Labs in the IT ops and security categories provide a series of challenges to complete in a live environment. These labs are self-guided and timed with options to extend your time.
See Labs to learn more about the different lab types on the Skills platform.
Who can use this?
| Stnd | Prem | Strt | Pro | Ent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learners: | + | + | + | ||
| Managers: | |||||
| Admins: | |||||
| + Available as a plan add-on. | |||||
| Learn more about Skills legacy plans, updated plans, and roles. | |||||
Finding IT ops and security labs
Find IT ops and security labs in the following areas within Skills:
- The IT ops and security labs library page (opens in new tab)
- The Browse all page (opens in new tab) or the search bar
- Use Filters to select Labs as the content type and IT Ops or Security as the category.
- From within select Path pages (opens in new tab) that contain labs
- These appear as Lab courses.
- If you've started a lab:
- On your Home page (opens in new tab) in Continue learning
- On your History page (opens in new tab)
Starting an IT ops or security lab
- Open the lab. If it’s an IT ops or security lab, you’ll arrive at a landing page with a description, table of contents, and author bio. If not, it’s one of the other lab types on Skills.
- Click Start lab.
- Wait for the lab environment to load—this may take several minutes.
- Once your lab has finished loading, click Open environment in the Lab info panel. The lab environment will open in a new tab.
- Follow the steps listed in each challenge found within the lab.
- Click Next in the lab after you complete each challenge.
- Finish the lab before the timer runs out.
Using IT ops and security labs
The following are the main components of IT ops and security labs.
A. Lab timer and progress bar
The timer indicates how long your temporary environment is valid. These labs cannot be paused. The timer counts down even if you leave the lab. If the timer expires, your environment resets and you have to start over.
If you run out of time, we'll prompt you to extend the time when you have five minutes remaining, allowing you to add 10 minutes. You can extend the lab up to three times, totaling 30 extra minutes.
The progress bar tracks your path through the lab and indicates how much further you have to go.
Important: 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.
B. Challenges and tasks
Each lab is made up of a series of challenges. In the example above, the lab is "Discover and Enumerate Targets with Nmap" and the first challenge is "Getting Started in the Lab Environment".
Tasks are the numbered instructions under each challenge. These help you through the challenges and guide your navigation through the lab environment.
C. Navigation and accessibility controls
- Use Previous and Next to navigate through the lab’s challenges.
- Expand or collapse the lab panel to maximize your screen area.
D. Lab info panel
Every lab takes you to a live environment. Click Open environment to open the environment in a separate tab.
Internet access into or out of the environment is disabled, but you have everything you need to complete the lab in the environment without Internet access.
E. Table of contents
The table of contents helps you navigate the various challenges and estimate the time required for each.
Common questions
Can I run more than one lab at a time?
Only one IT ops or security lab can run at a time. If you want to start a different lab, exit or end your current lab first.
What should I do if my lab isn’t loading?
If your lab environment isn’t loading or is slow to load, wait a few minutes. If prompted, click Retry. Otherwise, try starting the lab in a different browser.
Still having trouble? Contact our Support team using the link below.