VIRTUAL LABORATORY SMART AGENT

• US 20110269111A1
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloud Niners Information Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Cloud Niners Information Systems LLC
• Inventors: Elesseily, Tarek Mahmoud, Farghal, Ahmed Soliman, Abo-el-yazid, Ahmed Kamal-el-din
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/362
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

A method for conducting a virtual training session with first and second training objectives having first and second validation paths, respectively. The method steps include configuring a virtual machine manipulated by a student to complete the first training objective, configuring a smart agent to execute on the virtual machine including a validator specified by the first validation path, generating a result by performing a first validation check of the virtual training session by at least the validator of the smart agent to identify an event of the virtual machine, identifying, using the smart agent, completion of the first training objective based on the result, and advancing the virtual training session from the first training objective to the second training objective in response to identifying completion of the first training objective.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a virtual training session in a virtual laboratory, comprising:

identifying a virtual training session comprising a first training objective having a first validation path and a second training objective having a second validation path;

configuring, using a processor of a computer, a virtual machine in the virtual laboratory to conduct the virtual training session, wherein the virtual machine is manipulated by a student of the virtual training session to complete the first training objective;

configuring, using the processor, a smart agent to execute on the virtual machine, wherein the smart agent comprises a validator specified by the first validation path;

generating a result by performing a first validation check of the virtual training session, wherein the first validation check is performed by at least the validator of the smart agent to identify an event of the virtual machine;

identifying, using the smart agent, completion of the first training objective based on the result; and

advancing, using the processor, the virtual training session from the first training objective to the second training objective in response to identifying completion of the first training objective.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein completion of the first training objective comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a state of the virtual machine meeting a first pre-determined criterion and an answer of the student to a question meeting a second pre-determined criterion.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, from an instructor, the first training objective;

receiving, from the instructor, a selection of the validator from a validator library; and

receiving, from the instructor, a graph representing the training session and comprising a first node corresponding to the first training objective and a second node corresponding to the second training objective.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the virtual machine comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a virtual local area network, a virtual private network, a configuration file, a registry entry, a database, and a disk volume, and

wherein the event comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a system service, a file change, a registry change, a process run, a monitor window, and a training requirement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating, using the smart agent, an operation of the virtual machine based on the result, wherein the operation comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of state playback, executing a command, running a configuration tool, modifying a file, modifying a registry, modifying a database, and modifying a disk volume.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying, using the smart agent, a configuration of an underlying hardware resource of the virtual machine based on the result.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, using the smart agent, a progression of the virtual machine into a critical state following manipulation of the virtual machine by the student to meet the first training objective; and

performing, using the smart agent and in response to detecting the progression of the virtual machine into the critical state, at least one selected from a group consisting of issuing an instruction to the student, initiating an operation of the virtual machine, and modifying a configuration of an underlying hardware resource of the virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

restoring, using the smart agent, the virtual machine based on a template,

wherein the virtual machine is manipulated by the student to complete the second training objective after restoring.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

capturing a student modified state of the virtual machine in response to the student manipulating the virtual machine to complete the first training objective,

wherein the template comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of the student modified state of the virtual machine and a system configuration configured based on the virtual training session.

10. A system for conducting a virtual training session in a virtual laboratory, comprising:

a hardware resource node configured to;

implement a virtual machine in the virtual laboratory; and

execute a smart agent on the virtual machine; and

a management node operatively coupled to the hardware resource node and comprising a processor and memory storing instructions when executed by the processor comprising functionalities to;

identify a virtual training session comprising a first training objective having a first validation path and a second training objective having a second validation path;

configure the virtual machine to conduct the virtual training session, wherein the virtual machine is manipulated by a student of the virtual training session to complete the first training objective;

configure the smart agent to execute on the virtual machine, wherein the smart agent comprises a validator specified by the first validation path;

generate a result by performing a first validation check of the virtual training session, wherein the first validation check is performed by at least the validator of the smart agent to identify an event of the virtual machine;

identify, using the smart agent, completion of the first training objective based on the result; and

advance the virtual training session from the first training objective to the second training objective in response to identifying completion of the first training objective.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a student node operatively coupled to the management node and configured to;

manipulate, in response to a command of the student, the virtual machine to complete the first training objective.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an instructor node operatively coupled to the management node and configured to;

generate the first training objective;

generate a selection of the validator from a validator library; and

generate a graph representing the training session and comprising the first node corresponding to the first training objective and the second node corresponding to the second training objective.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein completion of the first training objective comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a state of the virtual machine meeting a first pre-determined criterion associated with the first node and an answer of the student to a question meeting a second pre-determined criterion associated with the first node.

14. The system of claim 10,

wherein the virtual machine comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a virtual local area network, a virtual private network, a configuration file, a registry entry, a database, and a disk volume, and

wherein the event comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a system service, a file change, a registry change, a process run, a monitor window, and a training requirement.

15. The system of claim 10, the instructions when executed by the processor further comprising functionalities to:

initiate, using the smart agent, an operation of the virtual machine based on the result, wherein the operation comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of state playback, executing a command, running a configuration tool, modifying a file, modifying a registry, modifying a database, and modifying a disk volume.

16. The system of claim 10, the instructions when executed by the processor further comprising functionalities to:

modify, using the smart agent, a configuration of an underlying hardware resource of the virtual machine based on the result.

17. The system of claim 10, the instructions when executed by the processor further comprising functionalities to:

detect, using the smart agent, a progression of the virtual machine into a critical state following manipulation of the virtual machine by the student to meet the first training objective; and

perform, using the smart agent and in response to detecting the progression of the virtual machine into the critical state, at least one selected from a group consisting of issuing an instruction to the student, initiating an operation of the virtual machine, and modifying a configuration of an underlying hardware resource of the virtual machine.

18. The system of claim 10, the instructions when executed by the processor further comprising functionalities to:

restore the virtual machine based on the template, wherein the virtual machine is manipulated by the student to complete the second training objective after restoring.

19. The system of claim 18,

wherein the template comprises a at least one selected from a group consisting of a system configuration configured based on the virtual training session and a student modified state of the virtual machine as a result of the student manipulating the virtual machine to complete the first training objective, and

wherein the student modified state of the virtual machine is captured using the smart agent.

20. A computer readable medium embodying instructions executable by a computer to conduct a virtual training session in a virtual laboratory, the instructions, when executed by the computer, comprising functionality for:

identifying a virtual training session comprising a first training objective having a first validation path and a second training objective having a second validation path;

configuring, using a processor of the computer, a virtual machine in the virtual laboratory to conduct the virtual training session, wherein the virtual machine is manipulated by a student of the virtual training session to complete the first training objective;

configuring, using the processor, a smart agent to execute on the virtual machine, wherein the smart agent comprises a validator specified by the first validation path;

generating a result by performing a first validation check of the virtual training session, wherein the first validation check is performed by at least the validator of the smart agent to identify an event of the virtual machine;

identifying, using the smart agent, completion of the first training objective based on the result; and

advancing, using the processor, the virtual training session from the first training objective to the second training objective in response to identifying completion of the first training objective.