#Timers

Two clocks may be running while you're in a module. They count different things and have different consequences.

#Inactivity timer (always on)

Every running VM has an inactivity timer. If you don't interact with it for long enough, the system shuts it down to free up resources. You can see how long you have left by hovering the status indicator in the top-left of the menu bar — the tooltip shows time remaining "before timeout shutdown."

What counts as activity:

• Keyboard or mouse input through the VNC console.
• Power actions (Power On / Restart) reset the timer.

What doesn't count:

• The VM doing things on its own (long-running scripts, downloads).
• You leaving the tab open without interacting.

If the VM does shut down, you can power it back on with VM Controls → Power On. None of your work is lost — the disk persists across power cycles within a single module attempt.

#Personal contest timer (contest modules only)

Modules that are part of a contest have a personal timer displayed in the center of the menu bar. This is your total time to finish the module. It starts the moment you confirm start.

Important properties:

• You can't pause it. Closing the tab, exiting the console, even shutting the VM down — the timer keeps running. Only finishing or running out of time stops it.
• Each module has its own timer. Switching between modules doesn't pool the time; each one starts when you start it and runs to its own deadline.
• When it hits zero, the module ends. Whatever state the VM is in is what gets graded.

Because of all of that, don't confirm start on a contest module unless you're ready to commit to working on it now. The pre-start screen will warn you about this; read it.