Linux

This topic describes how to configure Linux desktop and laptop devices for online testing.

Testing Device

Required Libraries and Packages

The following libraries and packages are required to be installed on all Linux workstations:

  • glibc 2.17 or higher
  • GTK+ 3.14 or higher
  • libstdc++ 4.8.1 or higher
  • X.Org 1.0 or higher (1.7+ recommended)

The following libraries and packages are recommended to be installed on all Linux workstations:

  • Dbus 1.0 or higher
  • GNOME 2.16 or higher
  • NetworkManager 0.7 or higher
  • PulseAudio

Adding the Verdana Font

Some tests have content that requires the Verdana TrueType font. Therefore, ensure that Verdana is installed on Linux devices used for testing. The easiest way to do this is to install the Microsoft core fonts package for distribution.

Disabling the On-Screen Keyboard

Fedora and Ubuntu feature an on-screen keyboard that should be disabled before online testing. Take these steps to disable the on-screen keyboard:

  1. Open System Settings.
  2. Select [Universal Access].
  3. In the “Typing” section, toggle Screen Keyboard to the left (“off”).

Secure Browser

Installation

This subtopic provides instructions for installing the secure browser on computers running either a Fedora or Ubuntu Linux distribution. For additional information about Linux requirements, refer to the topic Linux.

Installing for Fedora

This procedure installs the secure browser on a device running one of the supported Fedora distributions using a.rpm package. These instructions may vary per individual Fedora version. Take the following steps to install the secure browser on a Linux device running Fedora:

  1. Uninstall any previous versions of the secure browser by completing the following steps:
    1. Open the terminal.
    2. Type sudo apt remove -y CASecureBrowser and press [Enter].
    3. Enter the sudo password and press [Enter].
  2. Obtain the root or superuser password for the computer on which the user is installing the secure browser.
  3. Navigate to the CAASPP and ELPAC Secure Browsers website by visiting either the CAASPP Technology Resources web page or the ELPAC Technology Resources web page and then selecting the [Secure Browsers] link at either location.

  4. Select the [Linux] tab and then select the [Download Secure Browser] button for Fedora or Ubuntu (figure 1).

    Download Secure Browser for Fedora and Ubuntu Linux buttons

    Figure 1. [Download Secure Browser] buttons

  5. Ensure the Universe and Multiverse repositories are enabled and updated by performing either of the following procedures. This will allow the correct information for the dependencies to be installed. After the repository information is updated, continue with the installation process.
    1. Using the built-in software updater, update the system as needed.
    2. Update repository information through the terminal:
      1. Open the terminal.
      2. Type sudo yum update and press [Enter].
      3. Enter the administrator password and press [Enter].

  6. After the secure browser installation package downloads and the Universe and Multiverse repositories are updated, select one of the following installation techniques:

    To install through the built-in package manager, complete the following steps:

    1. Open the Downloads folder, right-click on the secure browser installation package, and select Open with Software Install.
    2. It may take a few moments for the system to examine the package. When the installation window opens, complete the following to install the package:
      1. Select [Install].
      2. Enter the administrator password.
      3. Select [Authenticate].
    3. Restart the device to ensure all packages are active.
    4. Optional: If the icon is not present in the task bar, open the terminal and run /usr/lib/CASecureBrowser/install-icon.sh -i. This will install the icon to the task bar.

    To install through the terminal, complete the following steps:

    1. Open the Downloads folder, right-click on the secure browser installation package, and select Open in Terminal. The terminal window opens.
    2. Type sudo yum install./CASecureBrowser.rpm and press [Enter].
    3. Enter the sudo password and press [Enter].
    4. When prompted Is it ok?, select [Y].
    5. The secure browser and dependencies will install.
    6. Restart the device to ensure all packages are active.
  7. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of scheduled testing days or time frames. For example, if testing takes place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours, making sure they are completed by the time testing begins.

  8. From the desktop, double-click the [CASecureBrowser] icon (figure 2) to launch the secure browser. (If an Untrusted App Launcher error message appears, select [Trust and Launch].) The student logon screen appears. The secure browser fills the entire screen and hides any panels or launchers.

    CASecureBrowser shortcut

    Figure 2. [CASecureBrowser] shortcut icon

  9. To exit the secure browser, select the [X] in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Installing for Ubuntu

This procedure installs the secure browser on a device running one of the supported Ubuntu distributions using a .deb package. These instructions may vary per individual Ubuntu version. Take the following steps to install the secure browser on a Linux device running Ubuntu:

  1. Uninstall any previous versions of the secure browser by completing the following steps:
    1. Open the terminal.
    2. Type sudo apt remove -y CASecureBrowser and press [Enter].
    3. Enter the sudo password and press [Enter].
  2. Obtain the root or superuser password for the computer on which the user is installing the secure browser.
  3. Navigate to the CAASPP and ELPAC Secure Browsers website by visiting either the CAASPP Technology Resources web page or the ELPAC Technology Resources web page and then selecting the [Secure Browsers] link at either location.

  4. Select the [Linux] tab and then select the [Download Secure Browser] button (figure 3).

    Download Secure Browser for Fedora and Ubuntu Linux buttons

    Figure 3. [Download Secure Browser] buttons

  5. Ensure the Universe and Multiverse repositories are enabled and updated by performing either of the following procedures. This will allow the correct information for the dependencies to be installed. After the repository information is updated, continue with the installation process.
    1. Using the built-in software updater, update the system as needed.
    2. Update repository information through the terminal:
      1. Open the terminal.
      2. Type sudo apt update and press [Enter].
      3. Enter the administrator password and press [Enter].

  6. After the secure browser installation package downloads and the Universe and Multiverse repositories are updated, select one of the following installation techniques:

    To install through the built-in package manager, complete the following steps:

    1. Open the Downloads folder, right-click on the secure browser installation package. If the first line displays Open with Archive Manager, select Open with Other Application and select Software Install. If the first line displays Open with Software Install, select that option.
    2. It may take a few moments for the system to examine the package. When the installation window opens, complete the following to install the package:
      1. Select [Install].
      2. Enter the administrator password.
      3. Select [Authenticate]. The package will install.
    3. Restart the device to ensure all packages are active.
    4. Optional: If the icon is not present in the favorites bar, open the terminal and run /usr/lib/CASecureBrowser/install-icon.sh -i. This will install the icon to the favorites bar. Note that using sudo is not needed for this.

    To install through the terminal, complete the following steps:

    1. Open the Downloads folder, right-click on the secure browser installation package, and select Open in Terminal. The terminal opens.
    2. Type sudo apt install./CASecureBrowser.deb and press [Enter].
    3. Enter the sudo password and press [Enter].
    4. When prompted Do you want to continue?, select [Y]. The secure browser and dependencies will install.
    5. Restart the device to ensure all packages are active.
    6. Optional: If the icon is not present in the favorites bar, open the terminal and run /usr/lib/CASecureBrowser/install-icon.sh -i. This will install the icon to the favorites bar. Note that using sudo is not needed for this.

    If the installation fails, troubleshoot using the following steps:

    1. Open the terminal.
    2. Type sudo apt-add-repository multiverse and press [Enter].
    3. Enter the sudo password and press [Enter].
    4. Type sudo apt install./CASecureBrowser.deb and press [Enter].
  7. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of scheduled testing days or time frames. For example, if testing takes place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours, making sure they are completed by the time testing begins.

  8. From the desktop, double-click the [CASecureBrowser] icon (figure 4) to launch the secure browser. (If an Untrusted App Launcher error message appears, select [Trust and Launch].) The student logon screen appears. The secure browser fills the entire screen and hides any panels or launchers.

    CASecureBrowser shortcut

    Figure 4. [CASecureBrowser] shortcut icon

  9. To exit the secure browser, select the [X] in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Extracting the TAR File

Users attempting to install the secure browser in supported versions of Fedora or Ubuntu may encounter an issue where the secure browser extracts to the Home folder and not the Desktop folder. This is a feature in these operating systems and not an error in the secure browser. The following procedure explains how to extract the secure browser TAR file manually using terminal commands.

  1. Launch Terminal.
  2. Type tar xfjv CASecure Browser[version]-64bit.tar.bz2.
  3. Press [Enter].

Creating a Shortcut

Installation of the secure browser on machines running Fedora or Ubuntu Linux will not automatically install a shortcut to the browser. Users must manually create a shortcut. The following procedure explains how to complete this process.

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Type the following:

    cd /location of Secure Browser/

  3. Press [Enter].
  4. Close Terminal.
  5. Open the Secure Browser folder.
  6. Select [install-icon.sh]; a window displaying “Do you want to run install-icon.sh or display its contents?” will appear.
  7. Select [Run].

Resetting Profiles

A user who has been advised by an LEA Success Agent to reset the secure browser profile should take the following steps.

  1. Log on as a superuser or the user who installed the secure browser and close any open secure browsers.

  2. Open a terminal and delete the contents of the following directories:

    /home/username/.cai

    /home/username/.cache/cai

    where username is the user account where the secure browser is installed. (Keep the directories; just delete their contents.)

  3. Restart the secure browser.

Uninstallation

To uninstall a secure browser, delete the folder from the installation directory.