IT Maintenance

Changes to the following IT-related items may affect RealEd operation.

Power Down

Before powering down the RealEd system, the following steps should be taken:

1. Login to the console as root.
2. Enter "shutdown -h now".
3. Wait for the system to proceed through the full shutdown process.

This limits the possibility of filesystem corruption.

DNS Servers

RealEd relies on DNS lookups to send email, authorize credit cards, and perform various other mission-critical tasks.

When DNS server IP addresses change, RealEd staff should be notified so that the RealEd server can be updated accordingly.

SMTP Server

Mail sent from the RealEd system to students and staff normally relays through the school's SMTP server, using a username and password provided by the school.

When the SMTP server is updated, the username, password, and permission for unrestricted relaying should be preserved. When the SMTP server is moved, RealEd staff should be notified so that the RealEd server can be updated accordingly.

Firewalls

For student-facing web integration, remote access, system maintenance, and course content management purposes, several Internet-facing ports must be forwarded to the static IP address of the RealEd system:

• TCP port 59822 for student-facing web integration
• TCP port 59823 for remote access by staff
• TCP port 59824 from a single RealEd-provided IP address for system maintenance
• TCP port 59825 for remote content repository access by staff

Outbound connections to the following ports must be allowed from the RealEd system:

• TCP port 22 for system maintenance and backups
• TCP ports 20, 21, 80, and 443 for data transfer between RealEd and regulatory agencies

For credit card processing through RealAuth, outbound connections to port 59820 must be allowed from staff workstations where payments are entered.

When firewalls are updated, the above port forwarding and access settings should be preserved.

Workstations

During the RealEd staff login process, RealEd attempts to identify the workstation associated with the login by the computer's static IP address, DNS name, or NetBIOS name.

When those values change, either due to a computer upgrade or due to addition of a new computer to the school's network, the corresponding workstation definition should be updated or created through the Locations -> Workstations tabs in the RealEd staff interface.

To prepare a new workstation for use with RealEd, install Firefox and run the RealEd client installer on the computer.

Printers

If school staff print directly from RealEd to networked printers, then:

• RealEd staff should be notified whenever the models or IP addresses of those printers change.
• The RealEd system maintains staff-editable site-wide and per-workstation lists of preferred printers, which determine the default devices to which directly printed output is sent. Those lists should be updated by school staff as printers and workstations are changed. The lists are editable on the Locations -> Workstations -> (selected) -> Edit tab and the RealEd -> Site -> Configuration tab.

Web Layout

If the school's web site has been integrated with RealEd-backed course catalog and/or shopping cart pages, then RealEd staff should be notified when web layout changes are performed, so that the RealEd-backed pages can be updated accordingly.