TestEngine is available on the AWS Marketplace, which allows you to quickly deploy TestEngine in the AWS cloud. This guide explains how you can launch a TestEngine instance from the AWS Marketplace.

TestEngine images

To run TestEngine in the AWS cloud, you can use Linux- or Windows-based image:

Windows image

Linux/Unix image

Prerequisites

Before deploying TestEngine on AWS, you must have the following:

An AWS account. You can sign up at https://aws.amazon.com.
A remote desktop client. The recommended application depends on your operating system and TestEngine instance you use. For the complete list, see the Amazon documentation:

Connect to Your Windows Instance

Connect to Your Linux Instance
A TestEngine license file provided by a SmartBear representative. To request a free trial license, please fill out this form:

https://smartbear.com/product/ready-api/testengine/contact-us/

1. Set up a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

A VPC is an isolated network within an Amazon region where you can deploy EC2 instances and host other resources. You have complete control over the VPC configuration, including the IP range, subnets, routing tables, network gateways, and security.

All new AWS accounts include a default VPC in each AWS region. The default VPC comes with a public subnet, meaning that EC2 instances from that subnet will have direct Internet access. VPCs can also have private subnets where instances can connect only to the Internet via NAT and cannot be accessed directly from outside the VPC.

If you don't have a VPC in your preferred AWS region, or if you need a specific VPC configuration, you can create your own VPC and configure it as required. To learn how to create VPCs, see Creating a VPC and Scenarios and Examples in the AWS documentation.

2. Launch TestEngine from AWS Marketplace

Open the AWS Marketplace page for TestEngine:

Windows instance

Linux instance
Click Continue to Subscribe:

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Read the End User License Agreement. Back in AWS, click Accept Terms to continue. Wait a minute or so for the "pending" status to clear:

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Click Continue to Configuration:

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On the Configure this software page, select the AWS Region where you want to launch TestEngine, and click Continue to Launch:

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On the next page, select the following:
- Choose Action -- Launch from Website (default):
  
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- EC2 Instance Type -- We recommend t2.medium:
  
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  You can also use a similar instance type that meets the minimum system requirements:
  - Memory: 4 GB or more
  - CPU: 2 virtual cores
  - Storage: EBS only
  To learn more about instance types and their pricing, see AWS Instance Types and Amazon EC2 Pricing.
- VPC Settings and Subnet Settings -- Select the VPC and subnet where you want to launch the instance:
  
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- Security Group Settings -- If you have an existing security group with inbound rules for ports 22 (SSH), 80, (HTTP), and 8080 (Custom TCP rule), select that group. Otherwise, click Create New Based on Seller Settings to create a new group with these rules:
  
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- Key Pair Settings -- Select a key pair for SSH connections to the instance. If you don't have a key pair, there is an option to create one:
  
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  You will need the key pair file later to connect to the created instance.
Click Launch to launch the instance.
Click the EC2 Console link to see your newly launched TestEngine instance in the AWS Console:

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Give your instance a name to make it easier to identify it later. To add a name, click the pencil icon in the Name column:
Finally, note down the Public DNS address of the instance:

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3. Initial TestEngine configuration

At this step, you connect to the created instance and install TestEngine. Particular steps depend on your operating system and the instance you run.

Windows instance

Connect to your Windows instance via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). In this guide, we will use the Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe) utility built in the Windows operating system. On other operating systems, use its alternatives:
- Linux: rdesktop
- macOS: Microsoft Remote Desktop
In AWS Console, click Connect:

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Set the Connection method to A standalone RDP client.
Click Download Remote Desktop File and save the .RDP file:

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Click Get Password:

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Click Browse and select a key pair file you specify during the instance creation. Then, click Decrypt Password:

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Copy the generated password:

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Close the dialog.
Open a remote desktop client. Open the Windows Start menu and type mstsc (or use the Search box):

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Click Show Options:
Click Open and select the saved .RDP file. Then, click Connect:
Use the decrypted password you've got above to connect to the instance.
Open the installation file from the C:\Program Files folder:

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During the installation, select the Autostart service option:

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Select the Set admin password option and specify the password you want. You will use this password to log in to TestEngine for the first time:

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The TestEngine service starts automatically after the installation. Now, you can close the remote desktop connection.

Linux instance

To connect to the Linux instance, use the SSH connection. On the Windows operating system, you can also use PuTTY.

Make sure your key pair file is private.

How to do it on Linux
How to do it on LinuxHow to do it on Linux
1. Run the following command:
  
  chmod 400 <your-private-key.pem>
How to do it on Windows
How to do it on WindowsHow to do it on Windows
1. Right-click the private key file and select Properties.
2. Switch to the Security tab and click Advanced:
3. Make sure that you are the owner of the file.
4. Click Disable inheritance to remove all the inherited permissions:
  
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5. Click Add and grant permissions to your account:
  
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Open Terminal (on Linux) or PowerShell (on Windows) and run the following command:

ssh -i <your-key-pair.pem> ubuntu@<public-DNS-address>

You can get the DNS address in the E2 console:

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For example, your command may look like this:

ssh -i ".\my-key-pair.pem" ubuntu@ec2-52-90-6-242.compute-1.amazonaws.com
After the connection, you will get the headless access to the instance. To install TestEngine, run the following command:

./ReadyAPITestEngine-x64-1.27.0.1.sh -q -Vautostart=true -VadminPassword=<your password>

The -VadminPassword=<your password> argument specifies a password for the default TestEngine account. You will need it to log in to TestEngine for the first time.
The TestEngine service starts automatically after the installation. Now, you can close the remote control of the Linux instance.

4. Connect to TestEngine and install license

Navigate to http://public-DNS-address:8080/login to open TestEngine Web UI.
Use the following credentials to login to TestEngine:

Username: admin
Password: a password you specify during the installation
Install your TestEngine license.

After that, you can access TestEngine at http://<public-DNS-address>:8080.

4. Disable the instance metadata service

For security purposes, we recommend that you disable the instance metadata service on your EC2 instance. To do this, use the following command provided by AWS CLI:

aws ec2 modify-instance-metadata-options --instance-id YOUR_INSTANCE_ID --http-endpoint disabled

5. Monitor instance health

AWS provides status checks to monitor the operational status of EC2 instances. You can configure status check alarms to get notified when an issue is detected.

In the EC2 Console, go to Instances.
Select your TestEngine instance and switch to the Status Checks tab at the bottom.
Click Create Status Check Alarm.
Specify the following options:
- Send a notification to -- the user to send a notification to
- Whenever -- Status Check Failed (Any)
- Name of alarm -- enter a unique name for this alarm
Leave the default values for the other options.
Click Create Alarm.

In addition to status checks, you can configure CloudWatch alarms to monitor the CPU usage and other metrics and get alerted when these metrics reach critical levels. To learn more about using CloudWatch, refer to the CloudWatch documentation.