TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1. System Requirements
  • 1.2. Impero Classroom - How do I install browser extensions?
  • 1.3. Get the Chrome Extension here
  • 1.4. Download Windows Client
  • 1.5. Release Notes - v5.0.87 - 3rd March 2023
• 2. Installation - Single Device via Command Prompt
  • 2.1. Sign in to client without automatic login
  • 2.2. Installation - Single Device via Installer GUI
  • 2.3. Installation - Mass Deployment with Microsoft Group Policy
    • 2.3.1. Deploy the client .MSI
  • 2.4. Set the school code
  • 2.5. Install default browser Extensions (Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge)
  • 2.6. Enable Chrome extension for all users
• 3. FAQ and Troubleshooting

 

1. Introduction

The Windows client is a Windows service that runs a number of system and user processes.

 

Once installed and enrolled it provides students with the freedom to explore the internet while empowering teachers to monitor, guide, and assist. The Windows client shares a live stream of the student's device with the teacher and allows them to perform the following actions. 

 

Classroom

• Send Message – Teachers can send a direct one-way message to the device 
• Launch Website – Teachers can open a website on the device automatically 
• Lock Screens – Teachers can lock the screen of the device
• Internet Access – Teachers can disable internet access in browsers where Impero browser extensions are installed
• Website Lists – Teachers can enforce allow and block website lists in browsers where Impero browser extensions are installed
• Close Application - Teachers can view a list of open applications on the device and can force them to close
• Close Tab – Teachers can view open browser tabs lists and close open tabs in browsers where Impero browser extensions are installed
• Broadcast Screen - Teachers can broadcast their screen to students or broadcast student to student
• Logout Device - Teachers can remotely log out of the Windows device. This returns the student to the Windows login screen and disconnects them from Backdrop
• Google Meets - Teachers can invite the class to a Google Meets session that opens automatically on student devices
• Switch Schools - The Backdrop client has the capability for students to be registered against multiple schools
• Monitoring Watermark - Display a non-interactive message informing users on the device they can be monitored 

Wellbeing

• Written words - Monitors typed words and sends captures to Backdrop if keywords are found
• Viewed words - Monitors viewed words across the OS and sends captures to Backdrop if keywords are found

 

1.1. System Requirements

 

The minimum system requirements for the client are:

• 2.0 GHz+ Single Core Processor 
• 4 GB RAM
• 2GB free disk space
• Windows 11 x64, Windows 10 x64, or Windows 8.1 x64 
• Windows Domain Enrollment
• Google Chrome Browser Extension compatible with Microsoft Edge (v77+ chromium)
• vc_redistx64 (Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 - 2019 -x64 - 14.28.29913)
• Net. 6
• Access to cmd.exe
  
  

   Permissions

The Backdrop client requires read and write access to the following locations.
Where <-user-> is the username of the Windows account being used.

C:\Users\<-user->\AppData\Local
C:\ProgramData\Impero
(Windows should allow both of these by default.)

 

  Downloads

 

For more details on browser extensions click on the following link:

• Impero Classroom - How do I install browser extensions?

To download the Chrome Extension, click on the following link:

• Get the Chrome Extension here

To download the Windows Client, click on the following link:

• Download Windows Client

1.5. Release Notes - v5.0.87 - 3rd March 2023

 

Bug Fixes

• Thumbnail refresh rate set to 3 seconds - Improves performance and issues leading to device offline

The Windows client changelog can be found at the following link: Impero Classroom - Windows Client Change Log/Release Notes

 

 

2. Installation - Single Device via Command Prompt

 

 

1.    Run the MSI from a command prompt with Administrator privileges. Use the following command line to run the setup.

 

msiexec /i impero-windows.msi SCHOOLCODE=<your-school-code> APPDIR="<your-install-path>" /qn

 

Parameters:
- (optional) SCHOOLCODE=XXXXX where XXXXX is your valid school code.
- (optional) APPDIR Application will be installed on a specified APPDIR location.
- (optional) /qn this installs the application "quietly" without the GUI shown.

- (optional) DisplayLogin=True/False where True will display the manual login popup

- (optional) DisplayMonitoring=True/False where True will display the "This device is being monitored" watermark on the desktop

> The APPDIR parameter is only available from version 2.0.0 of the client.

 The command-line installation requires the /qn flag parameter for silent installation. The parameter SCHOOLCODE is optional and is used to register the school code at installation. The parameter DisplayLogin is used if you want to hide the manual login form from startup. The default behavior will display this form. The form is not displayed when using automatic login. The parameter DisplayMonitoring is used to enable the watermark, a non-interactive overlay on the desktop. The overlay appears in the bottom right portion of the display and reads "This device is being monitored". By default, this feature is disabled.

Example:

 

msiexec /i "C:\temp\impero-windows-v4486.msi" SCHOOLCODE=XXXXX DisplayLogin=True DisplayMonitoring=False /qn

Make sure your command matches the example with your school code in place of the “XXXXX”.  

 

 

2.1. Sign in to client without automatic login

1. If Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is enabled, select Run anyway.
 

 

 

2. Once installation is complete, if you entered an invalid school code, the school code screen is displayed for you to add your school code again. If you entered a valid school code, setup skips to step 3.

(The school code is a 6 character alphanumeric code and can be found on the Administration page of your Backdrop school).

 

 

3.    When the "Log in" window is displayed, specify a valid username & password and click on Log In.

 

 

2.2. Installation - Single Device via Installer GUI

1. Download the MSI and double-click to install.

2. If the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is enabled, select Run anyway when prompted.

3. The Welcome to Backdrop Client setup wizard is displayed.

        

4. Click on "Next".

5. Set the 6 alphanumeric School code. This is provided by Impero or your teacher. (This can be also done later.)

        

6. Click on "Next".

7. Select if you want to enable the monitoring watermark after login and display the login form on start. 

8. Setting Watermark option will enable a non-interactive overlay displaying the message "This device is being monitored". This will display when the device as connected to Backdrop and will alert users on the device that their activity can be monitored.

9. Setting Display Login form will allow the form to appear on screen when the user logs into the device. If this option is not set the form will not appear until the user on the device actions login from the systray Backdrop icon.

10. Click on "Next".

11. Set the default application path to: "C:\Program Files\Impero Software\Backdrop Client".

        

12. Once the path is set, click on "Next".

13. The setup wizard is now ready to install, click on "Install".

14. Once completed, click on "Finish".

 

 

2.3. Installation - Mass Deployment with Microsoft Group Policy

 

*Before we setup Group Policy, it is necessary that you make sure that the Installer is in a shared location and accessible by all machines and have Active Directory setup with an “Organisational Unit” set up for devices *

 

 

2.3.1. Deploy the client .MSI

 

 

If you have a version installed prior to version 2.0.0
 GPO uses the path that is already installed by default (C:\Impero)
 To stop this from occurring, we recommend uninstalling the previous version before installing the newer version.

 

Open up Group Policy Management on your server that has the Group Policy Management Role Installed.


 

Once the Group Policy Management tool is open, expand your domain name and click on "Group Policy Objects", then right-click on New.

 

On the New GPO Window, give this a name e.g. “Impero Backdrop” and click on OK, this is then displayed in the "Group Policy Object" location.

 

Once the Group Policy Object has been created, we now need to set up the actions it performs. To do this locate the newly created policy and right-click on Edit, this then displays a new window.
 

 

Within the "Group Policy Management Editor" expand “Computer Configuration” > “Policies” > "Software Settings" > "Software Settings" > "Software Installation" right-click in the empty field, click on "New" > "Package", this then opens a new window to select your MSI Package to deploy from the shared repository.
 

Within the "Open" window, you select the “Impero Backdrop” installer.msi file from your shared location (UNC Path !!) and click on Open, then a window can be displayed to explain that it has to be in a shared network location. Confirm and click on "Yes", this then opens a new window for the deployment method.

In the "Deploy Software" window select the option "Assigned" if not already selected and click on "OK". The Installer is now ready.

Expand “Windows Settings” > “Security Settings” > “Local Policies” > “User Rights Assignments”.

Open “Create a token object”, click on “Add User or Groups”, click on “Browse”, Add group “Domain Users”, click on “Ok” until you reach the “Create a token object” window, click on “Apply” – Close the window.

 

Open “Replace a process level token”, click on “Add User or Groups”, click on “Browse”, Add group “Domain Users”, click “Ok” until you reach the “Create a token object” window, click on “Apply” – Close the window.

 

Expand “Windows Settings” > “Security Settings”. Right-click "File System" and select "Add File...".

 

Navigate to the following directory and click on "OK" to add the folder.

"C:\Impero\Deviceidentification"
(If the above directory path does not exist on your server you can manually create it)

 

The file/folder permissions window will appear. Click on "Add" and enter "domain users" using "check names" to verify the correct user group. Click on "OK".

 

 

Select "domain users" and ensure a tick is present in both "Read" and "Write" permissions. Click on "OK".

 

 

In the "Add Object" dialog window select "Replace existing permissions on all subfolders and files with inheritable permissions" and click on "OK".

 

 

Close the Group Policy Management Editor

 

In Active Directory, you can already have Organizational Units (OU’s for short) set up and one is necessary for your machines for which you want to install “Impero Backdrop” on to.

 

In Group Policy, right-click on the OU you want to use, click on “Link an Existing GPO…”.

 

From the list, choose the GPO you create which has the installer, click on “OK”.

  

When a machine restarts or has the Group Policy checked, they now get Backdrop installed. To verify that this is working, log on to a machine that has had the MSI installed and run in a Command Prompt: gpupdate /force /boot. The machine restarts and upon logging in again, you should be presented with the school enrollment formMSI

 

 

2.4. Set the school code, Watermark and Display Login

A number of configuration options can be set by deploying specific registry key values.

School Code - Set the school code for the device to enrol
Watermark - Display a visible message that the client is connected and being monitored
Display Login - The manual login window loads at start-up
Update Channel - Set the release channel that updates are downloaded from (Production, Beta, Development)
Updater Enabled - The updater checks for new version at start-up

Create a new GPO (Group Policy Object), name it something like: “Impero Backdrop Config”.

Right-click on the new GPO, click edit, go to: “Computer Configuration” > “Preferences” > “Windows Settings” > “Registry”.
 

Right-click > New > Registry Item

1. Ensure the window is filled out as followed:
2. Action: Create
3. Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
4. Key Path: SOFTWARE\Impero\School
5. Value Name: SchoolCode
6. Value type: Reg_SZ
7. Value Data: YourSchoolCode
   
    
    

Right-click > New > Registry Item

1. Ensure the window is filled out as followed:
2. Action: Create
3. Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
4. Key Path: SOFTWARE\Impero\Configuration
5. Value Name: DisplayMonitoring
6. Value type: Reg_SZ
7. Value Data: True or False

 

 

Right-click > New > Registry Item

1. Ensure the window is filled out as followed:
2. Action: Create
3. Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
4. Key Path: SOFTWARE\Impero\Configuration
5. Value Name: DisplayLogin
6. Value type: Reg_SZ
7. Value Data: True or False

 

 

Right-click > New > Registry Item

1. Ensure the window is filled out as followed:
2. Action: Create
3. Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
4. Key Path: SOFTWARE\Impero\Updater
5. Value Name: UpdateChannel
6. Value type: Reg_SZ
7. Value Data: Production = Full release channel (for all users) or Beta = Beta release channel (for beta users only) or Development = Internal release channel (for internal testing only)

Right-click > New > Registry Item

1. Ensure the window is filled out as followed:
2. Action: Create
3. Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
4. Key Path: SOFTWARE\Impero\Updater
5. Value Name: UpdaterEnabled
6. Value type: Reg_SZ
7. Value Data: 0 = updates disabled or 1 = updates enabled

Click on “Apply”, then on “OK”.

Right-click on your OU (Organisational Unit) you want to link it to, click “Link an Existing GPO…”

Choose your GPO.

Select your OU, and ensure that the Link Order is as followed: Regkey > Installer > Restart Service.

 

2.5. Install default browser Extensions (Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge)

 

Select the options that match your default browser. Only one browser can be monitored at a time.

Download the Google Administrative Templates from the following link

or

Download the Edge Administrative Templates from the following link

It is then necessary that you fill out the required fields and click on the "GET POLICY FILES" button

 

Open Group Policy Management

 

Create a new GPO for the policy (or add to an existing policy)

 

Right-click on your GPO, and select “Edit”.

 

 

 

 

 

You then see the “Group policy management Editor” window.

 

Expand the Computer/User configuration tree on the left-hand side, depending on how you wish to configure your policy.

 

Right-click on “Administrative templates” and select “Add/Remove Templates”.

 

 

Click on “Add”.

 

Browse to the templates you downloaded earlier, and open the “chrome.adm” template that is relevant to your operating system and Language.

or

Browse to the templates you downloaded in step 2 and open the “msedge.adm” template that is relevant to your operating system and Language.

 

 

 

Once uploaded, expand to the following path (may vary depending on your OS) on the left of the Group policy management editor:

 

“Computer/User configuration > Policies > Administrative templates > Classic administrative templates > Google > Google Chrome > Extensions”

or

“Computer/User configuration > Policies > Administrative templates > Classic administrative templates > Microsoft Edge > Extensions > ”

 

 

On the right-hand side, select the “Configure the list of force-installed extensions” option for Chrome

or
On the right-hand side, select the “Control which extensions are installed silently” option for Edge

 

 

 

Right-click and select “Edit”.

 

Mark the “Enabled” button.

 

 

 

 

Click on the “Show…” button.

 

Under the “Value” column, enter the following:

 

dbdfkhaojnhgfcbpkhfgpfaoincihmcm;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx

 

 

 

(NOTE: Make sure you have no blank spaces in the Value Box Below.)

 

 

 

 

 

3. FAQ and Troubleshooting

 

I am not being prompted to login, is the application working?

 

If you are using automatic log in you are not prompted to log in to Backdrop. Verify the website to see if you appear in the classroom.

 

If you are using automatic log in you are not prompted to log in to Backdrop. Verify the website to see if you appear in the classroom.

 

If you are not using automatic login and you are not prompted to appear. Verify that the Impero.LoginMonitor and Impero.Server are running in Windows Services.

 

Finally, verify your Internet connection. The software requires an Internet connection to work properly. If you have recently fixed a problem with your Internet connection, you can restart the Windows Services or restart your device to get it working again.

 

I have followed the Group Policy install steps but the client is still not deploying, what can I try?

 

Are you applying multiple group policy objects at the same time?
You can try only deploying the Backdrop client group policy objects to see if another group policy object was causing problems.

You can run the following command in the command prompt as an Administrator on the devices where the client should have installed.

gpresult /h C:\gpresult.html

This produces an HTML report of the group policies that were applied and can display any problems.

Similarly, you can verify the Event Viewer in Windows to see if there were any issues during installation.

 

Increasing the start-up policy wait time can help resolve this issue.
Update your GPO with the following policy,
Computer Configuration->Policies->Administative Templates->System->Group Policy->Specify startup policy processing wait time.

 

Set to Enabled and Increasing the timeout to 120 seconds should allow time for the client to be deployed. Click on OK.

 

 

 

I am having trouble installing the software over version 1.1.1 / I am having trouble uninstalling version 1.1.1

 

There were problems with the installer for version 1.1.1. We have fixed the issues in later releases. However, on some machines, we have found that there are uninstallation issues. If this happens to you, follow these steps to remove it. (We recommend that an IT administrator perform these steps):

 

· Delete the folder C:\Impero and all its contents.

 

· Delete the folder C:\ProgramData\Impero and all its contents.

 

· Search in the following registry for “Impero”:

 

HKLM > Software > Windows > Current Version > Uninstall

 

· Delete the folder and contents of the search result.

 

· Search in the following registry for “Impero”:

 

o HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT > Installer > Products

 

· Delete the folder and contents of the search result.

 

I have checked the logs, the client is struggling to connect to IoTHub / Backdrop

- Double-check that the system has the correct Network Access
 - Check that your 3rd party firewalls, MDM solutions or web:check is not blocking Impero.Service and/or Impero.Client