Digital Lab Architecture

Digital Lab is a standalone server that provides mobile device access to different test applications. Digital Lab supports a distributed architecture where different test clients can all interact with the same Digital Lab server instance.

Digital Lab environment

The individual components of the UFT Digital Lab and the relationship between them are represented in the following diagram:

The Digital Lab environment consists of the following components:

Component	Function
Digital Lab Server	This is a single web server that: Mediates between the testing-tool client calls to mobile devices, and provides a user interface within the testing tool for recording and running tests on real mobile devices. Accepts apps for testing, and manages app versions. Includes a PostgreSQL database storing reusable data. For example, metadata of uploaded apps and connectors, certificates, and user information. Provides a user interface (Lab Management console) for administrators to: manage users manage apps and view their properties such as OS and version control devices: restart, unlock, or open a device remotely view and manage connectors configure a variety of settings for users such as proxy definitions and packaging services
External PostgreSQL database	You can connect Digital Lab to an existing external PostgreSQL database. This allows your organization to manage and utilize existing DB resources. You specify this option during installation. For details, see Windows Installation or Linux Installation.
Connector	The connector is a lightweight piece of software for connecting devices to Digital Lab, which can be installed together with the server (embedded connector), or as a standalone component. You can install the connector on multiple machines in distributed locations, or on your testing-tool machine. For more details, see Install the connector on a Windows machine, Install the connector on a Linux machine, or Install the connector on a Mac Machine. The connector manages the physical USB connection to the device, and the logical state machine on top of it. It maps the ports to connect to the device over USB and manages the remote screen viewer stream from the device to the tool. It receives lifecycle events from the USB library such as device connected or device disconnected, Agent finished installing, and Agent started. It transfers these events to the Digital Lab server for adding the device to the pool. The connector is also responsible for installing and uninstalling apps on the device.
Test devices accessed via connectors	These are the devices (smartphones/tablets) on which the tests are run. The following applications are copied to the test devices: The Digital Lab Agent, which manages commands to the AUT, to the OS (control outside a specific app), and to the remote screen viewer server that supplies the UI and remote control for the testing-tool clients. The AUT – Application under Test.
NV Test Manager	Network Virtualization is an optional component for testing apps running under different network conditions. Network virtualization emulates real-world conditions by imposing impairments and constraints in your testing environment during the software testing process, thereby improving software testing accuracy. Supported only for on-premises devices.

The following diagram displays the ValueEdge Digital Lab environment :

Connector deployment scenarios

The connector is a lightweight piece of software for connecting devices to Digital Lab. The embedded connector, which you can choose to install on the Digital Lab server machine as part of the installation process, is automatically configured to work with the local server. However, the connector can also be installed as a standalone component on a different machine, such as that of a developer or testing engineer. Usually, a combination of the following scenarios is used:

Scenario	Description	Advantages
Central device hub	A central lab of devices connected to the connector on the Digital Lab server machine.	Efficiency. Avoids duplication of tasks for setting up and managing devices.
Distributed device hubs	Connectors installed on machines in multiple locations (on-site/off-site/globally dispersed).	Scalable. New labs can be added as needed.
Bring your own device	Connector installed on a developer's/testing engineer's machine.	Supports hands-on testing of the app on the device.

Network connectivity

The following diagram represents a more drilled-down view, with a focus on the physical deployment of a Digital Lab server. The different protocols used are also shown.

Client tools and Digital Lab server connectivity

Common client tools are UFT One, LoadRunner, Sprinter, BPM, UFT Developer, and Appium scripts.

Testing-tool clients connect to the Digital Lab server for the following:

A user interface (UI) for managing devices and uploading apps over HTTP/HTTPS.
API (JSON commands) for tests and management, sent over WebSocket (WS).
The remote screen viewer client.

Digital Lab server and connector connectivity

The connector establishes a WebSocket (WS) connection with the Digital Lab server, allowing two-way asynchronous communication from the connector to the server, and vice versa, on the same socket. API calls and files are passed over WS.

Testing tool, connector, and device connectivity

The connector maps a port forward to the mobile device for communication of API traffic using mobile libraries (Android Debug Bridge (ADB), Mobile Device Library (libimobiledevice). It also opens a WebSocket connection to the Agent. The connector maps a port forward for the remote screen viewer. The connector exposes the remote screen viewer directly to the tool for minimum latency when operating the device remotely. The Digital Lab Agent on the device listens on a WebSocket port.

High availability

This functionality is supported only in UFT Digital Lab.

The diagram below displays a Digital Lab active-passive high availability environment:

Note that both servers should always be up and running. One of the servers marks itself as active, and the other as passive. The load balance redirects all requests to the active server. When the active server fails, the passive server becomes active, and the load balancer starts redirecting all requests to it. Make sure to monitor and restart the failed server, so that it becomes passive.

OpenText hosted lab

The diagram below displays a UFT Digital Lab deployment with OpenText hosted public devices and browsers.

Interface with Amazon Device Farm

UFT Digital Lab allows you to work with the cloud-based Amazon Device Farm, to run tests on a large variety of devices.

The following diagram depicts how the UFT Digital Lab connector interfaces with the AWS Device Farm.

For details on how to set up Digital Lab for this integration, see AWS Device Farm integration.

Cloud to local testing

A tunneling solution enables you to use OpenText cloud devices and cloud browsers to test apps hosted on your private networks. The following diagram displays the communication between the elements in the cloud to local testing environment.