Practice Labs User Guide

Practice Labs User Guide

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History of ChangesVersion Changes2.0History of changes table added. Full revision ofdocument in line changes to GUI as atPublication date.2.1Updated Device Control graphics, Console Mode,Persistent Lab controls, Updated references tobeing able to save labs.PublicApproved byacracknellPublish Date14/12/2016acracknell19/09/20171 Page

ContentsHistory of Changes . 1Introduction. 4Overview . 4Accessing Practice Labs. 4The Practice Labs Interface . 6Minimum Browser Requirements . 7The Content Pane. 8Lab Navigation Tab . 8Exercise Content Tab . 10Exercise Content Buttons . 11Settings and customization Tab. 14Help & Support Tab . 14Additional Features Tab . 14The Lab Toolbar . 15Resize Panes . 15Buttons . 16Device Icons . 17Device Types. 18Device Controls . 18The Device Pane . 21Connecting to a Device . 21Switching Between Devices . 23Interacting with Devices . 25Auto Login . 25Copy and Paste. 25Transfer a File Between Devices . 27Completing Lab Guides and Labs . 31Logout. 31Settings . 33Personal . 33Persistent Lab . 34Device . 34Public2 Page

Remote desktop client. 35Platform . 36Miscellaneous . 38Help & Support. 39Tutorials and Guides. 39System Requirements . 39Support. 39Important links, cookies and terms . 41Contact information . 41Inline Help . 42Appendix A - Frequently Asked Questions . 43Appendix B - System Requirements . 45Hardware . 45Operating System . 45Networking . 45Software . 45Browser . 45Public3 Page

IntroductionWelcome to the Practice Labs User Guide.OverviewThe Practice Labs platform offers an environment where you can access live IT systems in realtime. We use real Cisco hardware and virtualized Windows, Linux and UNIX operatingsystems hosted on VMware and Hyper-V, all accessible via a web browser.Practice Labs makes it easy for you to put learning into practice in a safe environment thatyou can access anytime with a compatible PC, Browser and Internet connection.Accessing Practice LabsGetting startedIf configured for your subscription, the first time you log on, you will have the opportunity toreview our helpful training videos and optimize your experience by configuring accessibilityoptions and to also review any appropriate terms and conditions and marketing preferences.Public4 Page

Figure 1 – First Time Access PageNote: You can edit these options later via the Settings tab if your preferences changePublic5 Page

The Practice Labs InterfaceThe lab interface is made up of three key sections:Content PaneLab ToolbarDevice PanePaneFigure 2 - The Practice Labs interfaceThese sections are covered in more detail later on in this guide.Tutorial TipsEvery time you sign into Practice Labs, you will see a helpful tutorial pop up in the Devicepane. Each tutorial can be prevented from future displays by selecting the Don’t show againcheckbox before clicking the Close button.Public6 Page

Minimum Browser RequirementsWe offer two technology methods to interact with the windows devices displayed in theDevice Pane; Java and HTML5. See the below table for the supported browsers.JavaHTML5SupportedSupportedFirefox 52 Not SupportedSupportedChrome 29 Not SupportedSupportedEdge 13 Not SupportedSupportedApple Safari 9.1 Not SupportedSupportedInternet Explorer 10 For more information, please see Appendix B – System Requirements.Public7 Page

The Content PaneLab Navigation TabThe Content Pane displays the Lab Navigation tab by default when you log into PracticeLabs. The tab features three views to help you locate and select the lab exercise you want toaccess.1. Available Practice Labs viewThis view displays a list of Practice Labs that are available to your account. This is the defaultview if you log in via a public login page like www.practice-labs.com.Figure 3 - The Available Labs view of the Lab Navigation tabIf the list of available labs to you is long, you can use the Filter your courses field, as shownin Figure 4 below; to quickly locate the lab you need.Figure 4 - Filtered List in the Available Labs viewPublic8 Page

2. Lab Guide List ViewThe Lab Guide List view is displayed when you select a Practice Lab from the AvailablePractice Labs view. This view displays the title of the Practice Lab, an introduction and a list oflab guides available in that lab.Figure 5 - The Lab Guide List view in the Content PaneThe Back to Practice Labs link will take you back to the Available Practice Labs view.3. Exercise List ViewWhen you select a lab guide from the Lab Guide List view, the Content Pane will display thelist of exercises that make up that Lab Guide. To proceed with the Lab Click the Start button.Figure 6 - The Exercise List View in the Content PanePublic9 Page

Exercise Content TabWhen you click Start from the Exercise List view, (see Figure 6), the Content Pane willautomatically switch to the Exercise Content tab and display the content for that exercise.Figure 7 - The Exercise Content tab of the Content PaneNote: You can switch back to the Exercise List view while a lab is in progress, withoutlosing the connection to the lab devices by clicking the Lab Navigation Tab as shown inFigure 3.Public10 P a g e

Exercise Content ButtonsThe Exercise Content tab features the following:Navigation buttonsThe Prev and Next buttons navigate back and forward in the sequence of exercises in theLab Guide. The Top button takes you back to the top of the current exercise.Figure 8 - Navigation buttonsCompletion buttonThe Completion button allows you to mark the Lab Guide as completed.Figure 9 – The Completion ButtonNote: If the Completion button is clicked, you can click it again to toggle the completionstatus.View Print Friendly Content buttonThe Printer button opens a new browser tab (your browser may open a new window) with aprinter-friendly rendering of the lab guide.Figure 10 – The Print buttonPublic11 P a g e

Print viewThe printer-friendly content shows all exercises in the lab guide, as shown in Figure 11 below.This content can be saved as a web page or PDF file, or it can be printed if required.Figure 11 - Printable exercise contentAs an example using Internet Explorer on Windows, you can Click on the printer icon andclick “Print ” as shown below.Figure 12 – Steps to bring up the Print dialogue boxPublic12 P a g e

From here, you can select your preferred printer. Then click the “Print” button and follow thedefault options for your chosen device.Figure 13 –Print dialogue box appearsLog Panel buttonThe Log Panel button will toggle the display of the log panel.Figure 12 - Log Panel buttonLog panelThe log panel displays information which may be useful to accessibility users and technicalsupport.Figure 13 - The Log PanelPublic13 P a g e

Settings and customization TabThe Settings and customization tab can be accessed at any time. It displays options forcustomizing your Practice Labs experience.Figure 14 - The Settings tab in the Content PanePlease refer to the Settings section of this document for a detailed explanation of theoptions available on the Settings tab.Help & Support TabThe Help & Support tab is where you can access information to help resolve lab issues andto access support if the help information does not resolve the issue.Figure 15 - Help & Support tab in the Content PanePlease refer to the Help & Support section of this document for a detailed explanation ofthe options available on this tab.Additional Features TabThe Additional Features Page is currently used to view and download any files you haveuploaded to the intranet whilst inside the labs.For a more detailed explanation of this feature please go to the Transfer a File BetweenDevices section of this document.Public14 P a g e

The Lab ToolbarThe Lab Toolbar separates the Content Pane from the Device Pane and hosts a variety ofcontrols to help you manage your lab session.Resize PanesThe left border of the Lab Toolbar is a clickable element that can be repositioned using clickand drag. Dragging the bar to the right expands the visible content pane.Figure 16 - Content and Device Panes resized using the Lab ToolbarPublic15 P a g e

ButtonsThe Lab Toolbar features the following buttons:ButtonPublicNameFunctionShow/Hide ContentPane button (a.k.aBurger button)Hides the Content Pane to maximize availablescreen space to display the device pane.Fit Device to ScreenbuttonRecalibrate the device resolution to fit theavailable space in the device pane.Power On All DevicesbuttonPower on all devicesReset Active DevicesbuttonReset all devices that are currently poweredon, this will lose any current progress madewithin the devicesLogout buttonLog out from the Practice Labs platform. Thisaction will release and reset the devices withinthe Lab for re-use (or shutdown and savestate of Persistent Labs)Auto Logout ResetbuttonClicking the countdown area/button will resetthe lab time to 60 minutes.Logout Warning (15Minutes)Counter Showing 15 minutes or less until autolog out. The counter area will turn yellowLogout Warning ( 7Minutes)A counter showing less than 7 minutes leftuntil auto log out. The counter turns red andwarns the user that they are about to belogged off.Out to Lunch counterCounter showing remaining time out to lunch.Clicking the counter reverts to defaultcounter. The Out to lunch feature is availablein the Settings Tab (Note this can only be usedonce within a login session)16 P a g e

Device IconsWhen you access a lab guide, the Lab Toolbar will display icons for all the devices available inthat lab. The icon indicates the name, type, and state of a device.Device typeThe device type is indicated by a graphic as shown in the table below. Note that not alldevices can be directly accessed.Domain ControllerDatabase ServerMail ServerWeb ServerManagement ServerFile ServerMember/Standalone ServerWindows DesktopFirewallRouterSwitchDevice state indicatorThe device status is indicated by text and a graphic as shown in the table below.IconStateThe device is currently turned offThe device is busy. This state is shown when the device is starting up,shutting down or resetting, and is not available to connect.The device is powered on and is available to connectThe device is suspended and must be resumed before connectingNote: Devices are powered off until a lab guide is loaded, at which point one or moredevices may be automatically started.Public17 P a g e

Device TypesPractice Labs now have three different device types and the device controls (explained in thenext section) have different results based on the type. The following characteristics of a Labdetermine the device type.Enhanced PersistentIdentified by reviewing the Settings Menu and the following menu option and icon will bepresent:EnhancedIdentified by the ability to connect directly to console through the additional device panecontrol button option highlighted below in orange:StandardIdentified by the following button options (Note: right-hand graphic is for a Cisco device)Device ControlsThe device icon on the Lab Toolbar allows you to interact with the lab device as follows:Powered OffWhen a device is in the powered off state, you can power on the device by clicking PowerOn. The Refresh option will check the state of the device and update the icon color ifnecessary. The Device control options appear when you hover over the device with yourmouse.Public18 P a g e

Figure 17 - Controls for a powered off devicePowered OnWe have three different types of devices and for each device, the buttons can have differentresults. See the following table for an explanation of each button and their result in thedifferent device types:Figure 18 - Controls for a PC/Server (left) and Cisco Device (right) after powering onPublic19 P a g e