Linuxgym installation and user manual

From Linuxconfig.org

Introduction

Contents 1 Introduction 2 System Requirements 3 Installing VMware Player 3.1 Linux users 3.2 Windows users 4 Download 4.1 Linux users 4.2 Windows users 4.3 Mirrors 5 Installing Linuxgym Live 5.1 Linux users 5.2 Windows users 6 Creating an account 7 Subscribing to an EBook 8 Using LinuxGym Client 8.1 LinuxGym client terminal screen 8.2 LinuxGym Client and Web Browser interaction 8.3 Entering User Details 8.4 Choose you LinuxGym Ebook 8.5 Entering Linuxgym's Main page 8.6 Choose Chapter & Question 8.7 Answer Question 8.8 Mark Question 9 Discussion & Support Forum 10 Known Issues

Linuxgym is an online learning system, developed at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia where it has consistently improved student pass rates by up to 40% compared with standard classroom delivery. Linuxgym's interactive exercise books provide users with real-world problems to solve, give them well-focussed hints, and analyse their code to provide helpful feedback. The "Playground" is freely available to registered users who want to try out the system. To use Linuxgym, simply install Linuxgym Live - a modification of the Ubuntu Linux distribution - which runs within 'VMware Player' a quarantined environment that leaves the host operating system safe and untouched. Once launched, it provides users with a desktop, terminal sessions and a Firefox web-browser pointing at the instructions, hints and feedback on the exercises. VMware Player is available for free and needs to be installed to run the Linuxgym Live Virtual Appliance.

System Requirements

Linuxgym runs on top of any operating system which is capable of running VMware virtualisation player, this include but not limited to Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS. All you need to run Linuxgym Live is a computer which runs VMware, together with a broadband Internet connection.

Installing VMware Player

Linux users

Follow this simple instructions for how to install vmware player on Linux OS . This HowTo is written for Ubuntu and Debian linux distributions but it can also be helpful for any other Linux distributions as well.

Windows users

First step is to download VMware player for windows: http://www.vmware.com/download/player/download.html

Installation of VMware player on windows is rather easy task. The following screen shots will guide you trough the installation process.

Double click on downloaded Vmware setup file to run installation:

when preparation for installation is finished the Installation Wizard will be displayed:

Click NEXT and select destination folder ( in most cases you leave the default selection ):

Select the shortcuts options for quick access to VMware player and click NEXT:

At this point VMware player installation wizard is ready for installation. Click INSTALL to continue:

Click FINISH once installation Wizard finishes the installation:

To allow the VMware player function properly click YES when you are prompted for restart.

Download

PLEASE NOTE: It will be good for everyone if you use download manager to download LinuxGym. This way you can avoid of re-downloading it again, when you get stuck somewhere in the middle or at the end of the download process. Downloaders bundled with web browsers like IE or Firefox are not really sufficient for files this size.

Linux users

wget -c URL

Windows users

Windows users can use following free download managers. Free Download Manager, GetRight Download Manager etc.

Mirrors

Warning:
This Linuxgym Live clients are customized for public. University and college students MUST obtain a copy of Linuxgym client from course coordinator or tutor.

Country	Service	File	Type	Size
United Kingdom	linuxgym.org.uk	linuxgym-live-1.0.2.exe	winrar-self-extract	568MB
United Kingdom	linuxgym.org.uk	linuxgym-live-1.0.2.tar.bz2	gzip	684MB
United Kingdom	linuxgym.org.uk	LgLive.1.0.4_7.rar	winrar-self-extract	71MB
United Kingdom	linuxgym.org.uk	LgLive.1.0.4_7.tar.gz	gzip	87MB
United States	linuxconfig.org	LgLive.1.0.4_7.tar.bz2	bzip	82MB
United States	linuxconfig.org	LgLive.1.0.4_7.exe	winrar-self-extract	70MB
United States	linuxconfig.org	LinuxGym Demo Video	winrar-self-extract	19MB

Installing Linuxgym Live

In order to be able to run Linuxgym Live vmware virtual machine you need to first extract it from an archive. Currently there are three types of archives:

• gzip
• bzip
• winrar self extract

Linux users

First extract Linuxgym Live to your home directory ( in this example the user is linuxgym so replace it with your user name/id ). We also suppose that you have downloaded linuxgym archive ( linuxgym-live-1.0.2.tar.bz2 ) to your home directory.

To extract archive and start linuxgym run the following commands:

tar xvjz /home/linuxgym/linuxgym-live-1.0.2.tar.bz2

vmplayer /home/linuxgym/Linuxgym\ Live-1.0.2/Linuxgym\ Live.vmx

Windows users

To extract linuxgym-live-1.0.2.exe you need to execute this file by double-click on it. In the first step you will be prompted to enter the PATH where you would like to extract Linuxgym Live archive. In our example, it is C:\linuxgym_live folder. Press INSTALL to continue:

Once Linuxgym Live archive is installed/decopressed, simply navigate to C:\linuxgym_live\Linuxgym Live-1.0.2\ folder and execute Linuxgym Live.vmx file to start Linuxgym Live vmware virtual machine.

Creating an account

From the LinuxGym main page:

• Click on "Sign In/Create Account" at the top right of the page
• Click on "Create a new account" on the right hand side* After you have entered your details, click "submit".
• You will receive an email with a link which takes you to the page where you can set your password and activate your account.

Subscribing to an EBook

Log in, click on the EBook, and follow the instructions.

Using LinuxGym Client

LinuxGym client terminal screen

After booting LinuxGym client (LGC) you will be presented with information similar to the figure below:

The only important information you need from this LGC terminal is the IP address displayed in red color. This IP address is accesible from your host operating system and is part of the vmware subnet. NOTE: There is not need to interact with this LGC terminal session in any way !

LinuxGym Client and Web Browser interaction

Once you obtained the IP address by completing previous step you need to open up web browser and enter this IP address into the navigation bar and press enter:

Entering User Details

Web browser will connect to LGC. At this point you need to enter your login details. Your login details were sent to by via email. University students have their login details supplied by course coordinators or tutors.

Choose you LinuxGym Ebook

After successful login you will need too to choose your ebook into which you have subscribed in previously. Tick the radio button to continue, please allow some time to let LGC download required files and prepare the ebook:

Entering Linuxgym's Main page

At this stage you are ready to enter LinuxGym main screen. Simply click on "Go to Linuxgym" link.

Choose Chapter & Question

Click on chapter you want to work on. In this example we attempt to answer first question from first chapter:

Here you are presented with available questions. The order in which you answer question is not important. In this example we pick "Create a File" question.

Answer Question

To be able answer all linuxgym questions you need to create ssh connection to LGC via ssh like using linux terminal like xterm or on windows using putty. In this case you need to replace your user login with student. For example here are my details:

• linuxgym id:linus
• password: torvalds
• LGC local IP address: 192.168.178.131

I would connect to LGC with command:

ssh student@192.168.178.131
password: torvalds

When using putty as a ssh client my details to login to LGC will be translated to:

Host name ( or IP Address ): 192.168.178.131
username: student
password: torvalds

Now we are ready to answer first question. By reading notes on the LinuxGym's web interfaces I'm asked to answer all questions from chapter 1 in ch1-fdr directory. That is /home/student/ch1-fdr. Let's navigate to this directory by cd command :

cd /home/student/ch1-fdr

or simply

cd ch1-fdr

And create an file by touch command.

touch hello.world

Mark Question

Once you are sure that you have answered the question you can mark your question by pressing "Mark question" button on LinuxGym's web interface.

NOTE:
To answer another question you do NOT need to open another instance of ssh connection. Simply navigate to directories corresponding to chapter you are about to complete.

Discussion & Support Forum

• LinuxGym Forum

Known Issues

• Download speed: Linuxgym Live is just under 850Mb. With the typical broadband connection of 1.5Mbs, downloading will take about 90 minutes.

Solution: If you have already bought subscription to an EBook, mailto:sales@linuxgym.com and ask them to post you a DVD.

• Timeout Issue: The Linuxgym Live browser interface may produce an error message when clicking on a link after a long period of inactivity.

Solution: Just close all browser windows and open the browser again.