What Exactly Are Fresh-Start, Trainer, Participant, and Standalone Machines?
DaDesktop serves as a sophisticated training platform, giving you access to cloud-based machines for your courses, along with admin tools that simplify managing those desktops for each session.
To make this possible, DaDesktop relies on several similar yet distinct types of desktop machines to support these training sessions.
Here's an overview of each machine type and how it works.
Fresh-Start Machine
A 'Fresh-Start' machine is the one instructors use to build and refine their course content. When it's ready, this machine gets cloned onto every participant's desktop before the course begins. Think of it like a 'Golden Image' that you can always roll back to if issues crop up on either the trainer's or participants' machines.
Trainer Machine
A 'Trainer' machine is used by the instructor to deliver course content to the participants during the session. Unlike the Fresh-Start, this machine evolves—applications and libraries related to the course topic are typically installed, configured, and run by the trainer(s) throughout the class.
If multiple trainers are leading the course, multiple Trainer machines will be provided.
Participant Machine
A 'Participant' machine is what each attendee works on, where they can install, configure, and complete exercises under the trainer's supervision.
Fresh-Start, Trainer and Participant machines are usually automatically removed shortly after the course wraps up. That's why there's one more type, not tied to any course, that you can keep as long as you need: the 'Standalone'.
Standalone Machine
A 'Standalone' machine isn't necessarily part of a course. It 'stands alone'—a separate machine you can use before or after training, or entirely on its own, with no connection to any course. This makes it exceptionally versatile.
Here are some common scenarios for setting up Standalone desktops:
- Putting together training course materials that you can reuse over and over, independent of a specific course, or keep handy for whenever you need them.
- When you want a flexible machine with a different operating system (Linux, Windows, for instance) to safely experiment with new ideas.