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Ubuntu prerelease testing made easy with TestDrive
Written for TestDrive by Dustin Kirkland on 2010-03-19
I frequently download the latest Ubuntu daily build and set up a fresh install in a virtualized environment so that I can test software that I'm developing or evaluate the status of Ubuntu development.
Canonical's Jorge Castro recently introduced me to a nifty tool called TestDrive that simplifies the setup process by automatically downloading the ISO and configuring a VM. TestDrive provides a simple command-line tool that allows you to select which ISO image you want to test. It will download the image and then configure and launch a VM. The real win is that it caches the ISO images and uses rsync to update the parts that have changed so that you don't have to download the whole ISO again every time you want to test a new daily build.
It has saved me a bit of time over the past week. It's also fairly easy to use, which makes it a handy tool for casual Ubuntu users who want to see the latest updates to the new default theme or try out some of the new features that have been prominently discussed in recent reviews. It supports both KVM and VirtualBox. You can configure your preferred virtualization software, the default ISO caching path, and the default memory configuration by editing the /etc/testdriverc file.
To get TestDrive on Ubuntu 9.10, you can install it from the project's PPA. For more details, visit its project page on Launchpad.
TestDrive Virtualizes Brand-New Ubuntu Builds for Easy Testing
Written for TestDrive by Dustin Kirkland on 2010-03-19
Ubuntu: Want to try out the latest build of the next Ubuntu release with almost no hassle at all? TestDrive is a one-shot tool that downloads, virtualizes, and keeps daily Ubuntu builds up to date.
TestDrive runs from the command line, but you literally enter only one number to make it work. Run it from your Applications/System Tools menu, and a terminal prompt asks you to pick which daily build of Ubuntu you want to install. Enter your number, hit return, and TestDrive gets to work downloading the latest ISO, turning it into a virtual machine, and then, if you have VirtualBox or KVM installed, launching it immediately.
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