Networking Options:

Networking Your Multimedia Training

Overview
Mastery has many options when you install and manage our courses over your network. Networking can make a complete library of courses instantly available to a large number of learners without anyone even touching a CD-ROM. No more lost or damaged CD-ROMs. And no more time wasted looking for the right CD-ROM.

To understand how Mastery's courseware achieves its extreme flexibility in a networking environment, you need to understand the four main elements of a Mastery courseware system.

Learner records
These are the listings of all learner's use of the courses. If you have more than one training station, you'll appreciate having this data in one place—not spread around on dozens of training stations.

Audio/Video files
These files contain all of the audio and motion video for the course. These are the monsters in terms of file size. Their huge size is what makes storage space and bandwith availability big issues. Mastery helps minimize and sometimes even eliminate this problem. In addition to the standard (CD-ROM) rate course versions, many Mastery courses are also available in low bitrate versions. The low bitrate versions can take as little at one-tenth the disk space and bandwidth of the standard rate versions.

The ability to control the amount of network resource needed to handle video, and how the video is independently distributed over the network gives you maximum flexibility. With this flexibility you can run video in nearly any network environment: LAN, WAN, or Intranet.

Runtime System
Only one copy of the Runtime System is needed to run an unlimited number of courses. The Runtime is the logical "engine" that drives a course and is the "manager" that directs the handling of all the other course elements and special features. It is the Runtime System that most often is updated to add new features to Mastery's courses. Being able to maintain only one copy (or a few copies) of the Runtime is a plus in a multi-user environment.

Course Files
These are the variable pieces of every course. Course files are the "scripts" that the Runtime System uses to create the rich interactive experience of every Mastery course. Course files are also your way of implementing custom modifications to your courses. If you have made modifications to a course, you will certainly appreciate the ability to apply your modifications to one set of course files which instantly updates dozens or hundreds of training stations.

Networking of learner records

This is simple to setup on any network and it doesn't use much in the way of network resources. This configuration gives you access to a complete, consolidated database of training records—even if the training systems are spread out over the entire country.

For example, you might have several delivery systems (workstations) spread throughout your organization.You can have all of those systems direct their student records to one computer (file server).

This method provides these advantages:

Quick, easy, and continuous access to learner records
You can view and print reports that will show the combined records for all your locations; right from your office.
Avoid manual database consolidation steps
The learner records are continuously updated in one central location so you don't have to do a periodic consolidation process.
Handle unique hardware or training options at each workstation
You can deal with issues like mixed MPEG decoding capabilities at each workstation, or work areas with unique courseware setup requirements like different site-specific modifications.

Networking of learner records, Runtime System, and course files

Only Mastery gives you the ability to put part of the courseware on the server and part on the local computer. This allows you to take advantage of many network benefits even if your current network will not support full-motion video.

You can actually run the courses over your network, but play the full-motion video and audio files from the CD-ROM drive on the training station.

This configuration will separate the network hog (full-motion video files) from the other course programs allowing you to take advantage of many network benefits without having to upgrade your network.

This method provides these advantages:

Saves disk space on the workstations
The average disk space requirements for a stand alone version of a course is approximately 10MB. In the case of twenty courses loaded on ten workstations, the total hard drive space requirement would be 2GB. If the twenty courses were loaded to the server, total hard drive usage would only be 200MB (.2GB).
Easy to update software
As new releases come out, you will only have to load them one time to the file server. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they are on the current release.
Easy to load course updates
As updates to courses come out, you will only have to load them one time to the file server. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they have the most recent course update.
Easy to implement customization
As you customize your courseware, you will only have to load the custom changes one time to the file server. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they have the most recent customization.
Control of options and features over the network
Training Manager allows you to "log-on" to your remote training stations through your network. When you log-on you see the options right on your own desktop PC.
Quick, easy, and continuous access to learner records
You can view and print reports that will show the combined records for all your locations— right from your office.
Avoid manual database consolidation steps
The learner records are continuously updated in one central location so you don't have to do a periodic consolidation process.

Full networking of video courseware

You can load all courseware files to a server and run the courses over your network—even the video. Our new low bitrate versions make this configuration possible for customers who may have older or very busy local area networks or wide area networks and can not handle the full-sized standard video files.

This method provides these advantages:

Eliminates damaged and lost CDs and speeds up training
Course materials are always available where you want them, when you want them. No lost discs. No damaged discs. No delays. No administrative headaches.
Saves disk space on the workstations
Instead of having twenty copies of each course for twenty workstations, only one copy is placed on the server.
Every workstation can have access to a huge library of courses
Because you can allow each workstation to have access to all the courses installed on a high capacity server or multiple servers, each workstation becomes a gateway to your full library of courses which can greatly exceed the capacity of a single stand alone PC.
Easy to update software
As new releases come out, you will only have to load them one time to the file server. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they are on the current release.
Easy to load course updates
As updates to courses come out, you will only have to load them one time to the file server. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they have the most recent course update.
Easy to implement customization
As you customize your courseware, you will only have to load the custom changes one time to the file server. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they have the most recent customization.
Control of options and features over the network
Training Manager allows you to "log-on" to your remote training stations through your network. When you log-on you see the options right on your own desktop PC.
Quick, easy, and continuous access to learner records
You can view and print reports that will show the combined records for all your locations— right from your office.
Avoid manual database consolidation steps
The learner records are continuously updated in one central location so you don't have to do a periodic consolidation process.

The simple peer-to-peer network

Only Mastery gives you the ability to put courses, records and runtime systems spread or shared across multiple hard drives. This, combined with our low bitrate course versions, allows you to do interactive video on even a low-speed (10baseT) peer-to-peer network.

You can use the newer 100baseT (Fast Ethernet) network cards and hubs to assemble high speed video networks that can run Mastery's standard bitrate full-screen video for peanuts.

Peer-to-peer networking uses the combined storage capacity of all the connected hard drives making a large library of courses available to multiple users with all learner data and training requirements data being stored in one place. This configuration does not require special networking software. Windows95 or Windows For Work Groups and Mastery software does it all.

This method provides these advantages:

Very low cost way to network
No expensive video servers or networking software is needed. No special high-performance hard drives are needed. Uses only standard PCs as workstation/servers. You spend about $100 per workstation to add the networking equipment.
Eliminates damaged and lost CDs and speeds up training
Course materials are always available where your want them, when you want them. No lost discs. No damaged discs. No delays. No administrative headaches.
Every workstation can have access to a huge library of courses
Because you can allow each workstation to have access to all the courses installed on all of the connected workstations, each workstation becomes a gateway to your full library of courses which can greatly exceed the capacity of a single stand alone PC.
Easy to update software
As new releases come out, you will only have to load them one time to a shared hard drive. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they are on the current release.
Easy to load course updates
As updates to courses come out, you will only have to load them one time to a shared hard drive. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they have the most recent course update.
Easy to implement customization
As you customize your courseware, you will only have to load the custom changes one time to a shared hard drive. You won't have to worry about going to every training station and making sure that they have the most recent customization.
Quick, easy, and continuous access to learner records
You can view and print reports that will show the combined records for all your locations— right from your office.
Avoid manual database consolidation steps
The learner records are continuously updated in one central location so you don't have to do a periodic consolidation process.