SMART Sync Software Doesn’t Perform when Operating Over a WAN
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SMART Software |
SMART Sync 2009 classroom management software |
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Operating Systems |
Windows operating system |
Issue
SMART Sync 2009 doesn’t perform as expected when operating over a Wide Area Network (WAN).
Notes
- For information on using SynchronEyes software 6.x and 7.x over a WAN, see document 78172.
Solution
Note
SMART Sync isn’t designed to operate over a WAN, and SMART Technologies doesn’t recommend using SMART Sync in that type of network environment. However, the following configuration tips might improve the performance of the software over a WAN.
To configure SMART Sync for use over a WAN
Determine if IP multicasting is supported over your WAN. If it is, set the Time to Live (TTL) value to match the number of router hops the packets go through between the teacher and student stations.
Typical Values |
|---|
1 |
Restricted to the same subnet |
15 |
Restricted to the same site |
63 |
Restricted to the same region |
127 |
Worldwide |
191 |
Worldwide; limited bandwidth |
255 |
Unrestricted in scope |
Note
Some routers won’t forward broadcast traffic regardless of the TTL value on the broadcast packets. Internet gateways are usually configured this way.
To change the multicast TTL for SMART Sync software
On the teacher’s computer, select , and then click Advanced. In the Multicast settings, type the Multicast TTL value you want.
On a student’s computer, browse to the SMART Sync Student folder and open the SyncClient.ini file using a text editor. Change the Multicast TTL value to the value you want.
Repeat step 2 on each student’s computer.
OR
To configure the other students’ computers with the same options, including the Multicast TTL value, copy the SyncClient.ini file from the SMART Sync Student folder on the student’s computer to the same folder on the other students’ computers.
If IP multicasting isn't available on your network, set SMART Sync teacher-station software to use only TCP/IP communications.
To use only TCP/IP communications
On the teacher’s computer, open SMART Sync.
Select , and then click Advanced.
In the Multicast settings, clear the Enable for screen broadcast option.
On a student’s computer, browse to the SMART Sync Student folder and double-click StudentConfig.exe.
Navigate to the Startup page, and then choose Automatically connects with this hostname or IP address or Uses this Class List Server hostname or IP address.
If you select Automatically connects with this hostname or IP address, type the host name or IP address of the teacher to which you want to connect.
OR
If you select Uses this Class List Server hostname or IP address, enter the host name or IP address for the server.
Note
You’re unable to connect using a Teacher ID, as Teacher IDs use IP multicasting.
Click Next, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
Repeat steps 4 through 7 on each student’s computer.
OR
To configure the other students’ computers with the same options, including the connection style, copy the SyncClient.ini file from the SMART Sync Student folder on the student’s computer to the same folder on the other students’ computers.
Background
The efficiency of SMART Sync over a WAN depends upon:
In general, the more bandwidth you have available for SMART Sync, the more efficiently it will work. In a lab of students, SMART Sync requires at least a 10 Mbps TCP/IP network. If you have a single student connecting to a teacher from the WAN, you must have at least 100 kbps of bandwidth available for the student on that segment of the network. You’ll need more bandwidth for each additional student.
SMART Sync software uses IP multicasting for two operations:
When SMART Sync student software starts, it transmits a multicast packet on the network to discover teacher stations.
When teachers broadcast their screen or a file to the class, the data is sent using an IP multicast to save bandwidth on the network.
By default, SMART Sync’s multicast packets are set with a TTL value of 1. This means that they’re restricted to the subnet where they originated. However, you can configure SMART Sync to send multicast packets with any TTL value, so that the packets can hop between many subnets to reach their final destination.
In general, SMART Sync performs much better when an IP Multicast is available on the network. You can configure SMART Sync to use only TCP/IP for its network communications, but this has several disadvantages:
Students are unable to automatically detect teachers on the network. You’ll have to provide the teacher’s host name or IP address, so that students can manually connect to their teacher.
Teacher’s broadcasts are slower and require a greater bandwidth.
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First Published |
February 9, 2009 |