Test Plan Execution with TFS 2015

Question

I need to create a test deployment. We have 2 identical test agents for load balancing purpose. I add a Windows File Copy, VS Test Agent deployment and Run Functional Tests steps. I copy all the required artifacts (test dlls and test files) to all the agents (1st step), write the two agents names to the 2nd and 3rd steps. And then ...?

Will it select one of the agents for deployment and run or will it deploy and run on each of the agents? In the 1st case will it select the same agent for deployment (2nd step) and for the execution (3rd step)? Then how (what hidden feature will link the 2nd and 3rd steps together? How (on what criteria) will the TFS select the 1st or the 2nd agent? Can the agents work as build agents as well? Will the TFS know if they are working on something or not? Is there any documentation on how TFS 2015 thinks and works on a scenario like this?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Test agents are not the same as build agents.

You push the binaries to the test agents, then in the Run Functional Tests step, you tell it:

• What test agents to run the tests on
• What tests to run (either by specifying a test assembly and category filters or a test plan)
• How to distribute the tests across the specified test agents. You can choose to run them in parallel.

Ref: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/vsts/build-release/tasks/test/run-functional-tests