Test lab guides (TLGs) allow you to get valuable hands-on experience with new products and technologies using a pre-defined and tested methodology that results in a working configuration. When you use a TLG to create a test lab, instructions define what servers to create, how to configure the operating systems and system services, and how to install and configure any additional products or technologies. A TLG experience enables you to see all of the components and the configuration steps on both the front-end and back-end that are required for a product or technology or for a multi-product or technology solution.
A challenge in creating useful TLGs is to enable their reusability and extensibility. Because creating a test lab can represent a significant investment of time and resources, your ability to reuse and extend the work required to create test labs is important. An ideal test lab environment would enable you to create a basic lab configuration, save that configuration, and then build out multiple test lab scenarios in the future by starting with the base configuration.
For a test lab based on physical computers, you can image the drives for future test labs. For a test lab based on virtual machines, you can create snapshots for future test labs. This allows you to easily return to a desired configuration for further learning and experimentation. The types of TLG documents are the following:
The Base Configuration TLG allows you to create the base configuration test lab, upon which you can build test labs based on other TLGs from Microsoft, test lab extensions in the TechNet Wiki, or a test lab of your own design that can include Microsoft or non-Microsoft products.
The base configuration TLG is just the beginning of the test lab experience. Other TLGs or test lab extensions in the TechNet Wiki focus on Microsoft products or platform technologies, but all of them use the Base Configuration TLG as a starting point.
After configuring the computers of the base configuration test lab, make sure that you perform a disk image on each computer if you are using physical computers, or perform virtual machine snapshots if you are using virtual machines. For a base configuration test lab that uses computers running beta versions of Windows 8 and Windows Server "8", see Windows Server “8” Beta Test Lab Guides.
A modular TLG describes how to set up and demonstrate a technology, product, or solution for either the Base Configuration test lab or a test lab based on another modular TLG. The following modular TLGs are available, sorted by purpose, product, or technology. Building blocks:
Windows Server "8" Beta:
DirectAccess in Windows Server 2008:
DirectAccess in Forefront UAG 2010:
Forefront Idenitity Manager (FIM):
System Center:
Remote access VPN:
Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010:
SharePoint Server 2010:
To create your own modular TLG in the TechNet Wiki, see the Wiki: Modular Test Lab Guide Template.
A test lab extension article, published in the TechNet Wiki, describes how to configure additional functionality or advanced or uncommon configurations based on a working test lab. A test lab extension extends a modular TLG.
The test lab extension article includes instructions to configure and test the additional functionality, and then manually restore the test lab to its original state. A test lab extension article also includes virtualization advice so that you can create snapshots to store the modified test lab configuration and easily restore the original working test lab configuration.
Examples of test lab extensions are the following:
To create your own test lab extension, see Wiki: Test Lab Extension Template.
A troubleshooting TLG describes the troubleshooting tools and how they appear in a working test lab for a technology, product, or multi-technology and product solution. The working test lab is typically based on a modular TLG.
A troubleshooting TLG also takes you through a set of troubleshooting scenarios. Each troubleshooting scenario steps you through the following:
The following troubleshooting TLGs are available:
To create your own troubleshooting TLG in the TechNet Wiki, see the Wiki: Troubleshooting Test Lab Guide Template.
A test lab troubleshooting scenario, published in the TechNet Wiki, provides an additional scenario to demonstrate the results of a misconfiguration or other type of common problem and guide the reader through the root cause determination and correction. Test lab troubleshooting scenarios extend a troubleshooting TLG.
For an example of a test lab troubleshooting scenario, click here.
To create your own test lab troubleshooting scenario, see Wiki: Test Lab Troubleshooting Scenario Template.
A modular TLG is designed to take you through the installation and configuration of a technology or component, demonstrate its functionality, and leave you with a working test lab environment for further experimentation and hands-on learning. However, in some cases you already have the expertise and just want to get to a new working test lab environment as quickly as possible. The TLG mini-module is a new type of topic published in the TechNet Wiki that just includes the essential configuration steps to get an existing and working test lab to a new working configuration, essentially skipping the demonstration steps. An example of a TLG mini-module is the following:
To create your own TLG mini-module, see Wiki: TLG Mini-Module Template.
A TLG portal page is a TechNet Wiki article that provides links to all of the resources for the test lab of specific technology or product, including test lab and TLG stack diagrams.
The following TLG portal pages are available:
For the answers to frequently asked questions about TLGs, see the TLG FAQ. For the latest information about TLGs, see the Microsoft TLG blog.
This section contains a list of Test Lab Guides that are under active development. You should refer to this section before creating your own Test Lab Guide to make sure that you are not duplicating efforts. If you find that you want to create a Test Lab Guide that covers the same subject matter as one under development, we encourage you to collaborate with the TLG developer and combine your efforts. You can write to Test Lab Guides Feedback (tlgfb@microsoft.com) and we will connect you with the Microsoft TLG developer so that you can work together.
This isn't linked under the TechNet Articles page. It's confusing if you click the TechNet Articles bread crumb, you won't be able to find your way back without searching.
Also, is there any chance that user submitted Modular TLGs will be permitted?
To my knowledge, the list on the TechNet Articles page are only for spotlighted products and their articles and should not contain a link to all possible TechNet Wiki articles.
We are working on Wiki templates for anybody to create their own modular TLG. Stay tuned.
FYI: The Wiki template for creating your own modular TLG is now available at social.technet.microsoft.com/.../wiki-modular-test-lab-guide-template.aspx.
Done the Base Config testlab, only . . .
When i want to start the IIS Manager to create a web-based CRL, i don't have the permisson to do this (as User1 as described)
regards
To simplify permissions issues, the User1 account has domain administrator-level permissions. Can you confirm that this is the case in your base configuration test lab? Thanks
This was great. I got stuck for awhile though because I needed to modify the AD user account for "user1." I had to allow Dial In \ Allow Access on the Dial-in tab of the user account properties.
These are really great. I'm surprised the idea hasn't come around sooner. I'm having a blast building these and learning a lot while doing it. I've probably got snapshots of 70% of the labs already and can't wait to see more.
Great job! Keep up the good work.
Not to detract from the excellent work, but I do think we're missing one vital point; Should we not be looking at "best practice" when using the guides? So, for example, not using the administrator account/domain admin permissions but delegating those permissions out correctly.
Hi Jeff - The issue of best pracices has come up before and we've thought about it and will continue to consider the implications. The primary goal of the TLGs is to show the components of the solution on the front and back end so that you can quickly see all the moving parts without having to read 1000 pages of planning and deployment guides. Best practices are problematic in the test lab because it would make the guides a lot more complex and in many cases, we couldn't even do a best practices environment in a test lab without adding more virtual machines. However, there are some things that we can do to improve in this area and we appreciate you bring this issue up. Thanks! --Tom.
Is there likely to be a Sharepoint article soon? Something we are thinking about once I have rolled out Exchange 2010.