Edexcel Promissor piece of junk

[tsky]

Just pulled the latest copy of the software and attempted to put it on a new server.. seemed to go on fine until you try and log in at the web console on the server.

 

comes back with the error:

 

An error has occurred in ESMServer. Contact Pearson VUE Customer Support for further instructions.

 

when you try and log in.

If you give it the wrong details, it gives the "wrong username/password" message as you would expect, but when given the correct details is fails...

 

Gives the following error in the log file:

 

12:52:10 08/27/2009: [ESMServer] Request from 127.0.0.1 with no cookie.

12:52:10 08/27/2009: [ESMServer] Session {FE5B7E6C-67EB-4DC3-8218-680BFAEFC09E} created for 127.0.0.1 (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.2; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)).

12:52:10 08/27/2009: [ESMServer] Forced login for session {FE5B7E6C-67EB-4DC3-8218-680BFAEFC09E}.

12:52:41 08/27/2009: [ESMDataServer] Mutex abandoned.

12:52:41 08/27/2009: [ESMDataServer]

12:52:41 08/27/2009: [ESMAuthentication] Error 80004005 at line 224 of C:\CAT Software 8.0 Builds\ENTERPRISESITEMANAGER\ESMAuthentication\Authentication.cpp.

12:52:41 08/27/2009: [ESMAuthentication]

12:52:41 08/27/2009: [ESMServer] Error 80004005 at line 241 of C:\CAT Software 8.0 Builds\ENTERPRISESITEMANAGER\ESMServer\CIWAuthentication.cpp.

12:52:41 08/27/2009: [PCLErrorBulletinDispatcher] ESMAuthentication:

12:54:08 08/27/2009: [ESMServer] Idle session deleted after 32 minutes for {D6A57733-5235-4FB0-865F-071BF8C6CED6} (127.0.0.1).

12:54:08 08/27/2009: [ESMServer] Idle session deleted after 33 minutes for {26C0DEF6-830F-4E9C-A4C0-B47BBA5378A1} (127.0.0.1).

12:54:08 08/27/2009: [ESMServer] Idle session deleted after 33 minutes for {F5786727-06B8-4B58-93D4-B0A3268B8F85} (127.0.0.1).

 

anyone got any clues? never installed this before - technical support from the examboard and company that designed it is less than helpful.

 

Have to get it installed today on new server as previous server detonated on booting..

 

 

Really don't want to have to reverse engineer this piece of junk .. have been looking through system for past hour and a half already checking it's installed ok....

[oxide54]

Anything to do with proxy settings?

 

 

it is a piece of junk though, be prepared for it to randomly stop working.

[round2it]

i second that

 

is the server os 32bit or 64bit?

 

all i know is that this thing is picky about shares and access rights

 

 

Good Luck

[DevilsAdvocate]

Did you manage to get this working? I've just upgraded our install as the software requested and it now doesn't work. Just displays the same message as the OP had. Any suggestions? Worked fine before!

[tsky]

keep getting the same error messages on our servers

 

technical support ticket still open - onto engineer number 3

 

 

get the usual:

"are you SURE that the shares are writable?",

"yes - everyone has access to do EVERYTHING"

 

"are you SURE it can access the Internet ok?"

"yes, it's on the OTHER SIDE of our firewall and the server is being belted by everything the web throws at it with NO FIREWALL TURNED ON"

 

going to try AGAIN putting it on an XP machine and then throwing that on the other side of the firewall to see if we can get it to work that way.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Brilliant >.> will see what they say I suppose then. Looking forward to this! (not)

[mpe]

Anything to do with proxy settings?

 

 

it is a piece of junk though, be prepared for it to randomly stop working.

 

If you can get it working in the first place. It also likes to randomly update as well as wanting to "auto" update it's client on every single machine. Since the idea of having the client app stored in one place of the server is apparently beyond the comprehension of the Brainiacs who wrote this!

[markberry]

Make sure you don't do the install using a Remote Desktop session. For some reason their installation requires you to be actually on the server itself.

[OutToLunch]

Thankfully only had to use this one year but remember having some interesting issues with proxy support - you mention you're on the other side of your firewall, but does your server have to connect out through a proxy that's also sat in the DMZ or does it have direct outbound internet access?

[tsky]

direct in/out - literally has the gateway as our router.

sits with direct (every port) access connected to the Internet - though it is through the NGfL, and we all know what that means...

 

Not sure if it's a recent service pack knocking the damn thing out - going to try a complete base install of XP with no service packs...

[tech_guy]

All the problems we have had have been down to proxy settings, oh and the miraculous tweaks they do their end to make things work....

[RinSewand]

Ahh I've only just got this to work. If it helps I endedup ignoring every last instruction of theirs, installing it from the MSI, but stating in CC3 that it wasn't an MSI. You also need MSXML6.0 on client machines (to install the 'administrator' software). Our 'server' for this is actually my desktop, writing to a shared area, which had to be made so accessible I'd be willing to bet you lot could get onto it as well... Plus three phonecalls to them.

 

More useful info: when we installed it on a new 'server' after an upgrade, we had to delete the reg key entry for the Centre ID to get it to auth properly.

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Promissor > ESMServer > CenterID

 

set to 0, restart ESM. It should then pull down a new value. Obviously this might break everything, and I'd make a backup first but it worked for us.

 

RwD

[OutToLunch]

Try

 

proxycfg -d

 

at the server command prompt. I may be mixing up exam software problems (at least 3 different packages here!) but I remember one of them using an XML object to make it's online connections which was helpfully ignoring all IE settings and picking up an old GP instead...

[PeterH]

We have lots of fun with this the other week. We spoke to about four support engineers, before they figured out that it was a username/password problem.

 

If you change your password on http://www.catglobal.com, it seems that the ESM Server doesn't realise it's changed and will still accept your old password, which won't work and will generate the error mentioned by the OP.

 

We ended up in a situation where it wouldn't accept any password, and this is the procedure we followed to get it to work:

 

 

1. Make CERTAIN you have the correct login details for http://www.catglobal.com. This is the site that is used to schedule tests and import students etc. You MUST use the SAME credentials when you login to the ESM server.

 

2. Uninstall the ESM Server software from your server

 

3. Remove the Contact.ccf file from the ESM_Test_Centre folder if it's still there

 

4. In the Registry, navigate to HKLM\Software\Promissor\ESMServer. Delete the CentreID value

 

5. Re-install the ESM Server software

 

6. Ensure that the ESM_Test_Centre folder is shared with MODIFY rights for the users who will be running the tests - you need to check both share AND NTFS permissions

 

7. We weren't told to change the permissions on C:\Program Files\Promissor on the server, so we just left it as default

 

8. Run the ESM Server from its icon and click Configuration

 

9. Enter your proxy details if you use one, including credentials if it requires them

 

10. Un-tick Specify Local Port Range

 

11. On the No DNS tab, the option to use an IP address should be un-ticked and greyed out

 

12. Click OK and then Start

 

13. You should now hopefully be able to login.

 

 

On the clients, you need to be aware of the following:

 

1. This version of the Administrator program requires Microsoft XML 6.0 SP1 to be installed. If it isn't, you'll get an error saying "Cannot Load SitePersistance.dll"

 

2. If you're using MSI-based software deployment, you can run the AdmSetup.Exe file to install the Administrator, and you will find the MSI files for the Administrator and Microsoft XML 6.0 SP1 under your TEMP folder whilst the installer is running.

 

3. To install unattended using the MSI, you'll need to use Orca to either either modify the MSI file or create an MST file to create a property called DATAPATH which contains the path to the shared folder on the server (for example: \\examserver\esm_test_centre). To do this quickly in Orca:

 

i. Open ORCA and then open the Administrator.msi package

ii. Click the Transform menu and choose New Transform

iii. Find the PROPERTY table in the list and select it

iii. Right-click in the right-hand pane and choose Add Row

iv. Enter the property name DATAPATH and then the value is the path to your shared folder

v. Click the Transform menu and choose Generate Transform. This will create your MST file which you will need to deploy along with the Administrator.msi. Don't forget you will probably need to deploy the msxml6_x86.msi as well

 

4. You must ensure that the users who are running the tests have at least MODIFY NTFS permissions on the C:\Program Files\Promissor folder

 

In order to aid with checking workstations before running an exam, we have created a small VBS file that carries out some very basic checks:

 

i. Check that Administrator is installed

ii. Check that the folder permissions on c:\program files\promissor are correct

iii. Check that flash v10 is installed.

 

I have attached the file to this message. We just go round to each workstation, login as a student and run the test program the day before the test. Note that you must be logged in with a normal student account when you run it as it checks the folder permissions for the currently logged in user. It only takes seconds on each workstation and if it passes the checks, then you can be 99% certain that they will work OK on the day.

 

Hope that helps someone.

ostest.vbs

[DevilsAdvocate]

PeterH, Thanks for that! Got me to the login screen once again

 

New issue- I can't login now! 'Test Center autentication failed. Please call Pearson VUE support' This is using the same password that works on the CatGlobal.com site.

 

Any ideas? Who is it you guys have spoken to? as the people I have contacted just don't get back to me.

 

Rob

[DevilsAdvocate]

All sorted- special thanks to RinSewand for the phone number he PM'd me.

[Trapper]

Would you mind sending me that that number too?

 

We had a test scheduled this morning, when the new build came down and then failed.

[RinSewand]

ygpm

 

RwD

[mavhc]

2. If you're using MSI-based software deployment, you can run the AdmSetup.Exe file to install the Administrator, and you will find the MSI files for the Administrator and Microsoft XML 6.0 SP1 under your TEMP folder whilst the installer is running.

 

3. To install unattended using the MSI, you'll need to use Orca to either either modify the MSI file or create an MST file to create a property called DATAPATH which contains the path to the shared folder on the server (for example: \\examserver\esm_test_centre). To do this quickly in Orca:

 

i. Open ORCA and then open the Administrator.msi package

ii. Click the Transform menu and choose New Transform

iii. Find the PROPERTY table in the list and select it

iii. Right-click in the right-hand pane and choose Add Row

iv. Enter the property name DATAPATH and then the value is the path to your shared folder

v. Click the Transform menu and choose Generate Transform. This will create your MST file which you will need to deploy along with the Administrator.msi. Don't forget you will probably need to deploy the msxml6_x86.msi as well

 

4. You must ensure that the users who are running the tests have at least MODIFY NTFS permissions on the C:\Program Files\Promissor folder

 

Just did this myself, then found your post, anyway it's at Promissor Administrator MSI deployment

 

I also wanted to change the permissions to add a ESM group which I add exam users to, much more complex, new transform, then follow It is possible to set security on a file, a folder or a registry key from a MSI file

Use Create a GUID

I ended up with a

Component: Component = LockFolders, ComponentId = {guid} (ie like {D3541-23423-24DA}), Directory = LockFolders, Attributes = 0

Directory: Directory = LockFolders, Parent = blank, DefaultDir = SourceDir

Add a LockPermissions table, Lock Object = ADMINISTRATOR, Table = CreateFolder, Domain = blank, User = ESMGroup, Permission = 268435456

And that line repeated for each group, so add BUILTIN Administrators at least

Then Transform>Generate Transform again

 

Not actually tested this with a real test yet, but it installed correctly, this MST is attached, the other one needs your own server setting anyway, so no point

esmpermissions.mst

[mavhc]

Would be handy to do the same for ESM Server, needs permissions to write to the registry key adding to the ESM Admin group, and a key for the path.

[scoobyluke]

After the software helpdesk (bunch of monkeys) told me the issue was a problem with the SEGFL firewall blocking http and https ports, i finally found this thread. Thanks to PeterH for his run down of what he did. Following his post got the school sorted.

[oxide54]

After the software helpdesk (bunch of monkeys) told me the issue was a problem with the SEGFL firewall blocking http and https ports, i finally found this thread. Thanks to PeterH for his run down of what he did. Following his post got the school sorted.

 

I don't know if SEGFL is atomwide managed aswell, but their software refuses to work with the atomwide proxy and my own internal isa, so I static assigned ip, and allowed that IP straight through via the atomwide site.