Hardware and software config requirements for ACCELQ Agent

To ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the ACCELQ Agent software, it is essential to configure the system appropriately before installation. Proper system configurations, required software installations, and relaxed browser policies are crucial for uninterrupted automation execution. This document outlines the necessary pre-requisites, installation guidelines, and system settings required to optimize the ACCELQ Agent's performance and ensure a hassle-free testing experience.

Technical Requirements & Considerations

The ACCELQ Agent is designed to be started once and kept running to listen for incoming job requests. It can be installed on a windows desktop, a linux machine or a MacBook. It can automatically handle multiple incoming job execution requests, depending on the configured ACCELQ Agent settings.

The ACCELQ Agent requires sufficient system resources to run tests efficiently. The following hardware recommendations and configuration strategies are crucial for optimal agent performance:

Minimum Hardware Requirements:

• Memory (RAM): Minimum 8 GB required for 2 run browsers. For each additional browser instance, add 1.5 GB of RAM.

• Processor: At least Quad-core CPU required to support 2 browser instances efficiently.

• Idle Resource Usage: The agent consumes approximately 2-4 GB of RAM even when idle.

Browser Instance Calculation:

Use the formula below to determine the total number of browser instances the agent needs to support:

Total Browser Instances = Concurrent Jobs × Parallel Test Cases per Job

• Concurrent Jobs: Independent jobs (e.g., a scenario or test suite) that can execute simultaneously. Increasing concurrent jobs helps support parallel execution for multiple users.

• Parallel Test Cases: Number of test cases within each job that can run concurrently. Increasing this helps optimize execution time for large test suites.

Example Configurations Based on Machine Capacity:

Machine Specification:

• RAM: 8 GB

• CPU: Quad-core processor

Suggested Combinations for Run Browsers: 2
(Total run browsers = concurrent jobs × parallel test cases per job)

• 2 concurrent jobs × 1 parallel test case per job = 2 total run browsers

• 1 concurrent job × 2 parallel test cases per job = 2 total run browsers

Machine Specification:

• RAM: 16 GB

• CPU: Quad-core processor

Suggested Combinations for Run Browsers: 5
(Total run browsers = concurrent jobs × parallel test cases per job)

• 5 concurrent jobs × 1 parallel test case per job = 5 total run browsers

• 1 concurrent job × 5 parallel test cases per job = 5 total run browsers

• 2 concurrent jobs × 2 parallel test cases per job = 4 total run browsers (for more balanced load)

Be sure to assess system limitations and scalability requirements before finalizing your test run configurations.

Scaling Notes:

With 16 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor, your system can optimally support up to 5 run browsers. This is a decent setup for moderate parallel execution. However, for higher parallelism in the future, consider upgrading both RAM (to 32 GB or more) and more CPU cores to maintain balanced performance across concurrent jobs.

The ability to execute concurrent and parallel test cases per job is also subject to your ACCELQ subscription plan. If you have a specific goal such as maximizing test cases per job for faster test suite completion, supporting multiple users to trigger jobs concurrently on the same machine, or balancing concurrent jobs and parallel test case runs, please contact ACCELQ Support. Share the agent machine's system specifications (CPU speed, number of cores, and total RAM installed) to receive tailored guidance.

JDK Requirement

ACCELQ Agent requires a full Java Development Kit (JDK), not just the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), to function correctly. There are two ways to configure the JDK for the agent:

1. Automatic JDK Download by Agent (Recommended)

   • During the ACCELQ Agent Dashboard installation, the setup checks for an existing JDK that is installed on the system.
     If the setup cannot detect a JDK or if it couldn't find a JDK version that is supported by ACCELQ(Supported JDK: 8, 11[Recommended], 17, 21). You will be prompted that your machine doesn't have a valid JDK and will ask you if the installer can download latest JDK 11 from zulu. The ACCELQ Dashboard setup then automatically downloads the latest Zulu JDK 11 from Azul Downloads and place it in the below folder:
     ~\ACCELQAgent\software\jdk

   • All subsequent agent processes will use the JDK located in the above directory.

     Note: Do not manually place the JDK folder from any vendor into the above directory unless advised by ACCELQ Support.

      

2. Manual JDK Setup by Admins

   • If your organization's policies do not allow Zulu JDK, you can request your admins to manually download and install a supported JDK (not just a JRE) for one of the following versions: 8, 11[Recommended], 17, or 21 from your preferred vendor.

   • Ensure the JAVA_HOME and system PATH environment variables are configured correctly.

   • Install the ACCELQ Agent after setting up the JDK. If the JDK path is properly set, the agent will automatically detect and use it for the agent process

Chrome Plugin Requirement

It is recommended to install the ACCELQ - View Recorder Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store:

Install ACCELQ - View Recorder

This plugin is essential for the following operations:

• Capturing views from web browsers and mobile devices.

• Used for the ACCELQ API Wizard for generating API statements. Note that once the statements are generated, API calls are triggered via the Agent and not through the plugin.

• It is also used for external integrations (defect or requirement integration) when operating in browser mode.
  
  

ACCELQ Agent Installation

The ACCELQ Agent can be installed using three different methods:

1. Using the Install Wizard - A guided setup process for installing the ACCELQ Agent.

   • Installing Local Agent using Install Wizard

2. Using the Command Line - A script-based approach to automate installation.

   • Installing ACCELQ Agent from Command Line

Recommended Agent Installation Path

Always install the ACCELQ Agent in the user home folder:

C:\Users\<user_name>\ACCELQAgent

The ACCELQ Agent root folder must be whitelisted in the local antivirus to allow read and write operations within it.

Additional Folders Used by ACCELQ Agent

The agent software utilizes the following directories:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ACCELQ
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\ACCELQAgent

• C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ACCELQ - This folder contains shortcuts for launching the ACCELQ Agent application easily from the Start Menu.
• C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\ACCELQAgent - This directory stores agent-related configurations, user-specific settings to ensure seamless operation and execution of tests.

   

Permissions for ACCELQ Agent

• The ACCELQ Agent software is a user-level installation and must not be started as an Administrator or as a SYSTEM user.

• The agent software must always be started by the local user who installed it. Other users must not log in to the machine with a different Windows user ID and attempt to start the agent from the agent installation folder.

• The ACCELQ Agent must not be installed on a shared drive.

• After successful installation, users can search for "ACCELQ Agent" in Windows search.

ACCELQ Agent Dashboard

The ACCELQ Agent dashboard is a web service that manages the agent process. It allows users to:

• Control and manage (start/stop/restart) the agent process.

• View logs related to the agent process.

• During installation, the dashboard looks for a random open port to bind to.

ACCELQ Agent Process

• The agent process, which is started by the ACCELQ Dashboard process, communicates with the ACCELQ web server (either on the cloud or on-prem ACCELQ server).

• The agent process also looks for a random open port to bind to.

• All communication between the ACCELQ Agent and the ACCELQ server is initiated by the ACCELQ Agent

ACCELQ Agent and Server Communication

All communication between the ACCELQ Agent and the ACCELQ server is initiated by the ACCELQ Agent (from within your firewall), meaning all communication consists of outbound API calls from the agent machine to the ACCELQ server.

URL Whitelisting Requirements

To enable uninterrupted connectivity, organizations must configure their firewall settings to allow outbound requests from the ACCELQ Agent machine to the relevant ACCELQ server. The following table provides a list of key API endpoints requiring whitelisting:

Configuring ACCELQ Agent Dashboard to Start on Boot (Optional)

If you are installing the ACCELQ Agent in a cloud VM and want it to start automatically during a system reboot (such as when admins apply software patches or schedule downtimes during weekends), you can configure the ACCELQ Agent Dashboard to start using the Task Scheduler.

Here is an article to help you configure the agent to start on boot:

Setup ACCELQ Agent as a Scheduled Task

Note: If you don't have permissions to create a Task Scheduler entry, please reach out to your admins to enable it for you.

Required Software for Test Execution

The following software must be installed by an administrator to enable test execution and allow ACCELQ to detect the default browser installation in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) folder:

• Google Chrome

• Microsoft Edge

• Mozilla Firefox

Chrome/Edge Policies Affecting Execution

The following Chrome/Edge policies must be relaxed/removed to ensure smooth test execution:

UserDataDir

Setting this policy can prevent test automation from accessing the correct user data profile, leading to session inconsistencies and browser invocation failures.
During test execution, the WebDriver creates a random browser profile folder in the %temp% directory with the prefix "scoped_dir," and for Firefox, it creates random directories with the prefix "rust_mozprofile". After test execution is complete, these folders are automatically deleted.

This policy must be removed to enable automated runs.

RemoteDebuggingAllowed

• Disabling remote debugging can block automation frameworks from interacting with Chrome/Edge browsers.

• This policy must be removed or set to 'enabled' to allow automation runs on the machine.

PromptForDownloadLocation

• If enabled, this policy prompts the user for each file download, disrupting automated workflows that depend on unattended file handling.

• This policy must be removed to allow automation logic to determine the appropriate behavior based on the use case and enable seamless automated runs.

AutoSelectCertificateForUrls

If your AUT (Application Under Test) requires certificate selection to access the web application, please work with your administrators to configure this policy. This ensures that the browser automatically selects the appropriate certificate when accessing the site. If not configured properly, automation may fail when accessing websites requiring client certificates

AlwaysOpenPdfExternally

If disabled, Chrome may attempt to open PDFs in-browser, potentially interfering with automation scripts that require PDFs to be downloaded during automation.