Reserve timeslots for running tests

This task describes how to reserve resources for running tests.

In this topic:

Create a testing timeslot

Create timeslots for running Functional test sets or build verification suites.

Prerequisites

Ensure that there is a host pool defined and allocated to the project. For information about managing host pools in Lab Management, see Manage testing hosts.

If you want to run a particular test during the timeslot, ensure that an instance of that test is included in a test set.

To create a testing timeslot:

1. On the ALM sidebar, under Testing, select Timeslots.

2. On the Timeslots toolbar, click New Timeslot .

3. Enter the details of the timeslot and select resources.

   UI Elements	Description
   Run	Choose the type of timeslot to reserve: Functional Test Set. Reserves resources for running an entire functional test set. Build Verification Suite. Reserves resources for running a collection of functional test sets as well as single performance tests, as defined in the Build Verification module. For details, see Build Verification Suites.
   Start	Choose the method for executing linked tests or test sets: Manually. The timeslot reservation reserves testing resources only. You manually execute the linked test or test sets from the Test Lab module. Automatically. The linked tests or test sets automatically start running at the start of the timeslot, without any manual intervention. Setting the test to start automatically enables autostart for the timeslot. To set autostart retry settings, see View and edit Lab Management project settings. Best practice for timeslot autostart: Where possible, run the test manually first to get an indication as to how long it takes for the test to run. This information can assist you when selecting the timeslot duration. Version Control: The last checked-in version of a test always runs, even if you have the test checked out at the start of the timeslot. In version-enabled projects, if a test scheduled to autostart contains scripts that are checked out, the autostart fails.
   Name	A descriptive name for the timeslot.
   Select a test set	Available for: Functional test set timeslots only. Enables you to link a Functional test set to the timeslot. By default, there is no linked test set, and the selection appears as none. You do not have to link a test set to the timeslot. However, linking a test set gives you the option of running the test set automatically without your manual intervention. To select a test set, click none. A window displaying the test set tree opens. Navigate to the functional test set to link to the timeslot and click OK. If you make changes to the linked test set, the timeslot is updated automatically, and you do not need to relink the test set manually. Bear in mind that changing a linked test set might affect the validity of the timeslot.
   Select a build verification suite	Available for: Build verification suite timeslots only. Enables you to link a build verification suite to the timeslot. By default, there is no linked suite, and the selection appears as none. You do not have to link a suite to the timeslot. However, linking a suite gives you the option of running the suite automatically without your manual intervention. To link a build verification suite, click none. A window displaying the Build Verification tree opens. Navigate to the build verification suite to link and click OK. If you make changes to the build verification suite, the timeslot is updated automatically, and you do not need to relink the suite manually. Bear in mind that changing a build verification suite might affect the validity of the timeslot. Version Control: You cannot link a build verification suite that contains tests that are checked out.
   Test Set	Available for: Functional test set timeslots only, and only when a test set has been linked to the timeslot. Displays the name and status of a functional test set that has been linked to the timeslot. To link a different test set to the timeslot, click the test set name. A window displaying the Test Lab tree opens. Navigate to the test set to link and click OK. To unlink the test set, click Clear. For details regarding linking test sets to timeslots, see Select a test set above.
   Build Verification Suite	Available for: Build verification suite timeslots only, and only when a suite has been linked to the timeslot. Displays the name and status of a build verification suite that has been linked to the timeslot. To link a different suite to the timeslot, click the suite's name. A window displaying the Build Verification Suite tree opens. Navigate to the suite to link and click OK. To unlink the suite, click Clear. For details regarding linking suites to timeslots, see Select a build verification suite above.
   AUT Env. Configuration	Available for: All timeslots types, but only when an entity has been linked to the timeslot. Enables you to select an AUT environment configuration for the timeslot. By default, there is no configuration selected, and the selection appears as none. To link an AUT Environment Configuration, click the [none] link. A window displaying the AUT Environments tree opens. Navigate to the AUT environment configuration to add and click OK. For details about AUT environment configuration, see Lab Resources.
   Deployment	When your system is integrated with Continuous Delivery Automation (CDA), these options enable you to select deployment actions for the application under test. For details on the integration between AUT environment configuration and CDA, see Lab Resources. ALM provides the following options for deployment: Provision and deploy. Allocates machines on which to deploy the application under test, and prepares the required image so that the application can be installed. That is, the operating system, database server and all required software are installed based on CDA parameters. Following provisioning, the application under test itself is installed. Redeploy. Deploys and runs the application under test environment on machines that have already been provisioned. Use deployed environment. Uses an existing installation to run the test. When you select an option, the environment name appears in blue. Click the name to change the selection. Note:   When deciding which option to select, bear in mind that the provisioning and deployment actions can be very time consuming. For routine testing, it is advisable to select Use Deployed. You can arrange for an environment to be deployed and available for your run. Schedule a build verification suite or test set to run for the entire day, and select the environment you want to use.
   Deprovisioning	When your system is integrated with Continuous Delivery Automation (CDA), these options enable you to select the action to be taken after an environment has been deployed. For details on the integration between AUT environment configuration and CDA, see Lab Resources. ALM provides the following options for deprovisioning: Leave environment deployed. Leaves the AUT environment deployed indefinitely. The deployed environment can be used for future tests. Deprovision at end. After the tests have completed running, the environment is undeployed and the machines are deprovisioned, freeing them up for other use.
   Duration	The duration of the timeslot, in hours and minutes. Click the Suggested Duration icon to open the Suggested Duration dialog box. For details, see Run tests in a Functional test set. A timeslot can be reserved for a minimum of 15 minutes and maximum of 480 hours (20 days).
   Start Time	The date and time (in hours and minutes) that the timeslot starts.
   End Time	The date and time (in hours and minutes) that the timeslot ends.
   Edit Recurrence	Available for: Testing timeslots that start automatically. Opens the Edit Recurrence dialog box, enabling you to edit the recurrence for the timeslot reservation. Repeat: Daily: The maintenance task occurs every day. Weekly: The maintenance task occurs every week on the selected day. Monthly: The maintenance task occurs every month on any specified days. Yearly: The maintenance task occurs every year on any specified days.
   Automatically Extend Timeslot	Available for: Functional test sets and Build Verification Suites. If enabled, the testing timeslot is automatically extended if tests are still running when the timeslot is about to end. For the timeslot to extend successfully, the necessary testing resources must be available in the timeslot extension. You can configure both the number of minutes by which to extend timeslots and the maximum number of times a timeslot can be extended. These settings are controlled on a per-project basis. To configure auto-extend settings for a project, see View and edit Lab Management project settings. Note: You can also extend a timeslot when running a test set. For details, see Run tests in a Functional test set. Timeslots are extended 5 minutes before the end of the timeslot. If a test set finishes early and a timeslot is split, the auto-extend setting for the initial timeslot is copied to the new, split timeslot. Auto-extend attempts can be seen in the Execution Report Event Log for a test set.
   Add Automatch Host	Opens the Edit Hosts dialog box, enabling you to select automatch load hosts with specific properties for the timeslot. Reserve <number> hosts. The number of automatch hosts to reserve for the timeslot. Tip: To select multiple hosts with the same properties, you can do one of the following: In the Reserve box, enter 1, and select the relevant properties. Repeat this for the other automatch hosts. If you do this five times, for example, then five identical automatch hosts are displayed in the Requested Hosts grid. In the Reserve box enter the number of automatch hosts you want to select with the same properties. For example, enter 5. One entry is displayed in the Requested Hosts grid, representing all five automatch hosts. Purpose. The purpose of the host, depending on the type of tests that are linked to the timeslot. Location. The location of the hosts. To find a specific location, enter the value in the Find box, and click Find . Host Attributes. Host attributes. The list of attributes can be customized. For details, see the LoadRunner Enterprise help. Note: Functional Test Set or Build Verification Suite timeslots must include at least one host (automatch or specific). Available for: New, open, or future testing timeslots
   Add Specific Host	Opens the Select Specific Hosts dialog box, enabling you to select specific hosts for the timeslot. Note: Functional Test Set or Build Verification Suite timeslots must include at least one host (automatch or specific). Available for: new, open, or future testing timeslots
   Edit	Enables you to edit the selected host request.
   Remove	Removes the selected load hosts.
   Set Start Time as Now	Selects the current time in the resource availability chart. A timeslot whose start time is set to the current time opens immediately upon submitting the reservation.
   Calculate Availability	Calculates the availability of the requested resources for the selected timeslot. The results are displayed graphically on the resource availability chart, and a message is displayed in the Timeslot Status tab. The availability timeline displays all timeslots when the requested hosts can be reserved. Even if the requested hosts cannot be reserved for the selected timeslot, they may be available at other times. If the timeslot cannot be reserved, consider the reasons displayed in the Timeslot Status tab when reselecting your resources. If the timeslot can be reserved, you can click Submit to save the timeslot.
   <Resource availability timeline>	Displays the availability of requested resources on a timeline: Availability not calculated. Displayed on the timeline before you calculate the availability of the requested resources for a new timeslot, or when modifying a timeslot. This is not displayed for Data Processing timeslots. Start Times. Indicates available start times for the timeslot, when the requested resources are available. Insufficient Resources. Indicates that not all the requested resources are available at the start times indicated on the timeline. Unknown. Displayed before calculating the availability of the requested resources for the timeslot. License/Project Limit. Indicates license or project limit issues at the start times indicated on the timeline. Example. More hosts requested than available in the license limit. Unavailable Resource. Indicates that a requested resource is not available at the start times indicated on the timeline.
   ID	The ID of the timeslot.
   Requested Hosts grid	Displays the resources requested for the timeslot. For Performance Test timeslots, an automatch Controller is selected by default. You can change this by browsing for a specific Controller. Note: Resources that are defined as part of a linked entity's creation (such as resources that are requested for a functional test set in the Test Lab module's Required Hosts tab) are automatically displayed in the grid. These pre-selected resources are indicated by an asterisk.
   Timeslot Status tab	Displays the status of the timeslot reservation. For details about timeslot failure, see Understand timeslot reservation failure.
   Description tab	Describes the currently selected timeslot.
   Additional Details tab	Displays additional details related to the timeslot. Available for: Existing timeslots only.
   Event Log tab	Displays a log of events related to the timeslot. For details, see Event Log. Available for:Existing timeslots only.

4. Click Submit.

   The system calculates the availability of the requested resources during the selected timeslot. If all of the resources are available, the Timeslot Reservation dialog box closes and the timeslot is reserved and displayed in the Timeslots module. If the timeslot cannot be reserved, the reasons are displayed in the Timeslot Status tab.

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Understand timeslot reservation failure

Timeslots can be reserved successfully only when all the requested resources are available for the requested duration of time.

Many factors render a timeslot invalid. Such factors include:

• Changes to the ALM licenses (This does not affect maintenance timeslots)

• Resources become unavailable

• A test linked to a timeslot becomes invalid

In some cases, such as where there is a conflict between hosts, the system can perform a reshuffle of hosts to try to rectify the situation and revalidate the timeslot. For details, see Host Allocation. Other factors, such as test invalidation, can be corrected manually.

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See also:

• Create or edit a maintenance timeslot