Credits, paused labs and session limits

On self-serve plans, labs are paid for in credits: each lab draws a number of credits per hour that depends on its environment, and only for the time it runs. Organizations on an Enterprise contract do not use credits; their capacity is set in the contract. For how credits work, see Plans and credits.

Each problem below is laid out as Symptom, Cause and Fix.

I can’t start a lab: not enough credits

Symptom. Starting a lab shows a message beginning with ERR_INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS, stating how many credits you have available and how many are required.

Cause. Starting a lab needs one hour of its credits in your balance. Credits already committed to labs that are running count against your balance, so starting a second lab can fail even though your balance looks positive.

Fix.

Pause or end another running lab to free the credits it is using, then try again.
Choose a lighter environment: smaller environments draw fewer credits per hour.
Add credits: redeem a voucher (see Vouchers), or ask your organization admin. Admins and Instructor seat holders can give credits to a member.

My lab was paused automatically

Symptom. You receive the notification Your lab was paused (“You ran out of credits. Add credits to resume your lab.”), and the session shows Paused in My Sessions.

Cause. When your credits run out, Klastro pauses your running labs instead of charging an overage. Paused time is not charged, and nothing is invoiced beyond your balance. Your work is kept in the paused environment.

Fix. Add credits first, then open My Sessions and resume the session. If resuming shows Could not resume the session. Please reload to try again., check that your balance now covers at least one hour of that lab.

“You’re at your session limit”

Symptom. The dialog You’re at your session limit appears when you start or resume a lab: “Your plan runs one session at a time…” or “Your plan runs N sessions at a time…”.

Cause. Each plan runs a set number of sessions at once. Paused sessions do not count.

Fix. In the dialog, select Pause or End next to a session listed under Running now, then Try again. You can also open All my sessions, or Upgrade plan to run more labs at once.

“Too many sessions are running right now”

Symptom. Starting or resuming shows Too many sessions are running right now, so this session can’t resume yet. Try again in a few minutes., or the same sentence for an assessment.

Cause. Either the platform is at capacity, or your organization has reached its number of labs running at once (shown on your plan as “Up to N labs running at once across your organization; paused labs do not count”).

Fix. Wait a few minutes and try again. Ask colleagues to pause labs they are not using. If your organization regularly hits its limit, an admin can review the plan; on an Enterprise contract, contact your account manager.

I can’t start a second lab of the same scenario

Symptom. Starting a scenario takes you back to a session you already have instead of creating a new one.

Cause. Each member can run one lab per scenario at a time.

Fix. Use the existing session, or end it from My Sessions if you want a fresh environment. Ending a session destroys its environment for good.

My lab is paused and I didn’t pause it

Where you see it	Cause	Fix
This environment is paused in a class	Your instructor moved you to another step.	Select Back to the class. The environment starts again when you return to that step.
Your lab was paused notification	Your credits ran out.	Add credits, then resume. See above.
Session paused. Resume it any time from your dashboard.	You selected Pause & resume later when leaving the lab.	Resume it from your dashboard or My Sessions.

My credits went down faster than expected

Symptom. Your balance dropped more than you expected.

Cause. A lab draws credits for every minute it runs, including when you are not using it. Heavier environments (several machines) draw more per hour.

Fix. Pause labs when you step away, and end those you no longer need. Your organization’s billing page shows every session charged to you and the time it was billed for. If a charge still looks wrong, open a ticket with the category Billing & credits.