JRES 2024
The nmaas Platform is a versatile open-source software that can be installed in any Kubernetes cluster, providing an easy-to-use multi-tenant environment for application deployment. With the latest introduced features, it is now also possible to use it for organizing hands-on virtual lab exercises in an education context. The aim of this tutorial is to showcase in detail how nmaas can be used for this new use-case, highlighting the core feature that make it possible.
This tutorial is organized as follows:
- Part 1 showcases the steps that a virtual lab manager needs to take to create a new domain group and to register new lab participants in bulk.
- Part 2 is dedicated to the customization of the newly created domain group and the process of whitelisting applications for deployment is also presented.
- Part 3 is focused on the lab participants' experience and provides an overview of the required steps for deploying a new application.
- Part 4 provides an alternative approach to application deployments, where instead of the lab participants deploying the instances themselves, a virtual lab manager deploys them in bulk. With this approach it is also possible to share access details outside of nmaas, using a third-party system such as a learning management system (LMS).
- Part 5 ties all of the previously showcased concepts together, providing a full featured demo of how a virtual lab centered around a web development course can be organized using nmaas.
To follow the tutorial access to an nmaas instance is required. This can be accomplished in multiple ways:
- By deploying a local Kubernetes cluster and then deploying an nmaas test instance in it.
- By requesting access to the vlab.dev.nmaas.eu managed instance via the contact form.
- By deploying nmaas on existing infrastructure, spanning multiple nodes (production grade setup).
- By downloading the ready-made all-in-one nmaas test VM image. Please note that this VM image does not have a
LoadBalancer
implementation installed and it is up to the user to install and configure one. More details about the all-in-one nmaas image are available on the corresponding docs page.
Note
All JRES 2024 participants attending the tutorial live during the conference will get access to the vlab.dev.nmaas.eu instance. More information and instructions will be provided on-site.