Machine Configuration Wizard and VxCertifier

Be sure you’ve removed any attached USB devices. After you’ve imaged a machine, the machine will boot into a configuration wizard. The majority of steps are self-explanatory, but "Step 1: Set Machine ID" and “Step 4: Create Machine Cert” require some extra clarification.

Set Machine ID

This step defines the machine ID for a system. This will be referenced by the VotingWorks application along with system logs. It is important the machine ID be unique for each system. For example, if you are configuring two VxScan systems, you could use SLI-SCAN-01 and SLI-SCAN-02.

Jurisdiction

When configuring a VxAdmin, you’ll be prompted to:

Enter a jurisdiction ({state-2-letter-abbreviation}.{county-or-town}, e.g. ms.warren or ca.los-angeles):

You can use “us.sli” as your jurisdiction.

VxCertifier

For this step, please use the USB drive labeled VxCertifier.

When configuring any machine, you’ll be told to insert a USB, to which a certificate signing request will be written. After the certificate signing request is written, you’ll be prompted to:

Remove the USB, take it to VxCertifier, and bring it back to this machine when prompted. Press enter once you've re-inserted the USB.

Because you’ll be certifying your machine at your own facility as opposed to a VotingWorks facility, you won’t be able to take the USB to VxCertifier, our VotingWorks certification terminal. We’ll need to use a remote certification process instead.

You’ll need to remove the USB, find the “csr.pem” file inside the “certs/” directory on the USB, and share that file with VotingWorks. This file does not contain any private information so can be shared over the internet, e.g. via email. VotingWorks will prepare a certificate given this “csr.pem” file and send the certificate back to you, in the form of a “cert.pem” file. This file, too, does not contain any private information so can be shared over the internet. You’ll need to copy this “cert.pem” file back onto the USB that you started with, placing it in the same USB’s “certs/” directory. Re-inserting this USB into the machine and pressing enter should allow you to proceed successfully.

Once you have certified the machine, you will need to program a system administrator smartcard. You should remove any connected USB devices and connect the card reader provided by VotingWorks. (For Lenovo laptops, you can use the built-in card reader on the bottom left side of the machine.) Follow the prompt and be sure to record the PIN. After rebooting, you can log in with the smartcard and PIN.

As a final verification for this build, you should log in with the System Administrator smartcard and load an election definition.

After completing that, you should program an Election Manager smartcard: Programming Smart Cards