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 .

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 .

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.