When to Use Network Isolation
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You can use the scenarios in the following table to help you determine when to use network isolation.
Scenario |
Recommendation |
|---|---|
Each time that you set up a new environment, you set it up from scratch by reinstalling the operating system in virtual machines, the application pre-requisites, and then the application build. When bugs are found in the application, they are captured through snapshots of the environment. Developers and testers share the same environment in which bugs are found, instead of creating clones. |
You do not need to use the network isolation capability. You do not need virtual machine templates. |
Your library contains virtual machine templates that are generalized operating system images. Each time that you set up a new environment, you customize these templates. You install application pre-requisites and application builds manually or through automation in each environment. When bugs are found in the application, they are captured through snapshots of the environment. Developers and testers share the environment in which bugs are found, instead of creating clones. |
You do not need to use the network isolation capability. You can use virtual machine templates to create stored or active environments. |
Your application pre-requisites are included in the virtual machine templates together with the OS. These pre-requisites are not affected by customization of the operating system or changes in the computer name. Alternatively, you run a script to re-configure the pre-requisites and application when the operating system is customized. Examples of such applications that are tolerant to change in computer name are IIS and SQL Server, which requires a script. When bugs are found in the application, testers capture them through snapshots of the environment. Developers and testers share the environment in which bugs are found, instead of in creating clones. |
You do not need to use the network isolation capability. You can use virtual machine templates to create stored or active environments. |
Either your application pre-requisites or your application breaks whenever the operating system is customized. Alternatively, the amount of re-configuration needed for your application after customization is significant. Therefore, you use virtual machines instead of templates with all the pre-requisites installed, and you create exact replicas of these. |
You should use the network isolation capability. |
Developers and testers work in parallel. As testers find bugs, the testers take snapshots of the environments to capture those bugs. The testers then store these environments in library so developers use the environments to analyze and fix the bugs, while the testers continue to work on their own environments. |
You should use the network isolation capability. |
Your application has to be developed on virtual machines that mimic the production environment. Each developer and each tester must have the same environment. |
You should use the network isolation capability. |
The following table summarizes the additional limitations and requirements for using the network isolation capability.
Scenario |
Recommendation |
|---|---|
Your application is a workgroup-based application. |
You can use the network isolation capability. |
Your application requires domain-joined computers. You can set up a virtual machine with Active Directory and DNS server roles and use that as the domain controller within an environment. All computers within your environment are joined to the local domain that is served by the domain controller within the environment. Each time that you clone the environment, you are also cloning the domain controller virtual machine. |
You can use the network isolation capability. |
Your application requires domain-joined computers. Only the domain controller that is on your company’s network can be used because it has all the necessary accounts and data. You cannot include a similar domain controller virtual machine within the environment. |
Do not use the network isolation capability. |
Your application modifies several external components outside the environment. For example, the application writes to a database that is not hosted on a virtual machine in the environment. |
Do not use the network isolation capability. |
Your application does not work on computers that have multiple network adapters. |
Do not use the network isolation capability. |
Your application requires virtual machines which do not run one of the following operating systems: Windows XP SP3 and later versions, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2. |
Do not use the network isolation capability. |
All the virtual machines in a network-isolated environment must fit on a single host. You do not have any Hyper-V host that can fit all the virtual machines of the environment. |
Do not use the network isolation capability. |
Before using network isolation in an environment, make sure that the following conditions are true:
The virtual machines that will be used to compose the environment have Lab Management agent installed in them.
The system administrator has configured network isolation parameters in Team Foundation Server.
See Also
Other Resources
How to: Enable Network Isolation in an Environment