Visual Studio Agents 11 Developer Preview is the essential suite of agents and controllers that enable you to build and test applications across the desktop, server, and cloud. Test controllers and test agents provide the ability to scale out load generation, and support distributed data collection and distributed test execution. Test agents also manage testing, workflow, and network isolation for virtual machines used with Visual Studio Lab Management.

Visual Studio Agents 11 Developer Preview is a prerelease version of Visual Studio Agents, and should not be used in production scenarios.

Test controller
Each test controller manages one or more test agents by sending information to the agents about the task that the agent has to perform. A test controller enables you to run tests on any machine that has a test agent installed. You can run tests concurrently on several machines. Use diagnostic data adapters to collect data or affect the test machine when the tests are run. You can use test controllers remotely to create environments using Visual Studio Lab Management.

Test agent
Note: In Visual Studio Agents 11 Developer Preview, lab agents have been merged with test agents.

A test agent can be installed as a service or as an interactive process. When you configure a test agent as part of the installation process, you can select how you want to run the agent. To run tests that interact with your desktop, such as coded UI tests, you configure the test agent as an interactive process.

A test agent also manages testing, workflow, and network isolation capabilities for virtual machines that have been configured for Visual Studio Lab Management. Install the agent on virtual machines that are part of the Lab Environments. You can create and manage lab environments through Microsoft Test Manager 11, which is included with Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview.

This release is designed to work with Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview and Team Foundation Server 11 Developer Preview, both of which include significant updates, improvements, and new features. These previews provide an opportunity for you to use the software and provide feedback before the final release. To provide feedback, please visit the Microsoft Connect website.

Note: This prerelease software will expire on June 30th, 2012. To continue using Visual Studio Agents 11 Developer Preview after that date, you will have to install a later version of the software.