.. # Copyright (c) 2024, Linaro. All rights reserved. # # This document is proprietary and confidential. # Unauthorized copying, distribution, or disclosure of this document or any part # of it is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from Linaro. # Linaro Remote Labs Overview ########################### Introduction ************ For the last 10+ years Linaro has spearheaded the upstreaming and stability of Arm processors in the Open Source Ecosystem. Linaro’s Remote Labs take that expertise to the next level by providing flexibility in the spin up, maintenance, and device sharing of embedded validations labs over a cloud-based infrastructure. To address a key requirement within the Arm ecosystem, Linaro's Remote Labs technology is being utilized to establish standardized compliance validation labs. Initially, Linaro will provide a lab instance dedicated to SystemReady DT compliance. Future plans include the introduction of additional validation lab instances targeting other ecosystems, but the initial emphasis will be on SystemReady DT assurance. ONELab as well as future validation labs will be accessible for companies to validate and maintain their platforms against industry standards by deploying their platforms in the appropriate lab instances. Using this infrastructure ensures efficient compliance, security, and interoperability assurance at scale, offering benefits such as enhanced customer confidence and reduced internal lab infrastructure costs. In the future, there may also be cases where a customer will want to leverage the Linaro Remote Labs infrastructure for private or non-compliance applications. The cloud-based Embedded-Labs-As-A-Service of which ONELab is based on will make this possible. This creates an attractive solution for companies that want to free themselves of the overhead and limitations of a single physical lab hosting their entire infrastructure. The :ref:`hlo` section below provides a brief summary of how Linaro Remote Labs supports ONELab and can provide benefits to an organization. Goals and Benefits ****************** The goals and key benefits of ONELab include the following: * To provide a reliable and flexible infrastructure that supports embedded target SystemReady DT validation and test over the cloud * To eliminate the burden and limitations of traditional on-premises embedded lab infrastructure * To support global sharing of embedded Devices Under Test(DUT) for the use cases when platforms are limited * To provide SystemReady DT compliance confidence .. _hlo: High-level overview ******************* Linaro Remote Labs is based on Linaro's LAVA Managed Services(LMS). LMS is a powerful cloud-based infrastructure created by Linaro that orchestrates containerized LAVA servers in the cloud. This ground-breaking technology provides the benefits of scalability and currency while freeing up an organization of the worries of maintaining an on-premises Test Automation Framework(TAF). Coupled with the :term:`LAA`, this total solution breaks the norms of a standard embedded lab concept and effectively provides users with "Embedded-Labs-As-A-Service". Feature Overview and Use-cases =============================== Linaro Remote Labs are composed of three primary high-level components. These include LMS (LAVA Managed Services), Linaro Managed LAVA Servers(also referred to as Labs herein), and the `Linaro Automation Appliance `LAA Overview `_ section of this document. It provides an overview of considerations a vendor should keep in mind when developing new platforms anticipated to be placed into a Test Automation Framework such as ONELab. LMS is a federated service that deploys Labs, or containerized LAVA Server instances, into the cloud. It also manages the LAAs within the LMS domain to ensure they can be shared across available authorized labs. LMS utilizes prioritization and mutual exclusion technologies to maximize Device Under Test (DUT) utilization, optimizing the efficiency of validation and testing efforts. The Labs can be customized on a case by case basis, providing flexibility in the types of testing deployments and the number of target devices desired to be used in any Lab instance. Finally, the LAA is a custom hardware solution provided by Linaro. It features a versatile platform designed to accommodate a customer’s Device Under Test (DUT) and acts as a bridge between the LMS cloud infrastructure and the Labs, facilitating the DUT's integration for various uses. Additionally, the LAA reduces cabling complexity by incorporating typical external components, such as USB hubs and Ethernet switches, into its design. This integration enhances the flexibility and efficiency of leveraging DUTs for multiple purposes. The LAA leverages a 1 to 1 model where one LAA running a LAVA Dispatcher instance supports one DUT. From the traditional usage of LAVA, one LAVA Dispatcher supports multiple DUTs. This traditional setup creates a failure scenario where one issue can bring down multiple DUTs. This model also simplifies the test network for easier maintenance. This solution provides several benefits including the possibility of a DUT to be located anywhere globally(as long and internet access is available) and allows a DUT of limited quantities to be leveraged by multiple Labs. The figure below provides one example, wherein LMS has deployed multiple Labs in the LMS managed cloud. Each of these labs can have totally different goals/compliance suites, etc. but through LMS, the Labs can request a specific target and be provided any one of potentially multiple targets available. .. image:: ./images/remote_lab_example1a.png The next example represents a use case where one Lab may be a production testing instance while another lab may be a staged instance to validate that tests are executed correctly prior to deploying new tests or updates to a production instance. Again, it can be seen that each of these two labs can leverage any of the four LAAs available to both Labs. Configuration options in LMS support prioritization of LAAs. It should be noted that these available LAAs that are hosting to Devices Under Test can be located remotely from each other. This can even support the use case where one or more of the DUTs can be accessible by a customer or developer that is remotely located. .. image:: ./images/remote_lab_example2.png Maintainer(s) ************* - Don Harbin