System and method to reduce the time and complexity of information technology classroom setup

• US 6,941,105 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Gale, Sean Daniel, Jenkins, Craig Ralph, Jenkins, Keith Lars, Christensen, Thomas Keoki, Fischer, Jeffrey Alan, Rowley, David Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): ADAMS, CHANDA L
• Application Number:
  US10/060,345
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 434/362, 434/350, 434/336, 434/322, 434/118, 434/219, 434/323
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• 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

Abstract

A system and method to reduce the time and complexity of IT classroom setup. The present invention leverages virtual machine technology to create a new learning platform. In one embodiment, the system includes a classroom computer having installed therein a virtual machine platform, virtual machines, and an exercise launcher. The system also includes a database for associating classroom exercises with one or more of the virtual machines. The launcher has a user interface that enables a student to select a classroom exercise. In response to the student selecting a classroom exercise, the exercise launcher determines the virtual machines associated with the selected exercise and requests the virtual machine platform to launch the determined virtual machines. In this way, the classroom computer is automatically configured to enable the student to perform the entire exercise.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

two or more virtual machines installed on a single local computer, wherein the two or more virtual machines are implemented using different operating system environments;

a database that stores information corresponding to at least one or more exercises and the two or mere virtual machines;

a user interface that displays a list of the one or more exercises and enables the user to select at least one exercise;

an exercise loader that is configured to access the database to determine the virtual machines that are associated with the selected at least one exercise; and

a virtual machine launcher that launches the virtual machines associated with the selected at least one exercise.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the database further stores information including names of the one or more exercises and two or more virtual machine identifiers associated with the two or more virtual machines and wherein the exercise loader is further configured to access the database to determine the virtual machine identifiers associated with the selected at least one exercise.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the virtual machines that correspond to the selected at least one exercise are associated with a set of virtual machine (VM) files.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the set of VM files comprise, at the least, a virtual disk file.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the set of VM files further comprise a suspended state file.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the database further stores information including the two or more of the virtual machine identifiers associated with the two or more virtual machines.

7. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

a virtual machine platform that enables multiple operating system environments to run concurrently on a single local computer;

two or more virtual machines associated with the virtual machine platform, wherein the two or more virtual machines are installed on the single local computer, wherein the two or more virtual machines are configured to enable a user to perform exercises, and wherein two or more virtual machines are associated with different operating system environments;

a database that stores information corresponding to at least the exercises and the two or more virtual machines.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a user interface that displays a list of the exercises and enables the user to select at least one exercise;

an exercise loader that is configure to access the database to determine the virtual machines that are associated with the selected at least one exercise; and

a virtual machine launcher that launches the virtual machines associated with the selected at least one exercise.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the database further stores information including a name of the selected at least one exercise and two or more virtual machine identifiers associated with the two or more virtual machines and wherein the exercise loader is further configured to access the database to determine the virtual machine identifiers associated with the selected at least one exercise.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the database further stores information including the virtual machine identifiers associated with the selected at least one exercise.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual machines associated with the selected at least one exercise are further associated with a set of virtual machine (VM) files.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of VM files comprise a virtual disk file.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the set of VM files further comprise a suspended state file.

14. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

two or more virtual machines installed on a singe local computer, wherein the two or more virtual machines are implemented using different operating system environments;

means for determining names of one or more courses that are available to be installed on the single local computer;

means for displaying the names of the one or more courses;

means for enabling the user to select at least one course;

means for installing the selected course on the single local computer;

means for determining names of one or more exercises that are associated with the selected at least one course;

means for storing the course name and the names of the one or more exercises, wherein selecting the course name enables retrieval of names for the one or more exercises associated with the selected course name;

means for enabling the user to select at least one exercise;

means for determining the virtual machines that are associated with the selected at least one exercise; and

means for creating a set of virtual machine files that correspond to the virtual machines that are associated with the selected at least one exercise.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for storing virtual machine identifiers that correspond to the two or more virtual machines.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the name of the selected at least one exercise is further associated with corresponding virtual machine identifiers so that the system is adapted to retrieve the virtual machine identifiers upon selecting the name of the exercise.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the virtual machine identifiers are configured to locate said set of virtual machine files that correspond to the virtual machines that are associated with the selected exercise.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said set of virtual machine files comprise one or more files.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said set of virtual machine files comprises a virtual disk file.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said set of virtual machine files further comprise a suspended state file.

21. A computer implemented method for enabling a user to perform two or more exercises using a single local computer, comprising:

displaying a list of the two or more exercises, wherein the two or more exercises are associated with two or more virtual machines;

receiving an indication that the user has selected two or more exercises;

determining the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises; and

launching, on the single local computer, the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises, wherein the two or more virtual machines are implemented using different operating system environments.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises comprises accessing a database that stores names of the exercises and associating the names with two or more virtual machine identifiers that correspond to the two or more virtual machines.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercise further comprises determining the two or more of the virtual machine identifiers associated with the name of the selected exercise.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises comprise a set of virtual machine (VM) files.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the set of VM files comprise, at the least, a virtual disk file.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the set of VM files further comprise a suspended state file.

27. A computer implemented method for configuring a single local computer, comprising:

determining names of one or more courses that are available to be installed on the single local computer;

displaying the names of the one or more courses;

enabling a user to select at least one course and to provide a request to install the at least one course on the single local computer;

receiving an indication to install the at least one course on the single local computer;

determining names of exercises that are associated with the selected at least one course;

storing the course name and the names of the exercises, wherein selecting the course name enables retrieval of the names of exercises associated with the course name;

enabling the user to select at least one exercise;

determining virtual machines that are associated with the selected at least one exercise, wherein two or more virtual machines are implemented using different operating system environments; and

creating virtual machine files that correspond to the virtual machines that are associated with the selected at least one exercise.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising storing virtual machine identifiers that are associated with the two or more virtual machines.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising associating the name of the selected at least one exercise with corresponding virtual machine identifiers, so that providing the name of the at least one exercise enables retrieval of the corresponding virtual machine identifiers.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the virtual machine identifiers are used to locate the virtual machine files that correspond to the virtual machines that are associated with the selected at least one exercise.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said set of virtual machine files comprise one or more files.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said set of virtual machine files comprise a virtual disk file.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said set of virtual machine files further comprise a suspended state file.

34. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising computer instructions for:

displaying a list of exercises, wherein the exercises are associated with two or more virtual machines installed on a single local computer;

receiving an indication that a user has selected two or more exercises;

determining the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises; and

launching, on the single local computer, the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises, wherein the two or more virtual machines are implemented using different operating system environments.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer instructions for determining the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises comprises computer instructions for accessing a database that stores names of the exercises and associating the names with two or more virtual machine identifiers that correspond to the two or more virtual machines.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the computer instructions for determining the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises further comprises computer instructions for determining the two or more of the virtual machine identifiers associated with the name of the selected exercises.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the two or more virtual machines associated with the selected exercises comprise virtual machine files.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the virtual machine files comprise at the least, a virtual disk file.

39. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the virtual machine files further comprise a suspended state file.

40. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising computer instructions for:

installing two or more virtual machines on a single local computer, wherein the two or more virtual machines are implemented using different operating system environments;

determining names of one or more courses that are available to be installed on the single local computer;

displaying the names of the one or more courses;

enabling a user to select at least one course;

enabling the user to provide an indicator requesting installation of the at least one course on the single local computer;

receiving an indication to install the at least one course on the single local computer;

determining names of the exercises that are associated with the selected at least one course;

storing the course name and the names of the exercises, wherein selecting the course name enables retrieval of for the exercises associated with the course name;

enabling the user to select exercises;

determining the virtual machines that are associated with the selected exercises; and

creating virtual machine files that correspond to the virtual machines that are associated with the selected exercises.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, further comprising computer instructions for storing virtual machine identifiers that correspond to the two or more virtual machines.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising computer instructions for associating the name of the selected exercises with corresponding virtual machine identifiers so that providing the name of the exercises enables retrieval of the corresponding virtual machine identifiers.

43. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the virtual machine identifiers are used to locate the virtual machine files that correspond to the virtual machines that are associated with the selected exercises.

44. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the virtual machine files comprise one or more files.

45. The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the virtual machine files comprise a virtual disk file.

46. The computer program product of claim 45, wherein the virtual machine files further comprise a suspended state file.