technical evaluation

Sharing
Trial Evaluation questions
–

technical


Rig Design and Usage


1.

Multiples

1.1.

Do you have multiple rigs of the same rig type? (Yes/No)

1.2.

If so how many? (numerical)

1.3.

If not is this something you are considering?


2.

Usage mode of your remote labs

2.1.

What
would you consider to be the primary usage mode of your remote labs?

(Batch mode, interactive
,

monitoring)

2.2.

Are your remote labs dual use ie rigs used for both hands on and remote lab use?

(Yes/No)


3.

Calibration

3.1.

Do your rigs require calibration
?

(Yes/No)

3.2.

Did you spend significant time engaged in calibration related activities?

(Yes/No)


4.

Use of consumables

4.1.

Do your rigs require consumables?

(Yes/No)

4.2.

Did you spend significant time engaged in managing consumables?

(Yes/No)


5.

Manual Handling

5.1.

Do your rigs/experiments require manual handling of materials? Eg Changing samples or
reconfiguring rigs

(Yes/No)


6.

Screen real estate

6.1.

Was screen real estate

an issue?

(Yes/No)


(fitting everything required for an experiment onto a reasonably sized screen)


7.

Cameras and
Optics

7.1.

What
Cameras

did you use

(
how many, manufacturer and model
)

7.2.

Was integrating multiple cameras an issue for you? (Yes/No)

7.3.

Was internet latency an issue for you?


(Yes/No)

7.4.

Was camera lighting an issue for you? Ie

was room lighting adequate or was additional task
lighting required? Did you experience problems with poor image quality?


8.

Video streaming

8.1.

What Video streaming technology, did you use?

8.2.

Did you encounter any issues associated with this choice?


9.

Presentatio
n technology

9.1.

What was your primary rig presentation technology?

Eg Flash, Labview Web Services, Labview Web Panels,

9.2.

Were you happy with your choice, why?


IT
Infrastructure

10.

Use of Virtualization

10.1.

Do you use virtualization technology ? (Yes/No)

10.2.


If so which? (VMWARE,

Virtual Box, Hypervisor, other)

10.3.

Did you find it a useful technology?

10.4.

Did it reduce your hardware costs?


11.

O
perating
S
ystem

used

11.1.

What OS (s) and
OS
versions do you use
for the Scheduling and Control servers
?

(Windows,
Linux, other)

11.2.

Did

you encounter any OS related issues in your deployment?

(open question)


12.

Computer Hardware

12.1.

Did you encounter any Computer hardware related issues in your deployment?


(eg Insufficient memory, IO bottlenecks etc)


13.

Authentication method

13.1.

What
authentication method did you use?

13.2.

Was your authentication method
integrated with your institution’s centralized identity
management system?

Eg LDAP

13.3.

Do you have a common sign on system in place?


14.

Key Technologies and local standards

14.1.

Were any of the key te
chnologies used by Labshare problematic in your remote lab
implementation? eg Java, PHP, SOAP, PostGreSQL,
Labview, Windows Terminal Services
,
Hibernate
, ProperJavaRDP




15.

Standard Operating Environment (SOE) requirements

15.1.

Did your remote lab deployment require changes to your staff or

student SOE
?

(new client side software or configurations)


16.

Licensing requirements

16.1.

Did your remote lab deployment require the purchase of any new software or licenses
?

16.2.

Was he management of lic
enses problematic?



17.

Networking

17.1.

Did you have any firewall related issues when commissioning your remote lab
?

17.2.

Did you use any form of connection manager to reduce the number of firewall exceptions?

17.3.

Did you have any other network security related issues whe
n commissioning your remote
lab?


Non IT Infrastructure

18.

Services

18.1.

Did you rig deployment require installation of additional building services?

(Air Con, drainage, fume extraction, filtered power, UPS etc, lighting)

18.2.

Did you rig deployment require any
significant building works

(Reconfiguration of rooms etc)

18.3.

Was physical security of your rigs an issue?


Operations

19.

Reservations

19.1.

How do you currently record reservations
?

19.2.

To what extent are you monitoring usage of your remote lab(s)


20.

Maintenance

20.1.

Do your
rigs require significant maintenance

during the course of your trial

?