Launch of a kernel doesn't do much

Installed a jupyterlab/hub instance on our “teaching server”, will serve +500 users in a few weeks.
Followed this guide: Install JupyterHub and JupyterLab from the ground up — JupyterHub 1.2.0 documentation

Managed to have a working instance (still http, but will run behind a reverse proxy (accessible externally).
I also managed to logon and make some admins (via the jupyterhub_config.py file).

However, when I want to start a python kernel, or even a terminal kernel, it doesn’t do much. It just has the “spinning wheel”.
I’ve tried several browsers, but no luck there.

I’ve managed to redirect the logfile, but can’t see much in there.

That link is very old and out of date. If you’re not familiar with JupyterHub try

Instead.