open-source-firmware-validation/docs/windows_hlk_setup.md

Windows HLK - overview

The Windows HLK (Hardware Lab Kit) is a test framework used to test hardware devices and drivers for Windows 11, Windows 10 and all versions of Windows Server, starting with Windows Server 2016. To qualify for the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program, any product must pass specific tests using the Windows HLK.

The following documentation describes the method for setting up a testing environment based on Windows HLK.

Prerequisites

As Windows HLK documentation says, the test environment contains at least two components: Test Server and Test System.

A Test Server is understood as a device with HLK software installed. Given the limitations of the hardware (HLK Manager might be set only on a few systems), the best solution is to set Virtual Machine with the dedicated image called Virtual HLK. Keep in mind that the VHLK package takes up about 30 GB, so the best solution is to put the virtual machine on a separate machine with specific hardware resources.

A Test System is understood as any device with installed Windows on which certification tests should be carried out.

Both types of devices should be connected to the same network and should be recognizable as the same workgroup. Otherwise, it will not be possible to perform any tests.

Steps

Windows HLK has very extensive documentation. However, since it has considerable redundancy, below in the form of points are listed the next steps, the execution of which guarantees the production of a working test setup.

The following section of the documentation is divided into four parts. The first describes the preliminary steps, the second how to configure the test server, the third how to configure the test device, and the fourth how to run the tests.

First steps

1. Set out at least two devices that meet the conditions described in the section Prerequisites.
2. On both devices install Windows 11.
3. Check on both machines that the internet connection is correct. Also, check that both devices are on the same subnet.

Test server configuration

The test server is already prepared - you can connect to it via RDP. All credentials and IP are present in the BitWarden at Windows Server 2019 HLK VM entry.

If for some reason you wish to set up your own test server, follow the official documentation. During network configuration, some problems might arise - option Turn on network discovery might spontaneously lock up. In such a situation, it is advisable to use the following documentation to fix the problem with network discovery.

Test system configuration

1. Install HLK Client (official documentation):
   • Enable network discovery - the easiest way is to go to the network directory in explorer, then a warning will pop up that network discovery is off - click on it to enable it.
   • Go to the network directory and find the HLK Test Server - if it doesn't appear, just enter its name in the navigation bar, for example: \\WIN-QSJ7L35S5B7, then enter its credentials.
   • Go to the HLKInstall\Client location and run Setup.cmd.
2. Switch to HLK Test server (for example via RDP - credentials are stored in our Bitwarden)
3. Prepare machine pool (official documentation):
   • Go to HLK Studio
   • Enter Configuration page
   • Right click on $ (Root) and choose Create Machine Pool
   • Move test device(s) from Default Pool to newly created one (drag & drop)
   • In the new pool, right-click on the test device and choose Change Machine Status, then select Ready; the Status column should change to Ready
4. Create the test project (official documentation):
   • In Windows HLK Studio, choose the Project tab and select Create project
5. Select the test target(official documentation):
   • Go to the Selection tab and choose a machine pool
   • Select target(s): Windows HLK Studio detects all features that a device implements. An individually testable feature is called a target. A device may contain multiple targets, represented by one or more hardware IDs.

Running tests

The mechanism for running the tests has been briefly described in the documentation.

Additional information

1. Basic operations related to the logs have been described in the documentation.
2. The mechanism for creating submission packages has been described in the following documentation.