The tab includes options for setting values for lab templates.
In addition to editing for individual templates, the Lab Template page includes a batch action menu that you can use to perform an action on all lab templates. The menu includes the Clear Errors and the Update network wiring options. When a prepopulated template fails to deploy, VMware Lab Platform marks it as an error and shows the count of errors. The Clear Errors option clears all errors for all lab templates listed and drops the current count of errors to zero.
To edit a lab template:
Procedure
- Set values for your lab template.
Option Description Enabled
Activate or deactivate the lab template.
If not activated, then the lab template cannot deploy prepopulated lab template or an on-demand lab. This text box is useful when you want to deactivate prepopulated deployment for a lab template hosted in a particular cloud. For example, you might have a lab template hosted in a cloud located in the United States and a clone of that lab template hosted in Europe. In such cases, you might want to deploy prepopulated lab templates only in the lab templates hosted in the United States but not in Europe.
Fixed Size
If you activate the Fixed Size text box, then the Refill At and the Fill Up values do not display. Instead the Pool Size value displays. The Pool Size value, sets the Refill At and the Fill Up values to the Pool Size value. Most importantly, if you activate Fixed Size, then the system keeps the number of running lab templates equal to the pool size limit value. As a result, the Fixed Size text box allows an administrator to ensure that the number of running lab templates is constant, regardless of the system refilling prepops. Example scenario: If an administrator has set the lab template to a pool size of 10, then:
System deploys 10 lab templates and sets Refill At and Fill Up to 10.
If an end user then starts a lab, the system uses one of the 10 lab templates and assigns the lab template to the end user’s entitlement.
Lab template continues with 10 running templates. If all end users continue to start labs and use all the deployed templates from the fixed size pool, then upon an 11th entitlement, the system returns an error.
Refill At
Sets value for the least number of available prepopulated lab templates. If the number of available prepopulated lab templates goes less than the Refill At value, then the system deploys prepopulated lab templates (refills) until the Refill At value is met.
Fill up
Sets value to reach (fill up) for the number of prepopulated lab templates to be deployed.
Prepops
Sets the current number of prepopulated lab templates available for the lab template. If you adjust this number, it adds or removes prepopulated lab templates from the lab template.
Concurrent Usage Limit
The maximum number of lab templates that the system allows to run. If a user starts a lab while below the concurrent use limit, then the system allows the user to start the lab. However, if a user starts a lab while the concurrent use limit has reached, then the system does not allow the user to start the lab. The concurrent use limit increases once a student successfully starts a lab but decreases when a student ends or exits a lab.
Placement Algorithm
Specifies the placement algorithm for this lab template and overrides the account-wide placement algorithm as set in the page (within General Options). The placement algorithm is described in the Name of Default Prepop Placement Algorithm option.
Time To Live (Hours) (0 Implies No Limit)
Specifies the amount of time, in hours, that a prepopulated lab template can exist before the system deletes it. This text box allows you to specify the amount of time a prepopulated lab template must be left waiting in the cloud until either the system assigns it to an entitlement or deletes it.
Note:When the system successfully deploys a prepopulated lab template, it adds a time stamp to the database record. By using the time stamp and the value of the template’s Time to Live text box, the system calculates when it must delete the prepopulated lab templates. When the time to delete the prepopulated lab templates arrives, the prepopulated lab templates becomes eligible for recycling. The recycling does not occur until the next time the job that checks prepop status is run, meaning prepopulated lab templates can continue to live past their end of life time by several minutes.
Auto-Deploy Replacements For Expired Prepops
If activated, then the system deploys a new prepopulated lab template each time a prepopulated lab template is undeployed because it has reached its Time To Live limit.
Note:For fixed size pools, auto-redeployment occurs whether this field is active or not.
Assignment Algorithm
Specifies the assignment algorithm for this lab template and overrides the account-wide placement algorithm as set in the Portal Setting page (within General Options). The Assignment Algorithm is described in the Name of Default Prepop Placement Algorithm option.
Assignment Prepop Preference
Specifies the assignment prepopulated lab template preference for this lab template and overrides the account-wide prepopulated lab template preference as set in the Portal Setting page (within General Options). The Prepop Preferences is described in the Name of Default Prepop Placement Algorithm option.
Prepop Template Name Example
Displays an example of a prepopulated lab template name generated with the pattern used by the system. By default, the system uses a single, static pattern for the naming.
Drain Prepops Tab
Opens a tab that lists all the cloud organization VDCs having the template running within them as prepopulated lab templates. This list allows you to select a specific organization VDC to be drained as opposed to draining all prepopulated lab templates.
You can also use the action options from page, click the three ellipses next to lab template from the list view and select an action option. To view the entire list of action options, click the
list view icon.Sync Prepops: Sends a start request for all the prepopulated lab templates currently deployed. If a prepopulated lab template exists, the start request does nothing. It creates a prepopulated lab template if one does not exist.
Drain All Prepops: Undeploys all prepopulated lab templates and drops the number of deployed prepopulated lab templates to zero.
Drain Prepops: Opens a tab that lists all the cloud organization VDCs having the template running within them as prepopulated lab templates. This list allows you to select a specific organization VDC to be drained as opposed to draining all prepopulated lab templates.
Clear Errors: When a prepopulated lab template fails to deploy, VMware Lab Platform marks it as an error and shows the count of errors. Clearing the errors marks the database record for the error as cleared and drops the current count of errors to zero.
Set to fill Up: Sends a fill up equal to the Fill up value (number of prepopulated lab templates that must be deployed).
Export to S3: This option is available only if the setting is activated. The Export to S3 option lets you to export the lab template to your Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) instance.
Set to Refill at: Value for the least number of available prepopulated lab templates. If the number of available prepopulated lab templates goes below the Refill At value, then the system deploys prepopulated lab templates (refills) until the Refill At value is met.
Reset Average Deploy Time Statistics: VMware Lab Platform monitors the average lab deployment time and continuously updates the average as end users continue to start (deploy) labs. This is the estimated deployment time an end user sees when launching a lab. Reset Average Deploy Time Statistics clears the statistics for the selected template to restart the calculation for the average deploy time. You can enable display of the average deploy time statistics on the Lab Template List. Doing so allows you to easily know which are the slowest lab templates and so which to reset.
Note:You can click Reset all average deployment time statistics on the Lab Template List to reset all the lab templates at once.
More Details: Displays details of the selected lab template.
