| New UI Design |
The XPRESSO dashboard has been redesigned to:
- Improve navigation and simplify the general workflow.
- Enhance accessibility/usability/aesthetics and provide a better visual hierarchy.
- Align with Cisco UI design standards.
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Introducing the XPRESSO Dashboard |
| Support for Executing Jobs via the Cloud |
XPRESSO now provides support for executing Job Runs via the Cloud using a Docker Image. The Docker image contains the virtual environment (with all required scripts, libraries, python environment, pyATS packages, and other dependencies/packages) needed to execute the Job Request. |
Cloud Execution Engine |
| Support for Docker (Cloud) Images |
XPRESSO now supports adding (registering) existing Docker Images or building new Docker images to provide a virtual equivalent of a test execution environment to execute Job Runs in the Cloud. This eliminates the need for a physical (Jenkins) execution engine or test harness; the Cloud-equivalent test execution environment provides a portable, stable, and reproducible (controlled) testing environment. |
Registering New Docker Images |
| Enhancements to Baseline Feature |
The following enhancements have been added to complement/enhance the existing baseline feature in XPRESSO to allow Users to:
- Use baseline comparison as a baseline criteria to compare test results from different Job runs.
- Set condition(s) when test results are marked as a baseline based on the following criteria: (1) the overall percentage of passed test cases (2) the minimum number of passed test cases (3) if the test results match or have improved when compared to the latest baseline.
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Setting Baseline and Baseline Comparison |
| LiveView Support Extended to Cloud Executions |
LiveView now provides support to display real-time progress logs for Job Runs executed in the Cloud via a Docker Image in addition to Job Runs executed via the Jenkins Execution Engine.
Users also gets the added benefit of getting live (as-they-happen) test case results, and concise log details as the Job Request executes.
Note that pyATS v20.6.1 is required to view Job Run logs using LiveView. |
Viewing Job Request Executions using LiveView |
| Support for Registering Webhooks |
You can now add and register Webhooks (also called a web callback or HTTP push APIs) that allows third-party applications to interface with XPRESSO using custom callbacks so it can deliver (push) real-time information to those apps as it updates. This differs from typical APIs where you need to poll for data frequently to get real-time information. Some Webhooks allow third-party applications to reply to XPRESSO, and can modify its behavior in some way. All Webhooks extended through XPRESSO are maintained by their third-parties. |
Adding New Webhooks |
| Support for CTC Webhooks |
XPRESSO now supports a Webhook for CTC (commonly referred to as Testwell CTC++; an instrumentation-based code coverage and dynamic analysis tool for C/C++ code and is commonly used to evaluate/test the comprehensiveness of test automation plans. |
Adding New Webhooks |
| Support for Job Request Webhooks |
XPRESSO now supports a Webhook that allows Users to set up their own pre-or-post automation routines using Job Requests (and any returned test results) they have submitted and executed via XPRESSO. |
Adding New Webhooks |
| Support for Executing Job Runs from the Associate Testbed Pool |
In the previous release of XPRESSO, when you performed a Job Run, XPRESSO executes your Job Run on the first available testbed from the pool of testbeds associated with the Job Request. You now have the option to run your Jobs on all testbeds from the testbed pool associated with the Job Request; Job execution is still subject to the testbed availability and priority queues. You can also limit which testbeds are used for testing by selecting/de-selecting the appropriate testbed in the Job Profile associated with your Job.
To facilitate enabling and disabling of this feature, a new "Execute on all Testbeds" parameter has been added to the Profile Options on the Job Request page. This parameter is disabled by default. |
Working with Testbeds
Executing Job Requests |
| New LaaS Snapshot Feature |
After you create a LaaS-NG topology and it has an reservation in an active state applied to it, you can take a snapshot of an existing LaaS topology and it's configuration at that point in time so it can be reused to re-create the test environment at a later time. This significantly decreases the time to set up a LaaS-NG topology since the entire test infrastructure is replicated.
Snapshots are taken on the Registered Reservations page; you can then access all snapshots associated with a parent topology via the topology page. |
Creating Testbed and Topology Reservations
Creating Topologies |
| Enhancement to Job Scheduling Repeat Intervals |
Job Runs can be scheduled to repeat daily, weekly, or monthly. You can now schedule Job Runs to repeat at a custom time interval (for example, every six hours or every 30 minutes).
To facilitate enabling/disabling/configuration of this feature, a new "Customize" checkbox and corresponding duration entry field has been added to the Repeat options on the New Schedule form. |
Creating a New Job Schedule |
| User Guide Improvements |
The following improvements have been made to the XPRESSO User Guide:
- The User Guide has been redesigned and updated to reflect the new UI design; substantial new content has been added to document all new and legacy features.
- A new Quick Start has been added to help new Users who want to test-drive XPRESSO to get familiar with XPRESSO with minimal ramp time. After you complete the Quick Start, a suggested reading path is provided to gradually introduce you to the full complement of XPRESSO's features.
- XPRESSO constantly monitors all downstream equipment and resources managed by XPRESSO in real-time to report their current state (status). All Operational and Configuration states have been defined to help you:
- Determine the readiness of downstream test equipment and the resource operational states prior to executing your test cases.
- Determine what caused a problem in the event your Job Run ran into an unexpected problem or to troubleshoot any other system-related problems.
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Quick Start
Operational and Configuration States |