Introducing Microsoft Azure DevTest Labs

Hello!

The article will discuss the Microsoft Azure DevTest Labs cloud service. This service allows you to solve the issue of setting the environment for development, testing and laboratory classes. The subject of the laboratory is far from me, so I will tell you about setting up environments for development and automatic testing.

Development environment

The initial formulation of the problem: The input data for setting up the development environment are presented in the form of a document with a sequential list of actions. Each action describes the installation of a tool of a given version with subsequent configuration. Example action: install Visual Studio 2017 and set paths to Nuget. If there are several dozens of such actions, the setup procedure turns into a very tedious task.
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Solution

1. Open the portal

2. Find the DevTest Labs service in the list of services

3. Create a formula . The formula allows you to set the base virtual image, virtual size, installation artifacts, access credits.

For example: a base image with a ten and a studio, the size is Standard_DS2_v2 . Installation artifacts: Chrome, 7zip, Notepad ++.

4. Create a virtual machine using the formula.

5. We start created virtualka.

6. Go to the virtual server via RDP, using credits for access.

7. We customize the created virtual machine by performing the necessary list of actions from the input data.

8. Stop the virtual machine.

9. Create a custom image with the virtual machine stopped.

This completes the creation of the development environment. From the custom image, we can now quickly raise the required number of instances of the development environment.

The price of the issue: for the eight-hour working day, one virtual machine Standard_DS2_v2 eats about 500 rubles.

Automatic Test Environment

Initial formulation of the problem: Automatic creation of a virtual machine with the necessary environment, launch of a virtual machine, remote launch of a test script via Powershell, removal of a virtual machine.

Solution

1. Create a custom image of the test environment, by analogy with the development environment.

2. Create a virtual machine using the API . To the custom image we add the ability to remotely control via Powershell using the windows-winrm artifact.

3. We start the virtual machine using the API .

4. Perform a test using the available WinRM.

5. Remove the car after the test using the API .

findings

Due to the convenient UI, a large selection of basic images, available artifacts, configuration capabilities, the considered cloud service perfectly solves the problems of building development / testing environments. The disadvantages of the solution include the cost of cloud services.

Links

1. Azure DevTest Labs
2. Azure DevTest Labs API
3. An Overview of Azure DevTest Labs