Simulators, Instances, and Labs FAQs
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Simulators, Instances, and Labs FAQs

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Audience

All Learners

Overview

The purpose of simulators is to provide realistic scenarios and are an assessment of your administration and implementation skills in a SerivceNow instance where you will receive feedback in the form of validation of each task with hints and clickable links to further information on our documentation site. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) table answers questions related to ServiceNow's Simulators, Instances, and Labs

 

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

 

Simulators, Instances, and Labs Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
QuestionAnswer

What is a simulator?

  • A Simulator is a preconfigured instance and a set of common administration or implementation tasks.
  • The purpose of the simulators is to provide hands-on practice of your administration and implementation skills and receive feedback in the form of validation and recommended content.

How long do I have access to instances or simulators for on demand courses?

  • Access to ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals (SNAF) On Demand instances is for 14 days (2 weeks).
  • Access to Application Developer Fundamentals On Demand instance is for 7 days (1 week).
  • Other on-demand instances last between 3-14 days (check the instance expiration date on the course page),if an instance is replaced, the new instances content is reset to the baseline, tasks may need to be repeated.
    IMPORTANT:
    • It is important to allow enough time to complete the entire simulator from the time you start before the instance is terminated.
    • You can re-enroll following this time period, but any activities already completed will not be retained.
      NOTE: Lab instances are limited to 2 running instances per student.

How long do I have access to Instructor Led Training (ILT) lab instances?

You have access to ILT lab instances for 5 days following the end of your scheduled class. After the class concludes, the instances will hibernate but can be reactivated for use during this 5-day period.

Can I access an Instructor Led Training (ILT) lab instance a few months after the course has concluded?

No, it's not possible to access ILT lab instances a few months after the course has concluded. Once the lab hits its expiration date, the instances are permanently destroyed.

How can you request additional time or a lab instance if you exceed the initial limits provided?

If you require extra time for your lab instance beyond the expiration date, we have a catalog item which will allow you to request an extra extension on top of the two we already give you, which will extend the lab instance expiry for 2 more weeks, this can be requested here: Request a Lab Instance Extension.

If you require another lab instance over and above the limit we have already set, we have a catalog item where you can request one more lab instance along with some justification for this here: Request Extra Lab Instance.

How do I get help with a task in a simulator?

Guided tours are only provided for portions of the ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals Simulator due to this being associated with a beginning learning path.

We recommend reviewing the content and corresponding learning material for the ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals learning path.

What should I consider regarding the time needed to complete a simulator, and what happens if I need to re-enroll?

It is important to allow enough time to complete the entire simulator from the time you start, as the instance will be terminated at the expiration date and is not retrievable once terminated. If you need to re-enroll after this period, any completed activities will not be retained in the new instance and may need to be redone if they are dependent on tasks not yet completed.

My validation is broken on my simulator?  How do I fix it?

Check to see if your simulator is paused. If needed, un-pause the simulator in order to continue.
IMPORTANT:

  • After the simulator is un-paused please note it takes 10-12 minutes for the simulator instance to full restart and change to 'running'.

When does a simulator expire?

Simulator instances expire and on the expiration date shown on the course portal page, or when you Complete/Submit your score.

Passing of a Simulator requires validating each task to achieve a score of 80% of above. Instances will automatically hibernate after a period of 4 hours of inactivity.

You can UNPAUSE the instance to carry on where you left off, but upon reaching the expiration date, the instance will terminate, all progress will be lost and all of the tasks may need to be re-done if they are dependents for tasks yet to be passed.

How should I use Simulators and self-paced instances? 

The Go To Simulator button is used on the simulator page to open up your own personal ServiceNow instance, this is where you will perform the required configuration tasks for each task. When you are satisfied with your configuration changes, select the Validate button on NowLearning, which is located on the task instruction page.

Following your selection of the Validate button, you will be informed of whether your configuration changes are correct. If they are not, you will be provided with some feedback which are also best practice links to our docs site and may help you figure as to what you might be missing so you can try validation again after making some changes.

NOTE: You will have to complete the respective simulator before your instance is automatically shut down. Please remember to select Complete on your learning path when you have finished the simulator to confirm your result.

If you have never completed a standalone simulator before, click Standalone SIM video link to view a short 6-minute instructional video.

  • If you have never completed a course with an embedded simulator before, click Embedded SIM video link to view a short 4-minute instructional video.
  • If you have never used a self-paced lab instance in a course before, click Self-Paced Instance video link to view a short 3-minute instructional video.

How do I get help with a task in a Simulator?

Guided tours are only provided for portions of the ServiceNow Fundamentals Simulator due to it being associated with a beginning learning path. It is recommended that the content and corresponding learning material for the learning path be reviewed if you need additional help when attempting the completion of a Simulator.

The ServiceNow Training and Certification team will not be able to provide help on how to complete tasks or a review of your activities in a Simulator.
NOTE: We cannot give you hints, so please do not log a case asking for help, revisit the materials and the docs site.

My Simulator instance expired and is now shut down. How do I restore?

Unfortunately, simulator instances can not be restored after they are terminated.

My simulator instance disappeared and I do not have a score, what happened?

Do not select Complete/Submit simulator Score link until AFTER all activities/courses (including optional) are completed.

How do I re-enroll in a Simulator that was canceled or expired?

To re-enroll in a Simulator, go to the respective course page. From here, there will be the option to 'Re-Enroll' in the header section of the course page.

I am having trouble passing a task in the Simulator. Why isn't it validating?

  • Check to make sure the Simulator hasn't been paused and if it has, press unpause instance.
  • Check the task recommendations which also have a link to our docs site for further info.
  • Go back over the task or check previous tasks are set up correctly
    The Simulator team WILL NOT be able to help you pass the task.

Why am I unable to create or edit a record in a simulator or self-paced lab instance?

Are you in the correct application scope when attempting this? Application scope (servicenow.com)If you are still in global, then things like New buttons won't appear until you have changed the application scope.

Cannot enroll to simulator a new version has been released?

If you find that the simulator you were working on has been replaced with an upgraded simulator release, you can enroll in the new version by browsing directly to the Simulator Catalog here. Then, find the new version of the simulator and use the enroll button to pick up on the new simulator.

The discovery instance is not working with Mid server and credentials, why?

Ensure your mid server is up and validated, with zero issues. If the MID server is reporting any issues in the 'Issues' related list, please do the following first:

  • Click Invalidate on the MID Server page.
  • Go back to the list view, select the MID Server, and select Validate from the list choices.
  • Wait a few minutes for the MID Server to become Up and Validated Yes, then re-try the exercise.

 Unable to create intent / Machine Learning / CD Nlu not working at all, why?

  • Change your Application Scope back to Global
  • Go to lab management and run the machine learning repair script
  • Go to Vocabulary Sources and click Synch on the EN Items
  • Try again

MID Server is not installed, what do I do?

If your MID Server is not appearing in the lab instance, you can normally install it yourself by running installer.bat in the MidServerFiles folder located on the C Drive of the MID Server.
If lab.midserver is not authenticating, then you can use the instance admin username and password to connect you were supplied via email, to authenticate, then start the MID Server followed by validating it from the instance.

Configure Reconciliation Rule:

Check that there are NO filter conditions included in your reconciliation rules. If you have ANY filter conditions at all, this task will fail. Not only will this task fail, but Task 11 will fail also, not to mention that your reconciliation rules will not work correctly.
Remove the additional filter conditions from both reconciliation rules, then re-validate. we have attached screen-captures of the affected areas. 

Image example of reconciliation rule.
Reconciliation Rule.jpg

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