Choosing an environment architecture and remote access method for virtual training
This best practices guide is designed to help Skytap users make decisions about how to create and share environments for virtual training sessions.
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Environment architecture options
Skytap has two common classroom architectures:
Option 1: Place all of the student VMs in a single Skytap environment.
In this architecture, there is a single environment per training class. Students receive access to select VMs within the environment. If student VMs need access to shared resources (for example, a shared database), those resources can be placed within the common environment.
Best when:
Training on simple applications.
Each student needs a single dedicated VM.
The instructor doesn’t have access to Skytap.
All student VMs must be on the same network subnet.
Option 2: Create a separate Skytap environment for each student.
In this architecture, there are multiple student environments per training class. Students receive access to all VMs within their copy of the environment. If student VMs need access to shared resources (for example, a shared database), those resources can be placed in a separate environment and the environments can be networked together via Inter-Configuration Network Routing (ICNR).
Best when:
Training on complex applications
Each student needs multiple dedicated VMs.
The instructor has a Skytap user account with access to projects.
Access options
We strongly recommend using sharing portals to give students access to virtual lab environments. Sharing portals provide students with URL-based access to one or more VMs in an environment.
Sharing portals benefits:
Students don’t need a Skytap account or any special software to access VMs via a sharing portal.
Sharing portals provide quick access to the VM console via the Skytap HTML5-based Secure Remote Access (SRA) browser client.
Sharing portals allow restricted or full access to VMs, based on the settings that you choose.
Sharing portals can be restricted to allow access at specific times or from specific IP ranges; they can also be password-protected.
To access sharing portals, student must meet some basic access requirements.
For an overview of alternative remote access methods, see Accessing VMs.