Lab Development Process

Figure 4.1 is a flowchart illustrating the phases for preparing the lab for testing. In the strategy phase, you establish the goals and general approach for the lab. The decisions you make in this phase influence decisions in the design phase.

In the design phase, you plan and document the logical and physical structure of the lab. The decisions you make in the design phase determine what you create in the build phase.

In the build phase, you set up the lab and test the network components before Windows 2000 testing begins. The design and build phases are iterative: as knowledge increases, requirements evolve, and the focus of testing changes, you need to redesign and rebuild components of the lab. You also need to rebuild components if accumulated changes to hardware, software, or testing methodology start to affect the test results.

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Figure 4.1 Process for Setting Up a Test Lab

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