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Use Azure DevTest Labs for VM and PaaS test environments | Microsoft Docs
Learn how to use Azure DevTest Labs for VM and PaaS test environment scenarios.
devtest-lab,virtual-machines
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tomarcher
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07/17/2017
tarcher

Use Azure DevTest Labs for VM and PaaS test environments

You can use Azure DevTest Labs to implement many key scenarios, but a primary scenario involves using DevTest Labs to host machines for testers.

In this scenario, DevTest Labs provides these benefits:

  • Testers can test the latest version of their application by quickly provisioning Windows and Linux environments using reusable templates and artifacts.
  • Testers can scale up their load testing by provisioning multiple test agents.
  • Administrators can control costs by ensuring that:
    • Testers cannot get more VMs than they need.
    • VMs are shut down when not in use.

Use DevTest Labs for training

In this article, you learn about various Azure DevTest Labs features used to meet tester requirements and the detailed steps to follow to set up a lab.

Implementing test environments with Azure DevTest Labs

  1. Create the lab

    Labs are the starting point in Azure DevTest Labs. Once you create a lab, you can perform tasks such as adding users (testers) to the lab, setting policies to control costs, defining VM images that can create quickly, and more.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Create a lab in Azure DevTest Labs Learn how to create a lab in Azure DevTest Labs in the Azure portal.

  2. Create VMs in minutes using ready-made marketplace images and custom images

    You can pick ready-made images from a wide variety of images in the Azure Marketplace and make them available in the lab. If the ready-made images don't meet your requirements, you can create a custom image by creating a lab VM using a ready-made image from Azure Marketplace, installing all the software that you need, and saving the VM as a custom image in the lab.

    If you will be using custom images, consider using an image factory to create and distribute your images. An image factory is a configuration-as-code solution that regularly builds and distributes your configured images automatically. This saves the time required to manually configure the system after a VM has been created with the base OS.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Configure Azure Marketplace images Learn how you can whitelist Azure Marketplace images, making available for selection only the images you want for the testers.
    Create a custom image Create a custom image by pre-installing the software you need so that testers can quickly create a VM using the custom image.
    Learn about image factory Watch a video that describes how to set up and use an image factory.

  3. Create reusable templates for test machines

    A formula in Azure DevTest Labs is a list of default property values used to create a VM. You can create a formula in the lab by picking an image, a VM size (a combination of CPU and RAM), and a virtual network. Each tester can see the formula in the lab and use it to create a VM.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Manage DevTest Labs formulas to create VMs Learn how you can create a formula by picking up an image, VM size (combination of CPU and RAM), and a virtual network.

  4. Create multi-VM test environments

    You can use Azure Resource Manager templates to define the infrastructure and configuration of your Azure solution and repeatedly deploy multiple test VMs in a consistent state.

    Azure PaaS resources can be provisioned in an environment from a Resource Manager template and appear in cost tracking. However, VM auto shutdown does not apply to PaaS resources.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Create multi-VM environments and PaaS resources with Azure Resource Manager templates Learn how you can deploy multiple VMs in a consistent state for your test environment.

  5. Create artifacts to enable flexible VM customization

    Artifacts are used to deploy and configure your application after a VM is provisioned. Artifacts can be:

    • Tools that you want to install on the VM - such as agents, Fiddler, and Visual Studio.
    • Actions that you want to run on the VM - such as cloning a repo.
    • Applications that you want to test.

    Many artifacts are already available out-of-the-box. But if you want more customization for your specific needs, you can create your own custom artifacts.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Create custom artifacts for your DevTest Labs VM Create your own custom artifacts for the virtual machines in your lab.
    Add a Git repository to store custom artifacts and Azure Resource Manager templates for use in Azure DevTest Labs Learn how to store your custom artifacts in your own private Git repo.

  6. Control costs

    Azure DevTest Labs allows you to set a policy in the lab to specify the maximum number of VMs that can be created by a tester in the lab.

    If your test team has a set work schedule and you want to stop all the VMs at a particular time of the day and then automatically restart them the following day, you can easily accomplish that by setting auto-shutdown and auto-start policies in the lab.

    Finally, when app development is complete, you can delete all the VMs at once by running a single PowerShell script.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Define lab policies Control costs by setting policies in the lab.
    Delete all the lab VMs using a PowerShell script Delete all the labs in one operation when testing is complete.

  7. Add a virtual network to a Lab

    DevTest Labs creates a new virtual network (VNET) whenever a lab is created. If you have configured your own VNET – for example, by using ExpressRoute or site-to-site VPN – you can add this VNET to your lab's virtual network settings so that it is available when creating VMs.

    In addition, there is an Azure Active Directory domain join artifact available that joins a VM to a domain when the VM is being created.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Configure a virtual network in Azure DevTest Labs Learn how to configure a virtual network in Azure DevTest Labs using the Azure portal.

  8. Share the lab with each tester

    Labs can be directly accessed using a link that you share with your testers. They don't even have to have an Azure account, as long as they have a Microsoft account. Testers cannot see VMs created by other testers.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Add a tester to a lab in Azure DevTest Labs Use the Azure portal to add testers to your lab.
    Add testers to the lab using a PowerShell script Use PowerShell to automate adding testers to your lab.
    Get a link to the lab Learn how testers can directly access a lab via a hyperlink.

  9. Automate lab creation for more teams

    You can automate lab creation, including custom settings, by creating a Resource Manager template and using it to create identical labs again and again.

    Learn more by clicking on the links in the following table:

    Task What you learn
    Create a lab using a Resource Manager template Create labs in Azure DevTest Labs using Resource Manager templates.

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