How to run same tests on different servers using prove?

Question

I am using the Perl prove testing utility (TAP::Harness) to test my program.
I need to run the same tests first on a local computer, then on a remote computer.
(Test programs should connect to localhost or to remote host, respectively)

How can I pass parameters (test_server) to tests using prove? I should use environment or there is better solution?

Answer 1

Environment variable sounds good, since you do not have easy access to higher abstraction means to pass data like command-line options or function parameters.

We already have prior art in the variables TEST_VERBOSE, AUTOMATED_TESTING, RELEASE_TESTING which influence how tests are run.

Answer 2

Depending on your larger goals, you may wish to approach the problem differently. We use Jenkins to control test suite runs that ultimately run "prove". It's set up to run tests on multiple servers and offers a number of features to manage "builds", which can be test suite runs.