| What is the purpose? | When running KioWare Kiosk lockdown software (KioWare for Windows, KioWare Classic for Windows, or KioWare for Android) on your computers or tablets, KioWare Server lets you “talk” to all of your computers/tablets in order to monitor, manage, and update them from one central, remote server. |
| What are the key components? | KioWare Server contains two primary components: KioWare Kiosk software and KioWare Server software.
- KioWare Kiosk software - Includes KioWare (a browser shell application that locks down your computers/tablets and transforms then into secure kiosks) and the KioWare Configuration Tool (Config Tool), which contains all the settings for running the KioWare browser.
- KioWare Server software - A web-based console that contains various tools for setting up and managing kiosks that run KioWare Kiosk software.
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| How does it work? | KioWare Kiosk software and KioWare Server software allow your kiosks and server computer to “talk” to each other.
- KioWare Kiosk software - Install this on multiple computers or tablets to transform them into locked-down kiosks. Use the Config Tool to set up how you want KioWare Kiosk to work. The Config Tool then “talks” to the KioWare browser, telling it how to run (how to protect the operating system/browser, which keys to ignore when pressed, which screens to show when inactive, etc.). The browser is opened by clicking a desktop icon, and once it runs, it creates a safe environment for public use of your computer or tablet. When information about your server computer is also entered in the Config Tool, a kiosk can then “talk” to the server.
- KioWare Server software - Install this on your server. Log into the KioWare Server console and, if no kiosks are already set up, you can create them. When information about your kiosks is entered in the KioWare Server console, your server can “talk” to your kiosks. You can then use the utilities tools to track the health and status of kiosks, group kiosks to manage them more easily, push data to multiple kiosks at once, and generate reports on all or specific kiosks.
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| What is the application type? |
KioWare Kiosk software - Browser-based.
- KioWare for Windows - Based on the Chromium browser.
- KioWare Classic for Windows - Based on Internet Explorer.
- KioWare for Android - Based on Android WebView (system component of Android devices; powered by Chrome for Android 5.0 and higher).
KioWare Server software - Web-based.
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| Does it run on the Windows or Android operating system? |
KioWare Kiosk software - Runs with Android (KioWare for Android) or Windows (choose from KioWare for Windows that runs the Chromium browser, or KioWare Classic for Windows that runs with Internet Explorer).
KioWare Server software - Runs only with Windows (but can “talk” to kiosks that are running KioWare for Android, KioWare for Windows, or KioWare Classic for Windows).
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| Where is it installed? |
KioWare Kiosk software - Installs on computers or tablets (can be Windows or Android).
KioWare Server software - Installs on a Windows-based server (see Installation, KioWare Server System Requirements).
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| Are different models available? |
KioWare Kiosk software - Although three models of KioWare Kiosk Software are available (Lite, Basic, and Full), only the Full model will run with KioWare Server.
KioWare Server software - Only one model of KioWare Server software is currently available.
Note: KioWare Server software is installed on your server, and can be set up to “talk” to multiple kiosks/computers that are running KioWare Server. However, if you don't want to spend the time and hassle managing a server by yourself, you can subscribe to KioCloud. With KioCloud, we do all the work involved with hosting your server, so you can quickly get started and focus on your kiosk/computer—not your server. For more information on KioWare Server or KioCloud, visit the KioWare website or email KioWare Sales.
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| What is in it? |
KioWare Kiosk software - Contains multiple tools to secure your browser and computer/tablet, run attract screens when inactive, display a main toolbar, import/export settings, and use addins and devices. (See the KioWare Tools subsection in the Introduction of the KioWare for Windows, KioWare Classic for Windows, and KioWare for Android user guides on our website: www.kioware.com.)
KioWare Server software - Includes four major components for remotely managing and updating your kiosks or computers (see Administration Tool and Other KioWare Server Tools below):
- Administration Tool
- Upload Data
- Update Content
- Remote Monitoring
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| Who can access it? | Whomever you want. Passwords and other security features keep unwanted users from logging into the KioWare Config Tool and KioWare Server console, and also from exiting the KioWare (lockdown) browser, adding/removing kiosks, and accessing system files and other items on your computer or tablet. |
| What are some important things to know about installing/uninstalling it? |
KioWare Kiosk software - See the KioWare Overview subsection in the Introduction of the KioWare for Windows, KioWare Classic for Windows, and KioWare for Android user guides on our website: www.kioware.com.
KioWare Server software - After installing the software, you must enter your License Key in the System Configuration section of the KioWare Server console (see Administration Tool, System Configuration, License Information). See also Installation, Installing KioWare Server for step-by-step details on the installation process.
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| What are some important things to know about running it? |
KioWare Kiosk software - See the KioWare Overview subsection in the Introduction of the KioWare for Windows, KioWare Classic for Windows, and KioWare for Android user guides on our website: www.kioware.com.
KioWare Server software - You can force the KioWare Server console to be viewed through a Secure Socket Layer (known as SSL or https) connection (see Administration Tool, System Configuration, Force SSL). Before turning this on, you MUST have SSL set up on your web server; if you do not, you may be locked out of the console.
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The Administration Tool component of KioWare Server is a web-based application that manages many tasks (see Administration Tool). Its key elements are described below.
| Status Overview | Displays all of your kiosks that currently have reported errors or warning. The kiosks are sorted by status based on their color coding. Red is a kiosk with an existing error, and yellow is a kiosk with an existing warning. |
| User Management | Manages the users who can log onto KioWare Server and what Projects they have permission to access |
| Role Management | Assigns permissions to users for what Sites, Groups, and Projects they can access after logging on |
| System Configuration | Used to set up KioWare Server for kiosk communication, missed heartbeat notification, email format and system defaults (accessed from Server Management below) |
| Site Management | Provides a way to organize Projects and Groups into logical sections called Sites. Typically, this feature will be used by companies that handle kiosk management for other companies. Also used to set up Site content to send to kiosks (see Other KioWare Server Tools, Content Updating below). |
| Project Management | Handles content revision control and the kiosks associated with that content. Each kiosk application is defined as a Project and each revision release is associated with files that have changed so that only updated content is downloaded to the kiosks that are a member of the Project (see Other KioWare Server Tools, Content Updating below). |
| Kiosk Management | Handles remote management, kiosk definitions such as kiosk naming, special content control, urgent event email definitions and revision level configuration (see Other KioWare Server Tools, Content Updating below), as well as individual kiosk performance reports such as remote monitoring activity, usage statistics and kiosk status. |
| Group Management | A very powerful way of Grouping because it is very flexible. Within Sites and Projects there can be Groups. Groups can contain kiosks, Projects and other Groups. Also used to set up Group content to send to kiosks (see Other KioWare Server Tools, Content Updating below). |
| Server Management | Used to set up and manage the server and its databases, as well as create reports from them (also provides access to System Configuration above) |
| Reporting | Generates data reports under Site Management, Project Management, Kiosk Management, Group Management, and Server Management (also generates select graphical reports; see Charting below). |
| Charting | Generates graphical reports showing charted data on heartbeats, web page and session usage, page printing, and kiosk usage and active time (generated using select report options for Sites, Projects, kiosks, and Groups; see Reporting above). |
| RSS Feeds | Used to set up and manage RSS feeds for data on heartbeats, status changes, and session statistics. |
Besides the Administration Tool (see above), KioWare Server includes these other tools for creating, managing, and monitoring kiosk data.
KioWare Server has many reports and graphs that you can generate, even some that let you choose what types of data to show. The table below lists all of these reports and indicates the level(s) they can be run at (Site, Project, kiosk, and/or Group). Server reports are also included. Use the links below to quickly move to specific sections in the table. For reports that can be generated at multiple levels, most report links show examples for the Project level.
| KioWare Server Reports and the Levels for Running Them |
| Overview Reports |
| Report | Description | Site | Project | Kiosk | Group | Server |
Group Overview
(See Project Overview) | Lists all Groups in the Project, as well as recent check-in times (like the Project Overview report below, only it pertains to the Group) | | | | X | |
| Kiosk Property Overview | Lists the selected properties for all kiosks in the Project | X | X | | | |
| Kiosk Usage Overview Report | Shows the total number of user sessions and web pages that were visited | X | X | X | X | |
| Project Overview | Lists all kiosks in the Project, as well as recent check-in times | | X | | | |
Site Overview
(See Project Overview) | Lists all kiosks in the Site, as well as recent check-in times (like the Project Overview report above, only it pertains to the Site) | X | | | | |
| << Back to Top Navigation Links |
| Kiosk Usage Reports |
| Report | Description | Site | Project | Kiosk | Group | Server |
| Kiosk App Log Report | Lists the application log data from each kiosk in the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| Kiosk Database Information Report | Shows database information for all kiosks in the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| Session Demographics | Shows details on user sessions that have user demographic data available in the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| Kiosk Monthly Comparison Report | Shows a side-by-side comparison of kiosks in the Project for two different months | X | X | X | X | |
| << Back to Top Navigation Links |
| Kiosk Detailed Usage Reports |
| Report | Description | Site | Project | Kiosk | Group | Server |
| Content Traversal Report | Shows details on the most used paths for exploring information on the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| Kiosk Usage Charts | A graphical report detailing kiosk usage across all kiosks in the Project | X | X | | X | |
| Page Printing Stats Chart | A graphical report detailing page printing statistics across all kiosks in the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| Page Usage Stats Chart | A graphical report detailing web page statistics across all kiosks in the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| Page Usage Stats Report | Shows detailed web page statistics for all kiosks in the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| Session Page List | Shows details on user sessions for the Project and the web pages viewed in each session | X | X | X | X | |
Session Usage Stats Chart
(See Page Usage Stats Chart) | A graphical report detailing session statistics across all kiosks in the Project (like the Page Usage Stats Chart above, only it pertains to user sessions) | X | X | X | X | |
| Session Usage Stats Report | Shows detailed session statistics for all kiosks in the Project | X | X | X | X | |
| << Back to Top Navigation Links |
| Kiosk Status Reports |
| Report | Description | Site | Project | Kiosk | Group | Server |
| Heartbeat Detail Chart | A graphical report for heartbeat detailed data vs. time | | | X | | |
| Heartbeat Report | Shows the time when a kiosk has checked in to see if it is still operating | | | X | | |
| Heartbeat Timeline | Shows a timeline of missed and received heartbeats for a kiosk | | | X | | |
| Kiosk Events | Shows Event Logs for a kiosk | | | X | | |
Kiosk Urgent Events
(See Kiosk Events) | Shows events (like the Kiosk Events report above), but only the urgent ones | | | X | | |
| Missed Heartbeat Report | Shows details on missed heartbeats for a kiosk | | | X | | |
| MTBF Component Status Report | Shows details on the current and historical Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) data for a kiosk | X | X | X | X | |
| View Kiosk Screenshots | Shows screenshots taken for a kiosk | | | X | | |
| << Back to Top Navigation Links |
| Kiosk Activity Reports |
| Report | Description | Site | Project | Kiosk | Group | Server |
| Kiosk Creation Report | Shows when kiosks in the Project were created | X | X | | | |
| Kiosk History Report | Shows historical details on the Project, name, unit name, and revision changes for a kiosk in the Project | X | X | | | |
| Kiosk Uptime Chart | A graphical report detailing the uptime (time that it is active) for each kiosk in the Project | X | X | | X | |
| Kiosk Uptime Report | A tabular report detailing the uptime (time that it is active) for each kiosk in the Project | X | X | | X | |
| << Back to Top Navigation Links |
| Device Reports |
| Report | Description | Site | Project | Kiosk | Group | Server |
| Device Serial Number History Report | Shows historical details on in-service and out-of-service device types | X | | | | |
| MTBF Device List Report | Shows details on the current and historical Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) devices | X | X | X | X | |
| << Back to Top Navigation Links |
| Server Reports |
| Report | Description | Site | Project | Kiosk | Group | Server |
| Database Information Per Kiosk Report(See Database Information Report) | Shows database information for all kiosks (like the Database Information report below), only it pertains to all kiosks on the server | | | | | X |
| Database Information Report | Shows database information | | | | | X |
| Duplicate Kiosk Report | Shows duplicate kiosks in the database | | | | | X |
| Server Activity Report | Shows which kiosks in the Site have communicated with the server and how many times there was communication for a set date range | X | | | | |
| Server Event Log | Shows a log of all server events | | | | | X |
| << Back to Top Navigation Links |