About

VMware Odyssey is gamification of Hands-on Labs designed to engage, challenge, and showcase user’s expertise across the VMware portfolio. The traditional lab manual is replaced with a list of tasks that will test your knowledge and skills of VMware products. A fully automated game engine will time you and check your answers to ensure accuracy. You can see where you rank in comparison to other players on the leaderboard.

Our Community

“Three engineers who had met just two days earlier, were able to come together and work as a solid team to win the first ever VMware Odyssey competition….I feel as though this is a perfect example of our vCommunity as a whole. I sincerely hope that VMware decides to continue and even grow the Odyssey competition in future years!” – VMworld 2019 US Tournament 1st place winner

"The competition was great, but ultimately my highest point is the take back from the competition. Being able to leverage labs like NSX-T. Not knowing anything about it, and now understanding it like the back of my hand solely because of this competition." – VMworld 2019 US Tournament 2nd place winner

Hands-on Labs Fun Facts

Years of Innovation

Labs Available

Interactive Simulations

538,474

Labs Taken Around the World (since 9/2018)

4,989,247

Virtual Machines Deployed (since 9/2018)

Different Languages Represented in Our Labs

Our Favorite Phrase

Cloud

Our Favorite Word

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register for the Hands-on Labs Odyssey?

You can register to take a HOL Odyssey Lab here

Can anyone take an Odyssey lab?

Yes. Hands-on Labs Odyssey labs are available to the public 24/7. Anyone is welcome to take a lab.

How much time do I have to complete each task?

It depends on the lab. There will be a clock that shows you how much time is left. Each Odyssey game lab is built to be completed in 30-minutes or less. It can often depend on your skill level and familiarity with the product. The timer in the game client and lab environment will show you how much time is left.

How is an Odyssey lab different from a Hands-on lab?

The traditional lab manual is replaced with a list of tasks that will test your knowledge and skills of VMware products. When you click start, the manual will progress to the first task and the player is set to successfully complete the task as quickly as possible. A fully automated game engine tracks your time and validates the accuracy of your answer. Play now!

How many times can I play?

You can play any Odyssey lab as many times as you want.

Can I run an Odyssey event on my own?

Yes, we’ve built the program to be self-service. Please read this blog post for more information around how to get started.