Installing ReportWriter on Multiple Computers

Purpose of this Document

ReportWriter is a network-based, data-driven application, and the data is being updated daily. For this reason, the installer of ReportWriter contains no data, and ReportWriter must periodically synchronize ("do a synch") in order to get current state standards, reports, curricula, and student records. This synch can happen anytime at the user's discretion, but must be performed at least once per month.

As there are thousands of curricula within the ReportWriter network, the first time you perform a synch, there is a large amount of information that needs to be downloaded and installed.

While this represents an annoyance when setting up a single workstation, it can make installing ReportWriter on a large number of computers difficult.

This document is intended to make it much faster to install ReportWriter on multiple computers at once. (EG: more than three)

Overview

The basic idea is:

1. Configure your network to allow a synch.
2. Make sure that you have received login credentials.
3. Download the courses and put them onto CDs.
4. Instruct ReportWriter to download courses from the CD so it does not have to download the courses from the server over the Internet.

Execution

1. Configure your network to allow a synch.

   Make sure that the network firewalls and traffic filters allow the following rule:

    
   Outbound TCP connections from arbitrary ports,
   to destination port 33 on host 'synch.schoolpathways.com' 
   

   Where possible, use the DNS name rather than the IP address so that when network changes are made, your firewall rules do not have to be re-written.

2. Make sure that you have received login credentials.

   Credentials consist of:

   1. Login
   2. Password
   3. School/Scope.

   All of these are case-sensitive.

3. Download the courses and put them onto CDs.

   From our downloads page you can click on the Installation CD link. When clicked on, this link will verify its currency, update itself as needed, and then forward you to an iso (CD) image file.

   Once you have downloaded the iso (CD) image file, use CD burning software to make several install CDs. (We recommend making at least 3)

   Windows: If you do not have software (such as Nero) you can use the free ISO Recorder for this task. Make sure that you get the version that is applicable for your particular flavor of Windows.

   Macintosh: If you do not know how to burn a CD, instructions for this can be found here.

4. Instruct ReportWriter to download courses from the CDs

   Windows

   Macintosh

   1. Run the installer for ReportWriter found on the CD. Macintosh: Note the additional software requirements and instructions. A ReportWriter icon will then be placed on your desktop.
   2. Run the program. It will first ask you for the school name. Click "Add", enter the school name (as has been provided to you) in the appropriate box, then press "Save" and then "Done".
   3. A Login Screen will appear. Enter the login/password as provided to you. For the purposes of loading in the courses, you can use the same login/password for multiple machines. The end user, however, will still have to do a synch so that their login/password will be recognized, it just won't have to download all the courses.
   4. You'll be prompted with a synchronize prompt. Check the "Use Courses CD" button at the bottom of the synch (see picture at right) and then press "Do the synch".
   5. ReportWriter will go through the process of doing a synch, and where possible, will use courses from the CD rather than download from the server.

   This will reduce network load, and dramatically reduce the time spent on the first synch of ReportWriter.