XAM is a Perl5 CGI script that will run on most Web servers that support SSL/HTTPS. Initial setup requires that certain directories and files be available. In the simplest case, these files are located in an xamdata/ directory at the same level as the script:

.../cgi-bin/xam.cgi
.../cgi-bin/xamdata/

A special archive/ directory will receive submission data after an exam is concluded:

.../cgi-bin/xamdata/archive/

Each examinee generates an answer sheet (.ans) file as they select answers. Once an examinee submits their answers, this file is renamed '.done' and serves as a back up for their submission. When an exam location is reset, XAM moves these 'done' files to an appropriate directory within the archive.

For a typical installation, system wide files are located in a central location (the full paths may vary):

.../cgi-bin/dirdata/admindata/export/quick.index
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/icons/
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/lists/
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/local/
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/local/honor.txt
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/local/word.list
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/security/
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/security/embargo/
.../cgi-bin/evaldata/admindata/security/xam.acl

The export/ directory contains an index to photographs available from the online directory service. This file can be empty if the directory is unavailable. The icons/ directory contains required icons and other graphics. The local/ directory contains a word list, honor code, and other customization files. The logs/ will contain the global application logs and is initially empty. The lists/ directory contains global access control lists (acl files). The security/ directory contains special files related to system security. The embargo/ directory contains failed login data and is initially empty. XAM also requires that exam form and data files exist in other locations defined by EvalSuite.

Each exam location has a directory containing the files specific to that location, for example:

.../cgi-bin/xamdata/demo/
.../cgi-bin/xamdata/demo/admin.info/
.../cgi-bin/xamdata/demo/answers/

The admin.info file contains information shared by all stations at that location. There is no Web interface for this file; it must be edited by hand. For example, the following three lines define a location called "Demo Exams" with a maximum of 50 stations and "normal" attributes:

Demo Exams
50
normal

Other possible attributes include: preview (for instructors to preview their exam forms) and shared (for situations where stations must share network addresses (IP numbers). The administrator's Web interface will create two additional files that define a specific examination session: session.info and seating.info. During a session, numerous temporary files will also appear. In general, you should not need to manage any of these files directly. The answers/ directory is where individual 'answer sheets' are stored before they are moved to the archive.