CrownLabs for exams - roadmap

[QcFe]

(❗ means high priority)

Concept

• Hardened environment
  • Network policies
  • IP logging
  • Possible security implications
• Customizable instance startup
  • Enable environment population per exam (through downloadable archive/init container/etc.)
  • Provide a way to specify startup arguments for containers
  • Provide possible customizations through cloud init for VMs
• Scalable environment for exercises
  • One-click Instance creation on demand from exercises@polito
  • Timeout based removal

Changes to be done

• Adapt Template CRD
  Templates would include custom containers options, such as:
  • Pre population source and destination
  • Startup command
    This would enable creating a custom environment more suitable for exams
  • add omitempty containerStartup property for environmentList items

Features to be added

• Programmatic instance creation (and timed removal) for exercises
  Add some kind of agent able to create instances on demand, if resources are available
• Widget for user identification & timer
  A timer to keep track of remaining time should be added to avoid switching to the Moodle quiz in order to check. Also in case of quizzes in presence it would be required to provide a fast way to recognize the user associated to the running instance. The same widget providing the timer can be responsible of showing student photo and details.
• InstanceList/Exam operator & generalization
  The best solution could be providing a generalized way to obtain an user list from somewhere to avoid being too much bound to polito's apis. Actual implementation could be done through an adapter or similar patterns and has to be properly discussed. Such kind of adapter logic would be required to achieve the following aspects:
  • Access: could be done through hash based generation of URLs, starting from polito APIs
  • User list retrieval: it would be necessary to have a generalized way to obtain the list of instances to be setup (pre-started or predisposed to be started on demand)
  • Results collection: at the end of the exam a way would be needed to collect the results produced in every instance and provide it to moodle or through filebrowser or email dispatch.

IT Area syncronization

• Obtain more precise information about instances to be prepared (esp. deadline)
• Possibility to attach solutions per each quiz in Moodle