For Admins
A VM Lab defines one or more virtual machines that learners can access during a lab session. Each VM in the lab is based on a registered VM Image and configured with the instance type and access method you want to present to users. Multiple VMs in the same lab are networked together so they can communicate with each other, and each user's lab instance is isolated from other users.
Once a VM Lab is configured, it will be available for Teachers and Admins to select when creating a Virtual Machine assignment.
Prerequisites:
Admin access to a Vocareum organization with Virtual Machine Labs enabled.
At least one VM Image registered in your organization's Org VM Images list. Refer to Registering a VM Image for instructions.
For more context on VM Labs and where this process fits in, refer to the article What are Vocareum Virtual Machine Labs?
Configure a VM Lab
Select the VM option from the Control Center menu.
Navigate to the Settings section of the VM Control Center.
Locate the Configure VM Labs option and click the adjacent View button.
On the Org VM Labs page, click + Create VM lab.
In the Lab Name field, enter a name for the lab. This is the name teachers will select when creating a Virtual Machine assignment.
In the Host Name field, enter a name for the first VM in the lab. This name identifies the machine within the lab configuration — for example,
kali,ubuntu, orwindows.In the Image dropdown, select the VM Image to use for this host. The dropdown lists all VM Images registered in your organization.
In the Access dropdown, select the access method to present to users. The options reflect the access entries defined when the VM Image was registered — for example,
desktoporweb-app. If the image has multiple access methods, select the one appropriate for this lab.In the Instance Type dropdown, select the EC2 instance type for this VM. If the instance type you need is not listed, contact support@vocareum.com.
The Security Group field defaults to
<vocareum-default>, which is appropriate for most labs. A security group controls the network traffic rules applied to the VM. Leave this as the default unless you have a specific requirement — if you need a custom security group, contact support@vocareum.com.
Click Save Configuration. The VM Lab appears in the Org VM Labs list and is now available to select when creating a Virtual Machine assignment.
NOTE: If your lab requires more than one VM, click + Add VM host and repeat steps 6–11 for each additional host. All hosts in the lab are networked together.
Other form fields:
Persistent IP and Data: leave this box unchecked unless you are configuring a specialized lab and have been instructed to check it.
Scripts: this checkbox enables a grading script to run on the VM on assignment submission. This is a specialized feature — if you are interested in using grading scripts with VM Labs, contact support@vocareum.com for guidance.
User Data: leave this field blank unless you are configuring a specialized lab. If you have been instructed to add user data, enter it here.
To edit a VM Lab after it has been saved, click anywhere on its row in the Org VM Labs list.
Enable VM Labs for a Course
Before teachers can create Virtual Machine assignments in a course, VM Labs must be enabled for that course.
In the Control Center sidebar, select Courses.
Locate the course in the list and click Resources in the Actions column.
In the Update Course modal, scroll to the Enable Resources section and toggle VM on.
Click Update.
VM Labs is now enabled for the course. Teachers can create Virtual Machine assignments by selecting Virtual Machine as the lab type when creating a new assignment. Refer to Creating a Virtual Machine Assignment for instructions.