Hands-On Labs FAQ
- Do Hands-On Labs cost extra?
- How many times can I go through a Hands-On Labs?
- Are Hands-On Labs scenario based?
- What is Guided Mode?
- What is Challenge Mode?
- Why does the Hands-On Labs have no lab guide?
- How long do Hands-On Labs last?
- How do I resume a Hands-On Lab?
- Why does my Hands-On Lab timeout immediately?
- How do I prevent my terminal from timing out?
- How do I connect to a network in the Openstack Lab?
Do Hands-On Labs cost extra?
There are no hidden fees. If you’re a part of a premium membership, you’ll have full access to the Hands-On Labs.
How many times can I go through a Hands-On Lab?
Feeling the need to brush up on a past lab or just want to solidify those skills? Awesome! You can take Hands-On Labs as many times as you want. Just revisit the page and start again.
Are Hands-On Labs scenario based?
They are! Our Hands-on Labs will typically come with a scenario to resolve, and include downloadable lab guides, and video lessons. This enables you to follow along at your own pace and with your preferred learning method.
To learn, you are guided through the lab by an expert so you can see exactly how they do it. Then, once you’re comfortable, you can try the lab again without following along to see if you understand how it works. After all, practice makes perfect!
Please note, Lightsail is not currently supported with Hands-On Labs. We are working hard to ensure you can get your Hands-On it as soon as possible!
What is Guided Mode?
Guided Mode is essentially A Cloud Guru’s current Hands-On Lab experience. Students can access instructional videos and guides when taking a Hands-On Lab in Guided Mode. Guided Mode provides the option for students to Run Progress Check to see if they have completed the objectives correctly during a lab.
Please note: Run Progress Check is exclusive to Personal Plus and Business Memberships.
This is entirely optional. Students who wish to check their work can do so an unlimited number of times, giving them the opportunity to retry any failed objectives. No score is provided at the end of a Hands-On Lab taken in Guided Mode.
What is Challenge Mode?
Challenge Mode allows students to test their knowledge and ability to apply their skills in Hands On Labs independent of instructional videos and guides. Students cannot check their work until they submit their lab. Once the lab is submitted, students will see a results page showing their score overall as well as their Pass/Fail status by objective. Students can click a Show Explanation link for any failed objectives to see a brief explanation of why the objective wasn’t passed.
Please Note: Challenge Mode is exclusive to Personal Plus and Business memberships.
Why does my Hands-On Lab have no lab guide?
While most of our hands-on labs are standalone and intended to be used to perform a specific exercise or task, some are intended to be completed while following along with a course video.
If you come across a hands-on lab with no lab guide, read the description very carefully and go back to the course to see if there are videos that are meant to be followed instead of a lab guide.
You may also encounter Hands-On Labs that are in the process of being updated and don’t have a lab guide.
How long do Hands-On Labs last?
Hands-on Labs have a built-in timer. You can use the lab for as long as the timer lasts. This can be anywhere from 1 to 4 hours depending on the lab. After the timer expires (or if you complete the lab early) the lab will close, and the resources will be cleared. You can restart the lab from the beginning at any time by returning to the Hands-on Lab page.
How do I resume a Hands-On Labs?
All hands-on labs have a timer that starts to countdown immediately once started. If the timer reaches 0 before completion you'll need to restart the Hands-On Lab from the beginning.
However, if the timer has not reached 0 then the Hands-On Lab is still active and you can resume right where you left off.
You can continue by clicking "Resume Lab" to continue the Hands-on lab. 
Why does my Hands-On Lab time out immediately?
This happens when your local system time is out of sync with the network time. If you force a re-sync, you will be able to log back into the site and then successfully complete the Hands-On Lab.
To re-sync, follow these steps:
Windows 10
- Click on your computer's clock and select Adjust date/time.
- Toggle on/off for Set Time Automatically.
macOS
- Open up your local terminal application
- Execute this command:
"sudo ntpdate -u time.apple.com"
How do I prevent my terminal from timing out?
If you are connected to one of the cloud servers and your terminal session ends after a period of non-use (about 5 minutes or so), you may receive a message: Write Failed: broken pipe.
This can occur if you leave your computer for a few minutes then return to continue working, causing the server to not receive the "KeepAlive" message from your terminal session.
macOS/Linux Terminals
One way to remedy this is to update your `~/etc/ssh/ssh_config` file to include:
Host *
ServerAliveInterval 120
If you do not want to modify your `ssh_config` file, you can append your ssh command like so:
ssh -o ServerAliveInterval=120 user@ip.address
Windows Users
For PuTTY users, you're able to set the "KeepAlive" message by doing the following:
- Open PuTTY.
- Type your hostname or IP address in the field provided.
- On the left side of the screen, select Connection from the list of configuration options.
- Set the number of seconds between keepalives to 10.
How do I connect to a network in the OpenStack Lab?
When you log into the Horizon web GUI in an OpenStack Lab, you will not automatically see a network. You will need to select the correct tenant at the top after logging in.
When you log in, a project called "invisible_to_admin" is usually selected. In order to connect to a network, you will need to use the dropdown and select ‘demo’, which has access to the networks needed for the lab.
Have some more questions? We’ve got some more answers! Reach out to us at support@acloud.guru or submit a request here and we’ll be happy to help!