How To
Summary
In modern CI/CD environments, build and test workloads often need to be distributed across multiple machines to improve scalability and performance. Jenkins supports this capability through the use of Jenkins agents (also known as nodes), which allow IBM DevOps Test UI scripts to be executed on remote machines instead of relying solely on the Jenkins primary server.
A Jenkins Agent is a separate machine that connects to the Jenkins Controller (Server) and executes jobs such as builds, automated tests, and deployment tasks. This distributed architecture helps reduce the load on the main Jenkins server and enables teams to run multiple jobs in parallel across different environments.
Steps
This guide covers the step-by-step process of connecting a Jenkins agent machine to a Jenkins server, enabling the server to delegate IBM DevOps Test UI execution tasks to the agent. This setup is particularly useful when running resource-intensive workloads such as automated testing, performance testing, or build pipelines.
- Verify network communication by using the "ping <IP_Address>" command to ensure a stable connection between the Jenkins master and the agent machine. For best results, run this command from both machines to confirm bidirectional connectivity.
- Navigate to Manage Jenkins --> Nodes, Click on New node button. Enter the Node name and select Type as Permanent Agent.
- Create a root directory on the agent machine and enter that path in the Remote root directory field. The Usage, Launch method, and Availability settings can be configured as shown in the screenshot below, or adjusted based on the specific requirements.
- Enter a unique name in the Labels field. This label name serves to identify the node during the execution of DevOps Test scripts.
- Click on Save button.
- Once the Node is created, navigate to the Status section and copy the commands that are highlighted under Run from agent command line: (Windows).
- Open the command prompt, paste the commands copied from the previous step, and press Enter. Note that the value "http://localhost:8080/jnlpJars/agent.jar" within the command must be updated by replacing localhost with the actual IP address of the Jenkins master machine. Refer the below example.
Original value in command: http://localhost:8080/jnlpJars/agent.jar
Modified value in command: http://IP_ADDRESS:8080/jnlpJars/agent.jar The Agent node displays a Connected status and is available for use.
Document Location
Worldwide
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Document Information
Modified date:
17 March 2026
UID
ibm17266427