Configuring Cloud-Hosted Execution Servers

Cloud-hosted execution servers run on a cloud provider, like VMware vCloud. To configure a cloud-hosted execution server:

  1. In the menu, click Administration > Execution Environment.
  2. Select the location for which you want to configure an execution server.
    • To create a new execution server, click New Virtual Execution Server.
    • To edit an existing execution server, click the respective Edit button in the Actions column.
    • To synchronize the list of execution servers that use templates from a cloud provider, select the Cloud Providers tab. Click in the Actions column to synchronize the list of execution servers that use templates from this cloud provider. This will remove all virtual execution servers of this profile that have a template assigned which no longer exists. After a Hotfix has been applied, this will also update the templates of automatically created virtual execution servers.
    Note: Execution servers must be deactivated before their properties can be edited. Keyword-lists of active execution servers can however be edited.
  3. In the Cloud Provider list, choose from the list of configured cloud provider profiles to determine in which cloud the virtual environment will be deployed when this execution server is used for an automated run.
  4. In the Virtual Image Template list, select the image template from which a new instance will be created for each automated run. Depending on the cloud provider, an image template consists of at least one virtual machine image. A Silk Central execution server must be running in one virtual machine image. If the execution server version is outdated, the server will be upgraded automatically after deploying the virtual environment for each automated run. The deployment procedure is quicker if the VM image already runs a current execution server version.
  5. Enter a name for the execution server in the Name field.
  6. Click Keywords to select keywords from a list or add new keywords that describe the execution server. These keywords are analyzed at execution time to dynamically select an appropriate server for each execution. For more information, see Creating and Assigning Execution Server Keywords.
  7. Settings in the Advanced section only need to be modified if you are not using the default settings. Specify the port on which the execution server listens in the Port field.
    Note: Check the Use SSL check box if you want to connect to the execution server through SSL.
    Tip: To connect to the execution server through a non-standard SSL port, see Configuring a Non-Standard SSL Port for Execution Servers.
  8. Optional: Type a responsiveness timeout in seconds in the Responsiveness Timeout field. If the execution server on the cloud provider is not accessible for the specified time, the VM is shut down. Enter 0 if you do not want to shut down the VM in such a case (this will require you to manually abort the test run if the VM can never be reached).
  9. Click OK to save your settings and enable the execution server for automated runs according to the specified keywords. If you receive an error message, ensure that your port setting is correct and that an execution server is installed on the virtual machine image. If the error message mentions that the installed execution server is of an invalid version, you can ignore the error because the server will be upgraded automatically for each automated run.