Best Practices: Device Setup

Setup suggestions for tablets.. 1

Protect your investment.. 1

Initial Setup for Android devices. 1

Initial Setup for Kindle Fire. 2

Useful user configurations for Android.. 3

Resetting tablets after an event.. 3

Setup suggestions for Laptops.. 4

Backup Server.. 4

Judge Advisor Server.. 6

Setup suggestions for tablets

Protect your investment

Get a $10 Tablet Case that can cushion the tablet when it is dropped. Some cases include a stylus. Some cases include a magnet that can automatically turn off the tablet display when closed.
Assign a Device number/name to each device, like Tablet 1, Tablet 2, etc.

Place a sticker on the back of the device AND on the case:

"Tablet 1. Property of XYZ. If found, please contact 222-555-1212"

where "Tablet 1" is the assigned device number/name.

Initial Setup for Android devices

Charge device for 6 hours
Connect to Internet via WiFi. Apply system updates if they appear. You may need to repeat this many times.
Set time zone

Settings àSystem: Date & Time à ...

Record serial number, device number/name and model info in a file.

Settings à About Phone/Tablet à Status à Serial Number (scroll up)

Set Owner Info:

Settings à Security à Owner Info

"Property of XYZ. If found, please contact 222-555-1212"

Create a Google account. You don't want your personal account to be accessed by others. Add and configure account under: Settings àAccounts & Sync
Run app Google Play, use Google account and apply application updates.
Install the following applications from the Play store, only the first 2 are needed, the rest are "useful".

GMS (search for GMS FRC) The GMS icon is a green robot with the FRC logo on its tummy.
"ZXing Barcode reader" or "Google Goggles"
"WiFi Analyzer (by FarProc)" or "Wifi Scanner & Net Discovery"
ES File Explorer
Google Handwriting Input
FRC Spyder

Place GMS in the frequently used application bar at the bottom of screen
It is possible to set up user accounts so that they cannot modify the tablet settings.
Set up all tablets to be exactly alike. Simplifies support.

Initial Setup for Kindle Fire

Charge device for 6 hours
Turn it on. Connect to Internet via WiFi. Apply software updates. This will take about 10 mins (15 mins when you are in a hurry.)
Create a separate Amazon account.

Select Skip when asked to enter Credit Card info for Payments. Enter a valid physical address and phone number. This may be useful if your device gets lost or stolen.
Skip Child Profile. Later, it is possible to set up Child accounts for volunteers so that they cannot modify the tablet settings.
Enable Location Service, turn OFF Auto-save and Backup options, ignore Social Networks, continue without Prime, and Exit to avoid the Tutorial.

Record the device's serial number: Settings à Device Options
Set your Device name (to XYZ 1): Settings à Device Name
Enable remote device management: Settings à "Find Your Tablet"
Install the following Apps from the Amazon App store

GMS (search for GMS FRC) The GMS icon is a green robot with the FRC logo on its tummy.
WiFi Analyzer (by FarProc)
ES File Explorer

Install other useful apps:

Turn ON: Settings à Security à "Apps from Unknown Sources"
Open the Silk Browser app on tablet Home page
Browse to this page and click on each of the following links:

· http://gms.pejaver.com/setup/com.google.zxing.client.android.apk

· http://gms.pejaver.com/setup/FRC-Spyder-2.2.1.apk (say ok to get Google Play Services)

Click on the 'apk file' link above, say OK
Click on Open to install the app, accept permission checks.
You can also use the ES File Explorer app to install from the Download folder.
Turn OFF: Settings à Security à "Apps from Unknown Sources"

Test each tablet by connecting to a GMS server and logging in

Useful user configurations for Android

For color blind users:

Settings à Accessibility à Color Correction (on) à pick one of 3 modes

For users with poor eye sight:

Settings à Accessibility à High Contrast

To change font size (2 ways):

Settings à Display à Font size à Large or Huge
Settings à Accessibility à Large Text

To lock the screen in Portrait or Landscape mode:

Settings à Accessibility à Auto-rotate screen (un-check)

To change display sleep time:

Settings à Display à Sleep à 10 minutes

To turn off Screen lock:

Settings à Security à Screen Lock à None

Do not set a password for screen lock; if you lose it you may need to reset tablet back to initial state.

Resetting tablets after an event

Sometimes volunteers may leave inappropriate content on the tablet, which may offend the next tablet user.

· Delete contents of the following directories (do not delete the directory, just make it empty)

- com.pejaver.gms/

- DCIM/Camera/

- Videos/

- Music/

- Pictures/

- Downloads/

- Bluetooth/

Remove extraneous unauthorized apps. Reinstall any missing required apps

- To list missing apps, start Google Play Store on the tablet, click on Menu (3 bars) à "My apps & games" à "All"

Clear browser bookmarks & history
Delete extraneous Accounts. Verify appropriate account is active
Install all relevant updates from Google Play (including GMS)
Reset background picture and any custom device configurations.
Wipe the tablet with a disinfectant...
Recharge the batteries

Setup suggestions for Laptops

Basic laptop installations are described in the QuickStart User Guide (Local Model.) Laptops can be used as the main GMS server (in Local mode) or the Backup Server (in Local and Cloud mode.)

Backup Server

A "Backup" server mirrors data in the main GMS server and can be used if the latter becomes inaccessible. It is recommended that the Pit Admin or the Inspection Manager workstation be configured as a Backup server. Conversely, the Backup server can be used as the Pit Admin or IM workstation.

The Backup server should be configured to be fully functional, even though tablets will not be connecting to it. This minimizes the switch-over time for Disaster Recovery. Setting up a separate "Backup" WiFi AP is recommended. The following diagram shows the connectivity during normal operations and when the Backup server is being used to recover from some failure.

Start by setting up the Backup Server for "Normal Operation" as shown in the figure above. Set up the laptop. Refer to full directions in the QuickStart Guide. To summarize:

Install the latest version of GMS on the Backup Laptop. Having a version that is incompatible with the Master will screw up everything.
Unzip the downloaded GMS file and copy it to a folder called "<eventname> Backup Server". Subsititute your own eventname.
Install desired packages. The Pit Map editor (PyQt4) will be useful. Other packages are optional.

Connect the Laptop to the Event site WiFi network. Login using the default Demo or LRI account. Select the desired event and click on Back. You may need to login again.

To sync with the Master GMS server, select: Tools à Configuration.

Sync from Master: "Sync"
Master Server's Address: c.pejaver.com
Master Server's Port: 4433 (or as allocated for your event)
Save
Wait for screen to update (Could take 10 mins depending on how much data needs to be downloaded)

Test:

Has the Backup server copied data from the main server? This may a few minutes.
Can you open the Pit Map on the laptop?

At this point the Backup Server is operational and can be used to make changes. It will get updates from the Master server.

Continue configurations to prepare for Disaster. Set up the WiFi AP. Refer to directions in the WiFi AP Configuration Guide. The AP will be placed close to the Inspection Station. It need not provide perfect coverage for the whole Event area. Connect it to the WiFi AP using an Ethernet cable. The laptop's WiFi will be used to connect to the main server. Select: Tools à Configuration.

Enter "Server IP address" issued by the wired backup WiFi AP.

To be extra sure, disconnect the WiFi network and click on "Use Local Host".

Select: Start this server Automatically.
Enter the Peer Server Address: the master server's address (For Cloud mode, it will typically be c.pejaver.com )
In Setup WiFi SSID: enter Backup WiFi's SSID and "password"
Save

Select: View à Tablet Setup QR. This should display a QR 2D "Bar Code".

If the code does not display, PhotoViewer is missing on the laptop, or Microsoft messed with Windows.

Find and display the generated PNG file in folder: state \ 2016 \ FRC \ event name \ server address.png

In the directory path above, substitute the year number for 2016, series for FRC and use the appropriate event name

Set up a tablet and try to connect to this server.

On the GMS Login screen, select: Menu à Setup. Point camera at the QR Code.

Test:

Is the tablet's WiFi configured to the Backup WiFi?
Can GMS login to the Backup server? You may see incorrect data if the server has not yet Synced.
Has the Backup server copied data from the main server? This may a few seconds (Sync Period.)

Judge Advisor Server

For privacy reasons, Judge Advisors should have a dedicated laptop placed in the Judge's rooms. One day, hopefully, this section will describe how it should be set up. TBD.

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