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 / 
Test-Server-0.02_02
River stage zero No dependents
3 ++
/ Test::Server

NAME

Test::Server - what about test driven administration?

SYNOPSIS

        cp -r examples /etc/t
        cd /etc/t
        vim test-server.yaml
        prove /etc/t

        use Test::Server;
        Test::Server->run();

DESCRIPTION

Ever heard of test driven development? What about test driven administration? Take a look around examples/ folder for example tests that you can run agains your server.

The general configuration should be done through the test-server.yaml and should be managable by any non Perl awear admin (are there any?). Ofcourse you are free to put any other test that make sence for your server.

The idea behind this is following. You run prove /etc/t and everything is fine. Server is up and running. Life is nice. Then somebody calls you at 3am... Ups what went wrong? You login to the server (if possible of course) and run the prove /etc/t friend. Something failed? => fix it. Nothing failed? => write a test that will reveal that something is wrong && fix the problem of course ;). And then at 6am go happily to sleep again...

To be the administration really test drive ;) you should be writing your tests before you install the server...

Any other benefits? What about migration || reinstalation of the server? Do you always remember what services || purpouses is the server used for? You just scp the /etc/t folder to the new machine and prove /etc/t will tell you. If not you'll write a test ;).

Or are you writing firewall rules and need to check if you didn't close some ports that you should not? Check out the 03_open-ports.t.

I hope you'll enjoy the idea as I do. (until I find that there are 30 other similar solutions like this...)

METHODS

run()

For the moment just runs prove /etc/t. Any other better idea?

examples/

I have tried to organize examples/ a little bit. Tests with 01_* should be run directly on the server. The other should run also remotely. Than there can be a central "test" server that will collect all /etc/t folders (without 01_*) and the test could be run also remotely. Testing remote access to the services. Store the collected test in /folder/server_name, run prove -r /folder and watch how everything works(?)!.

The tests starting with 02_* should be essential but short running tests that should work in all cases and the rest of the tests will most likely fail if they do.

files

01_hostname-and-interfaces.t

check hostname and ip resolution on interfaces

01_running-processes.t

check running processes

02_dns-resolution.t

query dns server and check for the answers

02_resolv.conf.t

query all nameserver-s in /etc/resolv.conf and make sure all are reachable.

02_time-sync.t

compare local machine time with a ntp server to make sure both are in the sync.

For the idea thanks to Emmanuel Santiago Rodriguez.

03_sites-ok.t

check web sites

03_open-ports.t

Check if the ports are open and if the service is responding.

03_cmd-output.t

Check the output of the shell command with a regexp. Check the exit code.

For the idea thanks to Aldo Calpini.

sky

There are no restrictions in Perl and there are no best solutions => so the sky is the limit! (Or we our self are the limit?)

TODO

Any wishes || good ideas for general server tests should go here. Do you have any? Send it! Or even better send the .t file.

        * check if all the interfaces has dns revers rr that properly resolves back
        * I should write some easy example test for non perl admins
        * file directory permissions for all relevant application directories
          (e.g. Is cache dir writeable for httpd) (thanks Peter Hartl)
        * check folders if the files (logs?) didn't grow too huge
        
        * create Test::Server::Smoke to try examples on smoke testing servers

LINKS

http://testanything.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_Anything_Protocol and a book "Perl Testing: A Developer's Notebook"

AUTHOR

Jozef Kutej

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright (C) 2006 by Jozef Kutej

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.8.4 or, at your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.