Surpass secure client issues

[snail5967]

HI,

 

Has anybody had a problem with surpass secure client? - we have installed and updated the software fine. We can launch the software fine. If we log in as an admin, we can access the tests ok. If we use with a teacher or student account, after entering the test code, the screen just hands on downloading and nothing happens.

We are using RM CC4, LGFL, SOPHOS and SMOOTHWALL, we have allowed all the relevent URL's that are provided by Surpass. No error messages pop up but something seems to be preventing the tests from loading but is not flagging anywhere that we can see. We used to able to launch everything fine before Junes updates. Since then, something has changed - we have been in contact with surpass and they have been little/no help so far!!

Does anybody have similar problems or have a fix please??

[PotNoodleTech]

Hi have you set the proxy server manually in the file on the C drive? I cant remember off hand where the file is I think it is in the actual supass folder in program files?

 

The app is so backwards it can't just auto detect proxy serttings from windows like every other app in the world does.

[jthompson]

You may also need the end user to have write access to the secure client install location. That's just a hunch but worth checking. We deploy ours to something like "C:\surpass" to allow for that.

 

When deploying the software, we use a transform file to specify the install location (https://www.edugeek.net/forums/educational-software/226780-secureclient-surpass-update-loop.html#post1945610)

Edited December 15, 2023 by jthompson

[snail5967]

Thanks for that - we don't use a proxy though!

[snail5967]

You may also need the end user to have write access to the secure client install location. That's just a hunch but worth checking. We deploy ours to something like "C:\surpass" to allow for that.

 

When deploying the software, we use a transform file to specify the install location (https://www.edugeek.net/forums/educational-software/226780-secureclient-surpass-update-loop.html#post1945610)

 

We already have that for the end user...

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Hi have you set the proxy server manually in the file on the C drive? I cant remember off hand where the file is I think it is in the actual supass folder in program files?

 

The app is so backwards it can't just auto detect proxy serttings from windows like every other app in the world does.

 

Thank you but we don't use proxy on our servers...

[originofsymmetry]

I've had success with this by extracting the exe from inside the MSI - I grab it while it's installing, task manager will list it when running.

 

Modify access given to all users for the custom location we install it to.

 

Some updates are able to auto-update without issue, others require a full redeploy.

[snail5967]

I've had success with this by extracting the exe from inside the MSI - I grab it while it's installing, task manager will list it when running.

 

Modify access given to all users for the custom location we install it to.

 

Some updates are able to auto-update without issue, others require a full redeploy.

 

Thank you for that - we don't have a problem installing, updating and running the software - its only when we enter the exam codes that we have the problem...

[snail5967]

Hi have you set the proxy server manually in the file on the C drive? I cant remember off hand where the file is I think it is in the actual supass folder in program files?

 

The app is so backwards it can't just auto detect proxy serttings from windows like every other app in the world does.

 

After playing around and checking - there is a proxy file in the secure client program - this is where we had the problem. For some reason, when we log in to secure client with a student login, it pops up with a proxy prompt asking for a user name and password (this is usually the pc login)- in the past, we enter it here and then login to secure client. For some reason, it now writes a command in the secure client proxy file to make the proxy "true" with a smoothwall command added. We have now worked out that if we just cancel this prompt, the program loads fine and the exam code works straight away on some computers but on others, we get an offline message!!!

Whoever writes surpass needs to pop in to our school so I can have a little 'chat' about the effects a small change can have without proper testing first!!!

[PotNoodleTech]

After playing around and checking - there is a proxy file in the secure client program - this is where we had the problem. For some reason, when we log in to secure client with a student login, it pops up with a proxy prompt asking for a user name and password (this is usually the pc login)- in the past, we enter it here and then login to secure client. For some reason, it now writes a command in the secure client proxy file to make the proxy "true" with a smoothwall command added. We have now worked out that if we just cancel this prompt, the program loads fine and the exam code works straight away on some computers but on others, we get an offline message!!!

Whoever writes surpass needs to pop in to our school so I can have a little 'chat' about the effects a small change can have without proper testing first!!!

 

Oh dear. Once I mandated my proxy server details and copied that proxy file onto each PC it did work for us last year.

 

The software is garbage written in a shed.

[snail5967]

Oh dear. Once I mandated my proxy server details and copied that proxy file onto each PC it did work for us last year.

 

The software is garbage written in a shed.

 

lol - can't agree more! I think we will have to do something like that - it's a pain to do with each pc in a couple IT rooms. Plus we have another update coming to surpass that will probably break everything again!! Our defaults are no proxy. If we ignore the pop, it denies them access, if we put in login details, it creates a smoothwall proxy that seems to stop the test from loading. We are checking with smoothwall to see if there is a setting that needs to be tweaked there...

[snail5967]

Oh dear. Once I mandated my proxy server details and copied that proxy file onto each PC it did work for us last year.

 

The software is garbage written in a shed.

We think we have now solved the problem at long last!! It was a proxy setting issue where the program is asking for proxy for students when they use it. We were getting a pop screen asking for login details again and this was then causing everything to hang. It turns out that it was RM that was causing the block - we had to set the program to allow in the student proxy settings (not something we usually touch!). Once that was done - no more pop ups and the software launches with no more problems - thank you so much for the tips though - gave us something to dig into...

[OLdMan99]

Whats the proxy file path please

[PotNoodleTech]

Cant remember offhand but it's in the surpass folder wherever you installed that i believe it might be in a subfolder?

[ICT-Joe]

Whats the proxy file path please

 

 

Don't know if this is the correct path but is it worth seeing if the proxy file is under: c:\users\public\surpass\...\proxy.xml

 

Surpass - Secure Client (what a pain) - Page 5 (edugeek.net)

 

This was from three years ago so may be out of date though

[jimmy_2k]

Hey all, I've just been tasked with setting up Surpass for a mock. Took the advice of WJEC and downloaded the "latest" version of Surpass from their website. Deployed it via SCCM using the same script as last year, putting it into the drive in its own folder with read and write permissions set. A few of the PCs have updated and opened up fine, but the vast majority are stuck in "update loops". Didn't have this issue last year and 30 of the PCs I've installed this on, didn't have the previous version as they're new.

 

Anyone got Surpass up and running on the latest version consistently?

[mikes]

Ours are stuck on the update loop, I tried deploying the latest version via SCCM but it seems it doesn't uninstall the old version and install the new one - it just shows "success" for the old one. File ages are the old ones etc. I'm trying the method now using a batch file to just copy a successful manual install over to the other computers via Impero.

Problem is it doesn't auto update correctly even with the file permissions set; I was told in March about a GSCE today in an IT room but Surpass have updated the client just a few days after that e-mail, I forget about this exam today entirely, 10 mins before it is due to start they call me as it's not working. Done on paper instead as God intended. But will see how this manual bat copy worked, I have an old bat so it looks like I resorted to that method in the past it seems

Edited May 23, 2024 by mikes

[PotNoodleTech]

I've just been given this - praise be to the lord they only need it on 2 PCs this time - manual install it is!!

[mikes]

In this new version in the system check - is anyone else seeing an FLV video test? in the old version there was just audio and video (mp4) which worked and work fine - but now I see an additional tab for FLV video which is giving me an error when I try to play the FLV video - but who uses FLV (flash video) in 2024???

The .bat file copying the installed one over seems to have worked at least to get it updated. Too bad the autoupdate doesn't work

Edited May 23, 2024 by mikes

[msi_school]

I have always seen the flv test, it opens VLC on our devices.

[Brax]

Ours are stuck on the update loop, I tried deploying the latest version via SCCM but it seems it doesn't uninstall the old version and install the new one - it just shows "success" for the old one. File ages are the old ones etc. I'm trying the method now using a batch file to just copy a successful manual install over to the other computers via Impero.

Problem is it doesn't auto update correctly even with the file permissions set; I was told in March about a GSCE today in an IT room but Surpass have updated the client just a few days after that e-mail, I forget about this exam today entirely, 10 mins before it is due to start they call me as it's not working. Done on paper instead as God intended. But will see how this manual bat copy worked, I have an old bat so it looks like I resorted to that method in the past it seems

Sadly it was a manual uninstall and reinstall for us. Literally just finished it today.

[TerryLambert]

Hey,

 

Yeah, I’ve had issues with Surpass Secure Client too. It’s a pain. Since the June updates, it sounds like something’s blocking the test downloads for non-admin users. First, double-check the permissions for teacher and student accounts; they might’ve reset.

 

Next, try temporarily disabling SOPHOS and see if it works. Sometimes antivirus software acts up. Also, clear the browser cache and reboot. If Smoothwall's in play, ensure it’s not blocking anything crucial.

 

Hope this helps! If not, might be worth pushing Surpass support again. Good luck!

[mikes]

We have a class doing GSCE PE now fingers crossed it all goes OK. They logged on OK and are doing the test at least. Edit worked OK all submitted. I just robocopied a new install onto all the old installs and it seems to have worked OK Edited June 3, 2024 by mikes

[junz]

We have a class doing GSCE PE now fingers crossed it all goes OK. They logged on OK and are doing the test at least. Edit worked OK all submitted. I just robocopied a new install onto all the old installs and it seems to have worked OK

 

Would you be willing to share the script you used to copy the new install onto all the old installs?

[PotNoodleTech]

We have a class doing GSCE PE now fingers crossed it all goes OK. They logged on OK and are doing the test at least. Edit worked OK all submitted. I just robocopied a new install onto all the old installs and it seems to have worked OK

 

Ah so you literally just robo copied the new folder and overwrote all the old file sand it worked?

 

That may save some time!!

 

(ps. does that work on a PC that doesn't have the software installed at all???)

[mikes]

yeah literally just robocopied it over the top. Not sure if this would work on a machine without it installed originally sorry, all our machines had last year's version installed.