This article contains a list of users' most common generic problems when using our hands-on labs and some ideas for working around those issues.

If you are having trouble in a specific Hands-on Lab, be sure to take a look at our Lab Guides! Our guides will take you through the most commonly reported student concerns over our most popular Hands-on Labs! 

I can't access all the resources the lab requires

Often this problem occurs because the system has not completed configuration yet when you started working on the lab. Wait 5-10 minutes to let the cloud provider create all required resources and try again.

Or it could be that you performed a step incorrectly and the restrictions we place on your student account do not allow you to proceed. In this case, you can either retrace your steps or start the lab over again by using the red End Lab button at the bottom of the lab instructions page. 

I can't connect to the EC2 instance

If you get the connection timed out error, you might have a corporate firewall or a network limitation. If you have another network available, you can try that. Also, some software in your personal computer could limit your sessions as well. You could try disabling that software or using a different computer.

If you get the connection refused error, your security group may not have finished filtering the requests. Wait 5-10 minutes and try again.

You can also view our step-by-step guide How do I connect to a Linux Instance using SSH?

I'm having issues while creating resources

Issues while creating resources such as IAM group, IAM user, DB Cluster, or any other resource, are often due to errors in the naming or not following the steps correctly. Due to our strict policy, the resources in most labs must be named exactly as described in the instructions and all regions and configurations must be followed exactly. Note that names are case-sensitive.

The restrictions we place on your student account do not allow you to perform many actions that would otherwise be allowed in a personal cloud environment. If you run into permission issues, you can either retrace your steps or start the lab over again by using the red End Lab button at the bottom of the lab instructions page. 

My lab session was terminated

The system automatically terminates lab sessions and blocks the account when it detects an unauthorized operation. Your account can also be blocked if you exceed the lab quota for any resource.

If this is the first time your account was blocked, the system automatically unblocks it after 2 hours. If this is not the first time, you should contact customer support at support@cloudacademy.com or support+qa@cloudacademy.com if you're using app.qa.com. 

For further information about limitations on hands-on labs, see the following articles:

• What Are the Restrictions on Labs?
• Why was I banned from using Hands-on Labs?

My lab is failing the step validation

Step Validation checks to see if you have performed the lab instructions exactly as written. If the lab detects a difference between y our actions and the expected outcome, your validation check will fail.

See Why is my hands-on lab failing the step validation? for specific instructions and possible causes.

If you're still having problems with the hands-on labs, see How can I get help if I have a problem with the labs? for information on using the Support button on the hands-on lab.