FAQ.en

Frequently asked questions about e-lab.

About e-lab

How do I register? Do I NEED to register to use e-lab?

Registering is only necessary to make a reservation.

For example, if you wish to ensure access to a certain experiment at a certain date. If that's not the case, all users need only to choose a name for themselves (the password field remains blank). Access to e-lab is first-come-first-served.

How do I make a reservation?

Currently, IST does not have a reservation policy, but maintains the right to do so, with regular access maintained, if possible.

Are the experiments recorded previously?

Nope. All e-lab experiments run live as soon as the user clicks the "play" button (unless there are users waiting in queue).

There are, however, some virtual labs with simulated experiments. In this case, the e-lab platform will have a different background color and is shown in a different window.

Why is there a waiting queue to use a certain experiment? Do I always have to wait in line?

Because there are physical setups for each experiment (and some setups serve multiple experiments), there can be only one user active at a given moment. This means that when you press play, you will be put in a queue. When it's your turn, the software automatically runs the experiment with the parameters you have chosen. When it's done, it will show the results and moves on to the next user.

However, the data each user took is available to all users, so if someone else runs the experiment the parameters you want, you can access and use their data.

Is there an open access platform to help me process the experimental data?

Yes, fitteia. This platform has graphical fitting for functions, you just have to register for a (free) account.

Exactly what does the “elab.ist.utl.pt:9001 not ok” message mean?

This means that you are running e-lab a computer located behind a firewall, meaning the access ports used by e-lab (9001,9002 and 9003) are not available. This is common practice in some networks with overzealous network administrators (or of the computer itself). To access e-lab, you must ask you network administrator to open these ports or use a computer with less restrictions.

Before using e-lab

Java

Official website

What is Java?

From the official website: Java allows you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D, just to name a few. It's also integral to the intranet applications and other e-business solutions that are the foundation of corporate computing.

This page in the official website allows you to check what version of Java you computer has.

Whre can I find the correct Java version to use e-lab on my computer?

Current browsers (the program you use to surf the web) can figure out the correct version for their system.

If this doesn't happen, go to the official website to get the correct version. To our knowledge the only version not supported is JAVA 7.45. If you have this version installed in your PC please install previous version 6 available here.

Live Stream

What is a live stream?

It's a live video broadcast, through the internet.

How can I watch the e-lab streams?

Most media software has the capability to handle online streams. For example:

• Quicktime
• iTunes
• VLC

The e-lab team recommends VLC.

Where can I download the latest version of VLC?

At the VideoLAN official website.