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# How to Manage Testing Hosts

This section describes how to create, modify, and monitor testing hosts needed for running server-side functional and performance tests in ALM.

Note:

- The Hosts module appears in Lab Management and in ALM, except that in ALM it is labeled as Testing Hosts. The below instructions refer to Lab Management's Hosts module but most functionality applies to ALM's Testing Hosts module as well.

- If you are using the Testing Hosts module in ALM, only testing hosts attached to the host pool of the project are visible.

- ALM Editions: Functional testing host management is available only for ALM Edition. For details about ALM editions and their functionality, see the Micro Focus Application Lifecycle Management User Guide: ALM Editions. To find out what edition of ALM you are using, ask your ALM site administrator.

This task describes how to:

Add a testing host

To run server-side functional and performance tests, you must add testing hosts to ALM. For an overview of testing hosts, see Lab Resources Overview.

To add a host from your test lab to ALM:

1. Prerequisites.

   Ensure the following:

   - The required testing tools are installed on your testing hosts. Refer to the documentation for your specific testing tools for installation instructions.

   - If a performance testing host you are adding is in a remote location, the location must be added in the Lab Resources > Locations module. For task details, see How to Manage Host Locations.

   - For hosts with functional testing purposes, Micro Focus ALM Lab Service must be installed on testing hosts you are adding. To download and install Micro Focus ALM Lab Service on your testing host, select Help > ALM Tools to open the Tools add-in page. Click the Micro Focus ALM Lab Service link, and download the appropriate package for your operating system. For details about installing Micro Focus Lab Service, see Installing ALM Lab Service.

2. Create a new testing host.

   Tip: You can use the Import Hosts feature to import a list of hosts from an Excel file into ALM. For details, see Import testing host data from Excel .

   In Lab Resources > Hosts, click the New Testing Host button . For user interface details, see New Testing Host Dialog Box.

   Note: Hosts created from within an ALM project are private hosts and can only exist in one host pool at a time.

3. Register the testing host.

   For security reasons, a functional testing host must be registered using ALM Lab Service before it can be used. After the testing host has been registered, the testing host registration must be approved from within Lab Management.

   If you set the testing host Registration Auto Approve field to Y then it will be automatically approved when you register it. If you set Registration Auto Approve to N, then you complete the registration by changing the Status field to Registered.

   For more details about registering a testing host using Lab Service, see Using ALM Lab Service.

   Note: Lab Service and the ALM server to which you are connecting must be of the same version in order to be compatible. If your version of Lab Service is not the same as the ALM server, the Hosts/Testing Host grid displays your testing host as Unavailable.

To provision hosts from the cloud for use in performance testing, see .

Import testing host data from Excel

You can import a list of testing hosts from an Excel file (.xls or .csv) using ALM or Lab Management.

1. Ensure that the Excel file is set up so that the columns can be recognized and mapped by the Import feature.

   - The first row of the Excel file must contain the field names, or corresponding logical names, that appear in the table below. (Logical names are not case sensitive.)

     Some fields are mandatory, others are required or optional.

     - Mandatory indicates a field that must appear in the Excel file. If you omit this field, the import fails. If you omit a value in one of the rows of this field's column, the import of that specific row fails.

     - Required indicates a field that should appear in the Excel file. If you omit this field, the code adds the field with the default value for all rows. If you include the field, but omit a value in one of the rows of this column, the code adds the default value for that row.

     - Optional indicates a field does not have to appear in the Excel file. Omitting this field has no effect on the import procedure.

   - Fields representing virtual, reference, and invalid fields are ignored.

   - Empty columns are allowed.

   Set up the columns and values in the file as follows:

   Field name | Logical Name | Value | Field for
   --- | --- | --- | ---
   HOST_NAME Mandatory | Name | Any string | The valid name of the testing host machine.
   HOST_PURPOSE Mandatory | Purpose | Controller, Load Generator, QTP, Sprinter, and so on. | The purpose of the testing host. Note: This can be any combination of the options. Options should be separated with a semicolon and be without spaces. Example: Controller; Data Processor; QTP
   HOST_STATE Required | Status | Operational Non-Operational Unavailable Default: Operational | The testing host state.
   HOST_INSTALLATION Required | Installation | Unified Functional Testing Unix Load Generator Windows Host Windows Standalone LG Default: Windows Host | The type of testing host installation. Note: There is a double space in: "Windows<space><space>Host" "Unix<space><space>Load Generator"
   HOST_PRIORITY Required | Priority | 1-Lowest Priority 2, 3 ... 8 9-Highest Priority Default: 5 | The priority of the testing host.
   HOST_SSL_ENABLED Required | Enable SSL | Y N Default: N | SSL-enabled
   HOST_USERNAME Optional | Username | Any string | The user name for logging in to the testing host.
   HOST_PASSWORD Optional | Password | Any string | The user password for logging in to the testing host.
   HOST_DOMAIN Optional | Domain | Any string | The testing host domain.
   HOST_DESCRIPTION Optional | Description | Any string | The testing host description.

   The fields specified in the table below must not be included in the Excel file. During the import of each host, these fields are assigned default values.

   Field name | Default value assigned
   --- | ---
   Belongs to pools | General (If adding from within an ALM project, the default is the project's pool.)
   Location | Default

   Note: If data for these fields is included in the Excel file, the data is ignored. Default values that are not relevant for a particular host must be modified manually in the Hosts module.

2. Import the testing hosts.

   1. In Lab Resources > Hosts, select Testing Hosts > Import.

   2. Browse to the Excel file containing the hosts, and click Open.

   At the end of the import process, a report displays the import results, and the imported hosts are listed in the Hosts module. Hosts that are not imported successfully must be added manually.

Modify/View lab resource details

In Lab Resources > Hosts, select a testing host in the grid and click the Testing Host Details button .

For user interface details, see Testing Host Details Dialog Box.

Check host connections to testing hosts

In Lab Resources > Hosts, right-click a testing host in the grid, and select Check Host.

The Task Manager opens, and the overall result of each check performed on the host, Passed or Failed, is displayed.

You can view the progress of the host check in the Hosts module's Check Host Status tab.

Note: The only test which can be run on a Functional host is Ping to Host.

Based on the purpose and location of the testing host, the following checks are performed:

Check Performed | Load Generator Host | Controller Host | Data Processor Host | Functional Host
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Regular | UNIX | Standalone | OFW
Ping to Host | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes
Installed Patches | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | N/A
Services | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | N/A
Performance | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | N/A
Over Firewall Status | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A

Alternatively, you can perform the above checks, together with an additional connectivity check from the host to a particular URL. Right-click a host in the grid, select Check Connectivity to URL, and enter the URL.

Example:

- Regular URL: `http://www.website.com`

- Machine name: `machine22` or `http://machine22`

Reboot hosts

In Lab Resources > Hosts, right-click the host in the grid that you want to reboot, and select Reboot Host.

Reconfigure hosts

Note: You can only reconfigure Performance hosts.

Reconfiguring a host resets the host license, the LoadRunner Enterprise system user (IUSR_METRO), and the Communication Security passphrase on the host machine.

To reconfigure a host, go to Lab Resources > Hosts. Right-click the host in the grid that you want to reconfigure, and select Reconfigure Host.

End processes on a Performance host

To end a process on a Performance host, go to Lab Resources > Hosts. Select a host, and in the Processes tab, select the process and click .

Link testing hosts to host pools

Note: Host pool management is only available in Lab Management.

You can populate host pools in Lab Management in one of the following ways:

- From the Hosts module. You can link a testing host to one or more host pools.

- From the Pools module. You can link one or more testing hosts to a particular host pool. For details, see How to Manage Host Pools.

To link a testing host to one or more host pools from the Hosts module:

1. Go to Lab Resources > Hosts.

2. Right-click a host in the grid, and select Testing Host Details.

3. Click the down arrow adjacent to Belongs to Pools, and select pools in which to include the host. Click OK.

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