Clover is a powerful SaaS product that offers Virtual IT Labs, seamlessly integrated with most LMS platforms. Clover provides access to virtualized resources, containers and cloud environments for training, distance learning, software development and demonstration.
This document represents an overview of Clover fundamental concepts. The reference below is targeted at those who are new to Virtual Lab concept and helps to understand the overall landscape of Clover.
Here, we offer a consistent outline of the underlying Clover components with pointers to the corresponding documentation, namely:
A Lab Template is a baseline virtual machine or container image that includes the basic operating system and the required tools for your lab. A lab template is prepared by the instructor and then linked to a project or unit. Once available, all learners’ virtual desktops are created from the template already prepared by the instructor. All virtual desktops have the same tools, policies and configurations as the template. A lab template can be used many times over for the purposes of template cloning.
Templates can be imported from the Clover’s catalog that offers a set of pre-installed and pre-configured cloud and docker images including basic operating systems, tools and applications. Instructors can also create their own templates starting from basic or extended templates.
During the template creation, the instructor should determine the Lab image (basic template), the access mode (RDP, SSH, HTTP or ALL), the session duration and specify if the VM is persistent or not.
Cloud based Virtual Labs
Virtual IT Labs launched by Learners from Clover are handled by Virtual Machines (VMs) or Containers (Dockers) running in the Cloud. Both VMs and Dockers are instantiated from Templates.
VMs are running in Openstack based Private or Public Clouds like Rackspace, CityNetwork, Platform9, OVH, Veexhost and so on. Dockers can be offered by Private or Public Kubernetes platforms like Amazon EKS, Google Container Engine and MS Azure. So you need just to choose and bring your own Kubernetes & Openstack based cloud and integrate it in the Clover platform to handle your VLABs.
You can also use the Clover Cloud platform to support your VMs. By using our Cloud platform, you can: 1) Deal with a single technical and commercial representative for both Clover and Cloud platforms, 2) Get faster deployment of Cloud images and templates
User
A Clover user may be either learner or instructor. A Registered user is anyone (learner or teacher) who has been registered in the Clover platform. A user who has logged into learning platform and passed to Clover (via LTI) or has directly signed in to Clover via SSO, is considered as Registered user.
Lab
A Virtual Lab represents a pool of virtual machines or containers launched from one or multiple templates, and associated to a group of users (learners/instructors) belonging to the same classroom or training group. In other words, the Lab is a project that determines the relationship between Templates, Group of learners/teachers and their virtual machines/dockers instantiated from the templates. The Lab name corresponds typically to the LMS course name.
Unit
A unit is a part of a Lab that corresponds to a subsection or a component of an LMS course. For instance, Clover Unit corresponds to the OpenEdx Unit or Moodle Activity. If the concept of Unit is not supported in an LMS platform, the Unit name will match the Lab name by default.
What is Clover ?#
Clover is a cutting-edge Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that revolutionizes virtual lab experiences for educational institutions and corporate training programs. By seamlessly integrating with your Learning Management System (LMS) and leveraging the robust Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) service, Clover transforms the delivery of hands-on learning experiences in the cloud.
Core Concept
At its heart, Clover is designed to bridge the gap between traditional learning environments and the powerful capabilities of cloud computing. It takes the complexity out of managing virtual desktop infrastructure, allowing educators and trainers to focus on what they do best – teaching and skill development.
Value-Added Services Beyond AVD
Clover enhances the Azure Virtual Desktop experience by offering several key advantages:
Simplified Management: Our custom components and interfaces significantly reduce the complexity of managing AVD environments, making it easier for organizations to deploy, maintain, and scale their virtual desktop infrastructure.
Education and Training Focus: Clover is specifically optimized for training and educational scenarios, tailoring the AVD experience to better suit the needs of educational institutions and training providers.
LMS Integration: Seamlessly interfaces with most existing Learning Management Systems, allowing for smooth integration of virtual desktops into your current educational technology ecosystem.
Enhanced Microsoft 365 Integration: Clover integrates Microsoft 365 applications more effectively within the AVD environment, with a particular emphasis on features beneficial for education and training.
User-Friendly Interface: Designed with end-users in mind, our interface is intuitive and accessible for students, teachers, and administrators alike.
Specialized Support: Our direct support plans offer expertise specifically tailored to educational use cases of AVD, ensuring you get the most out of your virtual desktop environment in an educational context.
Key Features
Customized Lab Templates: Pre-configured lab environments for various subjects and training scenarios, ready to deploy at scale.
Automated Provisioning: Set up and tear down lab environments automatically based on course schedules or on-demand requests.
Resource Optimization: Intelligent allocation of Azure resources to balance performance and cost-effectiveness.
Real-time Collaboration Tools: Built-in features for screen sharing, remote assistance, and group projects within the virtual lab environment.
Performance Monitoring: Robust analytics to track student engagement, resource usage, and system performance.
Secure Environment: Enhanced security features tailored for educational settings, including role-based access control and data isolation.
Cross-platform Accessibility: Access virtual labs from various devices and operating systems, ensuring flexibility for diverse learning environments.
Customizable Branding: Ability to tailor the user interface to match your institution’s branding and design guidelines.
API Integration: Robust API support for extending Clover’s functionality and integrating with other educational tools and services.
Scalable Architecture: Designed to grow with your needs, from small classes to large-scale online programs.
The Clover Advantage
By choosing Clover, you’re not just getting Azure Virtual Desktop – you’re getting a comprehensive, education-oriented virtual desktop solution that simplifies management, integrates with your existing tools, and provides specialized support for your unique needs in the education and training sector.
Clover empowers educators to create immersive, hands-on learning experiences without the overhead of managing complex IT infrastructure. It allows students to access high-performance computing resources from anywhere, on any device, leveling the playing field and expanding educational opportunities.
Whether you’re a university looking to offer advanced technical courses, a corporate training department aiming to upskill employees, or a vocational school seeking to provide practical, hands-on experience, Clover provides the tools and support you need to excel in the digital learning landscape.
Experience the future of virtual labs with Clover – where powerful technology meets educational excellence.
CLOVER VTL is certified Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI) v1.0 compliant. The LTI certification is a global technical standard of integrating learning applications. The LTI standard is now part of every major LMS, as well as most higher ed tools and content vendors, and it is accepted by more and more institutions.
CLOVER VTL is an LTI-compliant cloud broker that creates, packages and deploys multiple virtual labs on cloud infrastructures, seamlessly integrated into various Learning Management Systems (LMSs) using the LTI standard.
Acquiring Clover via Azure Marketplace#
Clover, our innovative Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) management solution for education and training environments, is available as a transactable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Here’s what you need to know about acquiring Clover:
Search for “Clover AVD Solution” to find our offering
Flexible Billing Model:
Per-user, per-month pricing for easy scalability
Align costs with your actual usage and organizational growth
No upfront costs or long-term commitments required
Co-sell Partnership with Microsoft:
Leverage existing Microsoft channel relationships
Potential for simplified procurement through your current Microsoft agreements
Benefit from combined expertise of Clover and Microsoft teams
Purchase Process:
a. Navigate to the Clover listing on Azure Marketplace
b. Review product details, pricing tiers, and terms of use
c. Click “Get It Now” or “Create” to initiate the purchase
d. Select your desired user count and subscription term
e. Complete the transaction using your Azure subscription details
Post-Purchase:
Receive confirmation and access instructions via email
Gain immediate access to Clover’s management portal
Seamless integration with your existing Azure billing
Scaling and Management:
Easily adjust user counts through the Azure portal
Monitor usage and manage subscriptions in one place
Consolidated billing with other Azure and Microsoft services
Support and Guidance:
Access to Clover’s dedicated support team for deployment assistance
Resources for optimizing your AVD environment for educational use
Remember, while Clover licenses are procured through the Marketplace, Azure resource consumption for AVD services will be billed separately based on your actual usage.
For personalized assistance with the purchase process, volume licensing options, or to discuss how Clover can best serve your educational institution’s needs, please don’t hesitate to contact our sales team or your Microsoft representative.
By choosing Clover through the Azure Marketplace, you’re opting for a streamlined, flexible, and powerful solution to enhance your AVD environment, backed by the combined strength of Clover’s expertise and Microsoft’s robust cloud infrastructure.
CloVER VTL Instructor’s Guide#
CloVER-VTL Instructor’s Guide
Template Management#
Virtual Lab Templates
A Lab Template is a baseline virtual machine or container image that includes the basic operating system and the required tools for your virtual classroom. A lab template is prepared by the instructor and then linked to a course or units. Once available, all learners’ virtual desktops are created from the template already prepared by the instructor. All virtual desktops have the same tools, policies and configurations as the template. A lab template can be used many times over for the purposes of template cloning.
To create and manage a lab template, select Template on the left menu.
On the right side of your dashboard, the list of all created lab templates appears. This list would be empty for the first use of the Clover software.
Clover supports two kinds of templates:
Basic template imported from the Clover’s Catalog including basic pre-built operating system images.
Extended template already created from a basic template which includes additional tools, softwares and configurations. Extended templates are either created by instructors or offered in the Clover’s catalog.
To differentiate between these two kinds of templates, the basictemplate name includes the suffix basic-OS. As shown in the Template List above, Centos-7-basic-OS, Ubuntu-18-04-basic-OS and Windows-server-2016-basic-OS (listed in the template name column) are basic templates that offer native Operating systems like Centos-7, Ubuntu18 and WS-2016, respectively.
Three types of templates are distinguished (see Type column in the template list):
VM Persistent: The disks of all desktops created from the template are not destroyed when stopped by learners. The user’s settings and data are saved and appear each time at login.
VM Non-Persistent (stateless): Desktops created from the template are automatically destroyed when stopped by learners. When users access a nonpersistent desktop, none of their settings or data is saved once they log out.
Docker: Virtual labs instanciated from the template are based on Docker containers rather than virtual machines (VM).
The template list shows also the Status of the templates:
Active: the template is ready. You can link it to your course for further Lab instanciation.
In progress: the template is being imported or an instance of the template is being created.
WaitingForConfirmation: When you create a lab template, the last step consists in instanciating a virtual machine based on the template’s image. You can access the VM and set up your tools and settings. Meanwhile, the template is still waiting for your confirmation to achieve the template creation process.
Import Lab Template#
How to import a basic or extended template from the Clover’s catalog ?
Before creating a new lab template, you should start from a basic template (including basic OS required to run your lab). You need to check first that the basic template (with suffix basic-OS) already exists in the Template list, otherwise you should import it from the Clover’s catalog.
In the template page, click on the Import button at the top-right corner of the screen:
You will be directed to the Template import screen:
Select the basic template to be imported into your cloud project repository and click on the Import button. The import process may take 1-3 hours to complete. A progress bar indicates the current download status.
Once imported, the selected template will be added to your template list with status ACTIVE.
Now you can create your lab template based on the imported basic template.
Create Lab Template#
How to create your lab template ?
Assuming that you need to create a virtual Lab based on the GNS3 tool, handled by the OS Ubunut 18.
In the lab template page, click on the Create button at the top-right corner of the screen:
You will be directed to the Template Lab Creation screen:
First, select a template source that can be either basic or extended template. The template to be selected in the list is Ubuntu-18-base-OS.
PS: If the source’s list is empty (first use) or the required basic template does not exist in the list, you can import it from the Clover’s catalog (click here for importing template).
Next, enter your template name (for instance GNS3) and description.
Finally, in the Metadata section, you may select and modify additional options by:
Defining a new VM size, if needed, different from the default one (in terms of vCPU, vRAM and vDisk). All virtual desktops created from the template will have the same size. You can change the flavor later from the Template List -> actions -> Edit Template
Selecting the access Mode (RDP for remote desktop access) or SSH to emulate a terminal on the server side and draws the screen of this terminal remotely on the client)
Determining if the desktop is persistent or not. A persistent virtual desktop is one in which a user will be able to keep all the configurations and personalization they have created from session to session. Non-persistent desktops are stateless.
Click on the Create button to start the template creation process. Clover creates a new virtual desktop based on the template’s image with respect to the size, policies and settings defined in the template. A progress bar indicates the creation status:
Once the VM created, the template status will be marked as WaitingForConfirmation. Click on the button Actions->Display Template to access the VM (a temporary instance of the template):
You can now install and configure your VM. In this example you should install GNS3. Check that all configurations and settings are going well before confirming the template.
Move back to the Template List and click the button Actions ->Confirm Template
Once confirmed, a snapshot of the VM will be created and attached to the template. The template status changes to Active when ready. You can edit some information about your template by clicking on Actions ->Edit Template
After logging in, you’ll find yourself on the Dashboard of your Clover platform.
To directly access to your virtual lab manager, you can either click the “My Lab” link on the >Hands-on Labs menu or click on the button “Go to my Lab” in the top left corner of the dashboard. Your Virtual lab manger appears as shown in the following figure:
Using the dashboard, you can start, stop, reboot and remotely access your desktop via a web browser. You can also use various tools for collaborative learning including desktop and file sharing, virtual classroom and session recording.
We will go through the items composing your Dashboard so that you can get familiar with them.
Start your Lab
First, click on the Start button ( ) to launch your desktop. There may be a delay when you launch your virtual desktop. This may take a couple of minutes.
Access your Lab
Once your desktop is created, three buttons will appear: Stop (to shut off your desktop), Restart (to reboot your desktop) and Display (to access your desktop). Click on the Display button, your desktop will be opened in a new tab of your browser.
Once you open a connection to your Desktop (using the Display button in your dashboard), will see a real-time view of the display using the remote desktop access tool Guacamole.
Enjoy remote access to your desktop from anywhere and using any device !
Linking Labs to courses#
Linking Your Labs to Course’s Units
Once you have created a Vlab Template, you need to assign the template to the corresponding course/unit. In Clover, you can define one or multiple Templates per course or even per unit.
How to associate a template to a course’s unit ?
1. From your admin menu, select Hands-on labs > Linking to Course
2. A list of all courses and units appears in the right screen of the dashboard.
3. Click on the Actions > Associate template link.
4. A pop-up window appears. Select the template(s) to be associated to the unit.
5. Check that the template is well associated to the unit
How to set session inactivity time ?
How to schedule a synchronous session ?
Managing Learners' Labs#
Managing Labs of All Learners
As an instructor, you can manage all learners’ labs. You can start, stop, reboot, monitor all desktops.
1. From your admin menu, select Hands-on labs > Learners’ labs
2. Click on the Actions button related to a learner to manage his/her resources.
Collaborative Learning#
Virtual Classroom#
Virtual Classroom
Clover offers interfaces to the Virtual Classroom tool BigBlueButton (BBB) to ensure online and synchronous training sessions. A virtual dedicated BBB room is automatically created for each Clover’s lab. Clover will also join automatically all lab users (learners and instructors) into the BBB room after the room gets created successfully.
BigBlueButton relies on WebRTC for sharing audio, video, and screen. You should be able to share your screen using Chrome, FireFox, and the newest version of Edge (based on Chromium). You don’t need to install any plugin or download any additional binary to share your screen.
How to access to the BBB room ?
In the top right corner of your Dashboard, click on the “Virtual Classroom” button.
BBB dashboard will be automatically opened in a new tab and directly point you to the dedicated room associated to your virtual lab.
Session Recording#
Session Recording, Playback & Sharing
The learner can choose to record remote desktop sessions and watch the recordings back via a HTML5 web console integrated into Clover.
How to record your remote desktop session ?
1. To record your session, you should open a new connection to your desktop. If you have a connection already opened you should first close it (just close the tab in your browser):
2. Now, in your dashboard, click on the “Session Record” button:
3. A pop-up window appears. Enter your description and click “Start Record“:
4. A new desktop connection is opened in a new tab, the record starts automatically. You can now work on your desktop, you will see a notification that the session is being recorded at the browser tab icon. To stop the session recording, just Closed your tab:
5. The recording can be subsequently translated to a normal video stream. To produce the video (mp4) click on the “My records” button in your dashboard:
6. Click on the convert button to produce the video.
7. Click on the display button to play back the video.
8. Click on the button to share the video with learners. You can click again on the same button to cancel the sharing.
9. Click on the button to delete the video.
Copy & Paste Text#
Copying/pasting text (using Guacamole menu)
Once you open a connection to your Desktop (using the Display button in your dashboard), will see a real-time view of the display using the remote desktop access tool Guacamole.
To copy/paste text to and from your desktop, you can use the Guacamole menu, which can be opened as needed.
Guacamole menu
The Guacamole menu is a sidebar which is hidden until explicitly shown. On a desktop or other device which has a hardware keyboard, you can show this menu by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift
On a Mac device with an external keyboard, the guacamole menu is displayed by pressing Ctrl+Command+Shift
If you are using a mobile or touchscreen device that lacks a keyboard, you can also show the menu by swiping right from the left edge of the screen.
To Hide the guacamole menu, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/ Ctrl+Command+Shift or swipe left across the screen again.
Copy/Paste text to and from your remote desktop:
At the top of the Guacamole menu is a text area labeled “clipboard” along with some basic instructions:
Text copied/cut within Guacamole will appear here. Changes to the text below will affect the remote clipboard.
The text area functions as an interface between the remote clipboard and the local clipboard. Text from the local clipboard can be pasted into the text area, causing that text to be sent to the clipboard of the remote desktop. Similarly, if you copy or cut text within the remote desktop, you will see that text within the text area, and can manually copy it into the local clipboard if desired.
How to copy/cut and paste text ?
Text from the local clipboard can be pasted into the text area, and the text is sent to the remote clipboard.
After the text is copied to the remote clipboard, the Guacamole menu can be closed. The text from the clipboard can be pasted in the desired location.
Similarly, copying text from the remote desktop sends the text to the Clipboard text area on the Guacamole Menu, which can then be copied to the local clipboard.
File Transfer#
Transfer and share Files using NextCloud
Clover offers interfaces to the NextCloud platform to save and exchange files easily between learners and instructors. A shared folder is automatically created in NextCloud for each Clover’s virtual lab.
How to share files with learners and instructors ?
In the top right corner of your Dashboard, click on the “Shared drive” button.
NextCloud dashboard will be automatically opened in a new tab and directly point you to the shared folder associated to your virtual classroom.
In your Desktop, there is a folder named “Share” which is completely synchronized with the classroom’s shared folder in NextCloud. You can securely upload/download/share files to and from your virtual desktop.
Desktop Sharing#
Desktop Sharing
For desktop sharing, Clover offers two ways, either through Guacamole (“Read/Write” sharing privilege) or using BigBlueButton (“Read-only” privilege).
Desktop Sharing (using Guacamole menu)
You should first open a connection to your Desktop (using the Display button in your dashboard), will see a real-time view of the display using the remote desktop access tool Guacamole.
To share your desktop with the learners, you can use the Guacamole menu, which can be opened as needed.
Guacamole menu
The Guacamole menu is a sidebar which is hidden until explicitly shown. On a desktop or other device which has a hardware keyboard, you can show this menu by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift
On a Mac device with an external keyboard, the guacamole menu is displayed by pressing Ctrl+Command+Shift
If you are using a mobile or touchscreen device that lacks a keyboard, you can also show the menu by swiping right from the left edge of the screen.
To Hide the guacamole menu, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/ Ctrl+Command+Shift or swipe left across the screen again.
Sharing your desktop
By pressing the Share button in the top-center of the Guacamole menu (next to your username), a “Share” menu will appear including two sharing options: “Read-Write” and “Read-only” sharing. Clicking any of the options within the “Share” menu will generate a unique share link that can be directly accessed from via the learner’s Clover dashboard.
PS: The sharing of the connection, lasts only until you disconnect.
Once the connection is closed, the share link ceases to be valid, and learners sharing the connection with you will be disconnected. You need to click again on the Share button in the Guacamole menu and repeat the sharing operation.
Access to the shared learner’s desktop
If you want to see the desktop shared by your learner, click on the “Shared Desktops” (left-bottom icon in your dashboard).
You will get pop-up window including a list of all shared desktops. Click on the display icon to show your learner’s connection.
Desktop Sharing (using BigBlueButton)
You can share your desktop to the learners using the screen sharing option in BigBlueButton (if BBB enabled in Clover plugins).
How to share my desktop using BBB ?
You should use Chrome browser to share your Clover desktop:
You should first access to your BBB room. For more information, click here.
Your desktop should be already displayed (opened in a new tab).
Once the BBB room is launched, click on the “share screen” at the bottom-center of the BBB dashboard. You will get pop-up window. In that you will find three options for screen sharing. Select the “Chrome Tab” option, and select the Desktop icon in the list (as shown in this figure below).
CloVER VTL Learner’s Guide#
CloVER-VTL Learner’s Guide
Managing your Lab#
Managing your Virtual Lab
After logging in, you’ll find yourself on the Dashboard of your Clover platform. Using the dashboard, you can start, stop, reboot and remotely access your desktop via a web browser. You can also use various tools for collaborative learning including desktop and file sharing, virtual classroom and session recording.
We will go through the items composing your Dashboard so that you can get familiar with them.
Start your Lab
First, click on the Start button to launch your desktop.
There may be a delay when you launch your virtual desktop. This may take a couple of minutes.
Access your Lab
Once your desktop is created, three buttons will appear: Stop (to shut off your desktop), Restart (to reboot your desktop) and Display (to access your desktop). Click on the Display button, your desktop will be opened in a new tab of your browser.
Once you open a connection to your Desktop (using the Display button in your dashboard), will see a real-time view of the display using the remote desktop access tool Guacamole.
Enjoy remote access to your desktop from anywhere and using any device !
Collaborative Learning#
Virtual Classroom#
Virtual Classroom
Clover offers interfaces to the Virtual Classroom tool BigBlueButton (BBB) to ensure online and synchronous training sessions. A virtual dedicated BBB room is automatically created for each Clover’s lab. Clover will also join automatically all lab users (learners and instructors) into the BBB room after the room gets created successfully.
BigBlueButton using WebRTC for sharing audio, video, and screen. You should be able to share your screen using Chrome, FireFox, and the newest version of Edge (based on Chromium). You don’t need to install any plugin or download any additional binary to share your screen.
How to access to the BBB room ?
In the top right corner of your Dashboard, click on the “Virtual Classroom” button.
BBB dashboard will be automatically opened in a new tab and directly point you to the dedicated room associated to your virtual lab.
Desktop Sharing#
Desktop Sharing
For desktop sharing, Clover offers two ways, either through Guacamole (“Read/Write” sharing privilege) or using BigBlueButton (“Read-only” privilege).
Desktop Sharing (using Guacamole menu)
You should first open a connection to your Desktop (using the Display button in your dashboard), will see a real-time view of the display using the remote desktop access tool Guacamole.
To share your desktop with the instructor, you can use the Guacamole menu, which can be opened as needed.
Guacamole menu
The Guacamole menu is a sidebar which is hidden until explicitly shown. On a desktop or other device which has a hardware keyboard, you can show this menu by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift
On a Mac device with an external keyboard, the guacamole menu is displayed by pressing Ctrl+Command+Shift
If you are using a mobile or touchscreen device that lacks a keyboard, you can also show the menu by swiping right from the left edge of the screen.
To Hide the guacamole menu, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/ Ctrl+Command+Shift or swipe left across the screen again.
Sharing your desktop
By pressing the Share button in the top-center of the Guacamole menu (next to your username), a “Share” menu will appear including two sharing options: “Read-Write” and “Read-only” sharing. Clicking any of the options within the “Share” menu will generate a unique share link that can be directly accessed from via the instructor’s Clover dashboard.
PS: The sharing of the connection, lasts only until you disconnect.
Once the connection is closed, the share link ceases to be valid, and instructors sharing the connection with you will be disconnected. You need to click again on the Share button in the Guacamole menu and repeat the sharing operation.
Access to the shared instructor’s desktop
If you want to see the desktop shared by your instructor, click on the “Shared Desktops” (left-bottom icon in your dashboard).
You will get pop-up window including a list of all shared desktops. Click on the display icon to show your instructor’s connection.
Desktop Sharing (using BigBlueButton)
You can share your desktop to the instructor using the screen sharing option in BigBlueButton (if BBB enabled in Clover plugins).
How to share my desktop using BBB ?
You should use Chrome browser to share your Clover desktop:
You should first access to your BBB room. For more information, click here.
Your desktop should be already displayed (opened in a new tab).
Once the BBB room is launched, click on the “share screen” at the bottom-center of the BBB dashboard. You will get pop-up window. In that you will find three options for screen sharing. Select the “Chrome Tab” option, and select the Desktop icon in the list (as shown in this figure below).
Session Recording#
Session Recording, Playback & Sharing
The learner can choose to record remote desktop sessions and watch the recordings back via a HTML5 web console integrated into Clover.
How to record your remote desktop session ?
1. To record your session, you should open a new connection to your desktop. If you have a connection already opened you should first close it (just close the tab in your browser):
2. Now, in your dashboard, click on the “Session Record” button:
3. A pop-up window appears. Enter your description and click “Start Record“:
4. A new desktop connection is opened in a new tab, the record starts automatically. You can now work on your desktop, you will see a notification that the session is being recorded at the browser tab icon. To stop the session recording, just Closed your tab:
5. The recording can be subsequently translated to a normal video stream. To produce the video (mp4) click on the “My records” button in your dashboard:
6. Click on the convert button to produce the video.
7. Click on the display button to play back the video.
8. Click on the button to share the video with your instructor. You can click again on the same button to cancel the sharing.
9. Click on the button to delete the video.
Copy & Paste Text#
Copying/pasting text (using Guacamole menu)
Once you open a connection to your Desktop (using the Display button in your dashboard), will see a real-time view of the display using the remote desktop access tool Guacamole.
To copy/paste text to and from your desktop, you can use the Guacamole menu, which can be opened as needed.
Guacamole menu
The Guacamole menu is a sidebar which is hidden until explicitly shown. On a desktop or other device which has a hardware keyboard, you can show this menu by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift
On a Mac device with an external keyboard, the guacamole menu is displayed by pressing Ctrl+Command+Shift
If you are using a mobile or touchscreen device that lacks a keyboard, you can also show the menu by swiping right from the left edge of the screen.
To Hide the guacamole menu, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/ Ctrl+Command+Shift or swipe left across the screen again.
Copy/Paste text to and from your remote desktop:
At the top of the Guacamole menu is a text area labeled “clipboard” along with some basic instructions:
Text copied/cut within Guacamole will appear here. Changes to the text below will affect the remote clipboard.
The text area functions as an interface between the remote clipboard and the local clipboard. Text from the local clipboard can be pasted into the text area, causing that text to be sent to the clipboard of the remote desktop. Similarly, if you copy or cut text within the remote desktop, you will see that text within the text area, and can manually copy it into the local clipboard if desired.
How to copy/cut and paste text ?
Text from the local clipboard can be pasted into the text area, and the text is sent to the remote clipboard.
After the text is copied to the remote clipboard, the Guacamole menu can be closed. The text from the clipboard can be pasted in the desired location.
Similarly, copying text from the remote desktop sends the text to the Clipboard text area on the Guacamole Menu, which can then be copied to the local clipboard.
File Transfer#
Transfer and share Files using NextCloud
Clover offers interfaces to the NextCloud platform to save and exchange files easily between learners and instructors. A shared folder is automatically created in NextCloud for each Clover’s virtual lab.
How to share files with learners and instructors ?
In the top right corner of your Dashboard, click on the “Shared drive” button.
NextCloud dashboard will be automatically opened in a new tab and directly point you to the shared folder associated to your virtual classroom.
In your Desktop, there is a folder named “Share” which is completely synchronized with the classroom’s shared folder in NextCloud. You can securely upload/download/share files to and from your virtual desktop.
CloVER VTL Administrator’s Guide#
Integrating with LMS#
Seamless integration in LMS
CLOVER VTL supports full integration with any Learning Management System that supports the LTI standard. We have detailed documentation on how to integrate CLOVER with the platforms below but many others are also supported:
CLOVER VTL integrates into your LMS to act as an External Learning Tool. As an LTI tool provider, CLOVER is integrated with all LMS LTI consumers.
LTI integration enables students and teachers to transition to CLOVER without the need for a username and password. This allows end users signed into your LMS to perform an authenticated launch of CLOVER, without requiring any additional sign-in credentials.
Is the LMS your institution uses not in the list? Contact us and we would be happy to start supporting your LMS too.
Creating LTI Keys and URLs#
Creating LTI Keys and URLs
LTI is a standardized way of integrating external learning tools (like Clover) into Learning Management Systems. Clover functions as a Tool Provider that uses LTI (based on OAuth 1.0) to authenticate learners from LMS platforms (acting as Tool Consumers).
Each external LMS or learning application that you want to allow access to your Clover instance should be configured as a Tool Consumer that must have separate credentials.
How to add a Tool Consumer (LMS) in Clover ?
As an administrator, you can add LTI Consumers (LMS) and provision their LTI credentials:
From your admin screen, select Go to Integration Settings > LMS settings > LTI consumers.
In the Add new consumer window, the following fields include the settings for provisioning LTI Consumer credentials.
Consumer Name: An identifying name for the tool consumer. You can not change this field.
Consumer Key: Enter a unique key value for the tool consumer.
Consumer Secret: The console generates automatically a unique secret value for this tool consumer.
Enabled: check the box to activate the tool consumer.
3. Click on the Add new consumer button. The consumer will be created and added in the Tool Consumers table.
How to use the consumer credentials in the LMS ?
After you complete the configuration of a tool consumer, you can now add the consumer credentials to your external LMS. Please note these following credentials required for your LMS:
LTI URL will be copied and pasted into your LMS system, once for the LMS class/course and once for each LMS unit/assignment. The Clover LTI connector is: https://lti.clover-vtl.com/connect
LTI Keys (Consumer Key and Secret) required by your LMS administrator one time only so that Clover can be added as an LTI provider. Once Clover has been added as an LTI provider in your LMS, you will not need them again and the remaining actions can be completed by LMS users who have Teacher/Instructor permissions.
We have platform specific integration documentation for most LMS systems.
How to manage LTI Consumers (LMS) ?
From your admin screen, select Go to Integration Settings > LMS settings > LTI consumers.
In the right screen of the dashboard, a Tool Consumers table appears.
You can Edit or Delete tool consumers from the table.
OpenEDX#
Integrating Clover based Virtual Labs into your OpenedX Platform
To launch a Virtual Lab from your OpenEdx cours, you need first to enable the LTI Consumer XBlock in Studio through the advanced settings.
From the main page of a specific course, navigate to Settings -> Advanced Settings from the top menu.
Check for the advanced_modules policy key, and add "lti_consumer" to the policy value list. For more information, click here.
Always in the Advanced settings page, Check for the LTI Passports policy key, enter the LTI passport string surrounded by quotation marks in the LTI Passports field. The LTI passport string format is “”LTI_id:Key:Secret“.
The LTI_id is a value that you create to refer to CLOVER VTL tool. You should create an LTI ID that you can remember easily (e.g. cloverID). This id will be used later in the LTI component settings.
The following example shows an LTI passport string: “cloverID:demo:SeOc…………….“
Click the “Save changes” button.
Once that’s done, you can now add an LTI Component to a Course Unit (for more information, click here). To add a Virtual Lab, you can follow these steps:
Edit the unit in which you want to add the CLOVER VTL tool and select Advanced from the Add New Component section. Select LTI Consumer.
Select Edit in the component that appears in order to configure the LTI component (for more information, click here).
You need now to fill the two fields: “LTI ID” and “LTI URL”
LTI ID: This value must match the LTI_id that you entered as part of the LTI passport string defined above (e.g. cloverID).
LTI URL: Specifies the URL of the Clover LTI Connector specified in the “LTI administration” Console in Clover (e.g. https://lti.clover-vtl.com/connect.php).
4. For more information about each setting, see this section. For instance, in the Button Text field, Enter a custom label for the button that opens CLOVER VTL (e.g. Go to Clover VTL) and that will be displayed later to the student.
Once you finished the LTI component configuration:
Select Save.
Select Publish
To test the LTI component, use the Preview feature or view the live version in the LMS.
From the LMS interface, click on the button “Go to Clover VTL” to launch the CLOVER VTL tool and start use your virtual labs !
Integrating Clover based Virtual Labs into your Moodle Platform
To launch Virtual Labs from your Moodle course, you need to set up Clover as External Tool. First of all, you should to generate the URL, the Key, and the Secret (see section Creating LTI Keys and URLs).
On your course page, click Turn editing on. Editing icons and links will appear.
Locate the Section where you will add a link to the External tool
At the bottom-right of the Section, click + Add an activity or resource. The Add an activity or resource pop-up will open.
In the Add an activity or resource popup, select External tool and click Add. The Adding a new External tool page will open.
launch Virtual Labs from Moodle
In Activity name, enter a title for the external tool. The name you enter will display as a link on your course page.
For Preconfigured tool, leave the drop-down menu set to Automatic, based on tool URL
Click Show more…. Additional fields will appear.
Enter the URL for the Clover LTI connector (https://lti.clover-vtl.com/connect) in the Tool URL Field
For Consumer key, enter the LTI “key”.
In the Shared secret Field, enter the LTI “secret”.
Click Save and return to course to return to your course page, or Save and display to view the External tool page.
Congratulations ! You can now launch Virtual Labs from your Moodle platform.
Wordpress based LMS#
Integrating Clover based Virtual Labs into your WordPress based LMS (LearnDash, LearnPress, WPLMS,…)
To launch Virtual Labs from a WordPress based LMS like (LearnDash, LearnPress, WPLMS,…), you need to set up Clover as External Tool. First of all, you should to generate the URL, the Key, and the Secret (see section Creating LTI Keys and URLs).
A very small and simple plugin that will turn your WordPress site into an LTI Consumer. You can Download and install the plugin from (https://github.com/procangroup/wordpress-lti-consumer)a forked and modified version of classcube.com to deal with Clover-VTL.
You can now insert Clover-VTL onto a course page. You’re going to use the [lti] shortcode along with a url parameter. You would put the shortcode [lti url=https://lti.clover-vtl.com/connect] into the course body.
Congratulations, you can now launch Clover based virtual labs from your LMS.
Canvas#
Integrating Clover based Virtual Labs into your Canvas Platform
To launch Virtual Labs from your Canvas course, you need to set up Clover as External Tool. First of all, you should first to generate the URL, the Key, and the Secret (see section Creating LTI Keys and URLs).
In Canvas, sign in as an administrator.
Click Courses Settings > Apps > + App
Under Add App, enter the following information:
Configuration Type: Select By URL.
Name: Enter the app name (i.e. CloverCanvas).
Consumer Key: Enter the LTI key you generated.
Shared Secret: Enter the LTI secret associated with your key.
Config URL: Enter the LTI connector https://lti.clover-vtl.com/connect
Launch Clover based Virtual Labs from Canvas
Click Submit
Return to your course page and click “+Module“
For Add, leave the drop-down menu set to External Tool and specify the app name (i.e. CloverCanvas).
Finally, Click Add Item (step 4). Congratulations, Clover-VTL is now integrated in your course.
Integrating with Cloud and Container Orchestrator#
Integrating with Openstack#
Once you are logged in, you should firstly configure CloVER to use your Cloud platform. Actually, CloVER supports the OpenStack platform (settings in the Settings > OpenStack configuration option).
The process to set the OpenStack configuration can be done with two methods:
Uploading Openstack RC file
Putting Openstack parameters manually:
Username: The OpenStack username is used to log in the Horizon dashboard (recommended to be the username for a non-Admin OpenStack user).
Password: The related password.
Tenant name: Find the tenant name by logging into the Horizon dashboard (in the OpenStack RC File, OS_TENANT_ID field) under Access & Security > Identity > Download OpenStack RC File.
Keystone auth: Under OpenStack RC File or Project > Access and security
Region name: Under OpenStack RC File
Domain name: Under OpenStack RC File or Identity > Domains
OVH Public Cloud#
Integrating your OVH Openstack Platform to Clover based Virtual Labs
To integrate OVH Openstack to Clover, you need to upload the openrc file to clover-VTL.
First of all you should download the openrc file from Openstack dashboard, upload it to Clover-VTL and set the admin password.
1. Open Openstack dashboard and download the openrc file v3 :
2. Open Clover-VTL Integration settings ,upload the openrc file and set the admin password
Then, click save.
3. Check that Openstack configuration is valid and choose your Network
Clover-VTL is now integrated with Openstack
City Network Cloud#
Integrating with Kubernetes#
Clover-VTL can interacts with the Kubernetes platform to orchestrate, coordinate and monitor your Docker Container based Hands-on Labs. Clover-VTL is compatible with most Kubernetes platforms in the market such as Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes (AEK) Service, or Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
Before configuring Clover-VTL, You need first to create a Kubernetes cluster to handle your container based vlabs. Please refer to your cloud providers documentation for how to create a cluster. If you need help, you can also contact us and our team will assist you.
Clover-VTL needs to communicate with your Kubernetes cluster to launch and manage Docker containers composing your VLABs. Clover-VTL uses the provider’s API to provision and manage your hosted kubernetes cluster and containers.
To access your Kubernetes Cluster from Clover-VTL, You are prompted for authentication information. This information is required to access the provider’s API.
For more information on how to obtain this information and configure Clover, see the following procedures:
With Clover VTL Gateway integration you simply connect to your Google account via Service account with Kubernetes admin role and spin up deployment environments in a few clicks.
Kubernetes clusters are created for you on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) using the Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
The following steps show you how to integrate GKE with Clover:
1. Go to your GCP interface and open IAM & admin: service account
2. Create a new service account
3. Set the name and click create
4. Select the role “Kubernetes Engine admin” and click continue
5. Create Private Json Key
Now the private key is downloaded on your computer, you will upload it on Clover integration Kubernetes
6. Set Kubernetes credentials to Clover integration and click save
Upload private Key
Set
You should get valid configuration message
Amazon EKS#
Integrating Amazon EKS with Clover
Before you begin, you need to have a Kubernetes cluster (including nodes) already set up. The Amazon provider offers detailed documentation on how to do that.
The following steps show how to integrate your Kubernetes to Clover-VTL:
OVH Kubernetes#
Integrating OVH Kubernetes with Clover
Before you begin, you need to have a Kubernetes cluster (including nodes) already set up. The OVH provider offers detailed documentation on how to do that.
The following steps show how to integrate your OVH Kubernetes to Clover-VTL. You can also watch this video in parallel which explained all steps clearly.
Use the following steps to set up your Cluster, to download the configuration file and to connect Clover to your Cluster:
1 . Login to the OVH Control Panel, create a Cluster to handle the docker based vlabs and add nodes to your cluster (for more information click here)
2. Once your Cluster is created, Go to your OVH public cloud interface and click Managed Kubernetes Service to list your kubernetes clusters. Click on the cluster name (e.g. CloverVTL) to open cluster details
3. Click the kubeconfig link to download the kubectl file and save it to your computer
4. Go now to Clover-VTL dashboard, Navigate to the > Integration Settings > Cloud Settings >Kubernetes.
5. Select “OVH Kubernetes” from the Kubernetes platform drop-down menu
6. Upload the kubeconfig file (downloaded in Step 3) and click Save. You will remark that all fields in the “Kubernetes Credentials” will be filled automatically.
7. Finally click Save, you should get valid configuration message as shown in the following figure.
8. Congratulations ! Clover-VTL is now connected to your OVH Kubernetes cluster.
Azure Kubernetes Service#
Integrating Azure Kubernetes Service with Clover VTL
Before you begin, you need to have a Kubernetes cluster (including nodes) already set up. The OVH provider offers detailed documentation on how to do that.
The following steps show how to integrate your OVH Kubernetes to Clover-VTL. You can also watch the video which explained all steps clearly.
Azure AKS provides a managed control plane for your Kubernetes cluster. Azure AKS runs the Kubernetes control plane instances across multiple Availability Zones to ensure high availability.
With Clover VTL Gateway integration you simply connect the Kubernetes clusters you run in Azure AKS and spin up deployment environments in a few clicks.
The below sections describe how to set up your AKS and integrate it with Clover-VTL
Create a Kubernetes cluster
On-premise Kubernetes Platform#
Before configuring Clover, You need first to create a Kubernetes cluster to handle your container based vlabs. Please refer to your cloud providers documentation for how to create a cluster. If you need help, you can also contact us and our team will assist you.
Once the Kubernetes cluster is created, Clover-VTL needs to communicate with it to launch and manage the Docker containers.
The following steps show how to integrate a kubernetes platform with Clover in general.
1. Navigate to the > Integration Settings > Cloud Settings.
2. Click the Kubernetes link. The Kubernetes settings form, shown in the following figure, opens.
3. Select your platform from the Kubernetes platform drop-down menu (in this document select Private Kubernetes). If you select a public kubernetes platform (like Google GKE, Amazon EKS, Azure AKS or OVHCloud), please click on the links provided above in the first paragraph to be redirected to the appropriate configuration guide and to get more detailed on how to proceed regarding the following steps 4 and 5.
4. Upload and Save the Kubernetes configuration file that is used to configure access to your cluster (sometimes called kubeconfig file).
5. Enter the Master URL and the Namespace of the Kubernetes cluster in the corresponding fields.
6. Click Save
Usage Report#
VM Usage Report
Usage reports are comma-separated value (CSV) files generated hourly to provide detailed information about the lifetime of VM-based VLab resources (Note that Docker-based VLab resource consumptions are not included in the usage report, only VM resource consumptions are considered).
Clover offers an easy-to-use visualization tool to help you track and optimize VM resource spending with greater ease, allows you to generate charts, and download accurate reports of aggregated data on all VLAB consumption. You can show hourly, daily and monthly VM usage data, grouped by user, by Lab name or even by Lab template. You can choose the dates you’re interested in. Filter to the specific tag, lab, or user you want, and pick how you want it grouped. As a result, a chart and corresponding data table are generated, and can also be downloaded as a data table.
In the left menu, Select Usage & Cost Reports > Usage Report
Determine the filters and choose the dates, Click on button “Apply“
The results show, for a given lab and template names, the total VM consumption (in seconds) of the selected user as well as the corresponding cloud consumption (in hours). A chart is also provided to offer detailed information about the lifetime of the user’s VM during a lab session. It provides statistics about total activity time (per day) spent by learners in their VLABs. It shows how long each instance has been running as well as its started time.
To download the CSV Report, in the top right corner of the chart, click on the Inspect button, and then on the Download CSV button
Cost Report#
VM Cost Report
Cost reports are comma-separated value (CSV) files that can be used to show the VM resources consumed by virtual labs, and their associated costs. The cost report provides insight into your current month-to-date cost summary. It displays your costs from the beginning of month. You can also display the costs of previous months (for history consumption).
Each cost report contains one row per each VM resource along with consumption information (duration, cost) and metadata (user name, lab name, size). The reports shows also the total monthly cost. That allows you to aggregate and analyze costs for better visibility and control of Cloud spending.
Two categories are distinguished for VM resources: Lab and Template VMs.
Lab VMs include all users’ virtual machines launched during lab sessions. Even
Template VMs refer to virtual machines used during template creation. These VMs are deleted once templates are confirmed.
To display reports:
In the left menu, Select Usage & Cost Reports > Cost Report
Determine the Period. It can be the current month or previous months.
Choose the Category. It can be Lab, Template, or All. If you select
At the end of the month, the cost report is finalized into a bill, taking into account discounts, refunds, credits, and support fees. For billing information, login to your account from the www.clover-vtl.com web site.
Note:
Docker-based VLab resource consumptions are not included in the cost report, only VM resource consumptions are considered
The current cloud usage is not updated in real-time. It might take from 2 to 3 hours before the VM entries appear.
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) to launch your desktop. There may be a delay when you launch your virtual desktop. This may take a couple of minutes.
to produce the video.
to play back the video.
to share the video with learners. You can click again on the same button to cancel the sharing.
to delete the video.
Settings > Apps > + App 
