On this page

↓ Before you start

↓ Log in to the demo environment

↓ Find your demo environment

↓ Refresh your demo environment

↓ Access your demo environment

↓Get training

Before you start

• You’ll need a Github account.
• You’ll need the name of your demo environment.
• If you don’t have a demo environment yet, request one from the CMS help desk.

Note: You or someone from your team must log in to your demo environment at least once every 30 days. Demo environments that are inactive for 30 days or more will be removed. If your inactive environment was deleted, request a new one from the CMS help desk.

How to do it

1. Log in to the demo environment.

• Open a browser to https://tugboat.vfs.va.gov
• Sign in with your Github account. Two-factor authentication may be required.
• The first time you log in,  click the Tugboat icon then wait about one minute for your account to be authorized. Do not click Create a Project. Refresh the page after one minute if it didn’t refresh automatically.

2. Find your demo environment.

• Once you see My Projects, click CMS.
• Click CMS Demo Environments.
• Under Previews, find the title of your demo environment. Use the Sort by menu to sort alphabetically  by Title.  If you don’t see the title of your demo environment, contact the CMS help desk.

3. Refresh your demo environment.

• If you need to pull in the latest code or database, refresh your demo environment.
• Under the title of your demo environment, find and click the Actions dropdown menu.
• Click Refresh.
• Click Yes to confirm the refresh.
• The refresh will take about ten minutes. The status changes as the environment is being refreshed.
• Contact the CMS help desk if the refresh fails.

4. Access your demo environment.

• Next to your demo environment title, click the Preview dropdown menu.
• You have three options for preview links. You will most likely be using one of the following: 
  • Use the link that starts with "main" or “cms” for a preview of the editor-facing environment.
  • Use the link that starts with “web” for a preview of the Veteran-facing environment.
• If your preview has been inactive for longer than 10 hours, wait for about one minute for the preview to load.
• Log in to the preview with your Drupal CMS username and the default password “drupal8”.
• Contact the CMS help desk if your preview does not load.

Get training

• Watch the full training video (11 minute YouTube video, opens in a new tab)
• Watch the content release portion of the video (YouTube, opens in a new tab)
• When instructed in the videos, pause and try the training activities in a new browser window.