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Build an image in Strigo

How to create a lab image directly in Strigo

Daniel Wolf avatar
Written by Daniel Wolf
Updated over 2 weeks ago

There are three ways to use images in Strigo:

  1. Use Strigo's pre-defined images

  2. Create your own image in the cloud and share it with Strigo

  3. Create a custom image directly within Strigo

For option (2), please refer to:

  1. Share an image from AWS

  2. Share an image from Azure

  3. Share an image from GCP

For option (3), you can use Strigo's Image Builder.

How does it work?

The general process is:

  1. Create a class template with a lab resource based on a base image - it can be one of Strigo's pre-defined images, a custom image you already have, or a public marketplace image.

  2. Launch the Image Builder for that class template.

  3. Set up and configure the image.

  4. Save the image.

  5. Use the newly created image in your class templates.

Notes

  1. Strigo's Image Builder creates images only in AWS. This should not matter much to you as Strigo manages the images and abstracts it from you.

  2. If you use one of Strigo's pre-defined images as a starting point, notice that the image you will save at the end:

    1. Will be in Strigo's default region (eu-west-1).

    2. Will require the default username:

      1. For Windows VMs: Administrator

      2. For Linux VMs: follow this guide.

  3. If you use your own custom image as a starting point, the image you will save at the end will be in the same region and will have the same default username as your base image.

  4. Strigo's image creation process does not currently allow you to control the size of the disk and other storage properties (such as IOPS). If you have specific storage requirements, please contact us through the chat widget or at info@strigo.io.

Steps to create an image in Strigo

  1. Create a Class template.

  2. Under "Practice lab" click "Add resource".

  3. Select the "Virtual machine" type.
    Notice: If you don't have a selection at this step, it means your account's default type is already "Virtual machine".

  4. Click the button under the "Image" column.

  5. Select a base image to work with - a pre-defined Linux or Windows image or a custom image you already have.

  6. The provider of the image must be AWS.

  7. Set a "Display name" to the resource - it can be anything.

  8. Save the class template.

  9. Click the "Create image" button at the top right of the class template:
    ​

  10. A new window will open with a dummy workspace page, in which you can access the VM and set it up to your liking.

  11. Click the "Start event" button.

  12. At the navigation bar to the left, go to the "My lab" section:​
    ​

  13. Wait for the lab VM to be ready.

  14. Install and prepare the VM to your liking. Test your software and see that everything works fine.

  15. When you're done, click the Settings menu icon at the top bar, then click on the "Create image from this machine" menu option:
    ​

  16. Wait for the image creation process to complete. It may take several minutes.
    ​

  17. When the process is complete, you will see the ID of the newly created image at the bottom:
    ​

  18. Copy the image ID.

  19. You can now use this image. You can go back to the original class template and use this image as a custom image instead of the pre-defined image you used before. Or you can create a new class template. Notice! You will have to set the right region and username as explained in the notes above.

Creating an image with a Microsoft Office license

Strigo can manage Office licenses in AWS for you.

If your lab requires Office software, and you install that on the lab VM as part of creating the image, there is a special workflow you should pay attention to:

  1. When creating the Lab Resource in the Class template, check the "Use licensed MS office professional plus AMI" checkbox:
    ​

  2. You should use a base image that's already prepared to license Office software automatically.

    1. We provide the "ami-00d116117c33b55bc" image in the eu-west-1 region.

    2. If you want to create an Office image in another region, let us know at info@strigo.io, and we'll make a base image available for you.

    3. Pay attention again that this base image has a 100 GB disk. If you need a specific disk size, also let us know so that we can augment the base Office image and provide you with one with the desired disk size.

  3. Avoid putting content and files in the user profile folders (e.g. Downloads or Documents). Instead, put content in a shared folder like C:\training.

  4. Any service you intend to run at start-up should be set as dependent on underlying AWS and Windows services, like SSM agent and WinRM.

  5. To customize user-specific things like locale or timezone, you should customize the unattend.xml file that the AWS EC2 Launch utility uses.

Office images load times

You should be aware that images with Office licenses take longer to load.

To help with that, we allow you to manage the image in our Library and define a pool of pre-heated VMs based on these images. When learners start their labs, ready-made VMs can be pulled out of the pool and assigned to them instantly. You can manage the pool size to balance the extra costs of the pre-heated machines and the ideal learner experience.
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That's it!

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