Console access¶
nova-ve uses Apache Guacamole for HTML5 consoles. Telnet, VNC, RDP, and SSH backends all funnel through Guacamole so you only need a browser — no native client required.
Opening a console¶
- Start the node (right-click → Start, or use Start All from the lab top bar).
- Once the status badge flips to running (emerald), click the console icon on the node card.
- The Guacamole pane opens in the lab's console workspace.
Layout modes¶
The top bar has a Console layout selector with two modes:
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Tabbed | Open consoles stack as tabs inside a single resizable pane docked to the canvas. The tab count appears as a pill in the top bar ({n} consoles). |
| Floating | Each console opens as its own draggable, resizable window. Useful when you want side-by-side consoles. |
You can flip modes any time — existing consoles re-flow into the new layout.
Console types per runtime¶
| Runtime | Default console | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Docker | Telnet (via nova-ve-alpine-telnet:latest or equivalent) |
Container must run a telnet server on the configured port. The bundled alpine-telnet image does this for you. |
| QEMU/KVM | VNC (default) or SPICE | The boot disk's display is wired to a Guacamole-reachable VNC server. SPICE is preferred for higher-quality bitmap traffic when supported by the guest. |
| IOL / Dynamips | Telnet | Vendor IOL and Dynamips images speak telnet on a per-node port. |
The exact console type is template-defined; blank nodes default to telnet (Docker) or VNC (QEMU).
Closing / minimizing¶
- Tabbed mode — click the × on a tab to close, or the minimize button to send the entire workspace to a docked bar.
- Floating mode — each window has its own header with close / minimize / maximize controls.
Closing a console drops the Guacamole session; it does not stop the node. Re-opening reconnects.
Why is my console blank?¶
A few common causes:
- The node is not running yet. Wait for the emerald running badge.
- Telnet console: the container has not bound its telnet server yet. Give it 1–2 seconds after start; the bundled alpine-telnet image takes a moment.
- VNC console: the QEMU display is set to
none. Edit the template / blank node to enable a VNC display, then restart the node. - Guacamole-side issue. Check
docker logs guacamoleon the host. See Troubleshooting.