Isolation mode for labs and sandboxes

Firewall restrictions, DNS filtering, and policies against installing software can block some customers from accessing our hands-on environments. Isolation mode was designed to help customers with these regulations safely access cloud labs and sandboxes with an additional layer of security that reduces the risk of data exfiltration. With this feature, you can access cloud consoles through your corporate network through a secure browser-in-browser remote desktop environment.

About Isolation mode

Starting a new Isolation mode session before working on a lab or in a sandbox prevents data exfiltration by placing restrictions on certain functions in cloud consoles. While in Isolation mode:

• File uploads, downloads, and printing are disabled on the remote desktop.
• Only relevant IP addresses and domains are allowed on the remote desktop.
• Copy-paste functions between the learner’s machine and the remote desktop are limited.

Each Isolation mode session lasts up to four hours, and times out after ten minutes of inactivity. You can complete multiple hands-on activities in the same session. For example, if you want to complete a lab to learn a new concept and practice it independently in a sandbox, you can complete the lab and start the sandbox without having to restart Isolation mode. If your session expires, you can start a new session and continue your work.

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Technical requirements

In order for your organization to use Isolation mode, you must add the domains isolation-mode.acloud.guru and isolation-mode.pluralsight.com to your organization’s firewall allowlist. See Firewall and mail server configuration for Skills and ACG.

To prevent your learners from accessing cloud consoles on your corporate network outside of Isolation mode, work with your IT ops or security teams to restrict cloud providers and their services. This will ensure that your learners can only access cloud consoles through Isolation mode.

If your organization previously disabled learner access to the labs and sandbox features on your plan due to security concerns, request access through your Customer Success Manager or Account Executive so your learners can access labs and sandboxes while in Isolation mode.

Note: Prompt sandboxes and the Sagemaker Studio Notebook are not compatible with Isolation mode. Labs requiring GitHub or VM download may not be compatible with Isolation mode.

If Isolation mode is unavailable for a lab or sandbox, you’ll see a banner on the details page.

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Using Isolation mode

To begin a lab or sandbox in Isolation mode, you must first:

1. Start your lab or sandbox
2. Start and authenticate an Isolation mode session
3. Navigate to the cloud console
4. Copy and paste your lab or sandbox credentials

We’ll go through this process step-by-step.

Starting a lab or sandbox

In Skills In ACG

To start a lab:

1. From your Skills learner home page (opens in new tab), click Hands-on Labs in the Hands-on Learning widget.
2. Browse the Labs Library to find a lab, then click the name of the lab you want to start.
3. Click Start lab.

To start a sandbox:

1. From your Skills learner home page (opens in new tab), click Hands-on Playground in the Hands-on Learning widget.
2. Choose the sandbox you want to practice in.
   1. For cloud sandboxes: from the Cloud Sandboxes tab, click Start Sandbox for the cloud platform of your choice.
   2. For AI cloud sandboxes: from the AI Sandboxes tab, click Open Sandbox in the AI Cloud Sandboxes card. Select a sandbox type from the dropdown menu, then click Start Sandbox.

If the lab or sandbox is compatible with Isolation mode, you’ll see an info banner and an Isolation Mode section.

To start a lab:

1. From your ACG dashboard (opens in new tab), click Labs in the navigation menu.
2. Browse the Labs Library to find a lab, then click the name of the lab you want to start.
3. Click Start lab.

To start a sandbox:

1. From your ACG dashboard (opens in new tab), click Playground in the top navigation.
2. Choose the sandbox you want to practice in.
   1. For cloud sandboxes: from the Cloud Sandboxes tab, click Start Sandbox for the cloud platform of your choice.
   2. For AI cloud sandboxes: from the AI Sandboxes tab, click Open Sandbox in the AI Cloud Sandboxes card. Select a sandbox type from the dropdown menu, then click Start Sandbox.

If the lab or sandbox is compatible with Isolation mode, you’ll see an info banner and an Isolation Mode section.

 

Starting and authenticating an Isolation mode session

1. On your lab or sandbox page, click Start Session under Isolation Mode.
2. Click the copy icon to copy the provided password, then click Open Session.

   

3. In a new tab, a Firefox window with a dialog box will appear within your browser. This is your Isolation mode remote desktop. Paste the password into the dialog box, then click Submit.

Your session has begun. You’ll be greeted by the Isolation mode landing page.

Navigating to the cloud console

Now that you’ve launched Isolation mode, copy and paste the URL to get to the cloud environment for your hands-on activity.

To increase security, copy and paste functions are limited during an Isolation mode session. There’s a dedicated clipboard box within your remote desktop that you’ll use to copy and paste the cloud console URL and credentials for your lab or sandbox. You won’t be able to copy or paste between your machine and the remote desktop without using this box.

Here’s how to use the clipboard and navigate to the cloud console:

Entering your lab or sandbox credentials

Now that you’re on the cloud provider website, use the clipboard again to copy and paste your lab or sandbox credentials.

1. Return to your lab or sandbox page.
2. Copy and paste your cloud console credentials to the remote desktop in the same manner.

   Note: Click Clear before pasting new text into the clipboard.

3. If prompted, don’t save the login credentials for your lab or sandbox.

Once you’re signed in, you can begin your hands-on learning activity.

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Starting a new activity while in Isolation mode

If you’ve already started an Isolation mode session and completed your lab or finished working in the sandbox you initially chose, you can continue practicing in another lab or sandbox in the same Isolation mode session. Here’s how:

1. On the initial lab details page or sandbox page, click Complete Lab or Delete Sandbox.
2. Choose another lab or sandbox to work in.
3. Under Isolation Mode, click Open Session.
4. Repeat the instructions to copy and paste your URL and credentials.

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Restarting an expired Isolation mode session

If your Isolation mode session times out after ten minutes of inactivity or expires after four hours, you’ll be prompted for a password again on the Firefox window in your remote desktop.

To start a new session:

1. Go back to your lab or sandbox page and refresh the page.
2. Under Isolation Mode, click Start Session.
3. Copy the provided password.
4. Return to your remote desktop and paste the password.

   Note: Sandboxes also expire after four hours. You’ll receive a notification when you have one hour remaining that will allow you to extend your session for another four hours. If you do, you’ll need to recopy and paste your sandbox credentials to the remote desktop as well.

5. Pick up where you left off.