Laboratories for System Administration Courses
This guide applies to the following classrooms:
- T9:344 Network Laboratory / Apple Classroom
- T9:345 Experimental Classroom
These classrooms provide software during network boot that enables disk backup and restoration using disk images.
This software makes it possible to boot custom operating systems.[1]
How Do These Classrooms Differ from Standard Computer Classrooms?
Standard computer classrooms:
- Use operating systems preinstalled and managed by the ICT department.
- Do not change operating system configurations during the semester.
- Do not allow students or instructors to obtain superuser privileges.[2]
Specialized classrooms for teaching system and network administration allow:
- Instructors to create and use different operating systems throughout the semester.
- Modifications of operating systems according to their own requirements.
- Switching operating systems between classes or even during a class as needed by instructors and students.
User Roles
To support image management and operating system image creation, a dedicated application has been developed.
Its documentation is divided according to the role you perform in the classroom.
Important:
All operations described in the detailed guides assume that you are using a classroom workstation (not a laptop or personal computer), powered on and connected to a correctly configured Ethernet network.
Typical Classroom Workflow
- Before the class (or class block), the instructor powers on the instructor workstation.
- Selects
"Image Selection". - Chooses the image required for the class and sets an appropriate validity period.
- Computers that are powered on and waiting for installation automatically install the selected image and may subsequently shut down.
- The classroom is ready for students, who only need to power on their computers and select
"Boot from Local Disk".
If students are already present, it is sufficient for them to restart their computers. The systems will automatically enter the image installation waiting state.
If the instructor does not select an image within approximately 30 minutes after computers begin waiting, the systems shut down automatically.
Otherwise, the selected operating system image is downloaded from the server and installed onto the local disk.
Alternative Workflow (Tests and Exams)
- Before the class (or examination), the instructor powers on the classroom computers.
- From one of the computers, selects
"Image Selection". - Chooses the image required for the session and sets a short validity period, typically one minute.
- Powered-on computers automatically install the image and shut down.
- The classroom is ready for students, who simply select
"Boot from Local Disk"after powering on the computer.
Support
Please report classroom-related issues through the ICT department helpdesk.