Developing a Virtualized FreeBSD Guest for FREE LPI Certification Tutorials

PaulRichardson · 07-30-2013, 05:29 PM

REQUEST:

Advise/Recommendations for Dev. Workflow
Advise/Links to useful resources

PROBLEM SUMMARY:

Create a FREE VirtualBox Guest Machine with FREE embedded custom learning content pre-loaded.

PRIORITIZED OBJECTIVES:

Probable target OS will be FreeBSD (long story here).
Target audience: Mac/Win users, new to Linux
Modular HTML curriculum
Tools/Packages: Probably linked to, but possibly pre-installed
Ease of use for students (one download, one click - almost)
Ease of dev/maintenance (Git/SVN/SourceForge?)
Possibly (eventually) target initial LPI cert (or BSDA, if FreeBSD VM) *
Share via torrent, keep size < 2 Gigs

(LACK OF) SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT:

There is no SME thus far (just me).
I have used Linux off/on for over 10 yrs
My Pearl/bash script skills are weak
I'll leverage non-profit/educ "fair use" rules.

RELEVANT PRIOR COURSE DESIGN:

I have created Captivate SCORM modules
I have created Camptasia tutorials
I have worked with almost every major LMS
I've used virtual guests for many years.

Thank you so much!,
Paul

* EDITED (Aug.8th, 2013): Curriculum should match the VM OS, if a certification is considered as a learning objective at some point, and differences in BSD/Linux are significant, potentially even for introductory level learning.

273 · 07-31-2013, 02:10 PM

I'm confused here. You want to teach Linux Professional Institute certification on FreeBSD? You do realise they're not the same thing at all?

PaulRichardson · 08-08-2013, 01:22 PM

Hi 273,

Thank you for helping correct course here.

Before I posted this, I was not aware of just how very different FreeBSD and Linux are, or that the LPI Certification was Linux-specific.
The old saying BSD on the Server, and Linux on the desktop, was (I thought) primarily just a reflection of the stability of BSD derivatives.

I am hoping you might also provide critique of some of my other assumptions, below:

I suspect many people (especially more techie folks), would like to have quick easy access to a BSD/Linux box for months of learning.
Bare metal/dual booting is too time-consuming (and risky if you've only 1 good box) for micro-learning moments modern busy adults have.
They don't want to have to remote desktop to, or even worse, turn around in their chair, or KVM to a noisy electricity hogging extra box.
They wouldn't mind very much the time expense and bandwidth hog of a 3 or 4 gig full-featured VM download, but what to do once they have it?
In my experience, when adult IT workers download a BSD/Linux VM out of curiosity, they play with it once or twice, then abandon or forget it.
In years past, I have downloaded a BSD/Linux VM, or installed it on a machine, I used it for what I needed, and then abandoned/forgot it.
MANY IT pro's w/over a decade using Win/Mac, who work FT, are too locked into workflows/toolsets to migrate 100% (home AND work) to BSD/Linux.
After a few bad experiences seeking/trying/struggling with new tools that don't work as well, as easily, as quickly, they'll start to look back.
Most people still in the early summer of their career, are more immune to change than those of us in the Fall, whence we begin become brittle.
Even though running Linux as host, and when no alt. app works, not even Wine, then using Win VM, would together work fine, people won't do it.
My own interest (as instructor), is more focused on using technology in the various stages of IT curriculum design, navigation, and delivery.
What I have learned about adult students, is that they EXPECT a standard of learning ease, efficiency, and segmentation unheard of 10 yrs ago.
What adult IT students want, is a single downloadable VM that FREE, that they boot in Quemu/VB, and follow the prompts of embedded tutorials.
They need to know that what they are downloading, is a fully functional, full-size OS, that they might then (after the tutorials) migrate to.
This VM should be at their "SINGLE-CLICK" bechon, for quick, easy access, over a period of weeks, able to pick right up where they left off.
This easy-to-run VM micro-learning experience should make no changes on their machine, be quickly available on their primary box, just-in-time.

Conclusion:

As to whether the curriculum should focus on a BSD or Linux, I'm not sure which would be best, but I now know that the VM used depends on this.
In addition, I have since started to consider two very different kinds of curriculum, one that might use a very small VM, and one much larger.
One VM might be FreeBSD (possibly no desktop), with a no-install/portable emu (Quemu), as a very small package focused on BSDA Certification.
Another VM, might be RedHat (with a desktop), but this time assuming virtualbox, and this one focused on RHCE/Linux+, or LPI Certification.
And I could create one other VM, also much larger (with a desktop), assuming virtualbox, but focused on general usage/potential immigrants.

Guiding design principles regarding [ideal] "Low-Barrier Learning Content Qualities" (*):

near-instant access/portability
near-zero setup/pre-learning
state-saves/continuation
segmentability/branching
adjustable difficulty/speed
transferability/sim fidelity
zero risk/switching cost

* These principles are impossible to implement, and merely represent ideal design, to capture more successful learning moments, for more students.

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REFERENCES:
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CERTIFICATIONS:

LINUX VS. BSD:

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO...ux-comparison/

QUEMU ON WIN:

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dyasny · 09-23-2013, 09:49 PM

gosh, you were going to TEACH without even beginning to understand first? nice...