Download PDF:  KB0209

Summary
SoftLINK now has the ability to connect to and monitor the students’ Chromebooks.  One of the key benefits of using Google Chromebooks in a school is that the Chromebooks can be centrally managed through the web and configurations can be changed at a moment’s notice.  Unfortunately, the Google Management Console currently does not provide the ability for an administrator to centrally configure deployed applications or extensions.  To alleviate this issue, these settings must be configured with a valid SoftLINK Name and Connectivity Server address and Port number.

Details
To provide administrators with a way to configure the School Student extension without having to manually enter them on each Chrome device, the School Student extension for Chrome OS will read web pages that are opened on the device. If it finds the appropriate HTML Meta Tag within a page, it will use the information to set the SoftLINK Name & Connectivity Server IP address and Port Number.

< meta name=”nslsettings” content=”IPADDRESS:PORT” />

Ex:  < meta name=”nslsettings” content=”192.168.1.10:443” />

< meta name=”nslsettings” content=”IPADDRESS:PORT/ROOM1,ROOM2,ROOM3” />

Ex:  < meta name=”nslsettings” content=”192.168.1.10:443/Math,English,Rm101” />

Where IPADDRESS:PORT is replaced with the IP address and port number (default is 443) of the SoftLINK Name & Connectivity Server. We suggest that you add the above HTML code to the homepage configured in the Google Chrome Management Console.  This will ensure that the page will be launched and the appropriate IP address and port are read by the School Student extension for Google Chrome OS. If you cannot easily edit your homepage to add the above HTML code, you may want to set a secondary home page and add the parameter rel=”close” which will close the secondary page as soon as the SoftLINK Name & Connectivity Server settings have been read by the Chromebook.

<meta name=”nslsettings” rel=”close” content=”IPADDRESS:PORT” />

Ex:  <meta name=”nslsettings” rel=”close” content=”192.168.1.10:443″ />

< meta name=”nslsettings” rel=”close” content=” IPADDRESS:PORT/ROOM1,ROOM2,ROOM3″ />

Ex:  < meta name=”nslsettings” rel=”close” content=” 192.168.1.10:443/Math,English,Rm101″ />

A sample html page can be downloaded from our site.  Simply modify it to work with your environment.  Click on the link below and then right click on the screen and select “View Source” to see the actual HTML.

HTML Sample

Note: To utilize the multiple Room modes you will need to update your Chromebooks to latest School Student extension (V1.40 or greater). After all of the student Chromebooks have been connected to the SoftLINK Name & Connectivity Server, having read the proper settings from the HTML Meta Tag, the HTML Meta Tag can be removed from the webpage until a change is required. The URL must be served from a Webserver – e.g. IIS or Apache not from a File URL.

If you require further assistance please contact Applied Computer Systems, Inc. Technical Support at support@acs-linksystems.com or call toll-free 1-800-237-5465.