Q. What is VMware Hands-on Labs?
A. VMware Hands-on Labs is a free online portal created by VMware which provides
access to the latest products in a tested and documented cloud-based virtual lab environment.
Q What is the first thing I need to do before taking a VMware Hands-on Lab?
A. Please use our Compatibility Checker to make sure your browsers are current and your network will support the service - VMware Lab Platform
Q. Do I need to install any products or have dedicated hardware to run the VMware Hands-on Labs?
A. No. The VMware Hands-on Labs are fully licensed, tested and documented environments you can access using any modern browser.
Q. I want to host a small event using the Hands-on Labs - what do I need to do to reserve capacity, notify the Hands-on Labs team?
A. We created a new program to help folks with small events (20 - 40) people - it reserves capacity and makes sure the lab is ready for your users. The service is FREE and available worldwide. Please be sure to register your event 3 days ahead of time: HOL Request
Q Can I use Hands-on Labs Licenses for my own product evaluations?
A. No you cannot. This violates VMware license agreements and can put you and your organization in direct violation of our terms and conditions.
Q. I am not sure I can finish the labs in the given time frame provided - is it possible for me to come back and take the lab later and will my session be preserved?
A. You can take the labs as many times as you want - there are no restrictions on this and it is not expected you finish a lab within the given time frame (1.5 Hours) Your session will be preserved for a set time after this session your lab time will expire. The labs are built modular so you do not need to start from the beginning.
Q. What if I am running out of time while taking a lab, can I request more time?
A. The "Extend" button in the console - lower right next to the time clock for more time in the labs. Every click of the Extend button gives you an additional hour of lab time. You may click the Extend button up to eight times, for a total lab time of 9.5 hours.
Q. Which topics are covered in the Hands-on Labs?
A. We have over 80 labs on the latest VMware Products and Solutions, including but not limited to Sphere with Operations Management™,
vCenter Site Recovery Manager™, Horizon™ Suite. NSX, Virtual SAN, vRealize Operations, vRealize Automation, AirWatch, and many more products. Be sure to check our websites for the latest releases.
Q. When are the Hands-on Labs refreshed?
A. We develop content two times a year. At the beginning of the calendar for VMworld.
Q. What browsers are supported with Hands-on Labs?
A. We support the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer 10+
Q. What are the networking requirements in order to run Hands-on Labs?
A. We recommend you have at least 300 - 500 Kbps or of bandwidth per client and 240ms or LESS of latency. We find that taking a lab in a shared Wifi network may result in a less than optimal experience. If you do not have complete control of your WIFI network we recommend you use cabled, dedicated networking.
Q. Where can I find the Lab Manuals, and are they available in PDF, HTML, and various Languages?
A. Yes of course. Please visit http://docs.hol.vmware.com/for the full list of labs and the languages available.
Q. Can you change the default language for a lab?
A. Yes. Please visit http://docs.hol.vmware.com/announcements/nee-localization.pdf
Q. What are some of the resources for help and feedback?
A. Stay connected with us!
Twitter @vmwarehol | Blog http://blogs/vmware.com/hol
General Feedback hol-feedback@vmware.com
Support articles and creating support tickets: http://hol-support.vmware.com
Q. How can I send text to the VM while I am taking a lab?
A. Yes. This can be done easily after your lab has started. You can see our YouTube video for more details.
Q. My lab is very slow to respond and takes a very long time to load, what can I do?
A. Please be sure your local networking meets our minimum requirements - you can do so by running our speed-test app - http://labs.hol.vmware.com/speed-test (you must be logged into the portal when running the tool) The results will give you some guidance on how well your lab will run based on the distance from our datacenters. Take a screenshot of the results and send them to our alias for help.
Q. I have run into a step that is not working in the Lab what should i do?
A. There are 3 things you can do.
#1. Make sure you did not miss any prior steps in the Lab Manual
#2 Make sure the Lab Status on your Desktop indicates the Lab is ready.
#3 End your lab and start a fresh lab. If none of these steps work please be sure to send us a note with a details description of the problem.
Q. What information do I need to gather when reporting a problem?
A. Take a screenshot of the lab you are taking - be sure to include the entire screen so it shows us the URL, lab name, and very important the step where you are having problems.
Q. Should I allow my browser to accept 3rd party cookies?
A. Yes.
Q. I am having trouble connecting to a lab - what steps can I do to troubleshoot the issue?
A. Here are some basic tips.
1. Make sure you are using the latest version of the supported browsers and clear your cache/cookies and reload again.
2. Make sure you are able to reach the labs through your network by trying to take the lab in a different network - sometimes corporate networks have proxies that will deny a console connection.
3. Make sure you have the recommended bandwidth and latency to run the application correctly.
4. Check to see if the network you are in has deployed an AV system - these are very hard to spot and the best way to see if it's your local network is to test it from a different network.
Q. Can I adjust the screen size on my desktop?
A. Yes you can for the duration of your lab experience. You can resize your desktop the way you normally change your resolution Windows 2012 R2 desktop. Keep in mind this will increase the bandwidth you use. Right Click on the Desktop and do the Screen Resolution.