Hands-on labs are self-guided, timed labs that open a live environment in a separate browser tab. There are two kinds of hands-on labs: Cloud and Desktop. You'll access these lab environments slightly differently:
- Cloud labs come with a set of temporary lab credentials to sign in to a cloud console. Many of these labs were formerly A Cloud Guru labs.
- Desktop labs—formerly known as IT ops and security labs—load a remote desktop environment for you to complete your objectives.
See Labs overview for general information about types of labs, who can access them, and where to find them.
Starting a Hands-on lab
- When you've found a lab you want to start, click the lab title to go to the lab details page. You should see a Lab Overview and Learning Objectives.
- If you see a Mode dropdown menu, select whether you want to take the lab in Guided mode or Challenge mode.
- Click Start Lab to prepare the lab environment—this may take a few minutes to load.
Note: If the Start Lab button is locked, you may have a hands-on lab already running, or the lab is temporarily down for maintenance.
What you do next depends on whether you're taking a cloud lab or a desktop lab.
Navigating a cloud lab
Once you’ve started your cloud lab, you’ll see a video player and your lab tools.
- Watch the Videos to guide you through the lab, or click Project Guide to see written instructions instead.
- Click Additional Resources for context, tips, or documentation that might come in handy.
- Click Lab Diagram for easy access to an infographic you can reference while you work.
- Click Instant Terminal to quickly launch Instant terminal in a new tab.
- Use your Lab Credentials to log into the cloud environment for the lab—either Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- Learning Objectives are tasks you must work through in order to complete the lab.
- When you've finished with your lab, click the End lab menu. Then click Complete Lab if you’ve finished all the objectives, or click Quit Lab to exit without saving your progress.
- In the Lab Credentials section of your lab tools, click the copy icon in the URL field. This copies the cloud console link to your clipboard.
- Open a private browser window and paste the link in the URL bar.
Tip: While you’re entering your credentials or following lab instructions, we recommend having the lab instructions and your cloud console open in separate windows side-by-side for ease of use.
- Go back to the lab page, then copy and paste the username and password into the cloud console page to sign in.
- In the Credentials section of your lab tools, click Open Link in Incognito Window. This will copy the cloud console link to your clipboard.
- Open a private browser window and paste the link in the URL bar.
Tip: While you’re entering your credentials or following lab instructions, we recommend having the lab instructions and your cloud console open in separate windows side-by-side for ease of use.
- Go back to the lab page, then copy and paste the username and password into the cloud console page to sign in.
You’re ready to begin your Hands-on cloud lab. Don’t forget you’re on the clock—you can check the timer at the top of the lab page to see how much time you have left.
Navigating a desktop lab
Once your desktop lab has finished loading, click Open Environment to open the remote desktop in a new tab. This is where you’ll complete the objectives listed on the lab details page.
- The Duration timer indicates how long your remote desktop is valid. These labs cannot be paused, and the timer continues counting down even if you close the window. Once the timer expires, your environment resets and you have to start over.
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Open Environment takes you to your remote desktop environment.
Note: Once you’ve completed or ended a lab or the timer runs out, nothing you’ve done is saved. We wipe all work done in the lab and cycle each lab instance.
- Each lab is made up of a series of Objectives. In the example above, the lab title is “Install and Configure Kubernetes” and the first objective is “Receive Kubernetes Init Information.”
- Use the Learning Objectives as a table of contents to navigate through the lab objectives, or use the Next Objective and Previous Objective buttons at the bottom of the page.
- When you've finished with your lab, click the End Lab menu. Then click Complete Lab if you’ve finished all the objectives, or click Quit Lab to exit without saving your progress.
Common questions
Can I run more than one lab at a time?
Only one hands-on lab can run at a time, regardless of whether it’s a cloud lab or desktop lab. If you want to start a different lab, complete or quit your current lab first.
How many times can I take a Hands-on lab?
Take a Hands-on lab as many times as you want. To take a lab again, revisit the lab details page and start the lab again. The Lab History section on the lab details page shows any previous attempts you’ve made at the lab.
Are Hands-on labs scenario-based?
Yes. Hands-on labs typically come with a scenario to resolve, and include video lessons and/or written guides. This lets you follow along at your own pace with your preferred learning method.
You'll be guided through the lab by an expert. Once you’re comfortable with the material, you can try the lab again on your own without referencing the instructions to check your understanding.
Do Hands-on labs have restrictions?
There are restrictions to what actions you can take and services you can use in our lab and playground environments. For hands-on cloud labs, consult the restrictions and supported services listed in our AWS, Azure, and GCP articles.
Some Hands-on labs have restrictions to cloud services outside our standard restrictions. You can still complete these labs, but you may receive an abuse notification if you attempt to complete other tasks outside of those outlined in the lab guide or objectives. Excessive network traffic using lab resources may be flagged as lab abuse or misuse.
If you feel you’ve received an abuse notification in error, contact Pluralsight Support.
What's the difference between Guided mode and Challenge mode?
Some of our most popular Hands-on cloud labs are Challenge labs that you can take either in Guided mode or Challenge mode.
In addition to the instructional videos, guides, and diagrams you get in a typical cloud lab, taking a Challenge lab in Guided mode allows you to run progress checks to see if you’ve completed the lab objectives correctly.
Challenge mode tests your knowledge in a Hands-on lab without the use of instructional videos or guides, and your work isn’t checked until you submit the lab for a grade.
See Challenge labs to learn more.
Why is the Start Lab button locked?
The Start Lab button is locked whenever you have another Hands-on lab active, or if the lab is undergoing maintenance.
If another Hands-on lab is already running, you can’t start another one. If this is the case, a banner on the lab details page prompts you to cancel or resume the in-progress lab.
A Hands-on lab is temporarily unavailable while it receives updates. If this is the case, you'll see a maintenance banner on the lab details page.
Click Email Me to receive an email notification once the lab is available again. This email is sent to the primary email address on your Pluralsight account.
Why doesn't my Hands-on lab have a lab guide?
Most Hands-on labs are standalone and intended to be used to perform a specific exercise or task. However, some are intended to be completed while following along with a video course.
If you come across a Hands-on lab with no lab guide, read the description. Return to the course to see if there are videos you're meant to follow instead of a lab guide.
Note: Hands-on labs that are being updated won't have a lab guide.
How long do Hands-on labs last?
Hands-on labs have a built-in timer, and the time limit varies from lab to lab—usually one to four hours. After the timer expires or when you complete the lab, the lab closes and the resources are cleared. You can restart the lab from the beginning at any time by returning to the lab details page.
How do I resume a Hands-on lab?
All Hands-on labs have a timer that starts counting down immediately after starting the lab. If you don't complete the lab before the timer reaches zero, or if you quit the lab before completing all objectives, you'll need to restart the lab from the beginning.
If the lab has time remaining and you leave the lab by closing your browser tab or navigating away from the page, the lab will remain active and the timer will continue counting down. Navigate back to the lab to continue working.
Tip: If you're taking the lab in ACG, click Resume Lab in the banner to continue the lab where you left off.
Why does my Hands-on lab time out immediately?
If you start a Hands-on lab and it immediately times out, it’s because your local system time is out of sync with the network time. To fix this, choose the option to set date and time automatically in your machine's system settings. This process varies depending on your operating system:
- Instructions for Windows (external site, opens in new tab)
- Instructions for macOS (external site, opens in new tab)
How do I prevent my terminal from timing out?
If you're connected to one of the Cloud servers and your terminal session ends, you may receive the message Write Failed: broken pipe. This can occur when the server doesn’t receive a keepalive message after a period of non-use.
Windows users
Note: You need PuTTY installed to complete the following steps.
To manually set the keepalive message:
- Open PuTTY.
- Type your hostname or IP address in the field provided.
- Click Connection from the list of configuration options.
- Type 10 into the Seconds between keepalives field.
macOS/Linux Terminals
Update the ~/etc/ssh/ssh_config file to include:
Host *ServerAliveInterval 120
If you don't want to modify your ssh_config file, you can append your ssh command:
ssh -o ServerAliveInterval=120 user@ip.address