ACCESS OPTION

[sidihussain]

HI,
FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND U FOR GOOD WORK, KEEP IT UP!

MY QUESTION IS THIS, WE ARE AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION CONSISTINT OF STAFF AND STUDENTS OF ABOUT 50,000, MORE THAN HALF OF THESE STUDENTS AND ALL OF THE STAFF WILL WANT TO HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO THEIR COMPUTERS; OUR PLANS GOES LIKE THIS:
FOR THE STAFF WE DECIDES TO GIVE THEM UNLIMITED ACCESS EVERYDAY'
BUT FOR THE STUDENTS WE WANT TO BE GIVEN THEM FOUR HOURS EVERYDAY CONCURRENTLY, BUT WHEN WE TRY ON THE FIRSTSPOTS SOFTWARE, IT EITHER DONT SUPPORT IT OR WE DONT KNOW HOW TO DO IT.

PLEASE CAN THE SOFTWARE SUPPORT IT, IF YES THE HOW DO WE DO IT ON OUR NETWORK?

I HOPE MY QUESTION WILL BE ANSWERED.

THANK YOU

[alan]

To satisfy your requirements, you can:

1) use the username/password mode (default)
2) for staff, create username so that it has unlimited "access minutes"
3) for student, create username so that initially it has "access minutes" of 240 minutes (i.e. 4 hours).
4) You also need to reset the student usernames "access minutes" attribute to 240 minutes every day. Run the below command at midnight using Windows Task Scheduler everyday:

fsapi.exe update_usr_attributes username=user1 timeleft=240

Refer to chapter 10 of firstspot_guide.pdf for details.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[sidihussain]

THANK YOU FOR YUR RESPONSE'

HOW DO I LOCATE THE FSAPI.EXE?

[alan]

It is under FirstSpot\dispatcher directory.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[sidihussain]

HI,
I HAVE LOCATED THE FSAP.EXE, BUT I TRY TO OPEN IT, IT WILL JUST POP AND DISAPPEAR AGAIN, HOW SHOULD I OPEN IT?

ALSO ON THE TASK SCHEDULER, IS IT EVERYDAY THAT I WILL RUN IT, OR JUST ONCE WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL THE ACTIVITIES?

THANK YOU.

[alan]

The fsapi.exe is a command line tool, so you need to test it within the "Command Prompt".

And yes, you need to run it everyday midnight to reset the student username "access minutes" back to 4 hours.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[sidihussain]

WOW, THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY FOR US, RESTARTING THE SCHEDULER EVERY NIGHT, IS REALLY NOT HELPING, AT NIGHT NO ONE WILL BE IN THE OFFICE.

IS THERE ANOTHER ALTERNATIVES?

[alan]

Actually, the Windows Task Scheduler is automatic. You just need to insert a task in the Windows Task Scheduler and set it to run it at midnight everyday.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[sidihussain]

WELL, I HAVE HANLDED THE TASK SCHEDULER, MY CONCERN NOW IS THAT OF FSAPI.EXE, I REALISED THAT IT IS A COMMAND APPLICATION BUT, I DONT KNOW WHETHER IT IS MY WINDOWS SERVER 2008, THAT IS MAKING THE PROGRAM NOT TO RESPOND PROPERLY OR IT WILL REQUIRE AN APPLICATION SUPPORT TO WORK!

[alan]

Did you try to run fsapi.exe under Command Prompt when testing? What is your exact symtoms?

BTW, if you purchase our maintenace (which includes support), we can help you to remotely setup the Windows Task Scheduler for this purpose.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[sidihussain]

I DID TRY UNDER COMMAND PROMPT, MAY BE IM NOT DOING IT RIGHT OR I DONT KNOW HOW TO DO IT.

OUR SOFTWARE IS LICENSED, BUT I DONT KNOW HOW THE PURCHASE WILL INCLUDE SUPPORT, IF U WANT TO CONFIRM WHAT INFORMATION CAN I SUPPLY IN ORDER TO COMFIRM IT, BECAUSE OUR DEPENDANCY IS ON THIS SOFTWARE, MY BOSS HAS BEEN COMPLAINING HOW MUCH IT COST WITH OUT HAVING THE IMPACT!

[alan]

You need to run the command successfully in the Command Prompt using a test user account first. Try the below steps:

1) Using Configuration Manager, create a test account (e.g. testuser) with 10 access minutes

2) now run the below command:

fsapi.exe update_usr_attributes username=testuser timeleft=240

3) Now, go to Configuration Manager -> Users and click refresh, then click testuser, you should see the access minutes become 240 minutes.

Once you get the above working, you can create a batch file which includes the command for all student usernames, and then run the batch file using Windows Task Scheduler at midnight everyday.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[sidihussain]

i have run the command but it is giving me error, i dont know whether i am doing it correctly or not, i run it from the command prompt of the windows but i gave error.

[alan]

Please post your exact error message here.

BTW, you can copy and paste the output as text in the Command Prompt. Click top left corner -> Edit -> Mark, mark with a mouse and then press Enter.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[sidihussain]

THIS IS THE ERROR MESSAGE:

C:\Users\Administrator>fsapi.exe update_usr_attributes username=testuser timelef
t=240
'fsapi.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.