Remote driver testing lab

Not all drivers are perfect.

When more than 700,000 manually selected files are accumulated in your database, over time and an increase in the amount of data you are faced with the problem of inaccuracy.
')
The errors that the accidental driver, not thoroughly tested by the manufacturer or distributor (OEM-modifications), will be spoiled. Everyone knows that this can lead not only to equipment bugs, but also to a complete system failure.

And it is unpleasant.

At the same time, the main difficulty lies in the fact that it is impossible to test the driver on a virtual machine - you just need a specific device, which can cause a variety of problems, incompatibilities, in short, anything that indicates its incorrect operation.

Having set ourselves the goal of testing the majority of drivers on a real, physical, hardware, we got the following idea: to connect machines to a KVM switch (16 LAN ports) using a LAN-VGA / USB adapter, thus getting the ability to remotely (at the BIOS level) control the computer, until reinstalling the OS.

Initially, the idea was to use Intel vPro and past implementations of AMT (Intel Active Management Technology), but unfortunately, these solutions are not cheap, and are also somewhat limited in compatibility.

We have just started, but we already have about a dozen laptops. And the server function is performed not by the oldest Acer on Core i3.

Overall plan:



The socket is remotely controlled via the Internet (3500 rubles, there is a mobile application / web interface, there is even a model with a Wi-Fi module), in order to monitor the uptime of all connected machines. Since our “Laboratory” is planned primarily as a remote, but temporarily located in my home, saving electricity and noise are not idle problems.



In general, we expect that in the future, a user who wants to test the driver will be able to remotely activate the IP-KVM switch, connect to the server and activate one or more devices for tests. KVM-switch was chosen because of its versatility and wide possibilities of connecting several machines at the same time, unlike RDP.



Our rack works from a single router, since on a small scale, even 3G + networks are sufficient for a stable connection.



Of course, on your local computer, any DriverPack user can test the driver build, which will take no more than 10 minutes.

Or help us expand our small home lab by giving away your old laptop. This is not a joke - our contacts are available on the website , you can contact any of us and agree on the transfer of the computer you no longer need.

Our main task is to sift out bad versions of drivers for popular devices. As you understand, for this we do not need tens of thousands of real machine configurations. At least for now. Now any laptop with direct VGA output (to be accessed in the BIOS) and a LAN port are suitable for us. Not even the presence of a screen.

A small instruction on working with the laboratory for those interested. If you are curious about how much the whole construction cost us, we purchased second-hand KVM for 8500 rubles, but we were unpleasantly surprised by the cost of adapters (5000 rubles per unit), but they need 16 pieces to fully load KVM (Avocent DSR2020). Fortunately, they also managed to find used 800 rubles apiece.