Documenting the Lab Configuration

As you design the lab, document it with both a text description and a diagram. Post the diagram in the lab to provide easy access to lab information and to keep lab users up-to-date on design changes. Testers can use the lab description and diagram when they design test cases to ensure that the test plan is comprehensive and that tests are reproducible.

Lab Description

Include the following types of information in your lab description:

• Domain structure, including:
  • Forest and tree hierarchy.
  • Group Policy objects (settings and where they apply).
  • Purpose for each domain.
  • Method for populating user account data.
  • Trust relationships (transitive and explicit).
• Domain controllers, including:
  • Primary Domain Controllers (PDCs) and Backup Domain Controllers (BDCs), if migrating from Windows NT 4.0.
  • Servers to be promoted to domain controllers, if migrating from any other operating system.
• Member servers, including the services that will run on them.
• Client computers, including:
  • Computer make and model.
  • Amount of memory.
  • Processor type and speed.
  • Hard disk capacity.
  • Graphics cards (type, resolution, and color depth).
• Use of lab design for specific tests, including:
  • Mixed and native mode testing.
  • Dial-up and other remote testing.
  • Interoperability testing (UNIX, mainframes, and other systems).
  • Replication and Active Directory site testing.
  • WAN link testing.

Lab Diagrams

The lab diagram should show both the logical and the physical structure of the lab. Depending on the complexity of your lab network, the logical and physical views can be combined into one diagram.

Logical Diagram

Include the following information in the logical diagram:

• Domain hierarchy, including forests and trees.
• Domain names.
• Active Directory sites.
• Special service servers (domain controllers, Global Catalog, DNS, DHCP, and WINS), with the following information:
  • Computer name
  • Internet Protocol (IP) address
  • Server function
• Transitive trusts.
• Explicit one-way trusts.

Figure 4.5 is an example of a logical diagram. This lab has one tree, which consists of a root and three child domains. Double-headed arrows indicate transitive trusts between the Windows 2000 domains. The Windows NT 4.0 domain has explicit one-way trust relationships with the Windows 2000 tree. This lab does not have Active Directory sites. At this stage in testing, the lab includes domain controllers, some of which are also DNS servers supporting the dynamic update protocol, DHCP servers, and one global catalog server.

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Figure 4.5 Example of a Test Lab Logical Diagram

Physical Diagram

Include the following information in the physical diagram:

• Network components, such as:
  • Routers and bridges.
  • Hubs.
  • Link simulators.
  • Proxy servers.
  • Sniffers and traffic generators.
  • Analog and ISDN lines.
  • LAN, WAN, and Internet connections and speeds.
• Servers, including:
  • Domain name.
  • Computer name.
  • IP address.
  • Server function.
• Client computers, including:
  • Computer name.
  • IP address, if you use static addressing.

Figure 4.6 is an example of a physical diagram. This physical diagram is for the same lab as the logical diagram in Figure 4.5. In this diagram, you see the three subnets for the three child domains. Each subnet has both a Windows 2000 Professional client computer and another type of client computer. The lab uses simulated Frame Relay links and has a UNIX server.

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Figure 4.6 Example of a Test Lab Physical Diagram

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