Test Settings

As with other tests and templates across the ThousandEyes platform, you can now personally configure selected tests for Connected Devices via test settings. This article explains how test settings are different from existing test schedules, which tests are configurable via test settings, and where to find further information.

Speak to your account manager about adjusting your test schedules as you transition to using test settings.

Test Schedules Vs. Test Settings

With the advent of self-serve Test Settings, test schedules are now a “legacy” function. All future functionality shall be aligned to Test Settings.

Test Schedules (Legacy)

Before test settings were introduced, all Device Agents were assigned a test schedule aligned to the LMAP standard. Test schedules are as much defined by the number and type of tests assigned to the agent as their frequency. Importantly, test schedules are not manually configurable by the customer and are instead managed by the ThousandEyes team. The customer can change an agent’s schedule, but that simply means swapping one set of preconfigured tests for another, one agent at a time. For example, a customer with ten agents, each of which are on a schedule with two tests, can swap out the schedules for those with four tests, but must do so ten individual times. See Scheduled Tests for more information about test schedules.

Test Settings

Test Settings allows customers to configure and assign their own set of tests to as many or as few agents as they like. This aligns with the way other ThousandEyes tests are configured (for a quick overview of how to create other ThousandEyes tests, see Getting Started with Cloud and Enterprise Agent Tests).

Test Settings Example

On the ThousandEyes platform, a customer can create any number of new tests to assign to any of their agents, and configure multiple attributes of those tests. For example, a customer who wants to create download, upload and ping tests for a selection of agents can add those tests to a new “test group”. Test groups create a named tag as a future reference - just like a test schedule had a name and grouped tests in the legacy approach. Customers then select the agents they want those tests applied to, set the frequency for each test (or even set testing windows, e.g., during peak hours), configure any test-specific settings such as the measurement durations of the speed tests, and deploy at will. Users can subsequently add, remove, or edit the individual tests within that test group at any time. Note that tests within a group cannot currently be managed in bulk.

Comparison Table

Test Schedules	Test Settings
Schedule = group of tests	Test group = group of tests
Schedules have logical thresholds applied	Test groups are tags without applied logic
Agent can belong to 1 schedule (group) only	Agent can belong to many groups
Available for all Connected Devices tests	Currently available for all Connected Devices tests excluding the generic streaming HLS/ DASH test
Configurable by TE account managers only	Configurable by users via platform

The same agent cannot perform legacy test schedules as test settings. To perform tests using test settings, the agent requires an upgrade that is not backwards compatible.

Tests Using Test Settings

You can currently configure the following Connected Devices tests via test settings:

• Continuous UDP stream (disconnections, latency, loss) - legacy name: "UDP Latency & Loss"

• Burst UDP stream (jitter, latency, loss) - legacy name: UDP Jitter

• Download speed (TCP/UDP)

• Upload speed (TCP/UDP)

• Ping (ICMP)

• Traceroute (ICMP)

• Responsiveness

• DNS Server

• Web page load (lite)

• HTTP server

• Dynamic application test suites

• Gameplay

• Game store

• Video conferencing

• Social media

• Video streaming

Learn how to configure each one in their respective articles within Connected Devices Tests. For information about configuring other ThousandEyes tests, see Tests.

Templates Using Test Settings

Templates help you to quickly configure one or more tests at the same time to meet a particular objective, such as testing during peak network hours or deploying low-frequency tests for fixed wireless providers. For a list of Connected Devices templates, their purposes, and how to configure them, see Configuring Connected Devices Templates.

For more information about other ThousandEyes templates, see Templates.