Distributed Execution checklists & best practices

Tricentis recommends that you go through the checklists and best practices below to ensure that you are ready for Tosca Distributed Execution.

Checklists

The following checklists help you to prepare your environment for the installation of Tosca Distributed Execution.

Tosca Distributed Execution Server
	The server machine meets the system requirements for Tosca Server.
	The server machine has open ports for inbound traffic: 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS): Tosca Server. 80 and 443 are the default HTTP/HTTPS ports. If you have another service running that already uses these ports, you need to configure a different port. 5012: Tricentis Tosca Server Landing Page, which includes the DEX Monitor. If you use Tosca Distributed Execution with AOS, you also need the following ports: 5002: TricentisService Discovery 5006: Automation Object Service
* The ports listed here are the default ports. You can specify different ports during the Tosca Server setup.

Tosca Distributed Execution Server

The server machine meets the system requirements for Tosca Server.

The server machine has open ports for inbound traffic*:

80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS): Tosca Server.

80 and 443 are the default HTTP/HTTPS ports. If you have another service running that already uses these ports, you need to configure a different port.
5012: Tricentis Tosca Server Landing Page, which includes the DEX Monitor.

If you use Tosca Distributed Execution with AOS, you also need the following ports*:

5002: TricentisService Discovery
5006: Automation Object Service

* The ports listed here are the default ports. You can specify different ports during the Tosca Server setup.

Tosca Distributed Execution Agent
Agent machines are the machines on which your tests run. An Agent can run on a physical or virtual machine.
	You have a separate machine for each Agent. Tosca Distributed Execution doesn't support, for instance, containers or Terminal Server setups.
	The Agent machine meets the hardware system requirements for Tosca Distribution Agents.
	The Agent machine meets the system requirements for Tricentis Tosca. Which of the listed requirements apply depends on your tests. For instance, if your tests utilize the Host Engine 3.0, the Agent machine must meet the Host Engine 3.0 system requirements.
	The Agent user has the necessary rights and permissions for your tests (see chapter "Agents: rights and permissions").
	The Agent machine allows outbound traffic and can connect to the Tosca Server. If you use Tosca Distributed Execution without AOS, the Agent machine must also be able to connect to the common repository.
	Since the Agent machine executes your tests, it also needs available ports for all Tosca components that are part of your tests. For a list of these ports, see chapter "Ports required by Tosca components".

Unattended Execution
All items on this checklist apply to the Agent machines.
	Port 3389 is available for inbound communication. This is the default port for Remote Desktop on Windows. If you have defined a different port for Remote Desktop on Windows, you must also change the port in the Agent configuration.
	You have disabled all screensavers and splash screens that block access to the graphical user interface.
	You have enabled remote access in your Windows system properties. You can limit which users are allowed to connect remotely.
	The firewall allows RDP connections.
	You have configured Windows Network Level Authentication: If you add the domain name to the RDP user name in the setup, you can keep Network Level Authentication. If you don't add the domain name to the RDP user name, you need to deselect the Windows Network Level Authentication setting Require computers to use Network Level Authentication to connect.
	You have set the following group and security policies: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL Security Policy: Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL Required Value: Enabled Disable Interactive logon: Message text Security Policy Folder: Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\ Policies: Interactive logon: Message text for users attempting to logon and Interactive logon: Message title for users attempting to logon Required value: leave the values empty Disable any prompts for passwords Group Policy: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Security\Always prompt for password upon connection Required value: Disabled

User machine
User machines are the machines on which you create tests and trigger executions.
	The user machine meets the system requirements for Tricentis Tosca.
	The user machine allows outbound traffic and can connect to: Tosca Server The common repository If you use Tosca Distributed Execution with AOS, the user machine must also be able to connect to: Automation Object Service Tricentis Service Discovery These have to be the same ports as the ports that you defined for the DEX Server.
	Since you create tests on the user machine, it needs available ports for all Tosca components that are part of your tests. For a list of these ports, see chapter "Ports required by Tosca components".

Best practices

Keep the following best practices for Tosca Distributed Execution in mind:

General

Install DEX Server and Agents on separate machines. If you install them on the same machine, you risk decreased execution performance.
Compact workspaces regularly. If you use Tosca Distributed Execution without AOS, this includes your Agent workspaces.

If you use Tosca Distributed Execution with AOS, Tricentis recommends that you regularly compact your AOS workspace with the AOS REST API. For more information, see the AOS setup chapters (HTTP setup chapter or HTTPS setup chapter).
Agents do not auto-restart. If you restart an Agent machine, you also have to restart your Agent. This may not be feasible if you have many Agents and/or frequently restart machines.

Alternatively, you can specify that the Agent should auto-start at Windows start-up. For information on how to do so, see this Tricentis Knowledge Base article.

Please note that the auto-start commences once a user logs in after the reboot.
Stop and start Agents, for instance after Windows updates on the Agent machine or changes to your system under test. For information on how to stop and start Agents, see chapter "Work with Tosca Distribution Agents".
By default, the Agent doesn't try to re-establish the connection if the RDP connection is lost. If you log in to an Agent which is currently executing, the execution stops and can't resume. To minimize risk, you can specify that you want the Agent to try and re-establish a lost connection (see chapter "Define RDP connection retry attempts").
Pay close attention to desktop width/height or color depth settings on user machines and Agents. For instance, if you create tests on 1920x1080 resolution, but the Agent machine uses 1600x1200, some applications may be rendered differently. The Agent may then not recognize certain objects.

You can configure Agent desktop width/height or color depth settings in the Agent View of the DEX Monitor.

Tosca Distributed Execution without AOS

Double-check your Tosca synchronization policies.

You need to make sure that all workspaces have access to all necessary objects in the repository. For instance, Agents need the TestEvents folder. Consequently, it must not be excluded from synchronization in the Agent workspace.
Don't add the same ExecutionList to multiple TestEvents. If you do, the execution of the second TestEvent is blocked until the system has executed the ExecutionList for the first TestEvent.

What's next

Install and set up Tosca Distributed Execution.

For information on how to do so, see the chapters below. All chapters include the necessary set-up steps for Unattended Execution or a proxy server.