Azure DevOps plug-in

This section describes how to integrate LoadRunner Enterprise with the Azure DevOps continuous integration and continuous delivery system.

The plug-in enables developers to work on-premises using Azure DevOps Server, formerly named Visual Studio Team Foundation Server (VSTS or TFS), or in the cloud using Azure DevOps Services.

Prerequisites

To use the LoadRunner Enterprise-Azure DevOps/TFS plug-in extension, you must have the following available or installed on your Azure DevOps/TFS server:

  • A connection to the LoadRunner Enterprise server designed to run load tests on LoadRunner Enterprise hosts. For details, see the LoadRunner Enterprise Installation Guide (available from Installation).

  • The LoadRunner Enterprise-Azure DevOps/TFS plug-in. For details, see Install the plug-in for Azure DevOps/TFS.

  • Powershell version 4.0 or higher.

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Install the plug-in for Azure DevOps/TFS

Before you can run LoadRunner Enterprise tests as part of your build on a Azure DevOps CI system, you have to install the LoadRunner Enterprise plug-in extension on your Azure DevOps/TFS server.

  1. Prerequisites

    You must have administrator permissions on your Azure DevOps/TFS server to install the extension.

  2. Verify that your Azure DevOps/TFS server is up and running. Refer to the product documentation for more details.

    For the supported Azure DevOps/TFS server versions, see the Support Matrix.

  3. Download the LoadRunner Enterprise plug-in for Azure DevOps/TFS extension file (Micro-Focus.PCIntegration-<version number>.vsix) which is available from either:

  4. Upload the file to your Azure DevOps/TFS Manage extension section (http://<TFS_server_and_port>/tfs/_gallery/manage).

  5. Install the plug-in extension to your team project collection.

For details on uploading and installing extensions to Azure DevOps/TFS, see the Microsoft Azure DevOps Server documentation.

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Run a test from the Azure DevOps/TFS build process task

This section explains how to run a LoadRunner Enterprise test from the Azure DevOps/TFS build process task. To do this, access your Azure DevOps/TFS build and perform the following:

  1. Add an additional build step in the correct place in the build order.

  2. In the Task catalog, select the Test tab to view a list of all available test tasks.

  3. Select the LoadRunner Enterprise Test task and click Add. A new, empty task is added as part of your build plan.

  4. Click Close to edit your build step. Provide the following details for your task:

    Name Description
    Display name Enter a name to distinguish this build step from other steps.

    LRE server and port

    Enter the hostname or IP address and port of a LoadRunner Enterprise server in the format:
    http(s)://(LR_Enterprise_Server):(port)

    Default: http://mylreserver:80

    <LRE credentials>

     

    Depending on the authentication type required by your LoadRunner Enterprise server, credentials can be a user name and password, or an API key for SSO or LDAP authentication.

    • Username and password:

      User name. Enter the user name required to connect to the LoadRunner Enterprise server.

      Password. Enter the password required to connect to the LoadRunner Enterprise server. You can create a variable of type secret in the Azure DevOps/TFS build to store the password, and specify the variable to avoid exposing a password in the build configuration. For example, '$(LREPassword)') .

    • SSO or LDAP authentication:

      Select Authenticate with token.

      Enter the Client ID and Secret key obtained from your LoadRunner Enterprise site administrator in the Id Key and Secret key boxes. For details, see Set up API access.
    Domain Enter the LoadRunner Enterprise domain in which the test to run is stored.
    Project Enter the name of the LoadRunner Enterprise project in which the test to run is stored.
    Test ID Enter the Test ID. You can get the ID from LoadRunner Enterprise > Test Management > Tests & Scripts. Select your test and find the ID in the General Details: ID <number>.
    Test Instance

    Select an option for adding the Test Instance ID:

    • Automatically select existing or create new if none exists. If you select this option, the existing test instance is located or a new test instance is created.

    • Manual selection. Enter the Test Instance ID from the Assign and Select Test Set dialog box. For details, see To edit a test set:.
    Proxy URL Add your local proxy in the format http(s)://(host):(port#), or leave empty if not using a local proxy.
    Proxy user name If you use a proxy, enter the user name.
    Proxy password

    If you use a proxy that requires authentication, enter the password.

    Note: You can create a variable of type secret in the Azure DevOps/TFS build to store the password, and specify the variable to avoid exposing a password in the build configuration. For example, '$(ProxyPassword)') .
    Post Run Action Choose an action to perform when the run is finished: Collate Results, Collate and Analyze, or Do Not Collate.
    Trending

    (Available only when Collate and Analyze is selected as the Post Run Action)

    Select a trend report option:

    • Do Not Trend. No trend report is created.

    • Use trend report associated with the test. If Auto Trending is selected in the Load Test, select this option to automatically publish trend results.

    • Add run to trend report with ID. If you select this option, enter the trend report ID.
    Timeslot Duration

    Enter a duration for the Ad-Hoc timeslot.

    Maximum: 480 hours

    Minimum: 30 minutes
    Use VUFDs

    Choose whether to use a Virtual User Flex Days (VUFD) license. This provides you with a specified number of Vusers (VUFDs) that you can run an unlimited number of times within a 24 hour period.

    Before using this option, make sure that VUFD licenses are applied in your LoadRunner Enterprise environment.
    Status according to SLA

    Select this option to set the build-step status according to a predefined SLA (Service Level Agreement) configured within your performance test.

    If you do not select this option, the build-step is labeled as "Passed" provided that no failures occurred.
    On Timeslot creation failure

    Choose an action to perform if the timeslot cannot be created: Do not repeat (the task ends), or Repeat with the following parameters:

    • Delay between attempts. Amount of time, in minutes, to wait between a failed attempt and the next attempt (the minimum is 1 and the maximum is 10).

    • Number of attempts. The number of attempts to run the test (the minimum is 2 and the maximum is 10).
    Artifacts directory Enter the path to the artifacts directory where the result files are stored.

  5. Save your build step settings.

    Note: The only validations performed on the task form are to ensure that you supply a value (not a valid or correct value). Supplying an incorrect test ID causes the test to fail during runtime. If you supply invalid repeat values, they are replaced by the default values.

  6. Run the build.

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View test results

The LoadRunner Enterprise testing task saves the log file and report in the build artifact directory (supplied in the Artifacts directory field of the LoadRunner Enterprise Testing task; by default “$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)/PCTest”).

The LoadRunner Enterprise Test task does not publish the build artifact directory to the Azure DevOps/TFS server. Therefore, add another task to the Azure DevOps/TFS CI build process to publish the artifact.

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See also: