot is typically installed on a number of platforms. Remember that since Test Pilot's web server extension is platform independent, it is also very scalable. That is, you can start out serving hundreds of users with a relatively inexpensive, easy-to-manage MacOS server and if your needs grow, you can move up to serving thousands of users with a powerful UNIX server. It is capabilities like this that makes Java software in general, and Test Pilot in particular, so very attractive to the computing industry today.

Web Server Installation Information

• Servers and personal computers running Apple Computer's MacOS 8 and 9
  
  
• Servers and personal computers running Microsoft's Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2K/XP
  
  
• Servers and personal computers running MacOS X, UNIX and Linux