Observability & Evaluation · Software component

Smoke Tester

Software componentObservability & EvaluationObservability & Evaluationarc:SmokeTester

A post-deployment check that sends real requests to a newly deployed service (health endpoint, simple query, authenticated call) to verify basic functionality in its target environment.

Responsibility. Verifies a fresh deployment is minimally functional.

Also known as: Smoke tests, Retrieval smoke test

Direct neighbourhood (hover for relationship types)

Relationships

invokes dependency

Agent Controller abstract Ref8.08
Liveness Endpoint Ch4.2

is invoked by dependency

evaluates assurance

Agent Controller abstract Ch4.2
Retriever abstract Ch6.4

Design guidance

SHOULD run only after the rollout has fully completed to avoid testing partially deployed services.

Quantitative guidance

As stated by the sources; verify before use.

Example checks: /health returns 200; simple query answered within 5 s; overall timeout 300 s (Ch4.2).

Classification

Patterns: Post-deployment verificationKnown-query retrieval check after loading
Quality attributes: Reliability (ISO/IEC 25010 | NIST AI RMF: valid and reliable)
Risks mitigated: Missing environment variablesBroken database connectionsAuthentication misconfiguration

Sources

Ch4.2: T. Nguyen, "Deployment and Scaling," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 4.2. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ch6.4: T. Nguyen, "Data Quality Fundamentals," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 6.4. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ref8.08: "Model Updates and Maintenance Procedures," unpublished reference note (08-Model-Updates-Maintenance-Procedures.md), Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam supplementary materials, 2026. unpublished note