Configuration Tool

See Related Terms and Questions at the end of this section for more details on KioWare server settings.

Kiosk Management Tab

Note: Features here are only available with the Full model.

Connection Settings

• Kiosk Name - Name of the kiosk.  The combination of “Kiosk Name” and “Kiosk Unit” (see below) identify a kiosk when uploading statistics (see Statistics Logging below) and downloading content (see Content Updating below).
• Kiosk Unit - Unit of the kiosk.  It identifies a kiosk when uploading statistics (see Statistics Logging below) and downloading content (see Content Updating below).
• Site Name - Enter the “Site Name” from KioWare Server (the kiosk exists in or will be created in this site).
  
  
• Note: If using KioWare Server, it is very important that this name matches the “Site Name” on the server (see Sites, Site Settings, Site Name in the KioWare Server User Guide).  The default name is “Default Site”.  If using KioCloud, you MUST change the “Site Name” to the site name that is assigned to you.  For more information on KioCloud, please contact KioWare Support via phone (Toll Free USA: 877-843-4790; International: 1-717-843-4790) or our website (www.kioware.com).
  
  
• Advanced Server Settings - Select this button to show advanced settings for using your server with KioWare (see Advanced Server Settings below).
• KioWare Server URL - The URL of the kiosk or computer where you installed KioWare Server.
• Test Communication - Select this button to test if your server can “talk” with KioWare.  If so, the kiosk will be created in KioWare Server.

Statistics Logging

When the slider is set to “On”, KioWare sends its statistics to KioWare Server, and you can use these settings.

• Upload at Session End - If checked, KioWare uploads usage statistics when a user session ends and Attract Screen mode starts (see Attract/Inactivity Tab, Related Terms and Questions for more information on Attract Screen mode).
• Upload Interval - Sets how often (in minutes) statistics are uploaded.
• Upload Demographic Data - If checked, any demographic data that is available will also be sent to KioWare Server when statistics are sent.
• Device Name - (Only available if “Upload Demographic Data” above is checked) Enter the name of the device that will be sending demographic data.
• Session Start Delay - (Only available if “Upload Demographic Data” above is checked) Set the amount of time (in seconds) that a new user session will wait before starting while demographic data is being sent.
• Minimum Pages for Valid Session - Set the minimum number of pages a statistics session must have before it will be logged.
• Add New Quiet Time - Select the “Add New” button to add a new time range when statistics will not be logged.  These settings will show.
  • Action Description - Enter a description for the quiet time action item.  This description will show on the main Kiosk Management tab when you select the “Back” button.
  • Time of Day - Sets the time and duration for the quiet time.
    • Start - Enter a start date or select the calendar icon to the right of this setting and choose a date from the popup calendar.  In the next box, enter a start time or individually select hours, minutes, and AM (or PM) and use the arrow buttons to change them.
    • Duration - Set the days, hours, and minutes for the quiet time to last.
  • Task Repeats - Select the slider to turn task repeats on or off.  When set to “On”, these settings are available.
    • Hourly - For hourly repeats, select this option and set how often the repeat should occur (in hours).
    • Daily - For daily repeats, select this option and set how often the repeat should occur (in days).
    • Weekly - For weekly repeats, select this option, set how often the repeat should occur (in weeks) and which day of the week.
    • Monthly - For monthly repeats, select this option.  These settings are available.
      • Fixed Day - Set how often the repeat should occur (in months) and which day of the month (e.g., the third day of every third month).
      • Dynamic Day - Set how often the repeat should occur (in months), which week of the month, and which day of the week (e.g., the second Tuesday of every third month).
  • End of Repeat Pattern - Use these settings to set a specific end date or no end date for the task repeat.
    • No End Date - Lets the repeat occur indefinitely.
    • End after - Select this option and set how many times the task can repeat before it will end.
    • End by - Select this option to set a certain end date and time.  Enter a start date or select the calendar icon to the right of this setting and choose a date from the popup calendar.  In the next box, enter a start time or individually select hours, minutes, and AM (or PM) and use the arrow buttons to change them.
• Edit Quiet Time (pencil icon) - Select this icon to edit a quiet time.
• Remove Quiet Time (“X” icon) - Select this icon to remove a quiet time.

App Logging

When the slider is set to “ON”, KioWare sends its application (app) data to KioWare Server, and you can use these settings.

• Upload at Session End - If checked, KioWare uploads app logs when a user session ends and Attract Screen mode starts (see Attract/Inactivity Tab, Related Terms and Questions for more information on Attract Screen mode).
• Upload Interval - Sets how often (in minutes) app logs are uploaded.

Remote Monitoring

For more details on Windows Event Logs, see Browser Tab, Related Terms and Questions.

• Heartbeat Interval - How often (in minutes) KioWare sends heartbeat statistics (see Kiosk Management, Reports Tab, Heartbeat Report in the KioWare Server User Guide) and Event Log data (as found in Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs) to KioWare Server.
• Add Event Log Filter - Select this button to add a new Event Log filter.  These settings will show.
  • Event Log - Select the type of Event Log to be sent to KioWare Server.
    • KioWare Log - KioWare events from the Application Log are sent (as found in Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs, Application, with “Source” indicating a KioWare component).
    • Application Log - All events from the Application Log are sent (as found in Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs, Application).
    • Security Log - All events from the Security Log are sent (as found in Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs, Security).
    • System Log - All events from the System Log are sent (as found in Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs, System).
  • Action to Take - Select the upload action.
    • Upload as Normal Log - Event Logs are sent to KioWare Server as normal Event Logs
    • Upload as Urgent Log - Event Logs are sent to KioWare Server as urgent Event Logs.
    • Do Not Upload - No Event Logs are sent to KioWare Server.
  • Source Filter - Enter the string (sequence of characters) for the source filter (e.g., ^Kioware$).
  • Message Filter - Enter the string for the message filter (e.g., ^Message I do not want sent to server).
  • Filter by Log Level - If the slider is set to “ON”, sets the types of events that are sent to KioWare Server (based on the “Level” shown in Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs).
    • Error - If checked, events with a “Level” of “Error” are sent.
    • Warning - If checked, events with a “Level” of “Warning” are sent.
    • Information - If checked, events with a “Level” of “Information” are sent (useful in debugging, but not recommended for general use because it creates a large amount of logs).
  • Limit Age of Logs - When the slider is set to “On”, you can tell KioWare to show logs for only a certain number of past days.
• Edit (pencil icon) - Select this icon to edit an Event Log filter.
• Delete (“X” icon) - Select this icon to remove an Event Log filter.

Content Updating

• Update Interval - Set the recurrence (in minutes) that KioWare checks for any available updates and loads them.
• Content Update Root Path - The UNC path to the root directory where the updated files should be placed.  Files will be stored in a temporary directory (temp folder auto-created under this root) until all new files have been successfully downloaded to the kiosk or computer.  The default root directory is C:\ProgramData\KioWare Client\UserData\, which will be auto-created during the content update.
• Edit Scripts - Select this button to run scripts before and after content updates occur (see Edit Scripts below).

Server Commands

• Enable Server Commands - If checked and server commands are enabled on the server (see Kiosk Management, Server Command Management in the KioWare Server User Guide), KioWare will contact the server 1 minute after starting.  It will “ask” if there are any commands (server actions) to execute, and how long to wait before contacting the server again to “ask” for another command (see Site Settings, Server Command Interval in the KioWare Server User Guide).

Advanced Server Settings

This window shows when you select the “Advanced Server Settings” button on the main Kiosk Management Tab.  (For related settings that tell KioWare to automatically use authentication when importing remote settings files, see General Tab, Remote Settings Configuration, Authentication Settings.)

• Server Groups - Enter one or more specific groups that the kiosk should be added to in KioWare Server.  Each group is identified by a unique value from the server.  Separate groups by a comma with no space.

Server SSL Options

If you are using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to “talk” with KioWare Server, you can tell KioWare to ignore SSL configuration problems that keep data from being passed correctly.  (For more details on SSL errors, see Browser Tab, Related Terms and Questions.  For details on SSL and telling KioWare to automatically use authentication when importing remote settings files, see General Tab, Remote Authentication Settings, Server SSL Options.)

• Ignore All Errors - Tells KioWare to ignore all problems.
• Ignore Invalid Host - Tells KioWare to ignore problems caused by a host computer that is invalid.
• Ignore Expiration Date - Tells KioWare to ignore problems caused by an expiration date.
• Ignore Invalid Issuer - Tells KioWare to ignore problems caused by an issuer that is invalid.
• Apply to All Downloads - Tells KioWare to ignore problems caused by KioWare Server-based downloads, which include remote settings files (see General Tab, Remote Settings Configuration), server command executables (see Connection Settings, Enable Server Commands above), and content update files (see Content Updating above).

Client-Side Certificate

• Send Client Certificate - If enabled, tells KioWare to send a machine-specific client certificate, settings-based certificate, or both.  Select an option from the dropdown and use the settings that appear below.
  • Machine-Specific Client Certificate - (Only available when the “Send Machine-Specific Certificate” or “Send Both Certificates” option is selected above) In the “Certificate Location” dropdown, select if you want the current user or local machine.  Then use the ellipses button to select a machine-specific certificate thumbprint.
  • Settings-Based Certificate - (Only available when the “Send Settings-Based Certificate” or “Send Both Certificates” option is selected above) In the “Certificate Location” dropdown, select if you want the current user or local machine.  Then use the ellipses button to select a settings-based certificate thumbprint.

Edit Scripts

• Pre-Apply Update Script - Script settings to be applied before a content update begins.
  • Command - Enter the script command to be run.
  • Script Return Action - Select the action that occurs once the script returns a value.
    • Continue Immediately after Execute - KioWare will start the content update after the script is executed.
    • Wait and Require Specific Exit Code - KioWare will wait for the script to return a specific exit code (see “Exit Code” below) before starting the content update.
    • Wait but Ignore Exit Code - KioWare will wait until the script has stopped before starting the content update, but will ignore the exit code (see “Exit Code” below) that the script returns.
  • Timeout Seconds - (Only available if “Script Return Action” above is not set to “Continue Immediately after Execute”) Set the amount of time (in seconds) that KioWare will wait before timing out when an error occurs in the script (range is 0–3600).
  • Exit Code - (Only available if “Script Return Action” above is set to “Wait and Require Specific Exit Code”) Set the exit code (unique code that indicates the script has stopped running) that the script will pass to KioWare (can be a positive or negative value).
• Post-Apply Update Script - Script settings to be applied after all content update files are processed and copied to the applicable kiosks, but before a successful update complete notification is sent to KioWare Server.
  • Command - Enter the script command to be run.
  • Script Return Action - Select the action that occurs once the script returns a value.
    • Continue Immediately after Execute - KioWare will continue to run after the script is executed.
    • Wait and Require Specific Exit Code - KioWare will wait for the script to return a specific exit code (see “Exit Code” below) before continuing to run.
    • Wait but Ignore Exit Code - KioWare will wait until the script has stopped before continuing to run, but will ignore the exit code (see “Exit Code” below) that the script returns.
  • Timeout Seconds - (Only available if “Script Return Action” above is not set to “Continue Immediately after Execute”) Set the amount of time (in seconds) that KioWare will wait before timing out when an error occurs in the script (range is 0–3600).
  • Exit Code - (Only available if “Script Return Action” above is set to “Wait and Require Specific Exit Code”) Set the exit code (unique code that indicates the script has stopped running) that the script will pass to KioWare (can be a positive or negative value).
• Post-Notify Update Script - Script settings to be applied after a successful update complete notification is sent to KioWare Server.
  • Command - Enter the script command to be run.
  • Script Return Action - Select the action that occurs once the script returns a value.
    • Continue Immediately after Execute - KioWare will continue to run after the script is executed.
    • Wait and Require Specific Exit Code - KioWare will wait for the script to return a specific exit code (see “Exit Code” below) before continuing to run.
    • Wait but Ignore Exit Code - KioWare will wait until the script has stopped before continuing to run, but will ignore the exit code (see “Exit Code” below) that the script returns.
  • Timeout Seconds - (Only available if “Script Return Action” above is not set to “Continue Immediately after Execute”) Set the amount of time (in seconds) that KioWare will wait before timing out when an error occurs in the script (range is 0–3600).
  • Exit Code - (Only available if “Script Return Action” above is set to “Wait and Require Specific Exit Code”) Set the exit code (unique code that indicates the script has stopped running) that the script will pass to KioWare (can be a positive or negative value).

Related Terms and Questions

If the answers to your questions are not in this table, visit the KioWare website for frequently asked questions (FAQs).

What is the purpose of the Kiosk Management Tab?	When the KioWare Server product is loaded on your server, this tab allows a kiosk or computer (that is running KioWare) to “talk” with KioWare Server.  When set up with KioWare, your kiosk or computer uses this tab to tell KioWare Server that it is set up and send data that identifies it.  The tab also allows your kiosk or computer to send information to KioWare Server such as statistics about how KioWare is being used, information on the running state of KioWare, Event Logs (see below) on how the system and software are running, and usage statistics.  It also allows your kiosk or computer to download from the server any updates to your Config Tool settings, if the “Remote Config URL” is set (see General Tab, Remote Settings Configuration, Remote Config URL).
What are server commands?	Server commands are pre-set actions that can be done on your kiosk or computer, such as soft and hard restarts, full reboot, forced restart or reboot, starting a content update (see below), or sending a screenshot or heartbeat (see below).  There are two parts to using server commands: 1) using KioWare Server to set which server commands can be used and when they will be used (see Kiosk Management, Server Command Management in the KioWare Server User Guide), and 2) using this tab of the KioWare Config Tool to enable the server commands to be used within KioWare.  Checking the “Enable Server Commands” checkbox tells KioWare to “ask” KioWare Server if it should do any of these pre-set actions.
What is SSL or TLS?	If used, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) ensures that any connection your kiosk or computer makes with KioWare Server is a secure connection (for more details on SSL and SSL errors, see Browser Tab, Related Terms and Questions).  You can use the “Advanced Server Settings” button to tell KioWare to ignore any SSL errors caused by an invalid host computer, expiration date, or invalid user.
What is statistics logging?	KioWare has a built-in database for logging and storing statistics on how KioWare is used (see below), and also for sending these statistics to KioWare Server for monitoring and creating reports.  The database can be automatically sent to KioWare Server.  Each time a user displays a web page, the database stores the URL of the web page, how long the web page was displayed, and the title tag of the HTML file used to generate the web page (title tag is a line of code near the top of the HTML file that has the format <title>[class:]title description</title>, with the class being optional).  Use the “Upload Interval” and “Upload at Session End” settings to tell KioWare how often to send these usage statistics to KioWare Server or to send them when the user session ends (when Attract Screen mode starts; see Attract/Inactivity Tab, Related Terms and Questions for more details on Attract Screen mode).
What is app logging?	KioWare application logging (app logging) can be used to log any kind of custom data you want from your pages (or .Net addin) and send it to KioWare Server.  Use the “Upload Interval” and “Upload at Session End” settings to tell KioWare how often to send app logs to KioWare Server or to send them when the user session ends (when Attract Screen mode starts; see Attract/Inactivity Tab, Related Terms and Questions for more details on Attract Screen mode).
What are Event Logs?	Event Logs provide a history of kiosk or computer health based on Windows Event Log entries (as found in Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs).  These entries can be viewed from a log on the server (see Server Management, Server Event Log in the KioWare Server User Guide).  For details on Event Logs and how to show them from KioWare, see Configuration Tool, Related Terms and Questions.  For details on Event Logs relating to script errors, see Browser Tab, Related Terms and Questions.
What are urgent events vs. normal events?	Urgent Event Logs are sent to KioWare Server immediately, whereas normal Event Logs are sent to KioWare Server whenever heartbeats (see below) are sent.  As one example, urgent Event Logs can be useful when they pertain to certain equipment, such as printers.  Because KioWare actively monitors each printer, when it notices a change (e.g., paper low), it instantly sends a message to KioWare Server and triggers notification emails to be sent (see Kiosk Management, Reports Tab, Kiosk Urgent Events in the KioWare Server User Guide).  Select the “Add Event Log Filter” button (to add) or the pencil icon (to edit), select “Upload as Urgent Log” in the “Action to Take” dropdown, and enter all other information to tell KioWare to treat these specific logs as urgent.
What are heartbeats?	The kiosk or computer will send regular messages (heartbeats) to KioWare Server with close to 30 performance statistics (see Kiosk Management, Reports Tab, Heartbeat Report in the KioWare Server User Guide).  When KioWare Server receives a message, this indicates that KioWare is running on the kiosk or computer, and the performance statistics indicate its current health.  How often these heartbeat statistics are sent is based on the “Heartbeat Interval” setting.
What is content updating?	On an interval basis, KioWare is able to download content from a central server (that is running KioWare Server) and use it to update the content on a kiosk or computer.  When KioWare Server is set up for content updating (see Content Updating in the KioWare Server User Guide), then on this tab, use the “Update Interval” to set how often the update will occur, and in the “Content Update Root Path” box, enter the path to the root directory where the updated files should be stored.  Below is a summary of the process.
Summary of content updating process	The kiosk or computer starts communication with KioWare Server, which is running on a server. The revision control system on the server is checked to make sure that particular kiosk or computer is scheduled to have new content downloaded.  (Content can include files related to the application or KioWare updates.) If content is to be downloaded, then the files are transferred to the kiosk or computer one at a time.  (This could take up to several days depending on the number and size of files, the connection bandwidth, etc.) When all files have been transferred, they are then copied and used to overwrite any existing files. Depending on the file type, an action may occur (e.g., some .dll files need to be registered, or a .reg file needs to be imported). Only after all files have been processed will the update be considered complete, and then the kiosk or computer will report this back to KioWare Server.
What steps are needed to perform a content update?	There are three steps to content updating: 1) setting up your Config Tool for content updating, 2) setting up your server for content updating, and 3) setting up KioWare Server for content updating.  Below are more details on each of these steps.
Setting up your Config Tool for content updating	Open the Config Tool to the Kiosk Management Tab and enter all settings in the Content Updating section (see Kiosk Management Tab, Content Updating above). Export the Config Tool settings to a remote settings file (see Configuration Toolbar, Config Tool Menu, Export Settings).
Setting up your server for content updating	Load KioWare Server (see Installation in the KioWare Server user guide). Set up Internet Information Services (IIS) for content updating (see Content Updating, Useful Knowledge, Important IIS Setup in the KioWare Server user guide).
Setting up KioWare Server for content updating	The steps below refer to sections in the KioWare Server user guide: Set up File Server Host and URL Base Path (see Site Management Tab, Site Settings). Create a new revision (see Content Updating, Revisions). Assign the remote settings file to the new revision (see Content Updating, Files Tab). Set the client path to the location where the remote settings file is stored (see Content Updating, Update Client Paths). Set any actions to be performed after your kiosk or computer downloads updates (see Content Updating, File Actions). Assign the new revision to a kiosk (computer) and wait for the update to occur (see Kiosk Management, Utilities Tab, Kiosk Settings, Content Revisions Tab).  (If using groups, assign the revision via Group Management Tab, Group Settings.)
KioWare shows a page that says a content update is in progress.	This is the Content Update Mode page that shows when KioWare starts a content update (see above for details on content updating).  Once in Content Update mode, the kiosk or computer will show this page and will not be available for use again until both the content update is complete and KioWare is automatically restarted.  The Content Update Mode page can also be customized (see below).
Can I customize the Content Update Mode page?	Yes, it is an HTML file that can be customized.  See Configuration Tool, Customizing Warning and Other Pages for details on locating and customizing this file.
How do I stop a content update once it is started?	On the Kiosk settings screen, select the Content Revisions tab and set the “Download” dropdown for your release to “Select a Release” (see Kiosk Management, Utilities Tab, Kiosk Settings, Content Revisions Tab in the KioWare Server User Guide).   Issue a hard or soft KioWare Restart server command (see Kiosk Management, Server Command Management in the KioWare Server User Guide).
The content update is not starting at the start time I set.	If KioWare is set to use attract screens, then updating will not start until KioWare is in Attract Screen Mode (when the user session ends; see Attract/Inactivity Tab, Related Terms and Questions for more details on Attract Screen mode).  If no attract screens are used, then updating occurs immediately.
The content update only updated some of my files.	Content revisions are only downloaded for a set amount of time per day or interval.  If a revision is not completely or successfully downloaded before a new download is to begin, then KioWare can detect this and will download the remaining files for the prior revision before downloading the current revision files.  Note: KioWare will not download an earlier revision file if a newer version of the file already exists in a more current revision.
I am new to KioWare and KioWare Server.  When are the best times to schedule server commands, statistics logging, app logging, heartbeats, and content updating?	Server Commands - When server commands are scheduled at the same time as other tasks, KioWare Server will always give top priority to the server commands.  Keep this in mind when scheduling the items below. Statistics Logging - It is generally best to upload when the kiosk is not heavily used, such as in the middle of the night, but because the upload process does not interfere with the normal operation of the kiosk or computer, you can schedule it to occur at any time of the day (including each user session end). App Logging - Same as for Statistics Logging. Heartbeats - Same as for Statistics Logging, only this cannot be scheduled to be sent when each user session ends. Content Updating - It is best to update when the kiosk or computer will not be heavily used because the update process requires that the KioWare software be shut down.  The kiosk or computer screen will display a message stating that the kiosk is currently unavailable and is undergoing maintenance.  When the update is complete, the KioWare software will automatically restart.  It is also recommended to schedule the update process at a different time from the statistics logging process (see above).
What is a client certificate?	It is a digital ID card that a remote server uses to verify that the client (computer or machine contacting the server) is who it claims to be.  A client certificate contains a number of items (typically numerical codes) that help to identify a specific client server and secure that client's information by encrypting it when it is sent to a remote server.  The serial number that identifies each certificate is issued by a certificate authority (CA) organization, and no two serial numbers are the same.  Certificate thumbprints are special codes that represent a condensed version of all information contained in a certificate.  Certificates can identify a specific group of settings used by a computer or software (settings-based), or they can identify a specific computer or machine that is being used to send them (machine-specific).  In KioWare, client certificates can be sent to a server that is running the KioWare Server product (e.g., for use with content updating; see Advanced Server Settings, Client-Side Certificate above), and can also be sent to a server that is running the KioWare License Server product (for use with resetting of KioWare licenses; see License Tab, License Server Information, Select Client Certificate).  With both, the “Certificate Location” and “Certificate Thumbprint” must be set.  Client certificate location and thumbprint for the KioWare License Server may also be passed into KioWare during automatic installation (see Installation, Automatic Installation, Parameters).  Client certificates are also used if you tell KioWare to automatically apply authentication when importing remote settings files (see General Tab, Remote Settings Configuration, Authentication Settings).