HOL VRealize Automation

USER REFERENCE GUIDE

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VMware Learning Platform User Reference Guide

Contents About This Document .............................................................................................................................. 4

Audience ............................................................................................................................................. 4

Overview of VMware® Learning Platform™ ............................................................................................. 5

Known Issues/Non-supported Functionality ......................................................................................... 5

Tenants ............................................................................................................................................... 5

Accessing VMware Learning Platform ................................................................................................. 5

Supported Browsers and Environments ............................................................................................... 5

Support for Mobile Devices .................................................................................................................. 6

VMware Learning Platform End Users ................................................................................................. 6

VMware Learning Platform Roadmap .................................................................................................. 7

Using the Lab Status and Lab Action Options ........................................................................................ 10

Lab Details ........................................................................................................................................ 10

Enroll/Enrolled ................................................................................................................................... 10

Resume This Lab .............................................................................................................................. 11

Using the Console Walk-Through .......................................................................................................... 12

Using the Toolbar .................................................................................................................................. 13

Help .................................................................................................................................................. 13

Privacy .............................................................................................................................................. 13

My Profile .......................................................................................................................................... 13

General Page ................................................................................................................................ 13

Contact Information ....................................................................................................................... 14

Preferences (Language and Time Zone)........................................................................................ 14

About (Bio) .................................................................................................................................... 15

Password ...................................................................................................................................... 15

Security Questions ........................................................................................................................ 16

Social ............................................................................................................................................ 16

Log Out ............................................................................................................................................. 17

Change Language ............................................................................................................................. 17

Using the Screen Display Options .......................................................................................................... 18

Using the Lab Console Options.............................................................................................................. 19

Using the Lab Time Options................................................................................................................... 20

Using the Lab Manual ............................................................................................................................ 22

General Options ................................................................................................................................ 22

Drag/Drop Option .............................................................................................................................. 23

Additional Features ................................................................................................................................ 24

Detection of Closed Browser ............................................................................................................. 24

Detection of Inactive Browser ............................................................................................................ 24

Lab Time Running Out ...................................................................................................................... 24



Browser Screen Saver....................................................................................................................... 24

Public browsing of Catalog ................................................................................................................ 24

Email Transcript ................................................................................................................................ 24

Appendix A: Internal VMware Learning Platform Users .......................................................................... 25



About This Document This guide describes the VMware® Learning Platform™ self-education lab and course

management tool. This guide describes how to access labs available to you, run them, keep track

of them, and customize your experience.

Audience

The primary audience for this guide is VMware® Learning Platform™ end-users who intend to

take an instructional lab.



Overview of VMware® Learning Platform™ VMware® Learning Platform™ is a complete learning environment that integrates instructional

materials, rich VM (virtual machine) labs, video, social media and more. VMware Learning

Platform is cloud-based and its content management tool includes features to run and track

training labs and courses. VMware Learning Platform allows you to:

Run, pause and resume training labs in which you interact with simulated environments,

such as virtualized desktop environments, or enterprise applications

Track the training labs and courses in which you have enrolled

View a transcript that shows training labs and courses you have completed

View a catalog of all available VMware training labs and courses (the catalog is not

available to all users)

Known Issues/Non-supported Functionality

The following are known issues or are functionality not implemented fully at this time:

Linux media ejection is supported. However your screen may pause for a few seconds.

Printing is not supported.

Foreign keyboards are not supported at this time.

Tenants

A “tenant” is a company or institution (or a department within a company or institution) that has

purchased access to VMware Learning Platform. The VMware Learning Platform technical staff

provisions your tenant(s) based upon information provided by your organization.

Accessing VMware Learning Platform

You access VMware Learning Platform through a browser. You must have valid credentials

from your tenant administrator in order to log in.

Note: Passwords are case-sensitive.

Supported Browsers and Environments

The following desktop browsers are supported:

Internet Explorer version 10 and above

Firefox version 13 or above

Chrome version 18 or above

Safari version 6.0 or above

Note: Your browser settings should accept cookies, run JavaScript and allow web sockets.



Support for Mobile Devices

VMware Learning Platform supports mobile devices for split screen functionality such that the

lab’s instructional manual appears on the mobile device while the lab console appears on a

desktop or laptop. VMware Learning Platform does not support the console of the virtual

machine on the mobile device.

The split screen feature allows you to go full screen with the console of the lab and have the

manual for the lab displaying on another desktop screen or on their iPad an example of which is

shown in the following example:

VMware Learning Platform End Users

VMware Learning Platform users are either internal VMware users or external users:

External Users: Includes VMware Learning Platform users who are independent from

VMware. As an independent VMware Learning Platform user, you access VMware

Learning Platform directly through a browser.

Internal Users: Includes myLearn Users and VMware Customer Labs (vCL) users.



VMware Learning Platform Roadmap

As a VMware Learning Platform end-user, you typically will be following this roadmap:

1. Access VMware Learning Platform through your browser and authenticate yourself using

credentials sent to you by your tenant administrator.

Result: VMware Learning Platform displays your Tenant page which will look similar to

the following example:

The Tenant page is comprised of three tabs:

Left tab includes three options (Enrollments, Labs and Transcript).

Depending upon which option you click in the left tab, the right tab will display

either labs in which you are already enrolled (Enrollments option), all labs (Labs

option) or a transcript of the you have taken (Transcript option). The following



example shows an example of all labs (Labs option).

Announcements/Offers tab: Displays announcements, offers and social media.

2. Select a lab in which to enroll (click Enroll) or resume a lab you had left (click

Enrolled).

Result: VMware Learning Platform loads the lab you selected.

Note: VMware Learning Platform includes a prepopulate feature (prepop) that deploys an

instance of a lab ahead of a user’s demand and leaves it running. Thus when you request

an instance of pre-popped lab, VMware Learning Platform can connect you to an already

running copy in a matter of seconds and then queue up another deployment of a pre-pop

for future use. The prepop feature is configured by your tenant administrator.

Lab Loading Result: Once VMware Learning Platform is done loading the lab, it

displays a lab console similar to the following example:



3. (Optional) Select a console. If the lab you started includes multiple consoles, then

VMware Learning Platform displays the Consoles options. For example, your lab might

include a Windows console icon and a Linux (RHEL) console icon. Most labs only have

a single visible virtual machine that you interact with for the exercises, thus the console

tab will not be shown.

4. Click Start this Lab to start the lab. If you had started and then left a lab, then VMware

Learning Platform displays the Resume the lab button instead of the Start this Lab button.

When you start a lab for the first time, the system automatically launches a guided

console walk-through which you can take or decline to take.

5. Click to display the lab’s manual which contains instructions for your lab as shown

in the following example:

6. Progress through the modules of your lab and end or exit the lab as you choose. (Manuals

are typically comprised of modules which you complete sequentially.)

7. Continue enrolling in or resuming other labs as you choose.

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Using the Lab Status and Lab Action Options Each lab listed on a tenant page includes status and action options.

Lab Details

Lab Details displays a brief description of the lab, including running time and costs.

Enroll/Enrolled

If you are not enrolled in a lab, then VMware Learning Platform displays the Enroll option. Click

it to enroll in the lab and also to make it accessible from the Enrolled option in the left tab. Once

VMware Learning Platform has enrolled you in the lab, it displays the Start This Lab option.

If you are already enrolled in a lab, then VMware Learning Platform displays the Enrolled

option. Click it to have VMware Learning Platform display the Start This Lab option.



Resume This Lab

If you had previously started a lab, then exited that lab (but not ended it) the lab before

completing it, then VMware Learning Platform displays the Resume This Lab option. Click it to

resume the lab where you had left off.



Using the Console Walk-Through When you start a lab for the first time, the system automatically launches a guided console walk-

through tour which you can take or decline to take.

If it is not the first time you start the lab, then the system does not automatically launch the walk-

through tour. You can click to manually launch the walk-through.



Using the Toolbar

Help

Displays the following options:

Live Chat: If enabled by your tenant admin, Live Chat opens a window in order to chat

with support staff.

Raise Hand: During an event, for example VMworld, Raise Hand activates a help request

for you. A staff member will respond to your help request.

Support Options: Displays and email address for support requests and a support phone

number.

Tips: Displays tips about using the lab console.

User Guide: Opens a pdf of the VMware Learning Platform User Reference Guide.

About: Opens a VMware Learning Platform product information window.

Privacy

Displays the VMWare privacy policy.

My Profile

Clicking My Profile displays the Profile page. The Profile page is comprised of several sub-

pages beginning with the General page. To dismiss the Profile page, click outside the page. Make

sure that you have saved your changes before you dismiss the page.

General Page

Use the General page to choose an avatar (a picture or graphic of yourself), set your name and

display name and company information.



Contact Information

Click Contact Information option to set your email, phone number and complete address.

Preferences (Language and Time Zone)

Click Preferences to choose what language and time zone to use. Selecting a language sets the

language of the lab console to the selected language. For example, if you select German, the

system switches the UI to German. Also, selecting a language determines the language version of

the instructional manual. For example, if you select German, the system will use the German

version of the instructional manual associated to the lab.

Note: When you switch to the language version you selected, you must end the lab and then

restart the lab.



About (Bio)

Click About to add a short biography about yourself.

Password

Click Password to change your password.



Security Questions

Click Security Questions to update your security questions. Security questions help validate

who you are in case you forgot your password.

Social

Click Social to log into one or all of the social media services (Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn).

Note: VMware Learning Platform will never share social media password information.



Log Out

Clicking Log Out logs you out of the VMware Learning Platform lab console and returns you to

the login page.

Change Language

Clicking opens a pull-down from which you can select a language. The lab console language

changes to the language you select.

Note: For anonymous users (users who are not logged in and thus do not have a profile), the

default anonymous user language was set by the tenant admin. Logged-in users do have a profile.

Thus if a logged-in user changes language, then that user’s profile is updated accordingly.



Using the Screen Display Options

Use to for console resizing. Console resizing is comprised of the following:

o When the end user console is docked in the center or maximized, then VMware

Learning Platform resizes it to fit into the space available in the browser.

o If the console is floated, docked-left, or docked-right, then you can resize the

console manually by clicking/dragging the handles near the edge of the console

frame.

o If the end user console is supported with vCloud Director 5.5 or greater and

VMware tools, then the guest operating system resolution will be updated to the

new console size.

o In unsupported consoles, the guest operating system resolution remains

unchanged but the console is scaled to the browser.

Use to magnify (full screen) your screen.

Use to dock your screen display to the left/right.

Use to re-establish your console connection.

Note: This option does not refresh your screen. Use this option only if your console locks

up or your connection drops.

Use to center your screen display.

Use to toggle between a docked or floating screen.



Using the Lab Console Options

Send Text: Displays the Send Text to Console window which allows you to type in text

or copy/paste text from your lab’s manual. When you click Send Text, VMware

Learning Platform sends the text you entered to your lab console. The text will appear at

your cursor location inside of your console.

Note: You can also highlight text in the lab manual then drag and drop the selected text

into your console.

CTRL+ALT+DEL: Sends the CTRL+ALT+DEL key combination to the virtual machine

(VM). The result of sending the key combination is operation system dependent.

Notes: Displays information about the lab as configured by the tenant admin.

Power Down: Powers down the VM for the lab you are running.

Power Reset: Hard-reboots the machine as if the reset button on the physical hardware

had been selected. It is independent of the power options



Using the Lab Time Options

Time Remaining: Displays the amount of time remaining for you to complete your lab.

Note: Labs have two time limits: Time Remaining and Expiration Date.

Time remaining is the total amount of time that the lab can be active. The counter for

Time Remaining only changes when the lab is in use (00:46:47 in our example).

When the Expiration Date arrives, the lab will end even if there is allotted time still

available. For example, a lab could configured with a one hour limit to do the lab but

expire in three days. Thus the user could use the lab for up to one hour of total time and

could break up that time into smaller intervals spread out over three days. In this

example, the lab would end when the first of the time limits is reached.

End: Displays a screen that allows you to confirm or cancel the ending of your lab. If you

confirm that you want to “end” your lab, then VMware Learning Platform will consider

you have completed the lab and returns you to the VMware Learning Platform lab

console login page. Thus you will not be able to resume the lab. You must click Exit to

come back and resume your lab.

Exit: Displays a screen that allows you confirm or cancel the exiting from your lab. If

you confirm that you want to “exit” your lab, VMware Learning Platform returns you to

the lab console login page. VMware Learning Platform will recognize that you may want

to resume the lab and will provide you that option.

Note: Not all tenants include the Exit option. The Exit option must be configured by the

VMware Learning Platform technical staff when they provision you tenant.



Extend: Allows you to extend the time remaining in your lab. The extend time is

configured by your tenant admin.

Displays keyboard settings.



Using the Lab Manual

General Options

displays the instructional manual for your lab:

Closes, toggles between dock/float or docks your screen.

o Network Topology: Your lab is comprised of virtual machines. If your tenant

administrator has included a network topology image in your tenant, then your

manual consoled will include a Network Topology option. Clicking Network

Topology displays an image that shows the network topology of the virtual

machines that comprise your lab.

o Table of Contents: Displays links to each module of the manual. Manuals are

typically comprised of modules which you complete sequentially.

o Split Screen: Displays the Use a Second Screen or Device screen which includes

links to open the manual in a new window and email a link to open the manual

with another device such as an iPad or a second window on your desktop. Thus

you can go full screen on your console and have the lab’s manual on another

desktop screen or on your iPad. VMware Learning Platform keeps the manual

steps on the second screen in sync with the main screen. When you change to the

next step on one of your screens, it changes on your other screen. In order to get

to that second screen, you can email yourself a link, scan a QR code or copy and

paste a special key.

Increases/decreases font size.



Drag/Drop Option

The Drag/Drop feature allows you to drag text from the lab’s instructional manual and drop it

into a field in the lab console. To use the Drag/Drop feature:

1. Select some text in the manual. The Grab icon appears.

2. Drop the text into the appropriate lab console.

Consider, the following example from HOL-1685 Insider Look at the Technology for how

VMware Deliver’s Hands-On Labs. In Step 3, the manual instructs the end user to “…enter

your tenant administrator credentials”. Using Drag/Drop you can simply drag

your username ([email protected]) from the manual and drop it into the username

field on the lab console and likewise, drag your password (VMware1!) and drop it into the

password field.

mailto:[email protected]



Additional Features

Detection of Closed Browser

VMware Learning Platform can detect when a user has walked away from a lab. For example, if

the user shuts the lid on his/her laptop or the quits the browser without clicking the End Lab

option button, then VMware Learning Platform pauses the user’s lab and bookmarks where the

user is in the manual. When the user returns to the lab, VMware Learning Platform returns the

user back to where the user left off.

Detection of Inactive Browser

VMware Learning Platform can detect if the user has not moved the mouse or pressed a key on

their keyboard for a period of time (default is 10 minutes). If the user has left the browser

inactive, then VMware Learning Platform pauses the user’s lab and bookmarks where the user is

in the manual. When the user returns to the lab, VMware Learning Platform returns the user back

to where the user left off.

Lab Time Running Out

When the time is has nearly run out on a lab, VMware Learning Platform flashes the timer in

yellow. When the remaining lab time is extremely low, VMware Learning Platform flashes the

whole screen in red.

Browser Screen Saver

At events VMware Learning Platform utilizes a screen saver that runs in the browser and

circulates information and advertising.

Public browsing of Catalog

VMware Learning Platform allows users to browse a catalog of labs without having to log into

the interface. If a user actually wants to register for and take a lab, then VMware Learning

Platform will direct the user to the login page and be prompted to enter login credentials.

Email Transcript

Transcript page includes the Email Transcript option. Click Email Full Transcript if you want

to VMware Learning Platform to email your lab transcript to the email address you provided.



Appendix A: Internal VMware Learning Platform Users Internal VMware Learning Platform users include:

VMware myLearn Users: Internal VMware Learning Management System. If you are a

student through VMware Education you start by choosing, or accepting, courses to which

you are directed through myLearn. Since you chose the course at myLearn, when you

click Start This Course, a new window opens directly to the lab.

VMware Customer Labs (vCL) Users: As a virtual console user, you have been enrolled

in training labs and courses already, so when you start a lab, you are automatically moved

to the VMware Learning Platform My Enrollments page. From there, you choose a lab

and click Start This Lab to begin.

Note the following about beginning a training lab or course

myLearn Users: If you came through VMware’s myLearn site, your lab is already started

in a new window when you come to VMware Learning Platform. All you need to do is

choose a console and begin.

VMware Customer Labs Users: Find the course you want to begin on the My

Enrollments page and click Start This Lab. The lab page opens and VMware Learning

Platform begins to build the lab.

HOL VRealize Automation

Documents

user reference guide

t f o r

lab status

lab details

lab action options

supported browsers

mobile devices

known issuesnon