Adding lab actions to a course in Course Manager by Skytap

Use lab actions to allow lab end users to do one of the following by clicking an action in the Lab Actions menu in the Learning Console:

  • Display a VM in their Skytap environment.
  • Execute an interactive or system command in a VM in their Skytap environment.
  • Execute a script in the Course Manager Script Host.
  • Access a resource through a browser or SSH connection in the Course Manager Virtual Browser.
Contents

Adding a lab action to a course

To add a lab action to a course
  1. From the Course Manager navigation bar, click Courses. The Courses page displays.
  2. Click the name of the course that you want to edit. The details page for the course displays.
  3. On the course details page, click the Course actions drop-down menu, and then click Lab actions.
  4. Click add (Add) on the right side of the page to add a lab action. The lab action properties display.
  5. (Optional) Click add (Add) again to add additional lab actions. The lab action properties display for each one.

  6. Configure the properties for each lab action.

    Notes

    • To delete an action, click delete (Delete) next to the action.
    • To move an action one earlier in a list of actions, click move earlier (Move earlier) next to the action.
    • To move an action one later in a list of actions, click move later (Move later) next to the action.
    • Click edit (Edit) next to an action to hide the action properties, or to display them if they are hidden.
  7. Click Update lab actions. The details page for the course displays.

Lab action properties

When you add a lab action, configure its properties.

The list of available properties depends on the type of lab action you choose.

Property Name

Description

Type

The type of lab action. Choose from one of the following types:

Icon

The name of the Bootstrap icon to display for the lab action.

Display Text

The display text for the lab action.

Description (optional)

The text that displays when the lab end user hovers over the lab action.

Notes

  • If you leave Description blank, it defaults to the Display text.
  • Description followed by (action) displays in the Activity Name field on the lab end user's Activity page and the event Activity Summary page for command, script, and Virtual Browser actions.

Command to execute

The command that should be executed in the VM when the lab end user clicks the lab action.

Command to execute displays in the Result Data field on the lab end user’s Activity page and the Last Result Data field on the event Activity Summary page after the command terminates or completes.

Script to execute

The script package that contains the script that should be executed in the Script Host when the lab end user clicks the lab action.

Script to execute displays in the Result Data field on the lab end user’s Activity page and the Last Result Data field on the event Activity Summary page after the script terminates or completes.

Timeout (seconds)

The number of seconds to wait before terminating the lab action if it hasn’t yet completed.

Notes

  • To disable the timeout, set Timeout (seconds) to 0.
  • If you set a non-zero command timeout, the command will terminate after the timeout period only if:
    • CMHelper version 1.1.9 or newer is in use for interactive commands.
    • CMSysHelper version 1.0.2 or newer is in use for system commands.

Target VM name (optional)

The Skytap name of the VM to target when the lab action is clicked. To target multiple VMs that include a common string in their Skytap name, type the common string.

Notes

  • If Target VM name is blank for an interactive command, the command is executed in every VM in the lab end user's Skytap environment that has CMHelper available for use.
  • If Target VM name is blank for a system command, the command is executed in every VM in the lab end user's Skytap environment that has CMSysHelper available for use.
  • Target VM name is required for switch to VM lab actions.

Switch to VM (optional)

Choose whether the VM that receives and accepts the command displays when the command is executed.

Notes

  • Switch to VM is available only for interactive commands.
  • If you're using CMHelper version 1.1.9 or newer, Switch to VM works even if Target VM name is blank.
  • If multiple VMs in the lab environment receive and accept the command, any one of these VMs may display.

Application

Choose whether the Virtual Browser connects to its destination using a Browser or SSH connection.

Notes

  • If Application is set to Browser, the Virtual Browser uses a streamlined version of Firefox to connect with the destination.
  • If Application is set to SSH, the Virtual Browser uses AutoSSH to persistently try SSH connections.
  • Application displays in the Result Data field on the lab end user's Activity page and the Last Result Data field on the event Activity Summary page after the Virtual Browser responds to the connection request.

Destination

The destination that the Virtual Browser should connect to when the lab action is clicked. The Destination can be external or within the lab end user’s Skytap environment.

Notes

  • If Application is set to Browser, Destination must be a URL.
  • If Application is set to SSH, Destination must be a hostname or IP address.
  • Destination displays in the Result Data field on the lab end user's Activity page and the Last Result Data field on the event Activity Summary page after the Virtual Browser responds to the connection request.

Identifier

The unique identifier for the Virtual Browser action. If the lab end user has already clicked a Virtual Browser lab action or Manual shortcut with the same Identifier, they will return to the existing instance.

Identifier displays in the Result Data field on the lab end user’s Activity page and the Last Result Data field on the event Activity Summary page after the Virtual Browser responds to the connection request.

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