3B Scientific 3B NETlab™ - Manual (Page 2)

2
A measurement lab has been provided from which
all functions of the 3B NETlog™ equipment can be
operated. To evaluate the measured data, the pro-
gram is equipped with a whole range of graphic
tools.
Thanks to its networking functionality, the
3B NETlab™ program is perfectly suited for applica-
tion in schools and educational institutes. Instruc-
tors are able to monitor the progress of students
and the data they gather during experiments from
their own workstation. Similarly, students can fol-
low experiments being demonstrated or carried out
by an instructor on their own monitor screens.
2 System requirements
2.1 System requirements
• Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later
• Intel Pentium III/AMD Athlon 600 MHz or
higher
• 128 MB RAM
• 50 MB hard-disk storage
• Monitor with 1024x768 resolution or higher
• USB connection
2.2 Additionally recommended
• Internet access
• Adobe Reader 7.0
• Adobe Flash Player
3 CD-ROM contents
• 3B NETlab™ software
• USB driver
• Instruction manual
4 System set-up and installation
4.1 System set-up:
In order to ensure flawless functioning of
3B NETlab™, it may be necessary to alter certain
settings for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer which are
connected to the execution guidelines for ActiveX
controls.
4.1.1 ActiveX controls:
An ActiveX control is a software program that can-
not run independently. Rather, it is executed in a
container provided by a separate application. The
most prominent example of such an application is
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer with its capability to
display ActiveX controls on web pages. This is
mostly used for integrating multimedia content
(e.g. animations using Adobe's Flash Player). Since
ActiveX controls can provide any kind of functional-
ity within programs regardless of the container,
this technology offers users far greater possibilities
(e.g. on Microsoft’s Windows Update website, where
updates can be installed into the operating system
via an ActiveX control). At the same time, however,
there are also certain dangers accompanying this
technology – for instance, risks due to dubious
websites which attempt to plant and execute harm-
ful program code in the form of ActiveX control
elements onto the user’s computer. For this reason,
Internet Explorer is so configured that it requires by
default the explicit consent of a user before install-
ing a control. A publisher or server can be verified
on the basis of a digital signature. If such a digital
signature is missing, any attempt by a website to
install code is ignored.
4.1.2 Security settings for Internet Explorer:
The 3B NETlab™ control is provided with a digital
signature and can thus be installed by Internet
Explorer without altering the default settings. As a
rule, it is only necessary to alter the settings
marked * to allow the program to run. However, if
a particularly restrictive security policy has been
instituted, then further modifications may be re-
quired.
Internet Explorer differentiates between various
security zones: “Internet”, “Local intranet”, “Trusted
sites” and “Restricted sites”. To modify the settings,
go to the “Tools” menu, select “Internet Options”
then click the “Security” tab.
Since the pages for 3B NETlab™ are present either
on the hard-disk of the local computer or on the
local network, it is likely that the zone that requires
new settings is the one called “Local intranet”.
If the standard level has been set to “Medium”,
“Medium-low”, or “Low”, no further steps are re-
quired. If not, set the following settings under
“Custom Level”.
• “Script ActiveX controls marked safe for script-
ing” – “Enable”
• “Run ActiveX controls and plugins” – “Enable”
• “Active scripting” – “Enable”
There is no specific zone for pages on the local
computer. In order to permit the execution of
ActiveX control elements, go to “Security” and acti-
vate the following option in the “Advanced” tab
(Windows XP only):
• “Allow active content to run in files on My
Computer” *
If you use a pop-up blocker, deactivate the blocker
when working with 3B NETlab™, since the system
works with pop-ups.