Two Types of Service Containers

There are two types of service containers:

• Test containers contain tests only. A real Traverse device has a collection of tests associated with it. In contrast, a test container is a collection of tests that are logically related, but not associated with a physical device. For example, you can create a test container that includes ping tests for all devices on your network. This allows you to see at a glance which devices are unreachable without looking at test results for individual devices. A test container cannot be the parent of another container.

  Note: A test container is sometimes referred to as a "virtual device".

• Device containers can include real devices, test containers, and other device containers. This enables device containers to be organized into a nested hierarchy of containers. For example, you can create a device container called Payroll that comprises the web server, router, and back end database used by the Payroll division. This allows you to quickly spot and troubleshoot problems that affect the Payroll group's ability to provide service.

The following figure illustrates a device container that contains real devices, a test container (referred to in the image as a virtual device), and a nested device container.

Device Containers and Virtual Devices