MacOS Web Server Installation

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Test Pilot

Test Pilot
Classic Manual

MacOS 8& 9
Server Installation

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Java

Installation of Test Pilot's web server component under MacOS requires that the server first have an Apple MRJ Java Virtual Machine installed. MRJ version 2.2 or better running under MacOS 8.x or 9.x on a PowerPC Macintosh are minimal requirements. MRJ is available free from Apple at:

http://www.apple.com/java/

Java Servlet Runner

Once MRJ is installed on the MacOS server, the web service software must support running Java programs under the server's control. The software for performing this task is called a Java servlet runner. This is typically implemented using a third party plug-in for the web service software. WebSTAR for MacOS version 3+ has such a plug-in included but many of our users have experienced problems in getting their particular choice of servlet runner properly configured.

We recommend the use of New Atlanta Communications' ServletExec for MacOS servers as our preferred Java servlet runner. It is quite easy to install and the company's technical support is first rate. We typically include a trial version of ServletExec in our distribution. This version can be simply upgraded to the full version with the purchase of a serial number. We offer a discount for ServletExec when it is purchased along with Test Pilot.

ServletExec for MacOS (1252K download) works well with the following popular MacOS Web Servers:

WebSTAR
Quid Pro Quo
AppleShare IP

We recommend that you carefully read and follow the installation procedures as outlined in ServletExec's manual. In order to view the ServletExec User Guide you'll need a copy of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

To verify that you have installed the servlet runner properly, attempt to access one of the bundled servlets that are typically included. ServletExec includes a servlet called DateServlet. Access the following URL replacing server.edu with your server's name:

http://server.edu/servlet/DateServlet/

You should receive a web page with the current date and time on it.

The Distribution

Once you have successfully installed MRJ and the Java servlet runner, a Servlets folder will have been typically created for you. It is in this folder where Java servlets such as Test Pilot's web server component are installed. To install Test Pilot, copy the TestPilot3.jar file from the distribution files into the Servlets folder.

To verify that you have it installed properly, access the following URL replacing server.edu with your server's name:

http://server.edu/servlet/TestPilot3/

You should receive a Test Pilot login screen.

Configuring the Servlet

Java servlet runners have a number of options that allow you to specify configuration information.

Init Parameters

Configuring ServletExec with parameters is accomplished as follows. If you are using another Java servlet runner, consult their manual to see how they accomplish these steps.

Access ServletExec's administrative options with the following URL replacing SERVER with your server's name:

http://SERVER/servlet/admin/
Click on the Configure link.
Enter a configuration as shown below. Please note that CASE matters; upper and lower case characters should be entered exactly as shown.

Initialization Argument Setting Information:

serial = your Test Pilot serial number; entering the correct serial number here unlocks your copy of Test Pilot and prevents it from deactivating automatically after a period of time or number of requests.
admin = PASSWORD; enter a password in this space to be used when creating new Test Pilot documents. Without this password, it will not be possible to create an assessment with an admin directive URL. Remember the password is case sensitive. Also, it is NOT a good idea for this to be the same as the web server's administration password.

The following arguments are optional and need not be specified if the default values are acceptable.
tz = timezone; You may override your computers default timezone by entering a valid abbreviation in this parameter. To get a list of valid timezone abbreviations, access the following URL substituting your server name in the appropriate spot:
cache = number; Test Pilot caches assessments in memory to speed response time. The default size is 30 assessments. If you are operating in a high volume environment you may want to increase this value. However, be sure your server has the memory to support the added consumption.
smtp = SERVER; Test Pilot has some built-in e-mailing facilities for e-mailing scores to participants. It need to know what Internet SMTP mail server to use when sending messages. Please note that the selected server must permit the server running Test Pilot to post e-mail messages. Some e-mail systems may not permit a web server to send SMTP mail, thus this feature may not work for all installations. With no entry, e-mailing is disabled.
indexing = [on]; This should be set to on if you wish Test Pilot to be able to create and maintain indexes of assessments. This permits authors to be able to create and delete their own assessments at will without needing the administrator password or assistance from an administrator. Only authors with indices created by an administrator are given this capability when this flag is turned on.
iphide = [on,off]; This causes Test Pilot to hide the computer IP addresses of submissions in reports. This parameter is provided to optionally hide those addresses to address the security concerns of institutions wishing to keep this information private. IP addresses are shown by default.
secure = [true.false]; When set to true, Test Pilot will only respond to secure http requests. Test Pilot responds to both secure and non-secure requests by default.
lang = [fr]; This should be set to fr if you wish Test Pilot to use French in labels and messages presented to participants.

Servlet Aliases

To ensure that your server will direct URL's accessing Test Pilot documents to the Test Pilot servlet, you must create servlet aliases for the extensions used by Test Pilot. That is, if a user accesses a file ending in .tp3, you want the Test Pilot servlet to handle that request. To have the server do so, you need to specify that all requests for files ending in .tp3 should be handled by Test Pilot. An important side effect of using aliases is to secure the files from prying eyes. Any attempt to access the files will be handed off to Test Pilot which protects the files according to your security selections.

Create servlet aliases with ServletExec as follows. If you are using another Java servlet runner, consult their manual to see how they accomplish these steps.

Access ServletExec's administrative options with the following URL replacing SERVER with your server's name:

http://SERVER/servlet/admin/
Click on the Aliases link.
Enter an alias for files ending in .tp3 and .tpj as shown below. Please note that CASE matters; upper and lower case characters should be entered exactly as shown below (also shown are entries for Test Pilot version 1 and version 2 which may coexist with version 3):

Aliases must be created for ALL permutations of character case. As the .tp3 and .tpj aliases are defined above, aliases must be created for the following extensions:

.tp3		.tP3		.Tp3		.TP3
.tpj	.tpJ	.tPj	.tPJ	.Tpj	.TpJ	.TPj	.TPJ

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