Tosca Distributed Execution SetUp

Distributed Execution with Automation Object Service(withAOS):

1. Create tests

Tosca Distributed Execution is available for multi-user environments. This means that you and other users share a common repository, which is a database that stores test data and test results. Each user retrieves test data, modifies the data, and checks in their changes to the same repository.

You create your tests in Tosca Commander. To do so, you need a workspace that has access to the common repository. Each instance of Tosca Commander on which you want to create tests and trigger executions requires a separate workspace.

2. Trigger execution

When you trigger the execution of a TestEvent in Tosca Commander, it sends the request to the Tosca Distribution Server.

3. Retrieve test data

The server retrieves the test data from the common repository through the Automation Object Service. This service accesses the common repository through a workspace.

4. Distribute execution tasks

The TestEvent whose execution you triggered contains several ExecutionLists. The Tosca Distribution Server distributes these ExecutionLists between the available Tosca Distribution Agents.

Agents synchronize with the server on a regular basis. Once an agent contacts the server, the server hands over the first ExecutionList of the TestEvent to this agent. As soon as the next agent contacts the server, the server hands over the second ExecutionList of the TestEvent to this agent. If there are no agents available, the server queues the ExecutionList(s) until an agent becomes available.

5-6. Save test results

Once a Tosca Distribution Agent has executed an ExecutionList, it sends the results to the server which in turn saves the results to the common repository through the Automation Object Service.

You can monitor the execution of your tests and view the test results with the Distributed Execution Monitor.

Distributed Execution Monitor - The Distributed Execution Monitor is a web-based application that is part of the Tricentis Tosca Server installation.

With the Distributed Execution Monitor, you can do the following:

1. configure your agents
2. monitor and recover your agents
3. monitor the execution of TestEvents
4. cancel the execution of TestEvents

Tricentis recommends installing the Distributed Execution Monitor and the Tosca Distribution Server on the same machine.

Distributed Execution without Automation Object Service(withoutAOS)-

Distributed Execution without AOS works similarly up until the point where the Tosca Distribution Server receives the request to execute from Tosca Commander.

1. Create tests

Tosca Distributed Execution is available for multi-user environments. This means that you and other users share a common repository, which is a database that stores test data and test results. Each user retrieves test data, modifies the data, and checks in their changes to the same repository.

You create your tests in Tosca Commander. To do so, you need a workspace that has access to the common repository. Each instance of Tosca Commander on which you want to create tests and trigger executions requires a separate workspace.

2. Trigger execution

When you trigger the execution of a TestEvent in Tosca Commander, it sends the request to the Tosca Distribution Server.

3. Distribute execution tasks

The TestEvent whose execution you triggered contains several ExecutionLists. The Tosca Distribution Server distributes these ExecutionLists between the available Tosca Distribution Agents.

Agents synchronize with the server on a regular basis. Once an agent contacts the server, the server hands over the first ExecutionList of the TestEvent to this agent. As soon as the next agent contacts the server, the server hands over the second ExecutionList of the TestEvent to this agent. If there are no agents available, the server queues the ExecutionList(s) until an agent becomes available.

4. Retrieve test data

As the Tosca Distribution Server cannot access the common repository, it cannot retrieve test data. It only distributes the request to available agents. Consequently, each agent retrieves the test data from the repository directly.

5. Save test results

Once an agent has executed an ExecutionList, it saves the test results to the common repository.

To retrieve test data and save test results, each agent needs a separate workspace which has access to the common repository.

You can monitor the execution of your tests and view the test results with the Distributed Execution Monitor.

Advantages of Distributed Execution with Automation Object Service(withAOS) - 

Faster setup

Distributed Execution with AOS is easier to configure. You don't need to set up a workspace for every Tosca Distribution Agent.

Performance gain

Distributed Execution with AOS is more efficient. Tosca Distribution Agents work independently from a central repository and don't need to query a workspace for items to execute.

Better handling of multiple common repositories

Unlike Distributed Execution without AOS, agents in Distributed Execution with AOS don't have their own workspaces. The Automation Object Service is the single point of contact to the common repository, and you can set it up to work with multiple common repositories. When you switch to work on a new common repository in Tosca Commander, you do not need to switch anything manually.

Can run the same ExecutionList in parallel

In Distributed Execution without AOS, an ExecutionList can only run on one agent at any given time. So if the same ExecutionList is part of several TestEvents, then it is possible that the execution of some TestEvents cannot progress until that ExecutionList runs as part of another TestEvent.

In Distributed Execution with AOS, the same ExecutionList can run in parallel on several agents. This results in significant performance improvements.

Can specify a test results folder for each TestEvent

In Distributed Execution without AOS, you can define multiple test results folders and save the test results of each TestEvent to a different folder.

Note - Tricentis recommends using Distributed Execution with AOS. 

Distributed Execution with AOS has a number of advantages over Distributed Execution without AOS.