The document discusses using cloud-based virtualization to improve test automation. It proposes using data compression techniques to copy test images faster, storing older logs from automated regression tests (eARMS) in the cloud to save space on local servers, and implementing caching on browsers to improve performance. It acknowledges challenges with using external cloud providers including costs and security concerns. It also lists several routing protocols and fast reroute technologies that could provide reliability benefits for a cloud-based infrastructure.

1. Cisco Confidential© 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 1
Cloud-based Virtualization for
Test Automation
Vikram Hosakote, Sr. Software Developer
Cisco Systems
NOSTG Boxborough MA
February 24, 2012

2. © 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 2
• Data compression
• Virtualization
• Data storage
• Data caching
• Continuous Integration and Deployment

3. © 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 3
• Lossless data compression mechanisms to copy images faster to /auto/bxb-
golden/earms/wait_dir.
• Images become smaller.
• Copying becomes two times (or even three times) faster.
• More jobs per testbed per day.

4. © 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 4
• VMs on UCS, VMVare, Aurora, CLS thin clients, Amazon Web Services
• eARMS logs older than six months are lost. Store them on the cloud.
• Each job has [clean logs + ATS logs + script logs]. Use classification algorithms to
separate the useful logs from the useless.

5. © 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 5
• vhosakot-sb150:882> traceroute earms-app-test.cisco.com
bxb23-wan-gw1-ten3-2.cisco.com (161.44.85.133) 12 ms 1 ms 1 ms
nycidc-wan-gw2-pos2-2-0.cisco.com (161.44.85.217) 7 ms 7 ms 6 ms
chiidc-rbb-gw1-ten2-3.cisco.com (10.112.3.190) 26 ms 26 ms 26 ms
denidc-rbb-gw2-ten2-2.cisco.com (10.112.3.161) 46 ms 46 ms 46 ms
sjc5-j09-dci05n-gw1-por2.cisco.com (171.71.243.86) 78 ms 80 ms 77 ms
earms-app-test.cisco.com (171.70.78.41) 78 ms 78 ms 78 ms Invisible
• Implement local caching on the browser using cookies and temp files.
• Don’t ask the server something you already know.

6. © 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 6
• Money – External cloud providers like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services,
Google Cloud App charge for every byte.
• Cisco corporate data policies for external clouds.
• Data redundancy.
• Data Security. No insurance.
• Complex architecture.
• Clouds do fail. Example – MegaUploads.
• Java and Python expertise.

7. © 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 7
• BFD – subsecond IGP reconvergence
• IP-FRR
• MPLS-TE-FRR
• RSTP
• WAN protocols

8. © 2010 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 8

9. Thank you.