Scripting System

Script Types

Each task has four script types that run at different points in the task lifecycle.

Naming Convention

Scripts are named {operation}-{vm-name}. The VM name must match the name field in config.yml.

Setup Scripts

Setup scripts configure the environment before the learner begins. Use #!/bin/bash -l to load the login shell profile.

#!/bin/bash -l
set -e

# Install required tools
apt-get update -q
apt-get install -y -q curl wget jq

# Create initial directory structure
mkdir -p /home/user/workspace
chown user:user /home/user/workspace

# Pre-populate a config file the learner will modify
cat > /home/user/workspace/config.yaml <<EOF
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: my-config
data: {}
EOF

# Add setup commands to bash history so learner can reference them
history -s "kubectl apply -f config.yaml"

• •Use #!/bin/bash -l (login shell) to ensure the PATH includes all installed tools
• •Use set -e so the script fails fast on errors
• •Make scripts idempotent — they may run multiple times
• •Use history -s "command" to pre-populate terminal history (NOT set -o history)

Check Scripts

Check scripts validate the learner's work. They must exit 0 on success and non-zero on failure. Use the provided check_template.sh helper.

#!/bin/bash -l
source /etc/profile.d/check_functions.sh

# Check that kubectl is configured correctly
check_command "kubectl cluster-info" "kubectl cluster-info should succeed"

# Check that the deployment exists
check_command "kubectl get deployment my-app -n default" \
  "Deployment 'my-app' should exist in the default namespace"

# Check specific content in a file
check_file_content "/home/user/workspace/config.yaml" \
  "name: my-config" \
  "ConfigMap name should be 'my-config'"

echo "All checks passed!"

Solve Scripts

#!/bin/bash -l
set -e

# Apply the solution
kubectl apply -f /home/user/workspace/solution.yaml

# Verify the solution worked
kubectl wait --for=condition=available deployment/my-app --timeout=60s

• •Must be idempotent — running it twice must not break anything
• •Use history -s "command" to show the solution commands in terminal history (NOT set -o history)

Helper Functions

Source /etc/profile.d/check_functions.sh in check scripts to access these helper functions.