Hardware Requirements

Minimum Recommended
Processor speed 1.5Ghz 2Ghz / multi-core
Screen dimensions 1280px x 1024px 1920px x 1080px or higher (full HD or higher)
Internet speed 2mb download, 256kpbs upload 5mb download, 1mb upload

Operating System

  • Microsoft Windows XP with SP2/Vista/7/8/8.1/10
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2008/2013
  • Linux Red Hat, Fedora, SUSE, Ubuntu
  • Apple Mac OS X

Networking

  • HTTPS Access (Port 443)
  • HTTP Access (Port 80)

Software

  • Oracle Java version 1.7+ (If using our Java client)

Browser

HTML 5 Client
  • Microsoft Edge 13 or later
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 or later
  • Chrome 29 or later
  • Firefox 45 or later
  • Apple Safari 9.1 or later
Java Client
  • Internet Explorer 10 or later

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Your account has not been created yet, please contact your course provider and make sure that your account has been created. If so and you are still receiving this message please tell us the name of your course provider and details of your account we shall contact them.
Please log a call with us and we will investigate what is wrong with your account.
Please try pressing the connect button, the device might not have powered up fully resulting in this error, if you still receive this error ensure you are running the latest version of Java which can be downloaded at www.java.com. Alternatively you can try connecting using the HTML5 client.
Occasionally all the labs of a particular course may be busy or being upgraded. You can enter your email address to be alerted when a lab is free, or you can come back at a later time and try again.
If you are detected as inactive then you will be prompted to see if you still want to use the lab, you will have 5 minutes to respond to continue using the lab, if we do not get a response then you shall be logged out of the lab. If you are using the lab and will need to be absent from your computer, please use the ‘Out to lunch’ function, this will give you an hour and a half until you will be logged out of the lab.
We support the following browsers:
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 - 10
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Apple Safari
  • Opera
  • Google Chrome
Due to the technical differences between these browsers some do have known issues, for example Chrome has some problems with SSL connections generating a No data received, server sent no data error which requires a work-around to access the labs. Please see our technical documentation for more information.
Please ensure you read each step very carefully when carrying out tasks; remember the devices are real so changes you make may impact another task later so by not completing one task you may not be able to complete the next as there is a dependency. You should also refer back to your course content to ensure you understand that task that you are carrying out. If you feel there is an error in the content please let us know and we will rectify the issue if something is not correct.
Currently you are unable to save your work as each lab is designed to be autonomous from another therefore saving is normally unnecessary.
We sometimes see this issue if you have connected to the lab using the new HTML5 client. To overcome this you can either:
  1. Use the java client and launch the devices in page.
  2. Use HTML 5 client and go to settings and chance the "launch MS device in separate window" to ON.

Videos to Help You Get Started

Proxy Connection

For the practice labs to operate correctly, your browser must be able to make a secured HTTPS connection to the Practice Labs web service. When a connection to any lab device is initiated, the request is tunnelled within this secure session, enabling user interaction with lab devices. This type of connection works seamlessly in most environments, without the need to make any changes to your computer's configuration. However, in some configurations, this process may fail; for example, this might happen when a Proxy Server is in use or if there is no direct outbound connectivity to the Internet.
If a Proxy Server is present, some configuration changes may be required to ensure successful connectivity. This could include installing an advanced proxy client (example: Microsoft ISA Firewall Client) or creating a firewall rule to allow secure HTTPS connectivity to the Practice Labs service.
Proxy Connection Technical Detail
Practice-Labs network address range: 94.185.165.0 / 28
Ports: https, (TCP 443) and tunnelled SSL applications if using a next-generation firewall
Firewall rule exampleSource: <Your network>
Destination: 94.185.165.0 / 28
Port: TCP 443