Hi,

I think the best way is to install a wims-server on your intranet.
That way you have:
 – total control over the system and the system logfiles
 – high bandwidth
 – high availability
 – raw ip-adresses and MAC numbers are available if you are « root » on such system
 – monitoring/tracing of fraude is easy
 – use automatic updates for modules

There are a  two possibilities, depending on the amount of support/cooperation you can get from you local IT-managers (…)

1) Intranet server is not usable from the internet.
 – use a public/free wims-mirror for homework
 – manually synchronise with your intranet server
 – automatically synchronise with your intranet server (raw connection)

2) Intrantet server is usable from the intranet
 – the best solution
 – install wims on your internet gateway or use a separate computer in DMZ (…)
 – no need for mirroring.
 – internet adress is used for just homework ; no high bandwidth needed.
 – schoolwork/wims-lessons on intranet : high bandwidth needed

On our school we use the Leiden mirror primarily for homework and sometimes for schoolwork.
The « scores / total studytime / effort »  on the internet server are used indicative: but they can influence a « real score ».

We use an intranet server for the « wims-exams with real scores/grades ».
The intranet server is not reachable from the internet…we must operate in a clumsy Microsoft based network

The school server is automatically synchronized at 7.00 every day ( Leiden mirror –> intranet ) for user accounts and passwords.
Worksheets and exams are also copied and are set to « invisible and inactive » on our school server.
In that way a teacher can activate the « exam for a real score » at the start of the lesson. No cheating is possible.
The automatical update is not a wims feature … we use a « cronscript » on the Leiden mirror for this.
A « cronscript » on the school server uses Wget to fetch the daily update and do the unpacking and some other admin stuff.

kind regards,
Joke