FAQ: itopia CloudApps Classroom
Do you have any training videos to share with teachers and students?
Yes. Videos can be found in the itopia Help Center.
Video Tutorial: Launching a Lab
Video Tutorial: Finding and Opening Your Work
Video Tutorial: Using Full-Screen Mode
Video Tutorial: Saving Your Work to Google Drive
Video Tutorial: Logging Out of a Class Session
Interactive Tiles for Students
Getting Started with CloudApps Classroom: Students
What are the specs of the virtual machines that itopia uses?
Specifications vary based on the applications being used. Configuration ranges from 4 CPUs and 15 GB of RAM to 8 CPUs and 32 GB of RAM, with GPU when required by the application.
Are students sharing resources to power their virtual machines?
No, all CloudApps sessions are dedicated to each student accessing the environment.
How many students can be on the platform simultaneously?
itopia leverages the scale of Google Cloud; therefore, the platform can support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous users.
What is the speed when dealing with large files?
The virtual lab has 1GB of bandwidth available per session.
Once loaded into the session, file access and manipulation are instantaneous.
What peripherals do you support?
Basic USB device support, keyboards, and mice.
While USB support is available, it is app and device dependent. Currently, only keyboards and mice are supported.
Can you use external drives and devices to import/export files to the VM?
Files can be transferred to and from the physical endpoint device to the virtual CloudApps session. However, support for saving and reading files directly from externally attached USB storage is not supported at this time.
Can networking be an issue when all students are using the platform?
You should ensure that your school network can handle at least 2 Mbps per student concurrently.
Can you provide custom fonts and extensions for the applications?
Custom fonts can be added via Creative Cloud. Details can be found here.
Extensions and/or add-ons would need to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Can a student run multiple classes at the same time?
No. Only one session per student is allowed at the same time.
What happens if a student is rendering a project and there is no session activity for a prolonged period of time?
There is currently a timeout of 15 minutes if no activity is detected. The session will shut down if there is no activity.
Is this a type of VDI?
This has nothing to do with VDI, infrastructure, Windows RDS/10, or any of the old-school IT operations. This is a fully managed service enabling you to deliver virtual curricula to students via Chromebooks (or any device) to educate the next generation of creators.
Can itopia extend the 15-minute timeout?
No. The timeout cannot be extended.
How do students save their work? Where do students save their files?
We recommend students save their files in the cloud on services like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
Can students save their work to the session desktop?
Yes, but it will not be there the next time they log in. It is deleted when the session closes.
Why is my audio not processing correctly in the virtual CloudApps session?
Virtual CloudApps sessions operate using streaming technology that does not have direct hardware access. The software installed to the session only sees a virtualized soundcard, which may not support all the features of your physical soundcard, leading to audio issues.
Could bandwidth limitations affect my audio performance in a virtual CloudApps session?
Yes, audio processing adds to the bandwidth that a VM needs. If your network bandwidth is limited, it can cause poor audio performance, including lag, stuttering, or dropouts.
What do I do when a session completes the start-up process but returns the user to the class launch page instead of entering the VM?
Simply click the Session Ready button to return to your session.
FAQ: itopia CloudApps Classroom
Do you have any training videos to share with teachers and students?
Yes, training videos are available in the itopia Help Center:
Video Tutorial: Launching a Lab
Video Tutorial: Finding and Opening Your Work
Video Tutorial: Using Full-Screen Mode
Video Tutorial: Saving Your Work to Google Drive
Video Tutorial: Logging Out of a Class Session
Interactive Tiles for Students
Getting Started with CloudApps Classroom: Students
What are the specs of the virtual machines that itopia uses?
Specifications vary based on the applications in use. Configurations range from 4 CPUs with 15 GB of RAM to 8 CPUs with 32 GB of RAM, including GPU when required by the application.
Are students sharing resources to power their virtual machines?
No, all CloudApps sessions are dedicated to each student accessing the environment.
How many students can be on the platform simultaneously?
itopia leverages the scale of Google Cloud, allowing the platform to support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous users.
What is the speed when dealing with large files?
The virtual lab has 1GB of bandwidth available per session. Once loaded into the session, file access and manipulation are instantaneous.
What peripherals do you support?
Basic USB device support, keyboards, and mice are supported. While USB support is available, it depends on the app and device. Currently, support is limited to keyboards and mice.
Can you use external drives and devices to import/export files to the VM?
Files can be transferred between the physical endpoint device and the virtual CloudApps session. However, saving and reading files directly from externally attached USB storage is not supported at this time.
Can networking be an issue when all students are using the platform?
Ensure that your network can handle at least 2 Mbps per student concurrently.
Can you provide custom fonts and extensions for the applications?
Custom fonts can be added via Creative Cloud. Extensions and add-ons are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Can a student run multiple classes at the same time?
No, only one session per student is allowed at a time.
What happens if a student is rendering a project and there is no session activity for a prolonged period of time?
If no activity is detected, there is a 15-minute timeout, and the session will shut down.
Is this a type of VDI?
No, this is not related to VDI, infrastructure, Windows RDS/10, or traditional IT operations. This is a fully managed service that enables you to deliver virtual curricula to students via Chromebooks or any device, empowering the next generation of creators.
Can itopia extend the 15-minute timeout?
No, the timeout period cannot be extended.
How do students save their work? Where do students save their files?
We recommend that students save their files in the cloud using services like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.
Can students save their work to the session desktop?
Yes, but the files will not be available the next time they log in. Files saved to the session desktop are deleted when the session closes.
Why is my audio not processing correctly in the virtual CloudApps session?
Virtual CloudApps sessions use streaming technology, which does not provide direct hardware access. The software in the session only recognizes a virtualized soundcard, which may not support all features of a physical soundcard, leading to audio issues.
Could bandwidth limitations affect my audio performance in a virtual CloudApps session?
Yes, audio processing requires bandwidth, and limited network bandwidth can lead to poor audio performance, including lag, stuttering, or dropouts.
What should I do if a session completes the startup process but returns the user to the class launch page instead of entering the VM?
Click the "Session Ready" button to return to your session.
For more information, visit our Help Center or contact support.