Technical frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions about Firmwater LMS, organized by category.

Technical questions:

  1. What are the system requirements to use Firmwater LMS?
  2. Where is your data center? What about security and backups?
  3. Can I export my data out of Firmwater LMS?
  4. What other LMS systems can you integrate with?

  1. What are the system requirements to use Firmwater LMS?

    To use the application, all you need is a modern web browser (Internet Explorer 6+, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera 8+). Both javascript and the use of cookies must be enabled (default setting). No plug-ins are required (unless the content you load to the system requires it) and no Java applets are used.

  2. Where is your data center? What about security and backups?

    Our data center is hosted by ORCS Web in Charlotte, North Carolina. They provide a fully managed service including applying the latest patches to all operating system and application files. Data is backed up on a nightly basis. Some more details on the facility:

    Network

    The data center has high-bandwidth private transport network connections. The local fiber connectivity is redundant with three fiber rings with dual entry points from Optical Carrier-12 (OC-12) hardware.

    Security

    The data center is monitored for all aspects of operational security, and environmental conditions. It is equipped with state-of-the-art security and environmental monitoring systems. These systems include:

    • Card readers
    • PINs
    • Biometrics
    • Multiple sensors for intrusion detection

    Additional sensors detect variations in temperature and humidity, as well as smoke and other changes in critical system environments.

    There is also an on-site network operations center (NOC) that is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with network operations personnel. The NOC monitors the entire network for efficiency, congestion, and network errors. NOC technicians can re-route traffic and respond to any alarms that might occur.

    Uninterruptible Power

    The data center is engineered with a redundant, uninterruptible power system and backup generator to deliver seamless power. In the event of a commercial power failure, an isolated UPS system will provide immediate backup power until diesel generators take over the load and continue operation of the center. Each generator has a fuel tank capable of running for a minimum of 48 hours at full capacity. Service agreements from local fuel vendors guarantee priority refueling in the case of long-term power outages.

  3. Can I export my data out of Firmwater LMS?

    Yes. Your data is your data. You can export all of your raw data in XML format.

  4. What other systems can you integrate with?

    Firmwater LMS's Web Services API provides programmatic access to your organization's LMS information using a simple, powerful, and secure application programming interface (API). The API provides almost all the functionality programmatically that is available through the user interface. This allows for integration with your organization's ERP system, company portal, and other applications.

    We also provide an AICC HACP (HTTP AICC/CMI Protocol) interface for communication with other learning management systems. This allows other systems to launch content directly in our LMS and have the outcome data posted back to the launching system on exit.

    We have tested the interface to-date with the following LMSs: