‭Table of Contents‬

‭ lossary‬‭...................................................................................................................................‬‭1‬
G
‭Hardware‬‭and‬‭Software‬‭Requirements‬‭for‬‭School‬‭Computer‬‭Labs‬‭.........................................‬‭2‬
‭School‬‭Server‬‭Hardware‬‭and‬‭Software‬‭Requirements‬‭.......................................................‬‭2‬
‭Client‬‭Machines‬‭Hardware‬‭and‬‭Software‬‭Requirements‬‭....................................................‬‭3‬
‭Computer‬‭Lab‬‭Selection‬‭Criteria‬‭for‬‭SAFAL‬‭Assessments‬‭......................................................‬‭4‬
‭Important‬‭Notes‬‭........................................................................................................................‬‭6‬

‭≈ × ≈‬

‭Glossary‬
‭ AFAL‬ ‭Central‬ ‭Portal:‬ ‭This‬ ‭web-based‬ ‭portal‬ ‭allows‬ ‭schools‬ ‭to‬ ‭login‬ ‭and‬ ‭register‬ ‭their‬
S
‭information,‬ ‭including‬‭details‬‭about‬‭the‬‭school,‬‭teachers,‬‭sections,‬‭and‬‭students.‬‭The‬‭portal‬
‭provides‬ ‭information‬ ‭and‬ ‭resources‬ ‭to‬ ‭facilitate‬ ‭the‬ ‭preparation‬ ‭and‬ ‭administration‬ ‭of‬
‭different SAFAL exercises.‬

‭ chool‬ ‭Server:‬ ‭As‬ ‭part‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭SAFAL‬ ‭exam‬ ‭setup‬ ‭process,‬ ‭the‬ ‭school‬ ‭designates‬ ‭a‬
S
‭computer‬ ‭as‬ ‭the‬ ‭"school‬ ‭server"‬ ‭within‬ ‭the‬ ‭computer‬ ‭lab.‬ ‭The‬ ‭School‬ ‭Server‬ ‭Installer‬
‭downloaded‬ ‭from‬ ‭the‬ ‭SAFAL‬ ‭Central‬ ‭Portal‬ ‭will‬ ‭be‬ ‭installed‬‭and‬‭run‬‭on‬‭this‬‭machine.‬‭This‬
‭machine‬ ‭plays‬ ‭a‬ ‭critical‬ ‭role‬ ‭in‬ ‭facilitating‬ ‭the‬ ‭smooth‬ ‭conduct‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭exams.‬ ‭The‬ ‭school‬
‭server‬ ‭must‬ ‭be‬ ‭connected‬ ‭to‬ ‭the‬ ‭same‬ ‭local‬ ‭area‬ ‭network‬ ‭(LAN)‬ ‭as‬ ‭the‬ ‭other‬ ‭computers,‬
‭referred to as‬‭"client machines."‬

‭ chool‬‭Portal:‬‭With‬‭the‬‭School‬‭Server‬‭software‬‭installed‬‭on‬‭the‬‭designated‬‭machine,‬‭school‬
S
‭examiners‬‭(teachers)‬‭can‬‭access‬‭the‬‭web-based‬‭portal‬‭referred‬‭to‬‭as‬‭the‬‭"School‬‭Portal."‬
‭This‬‭specialised‬‭platform‬‭enables‬‭teachers‬‭to‬‭manage‬‭and‬‭administer‬‭SAFAL‬‭exercises‬‭and‬
‭creates a seamless and secure assessment environment for students.‬

‭ lient‬ ‭Machines:‬ ‭In‬ ‭the‬ ‭school‬ ‭computer‬ ‭lab,‬ ‭students‬ ‭will‬ ‭take‬ ‭the‬ ‭SAFAL‬ ‭assessments‬
C
‭using‬ ‭regular‬ ‭computers,‬ ‭referred‬ ‭to‬ ‭as‬ ‭"client‬ ‭machines."‬ ‭To‬ ‭facilitate‬ ‭smooth‬ ‭exam‬
‭delivery,‬ ‭it‬ ‭is‬ ‭essential‬ ‭that‬ ‭all‬ ‭client‬ ‭machines‬ ‭and‬ ‭the‬ ‭school‬‭server‬‭are‬‭connected‬‭to‬‭the‬
‭same LAN (Local Area Network) connection.‬

‭1‬‭of‬‭6‬
 ‭Hardware and Software Requirements for School‬
‭Computer Labs‬
‭School Server Hardware and Software Requirements‬
‭Operating‬ ‭Windows‬‭:‬
‭System‬ ‭●‬ ‭Genuine Microsoft Windows 10 or 11‬
‭(OS)‬ ‭●‬ ‭Genuine Microsoft Windows Server 2019 or 2022‬

‭Linux‬‭:‬
‭●‬ ‭Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 / 24.04 LTS (Long Term Support)‬
‭●‬ ‭Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9‬

‭🗒️‬ ‭●‬ A
‭ utomatic Updates:‬‭Disable OS automatic updates to‬‭avoid any‬
‭disruptions during exam‬
‭Note‬ ‭●‬ ‭Time Zone:‬‭Make sure that the system date and time‬‭are correct‬

‭ ny Intel or AMD processor with at least‬‭4 CPU cores‬‭and a minimum clock speed of‬
A
‭Processor‬
‭1.2 GHz‬‭or more cores and higher clock speeds preferred‬

‭RAM‬ ‭16 GB‬‭or more‬

‭●‬ A
‭ solid-state drive (SSD) or a Serial ATA (SATA) hard disk drive (HDD) with a‬
‭Hard Disk‬ ‭minimum rotational speed of 7200 revolutions per minute (rpm) or higher‬
‭●‬ ‭At least 50 GB of free storage space available‬

‭ etwork‬ A
N ‭ ‬‭wired‬‭Ethernet connection providing at least 100‬‭Mbps full-duplex data transfer‬
‭connection‬ ‭capability‬

‭●‬ A
‭ static IP address is assigned to this wired Ethernet connection,‬

‭🗒️‬ ‭ensuring a consistent and specific network address‬

‭●‬ W
‭ ithin the computer lab, all machines should be connected to the same‬
‭Note‬
‭local area network (LAN) and have access to the School Server‬

‭⚠️‬ ‭ he school server cannot connect to a wireless (WiFi) network connection‬

T
‭under any circumstances‬
‭Warning‬

‭ irewall &‬
F ‭ uring the SAFAL assessments, temporarily disable Windows Firewall, Antivirus, and‬
D
‭Antivirus‬ ‭Third-party Firewall on the School Server machine.‬

‭2‬‭of‬‭6‬
 ‭Web‬ ‭Supported Browsers‬‭:‬
‭Browser‬ ‭●‬ ‭Latest Google Chrome‬
‭●‬ ‭Latest Mozilla Firefox‬

‭Required Settings‬‭:‬
‭●‬ ‭JavaScript enabled‬
‭●‬ ‭Cookies enabled‬

‭Mouse &‬ ‭‬E

● ‭ nglish QWERTY Keyboard‬
‭ eyboard‬
k ‭●‬ ‭2 Button Wheel Mouse‬

‭Client Machines Hardware and Software Requirements‬

‭Operating‬ ‭Any stable and genuine Microsoft Windows or Linux operating system‬
‭System‬

‭🗒️‬
‭(OS)‬ ‭●‬ A
‭ utomatic Updates:‬‭Disable OS automatic updates to‬‭avoid any‬
‭disruptions during exam‬
‭Note‬ ‭●‬ ‭Time Zone:‬‭Make sure that the system date and time‬‭are correct‬

‭Processor‬ ‭Any processor appropriate for running the recommended web browser seamlessly‬

‭RAM‬ ‭4 GB‬‭or more‬

‭Hard Disk‬ ‭Sufficient space for running recommended web browser seamlessly‬

‭ eb‬
W ‭Supported Web Browsers:‬
‭ rowser‬
B ‭●‬ ‭Latest Google Chrome‬
‭●‬ ‭Latest Mozilla Firefox‬

‭Required Settings:‬
‭●‬ ‭JavaScript enabled‬
‭●‬ ‭Cookies enabled‬

‭ ouse &‬
M ‭‬E
● ‭ nglish QWERTY Keyboard‬
‭keyboard‬ ‭●‬ ‭2 Button Wheel Mouse‬

‭ etwork‬
N ‭ wired Ethernet connection providing at least 100 Mbps full-duplex data transfer‬
A
‭connection‬ ‭capability.‬

‭🗒️‬ ‭ ithin the computer lab, all machines should be connected to the same‬
W
‭local area network (LAN) and have access to the School Server‬
‭Note‬

‭3‬‭of‬‭6‬
 ‭Computer Lab Selection Criteria for SAFAL‬
‭Assessments‬
‭ OTE:‬ ‭DO‬‭NOT‬‭install‬‭the‬‭SAFAL‬‭School‬‭Server‬‭software‬‭on‬‭multiple‬‭computers‬‭in‬
N
‭any scenario.‬

‭ ample‬‭Case-1:‬‭Multiple‬‭Labs‬‭NOT‬‭on‬‭the‬‭Same‬‭LAN:‬‭Suppose‬‭a‬‭school‬‭has‬‭two‬
S
‭computer‬ ‭labs‬ ‭as‬ ‭shown‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭Figure-1;‬ ‭one‬ ‭lab‬ ‭has‬ ‭31‬ ‭computers‬ ‭on‬ ‭the‬ ‭LAN-1‬
‭network,‬ ‭and‬ ‭the‬ ‭other‬ ‭lab‬ ‭has‬ ‭20‬ ‭computers‬ ‭on‬ ‭the‬ ‭LAN-2‬ ‭network.‬ ‭In‬ ‭this‬ ‭case,‬
‭Lab-A‬‭has‬‭31‬‭computers‬‭on‬‭the‬‭same‬‭local‬‭network‬‭and‬‭is‬‭best‬‭suited‬‭for‬‭the‬‭SAFAL‬
‭assessment‬‭exercises.‬‭Identify‬‭a‬‭computer‬‭from‬‭this‬‭lab‬‭which‬‭satisfies‬‭the‬‭hardware‬
‭and software requirements of the server to install the SAFAL School Server software.‬

‭Figure-1‬

‭4‬‭of‬‭6‬
‭ ample‬ ‭Case‬ ‭2:‬ ‭Multiple‬ ‭Labs‬ ‭on‬ ‭the‬ ‭Same‬ ‭LAN:‬ ‭Suppose‬ ‭a‬ ‭school‬ ‭has‬ ‭four‬
S
‭computer labs arranged as shown in the Figure-2,‬
‭ ‬ ‭Arrangement-1: Two labs, Labs A and B, on LAN-1 have total‬‭34‬‭computers‬
●
‭●‬ ‭Arrangement-2: Two labs, Labs C and D, on LAN-2 have total‬‭40‬‭computers‬
I‭n‬‭this‬‭case,‬‭Arrangement-2‬‭has‬‭40‬‭computers‬‭on‬‭the‬‭same‬‭local‬‭network‬‭and‬‭is‬‭best‬
‭suited‬ ‭for‬ ‭the‬ ‭SAFAL‬ ‭assessment‬ ‭exercises.‬ ‭Identify‬ ‭a‬ ‭computer‬ ‭from‬ ‭these‬ ‭labs‬
‭which‬ ‭satisfies‬ ‭the‬ ‭hardware‬ ‭and‬ ‭software‬ ‭requirements‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭server‬ ‭to‬ ‭install‬‭the‬
‭SAFAL School Server software.‬

‭Figure-2‬

‭5‬‭of‬‭6‬
 ‭Important Notes‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬ ‭computer‬ ‭lab‬ ‭admin‬ ‭personnel‬ ‭should‬ ‭ensure‬ ‭that‬ ‭if‬ ‭any‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭school‬ ‭server‬ ‭or‬ ‭client‬
‭machines‬ ‭are‬ ‭having‬ ‭ongoing‬ ‭or‬ ‭pending‬ ‭OS‬ ‭automatic‬ ‭updates,‬ ‭then‬ ‭all‬ ‭such‬ ‭machines‬
‭should be restarted to complete the system update process.‬
‭●‬ ‭To‬‭avoid‬‭any‬‭disruptions‬‭during‬‭the‬‭SAFAL‬‭test,‬‭temporarily‬‭disable‬‭OS‬‭automatic‬‭updates‬‭on‬
‭both the School Server and Client Machines.‬
‭●‬ ‭The‬‭computer‬‭lab‬‭administrator‬‭must‬‭ensure‬‭that‬‭no‬‭resource-intensive‬‭(CPU‬‭or‬‭RAM‬‭usage)‬
‭applications‬ ‭are‬ ‭running‬ ‭on‬ ‭the‬ ‭School‬ ‭Server‬ ‭or‬ ‭Client‬ ‭Machines‬ ‭before‬ ‭the‬ ‭start‬ ‭of‬ ‭an‬
‭assessment.‬
‭●‬ ‭Schools must have provisions for uninterrupted power during the SAFAL Assessment.‬
‭●‬ ‭To‬‭resolve‬‭any‬‭issues‬‭that‬‭arise‬‭during‬‭or‬‭after‬‭School‬‭Server‬‭installation,‬‭the‬‭latest‬‭version‬‭of‬
‭Anydesk (a remote desktop sharing software) must be installed on the School Server.‬

‭6‬‭of‬‭6‬