How do I complete the labs in self-directed training?

Note: Please be aware that the Lab Guide is provided inside the Hands-on Lab Environment.

Accessing Labs

Access your self-directed training in F5 Education Services Portal > Profile > Courses.

Locate the Hands-on Lab in the list of modules for the course you are working in.

When you launch a Hands-on Lab, a new browser tab or window will open (depending upon your browsers configuration), where you'll see the following:

• In the background, you might notice that the lab environment is being built and virtual machines started.
  
  
• In the foreground, a help window opens where you can learn more about navigating the lab environment.
• When the lab is ready, you'll see the Student Workstation login page with a "lab ready" message in the lower right.

For more details on accessing and using the Lab interface, please visit the Lab interface FAQ.

Log into the Student Workstation

1. Click the field below the Student icon in the center of the screen.
2. Type student (all lowercase).

What happens?
The Student Workstation opens, which includes:

1. Application icons on the left
2. Any files needed for your activity directly on the desktop
3. Lab guide, environment Resources, and Help on the right

Completing a Hands-on Lab Exercise

After you've accessed the lab environment and logged into the workstation, follow these steps to complete lab exercises included in this course.

You do not have to complete any lab exercise in one session. At any time, you can save your work and return to resume the activity at a later time.

1. Locate and arrange the Lab Guide(s) for convenience during the lab activity.
2. Locate lab instructions (right pane) and navigate to step 1.
3. Arrange, size, or split the instruction window pane as desired.
4. Locate lab files on the desktop, if you have a folder there, and open it to see what's provided.

If your activity includes large amounts of text to be copied and pasted, for example into a console window, you might see a Lab Guide on the workstation desktop. Using this version of the guide, copy and paste functions work more directly than copying from the guide in the Instructions pane.

What do you see?

The instruction pane and desktop are arranged so you can easily read instructions and interact with applications in the lab.

Follow lab steps and complete the exercise(s) using relevant applications:

• Console
• Browser
• Lab-specific application(s)

Saving a Lab

1. To exit the lab before completing all steps, save your work and close the lab.
2. Click the "hamburger" menu and select Save.
   
3. Confirm that you'd like to save and close.
   

Resume the lab where you left off.

When you return to F5 Education Services Portal, locate the hands-on lab again, and click Resume.

What happens?

Please be patient: Depending on the activity, the lab environment might take a few minutes to resume.

Ending and Completing a Lab

When you've completed all lab activities, end the lab session.

1. Click the "hamburger" menu and select End.
   
2. Chose if you want to Cancel the lab or End the lab.
   - Cancel the lab to keep the lab marked as In Progress.
   - End the lab to mark the lab Complete
   
   
3. Close the Lab browser window and return to F5 Education Services Portal. It may take a minute for the lab to be marked as Complete.