Test Instance License for ProGet?

[harald.somnes.hanssen_2204]

Is it possible for Inedo to consider having the option of a test upgrade license for ProGet?
I've read the agreement, but I'm wondering if there's a possibility to figure out something that would benefit both Inedo and the customers.

In my case after being stuck with a maven issue, where the error was an edge case and took a lot of time for Inedo to figure out, I had to go back and forth on ProGet versions in my production environment to recreate the case. I also timed the up and downgrades within lunchbrakes and activity in the company. This is probably not ideal, though Inedo Hub made the up and downgrade easy by clicking a few buttons on the server.

Some would argue that the ProGet Free edition might be a good option to use during a test period. But since it does not come with Active Directory integration, that creates an complication where the AD integration might not work after an upgrade (which has happened a few times in the past).

I'm not looking for example a complete ProGet, but something that lets the customer

• have a few feeds and connectors for a given type to check if an upgrade affects the feeds in any way
  • meaning - severly limited
• check if the application comes up at all
• debug ProGet without halting Production

In actuality the ProGet version I'm talking about, would be even more limited than ProGet Free since it cannot be used for anything else but test the upgrade.

With the amount of feed types Inedo offers, ProGet is bound to have one or two bugs that is missed in QA.

[stevedennis]

We have a lot of customers who maintain a separate test instance of ProGet; while upgrade testing is important of course, a dedicated testing instance also lets you evaluate new ProGet feature usage patterns (such as requiring promotion workflows, etc.), try out new tools (perhaps new version of visual studio, etc.), and conduct training on ProGet usage -- all without risking/disturbing your production instance.

To keep things simple from a licensing perspective, we just treat testing instances separate instances (and thus require a separate license key). Many customers use a ProGet Free License for this, but of course not all the features are available. It's rare to see a second license be cost prohibitive, especially given the labor/server costs involved with maintaining a testing instance -- even ProGet Enterprise customers will have full instances just for testing and even DR purposes.

You're right --- Active Directory is usually a pain point; sometimes our code changes (we try to never touch this), but also people want to change their AD configuration (move to LDAPS, etc.). Wrong settings, and you can lock-out your instance. If it's an uncommon / one-off testing case then a temporary trial license is fine for this.