Products: LearnSpace - FAQ

Products

LearnSpace

What is LearnSpace?

LearnSpace is a software solution that allows users to share visual content from their laptops to one or more electronic displays. Composed of a client (LearnSpace) and server (the LearnSpace server), LearnSpace is intended to work with the hardware often already present in the classroom or conference room.

What is the LearnSpace client?

LearnSpace is the software client that runs on a user's laptop. It serves as the primary user interface for sharing content to fixed displays wirelessly. If a user wants to share content with LearnSpace, he or she MUST have the client installed.

Is there a special version of the LearnSpace client for instructors or moderators?

No. LearnSpace includes all the collaboration controls you need to take control of a LearnSpace session, and also includes the ability to transfer this control to others.

What is the LearnSpace server?

The LearnSpace server is the software that, in an ideal usage scenario, runs on a dedicated PC connected to the electronic displays in a classroom or conference room. Once properly configured, the LearnSpace server is not something users will have direct interaction with. Instead, the LearnSpace server is responsible for taking content sent to it by one or more LearnSpace clients and showing this content on the available displays.

Do I need both the LearnSpace client and server?

Yes. In order to work properly, you must have a LearnSpace server on the machine connected to the electronic displays to be shared, and users must have the LearnSpace client on their laptops in order to share.

How do I control a display wirelessly?

Verify that you are running LearnSpace and the shared display computer is running the LearnSpace server
Connect to the WiFi network indicated on the LearnSpace server window (in the "Wireless" section), if any
Enter the LearnSpace address listed on the server into LearnSpace
Enter your name in LearnSpace
Click "Connect" in LearnSpace

For more information, see the appropriate section of the LearnSpace User's Guide.

How do I share a window from my laptop?

Run your mouse cursor over any window; you will see the LearnSpace button appear at the top in the middle. Click on the LearnSpace button over the window you want to share. Select "Share Window" from the menu that appears.

What does being 'in control' of the display mean?

The person connected that is in control will be allowed to determine the sharing policy (how much or how little others can share). This policy determines how other users can share and move windows on the shared display. Note that a person does not have to be in control of the display to show a window - they simply need to be allowed to share under the policy set by the person in control. For more information, see the appropriate section of the LearnSpace User's Guide.

How secure is LearnSpace?

The basic assumption behind the security of shared information is that if someone can see the shared screen, they might as well see the video signal traffic. LearnSpace is configured to transmit information using the HTTP protocol in an unencrypted manner. However, most wireless access points are configured for encryption on the wireless link (the wireless link is the most likely target for traffic sniffing). LearnSpace does not perform remote control of other computers and as such, no keystroke data is sent across the network.

The LearnSpace server listens for traffic on TCP ports 80 and 443 and will attempt to configure the Windows Firewall to allow this upon installation.

There is also an option on the LearnSpace server to enable a passkey that prevents people outside the room from using the server. This is not usually necessary for public rooms but remains an option where desired.

How much networking bandwidth does LearnSpace use?

Network traffic between LearnSpace and the LearnSpace server happens directly, without any external relays or routing. The bandwidth used depends heavily on the activity of a user. For users that are actively sharing, 5-200 kB/s is typical. As a base, each client connected will consume around 0.1 kB/s. An additional 1-5 kB/s is used per window on the screen per client to update thumbnails.

How many clients can connect to a single server?

Connected clients can be as many as the network will handle - typically 30 - 150 depending on the network infrastructure.
The number of clients with an active share tends to be more limited by screen real-estate than by bandwidth. There are only so many images you can see at a time on a large screen and read (more than 4 shared items per classroom display tends to be hard to see clearly). Space aside, around 10-30 active windows would not be unreasonable depending on the complexity/size of the window contents and available bandwidth.

How many displays can a single server control?

The number of displays is only limited by the graphics adapters available on the computer running the LearnSpace server. If you can connect the displays to your "server" computer, the server can control them.

I ran into an error installing the client on my computer; how do I fix this?

The most common installation problem is not having an updated version of Java. Please see our troubleshooting guide for more details.

I ran into an error installing the server on my computer; how do I fix this?

Try uninstalling any prior versions of the server first. Make sure your computer has the latest updates installed (the server requires at least .NET 3.5 SP1 and Windows Installer 3.1). Be sure to run the installer as an Administrator user (Windows Vista/7 will prompt if you have UAC enabled).

Why can't I connect my client to a server to control a display?

The most common problem is not entering the LearnSpace address correctly. Another common setup-related issue is having a firewall blocking traffic between LearnSpace and the LearnSpace server. Check the deployment guidelines if you are having a network-related issue.

Overview FAQs

Networking & Performance FAQs

Troubleshooting FAQs