What are Fresh-Start, Trainer, Participant and Standalone Machines?
DaDesktop is a sophisticated training platform that provides easily accessible cloud machines for training courses, along with straightforward admin tools to manage each course's desktop machines.
To support this, DaDesktop uses a handful of similar but distinct Desktop machine types for running these sessions.
Below you'll find a rundown of the different machine types available.
Fresh-Start Machine
A 'Fresh-Start' is the DaDesktop machine on which the Trainer prepares and develops the course material. Once complete, the Fresh-Start machine is copied to every Participant's Desktop ready for the course they are taking. You can think of a Fresh-Start as something like a 'Golden Image' that can be reverted to if problems arise on either Trainer or Participant machines.
Trainer Machine
A 'Trainer' machine is used by the Trainer (or Trainers) to present their course material to the Participants during the session. The state of this machine will differ from the Fresh-Start, because software applications and libraries related to the course topic are normally installed, configured, and run by the Trainer as part of the course.
When more than one Trainer is leading a course, there will be multiple Trainer machines.
Participant Machine
A 'Participant' machine is used by each participant during the course, where they can install software, configure settings, and complete exercises with the trainer's oversight.
Fresh-Start, Trainer and Participant machines are ordinarily deleted automatically shortly after the course concludes. This means there is one further type of machine, not linked to a course, which can be retained for as long as needed: the 'Standalone'.
Standalone Machine
A 'Standalone' machine is one that does not necessarily have to be used during a course. It 'stands alone' as a separate machine, and can be used before or after a course, or simply employed on its own with no connection to any course. The Standalone is particularly flexible in this respect.
Typical reasons for creating a Standalone desktop would be:
- Preparing training course material that can be reused time and again outside a course, or kept for use whenever it's required.
- When you need a flexible machine, perhaps running a different operating system (Linux, Windows), to test out ideas in a safe environment.