Managing QA, Automation, Performance and Distributed test environments are key part of software testing lifecycle and QA process. The lab management feature of Microsoft Test Manager enables testing teams to simply manage their existing test environments and simplify the process of sharing environments among the all test team members.
Environments on the lab manager can be made up using virtual, physical, single or multiple machines managed together. The Lab manager contained feature of the team foundation server and you can connect test environments to TFS by using Microsoft Test Manager.
Testers can gain numerous benefits using Lab Management Features of Microsoft Test Manager 2012
1. This allows running suites of automated tests and measures the progress using Microsoft Test Manager.
2. This allows to run build deploy test workflow that automatically build and deploys the application build files onto the relevant machines in a lab environment. Moreover, testers allow performing automated tests by scheduling test workflow to run at specific time periods.
3. Also testers allow collecting diagnostic data by using IntelliTrace debugging tool from all test machines when performing manual tests, automated tests or load tests. (You can see how effectively use of IntelliTrace Debugging in Visual Studio Load Tests from here.
a) You need Visual Studio Ultimate, Visual Studio Premium, Visual Studio Test Professional in order to manage your testing environments.
b) You need to set up a test controller in order to connect Microsoft Test Manager to relevant Team Foundation Server if you are planning to use standard environment for testing. This allows users to create and manage lab environments in the Lab Center of Microsoft Test Manager 2012. However, if you are planning to create SCVMM environments in Lab Centre, you need to set up SCVMM and configure lab management on your team project collection.
Lab Centre provides numerous features that enable testers to manage their test environments efficiently and effectively.
Initially, you need to open test manager and navigate to Lab Centre.
Then you can add standard or SCVMM environment through Lab Management by selecting “New” button and choosing Standard environment or SCVMM environment from New Environment wizard. Once you registered or created new environment, you can connect to it using environment viewer. Meantime users have opportunity to quickly connect to specific machine over remote desktop.
Lab Centre – Environment viewer help testers to create snapshot in their test or automation environment(s). Always this snapshot facilitates them to rollback baseline deployment or specific machine configuration accurately. These assist testers to take back environment state to known robust state and continue automated or manual testing.
Lab management also facilitates to automate build deployments and schedule end to end deployment with test runs. This enables testers to run manual application deployment workflows or scheduled deployments to their QA boxes’ and achieve project related cost & time goals.
Darshika Jayapala is a Testing Specialist with 8+ years’ experience in software Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Test Automation. He also has a love for Performance/Load Testing and Security Testing. You can catch him on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.
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