Automated Infrastructure Testing with Serverspec

Introduction

Serverspec enables automated testing of server configurations, ensuring all systems are correctly set up and configured. This is particularly important in environments like ServerStadium’s (VM Pricing, Dedicated Servers), where maintaining consistent, reliable server configurations is key to operational efficiency.

Prerequisites

• A ServerStadium VM or dedicated server (VM Pricing, Dedicated Servers).
• Basic knowledge of server configuration and Ruby scripting.
• Ruby and RubyGems installed on the server.

Step 1: Set Up Your ServerStadium Environment

1. Choose a Server: Select a ServerStadium server that matches your testing requirements.
2. Server Preparation:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Ruby and RubyGems

1. Install Ruby:

   sudo apt install ruby-full

2. Install RubyGems:

   RubyGems usually comes with Ruby. Verify the installation:

   gem -v

Step 3: Install Serverspec

1. Install Serverspec:

   gem install serverspec

Step 4: Initialize Serverspec

1. Set Up Serverspec:

   Create a directory for your Serverspec tests and initialize it:

   mkdir my_serverspec cd my_serverspec serverspec-init

   Follow the prompts to configure your test environment.

Step 5: Write Serverspec Tests

1. Create Test Files:

   Write RSpec tests for your server configurations in the spec directory. For example, to test if Nginx is installed:
   

   <div class="bg-black rounded-md">
   <div class="p-4 overflow-y-auto">

   require 'spec_helper'

   <code class="!whitespace-pre hljs language-ruby"><code class="!whitespace-pre hljs language-ruby"></code></code>

   describe package('nginx'), :if => os[:family] == 'ubuntu' do
   it { should be_installed }
   end