Imaging clients

If a standard image is created for all clients with AB Tutor on it, the client will need to have all settings cleared so the server sees it as a new machine. To do this:

  1. Install the client on the template machine
  2. Stop (don't disable) the client and updater (maintainer) services
  3. Delete the data directory: <ProgramData>\ABTutor\Client\
  4. Ensure the template doesn't ever talk to the server again - if it does, follow the 2 cleanup steps above.

Depending on when the computer gets renamed, you may find that the new computers appear in the web interface with the template hostname. This is OK - if you approve them anyway they will update in the Web Interface and Console when they get renamed. Alternatively, you can ensure that the client service doesn't start until after the computer has been renamed by disabling the service and re-enabling it as part of the renaming script.

Citrix/VDI Setup

Some sites spawn new VMs for every logon, meaning that it's not practical to configure and approve all the clients in advance. In this case, the template image needs to be set up with AB Tutor and then anonymised before being cloned. To do this:

  1. Install the client on the template machine
  2. Stop (don't disable) the client and updater (maintainer) services
  3. Delete the data directory: <ProgramData>\ABTutor\Client\
  4. Ensure the template doesn't ever talk to the server again - if it does, follow the 2 cleanup steps above.
  5. Set your Central Server to automatically authorise any clients that match your naming scheme by going to Server Settings, Certificate Signing

This creates a blank slate template which has the AB Client installed but hasn't been associated with a specific hostname or ssl key on the server and so can be added without any risk of clashes. Ensure that the timeout set on the Certificate Signing rule is long enough that there is no risk of the certificate being revoked before the VM is deleted.

If you are concerned about the clients connecting to the wrong server (this shouldn't be an issue in a normal setup) you can leave the ssl certificate: <ProgramData>\ABTutor\Client\state\ssl\ca.crt to ensure it's only able to connect to your server.