TCExam :: Installation

Index

Framework

TCExam is composed by three main parts:
The database and the TCExam system files can be located in one or more internet/intranet servers, and the users can access the system with a normal web browser via the internet/intranet connection.


File System

For of a more secure and rational structure, the TCExam program files are located in three different areas:

admin

includes the administration area of the system.
Only the administrators can access this area.

folderdescription
codecontains the program files of the administration area
configcontains the configuration files of the administration area
doccontains the documentation and the licences
logcontains the log files of the administration area
stylescontains the CSS style sheets for the administration area

shared

Contains the resources shared between the administration system (admin) and the public site (public).

folder description
barcodecontains a third-part application to generate bar codes
codecontains the shared program files (main functions of TCExam)
configcontains the general configuration files
jscriptscontains shared javascript programs
pdfcontains a third-part library to generate PDF documents
phpmailercontains a third-part library for sending emails

public

Contains the resources accessible by the basic users.

folderdescription
codecontains the program files of the public area
config contains the configuration files of the public area
logcontains the log files of the public area
stylescontains the CSS style sheets of the public area

other folders

folder description
cachecontains the temporary files and the images transferred by the upload module
fontscontains the PDF fonts
imagescontains the images used by the system
installcontains the installation files of TCExam. For security reasons it is advisable to delete this folder after the installation.


Notes

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Minimum Requirements

Before installing TCExam it is advisable to check the the system minimum requirements: For help with the installation and configuration of the web server and the required libraries please refer to the specific manuals.

The clients need to be equipped with a common web browser with XHTML 1.0 and JavaScript 1.2 support.

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Operating system configuration

For the correct use of TCExam, PHP has to be configured to support the systems and libraries indicated above; Some parameters of PHP must also be set like this:

on php.ini
or in the Apache module (/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf):
<IfModule mod_php5.c>
	php_value arg_separator.output "&amp;"
	php_value magic_quotes_gpc On
	php_value magic_quotes_runtime Off
	php_value magic_quotes_sybase Off
</IfModule>
To configure other general aspects of PHP or for other configuration modes, please refer to the offical guide and additional information in the www.php.net.
website
It is also necessary to assure that the disc quota of the different users are appropriate to manage all the files and the database.

NOTE:If you are using IIS in a non-Server version of Microsoft Windows, use the Microsoft application MetaEdit 2.2 to modify the maximum number of allowed simultaneous connections and the IIS timeout: Note: 300 indicates the number of seconds in 5 minutes.

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Installation

Verify that the operating system is correctly installed and configured as described in the sections above.

Copy the whole content of the TCExam folder into the root of your web server or in one of its subfolders.
I you are using FTP to transfer the encoded version of TCExam, be sure to set the transfer mode to binary before sending the files to the server.

At this point you can proceed in two ways:

Automatic Installation

This type of installation will automatically install the database and will configure the main system parameters.

Be sure to modify the access permission of the following files and folders so that the software can write into them (chmod 666 su sistemi unix-like): You can reset the permissions of these files to read-only at the end of the installation process.
In the eventuality that the installation program cannot modify these files, it will always be possible to modify them manually as indicated in the following section.

By using a common web browser (internet navigation software like Microsoft® Internet Explorer, Mozilla o Netscape®) go to the address where the TCExam installation program is located: http://<host>/install/install.php

If the operating environment is configured correctly, you should be able to see the installation module of TCExam.


Note that:
Due to the critical importance of this component, the installation program is provided only in english.
The installation process will delete any data of previous installations of TCExam, reason why in this case it is advisable to make backup copy of these data. To start the installation you must fill up the form completely and press the button INSTALL.

It follows a list of the fields required by the installation module:If the installation completed succesfully the system is ready for the first execution.
At this point you can remove the install folder from the server and restore the read-only permissions for the configuration files.
In case the installation did not complete succesfully you can complete it or repeat it using the manual procedure described in the next section.

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Manual Installation

In order to manually install TCExam you must modify the configuration files and install the database.

Modification of the configuration files

The required files and configuration parameters for TCExam to start are:

Database Installation

In the install folder there are all the SQL files with the structure and data of the database: If you want to change the prefix of the tables you must use a text editor with the search and replace function and perform the following substitutions: To execute the SQL file you can use the database commands from the command shell of the server.
MySQL example:
mysql
mysql> CREATE DATABASE TCExam;
shell> mysql TCExam < db_structure.sql
shell> mysql TCExam < db_data.sql
In the previous example we assumed that the database name was TCExam.

As another option you can use an external database manager (e.g.: phpMyAdmin, phpPgAdmin, pgAdmin3, ...) to create the database and run the SQL files by using the specific command.

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Post installation

Once the installation is completed you must:[index]

System Configuration

Once the automatic installation procedure is completed, TCExam should be fully functional.
It is possible to personalize some settings and basic features by modifying the following configuration files: [index]

Access and Security

Once the installation and configuration procedures are completed, you can access the system going with you internet browser to the address http://<host>/admin/code/index.php and using the following username and password:
In order to protect your system and be granted with an unique personal access, remember to change the password with the module Users. With this module you can also insert your personal data and preferences.

In order to achieve a better level of security we suggest to protect the whole admin folder with a web-based user autentication system.
One of the most efficient and simple ways to protect a folder on a server Apache is to use the Htaccess autentication. For more informations refer to http://httpd.apache.org/docs/howto/htaccess.html.
If you are using a different web server refer to the specific documentation.

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