diff --git a/src/Core/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons/Messages/Admin/TestDriverConnect.cs b/src/Core/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons/Messages/Admin/TestDriverConnect.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dafdaf47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Core/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons/Messages/Admin/TestDriverConnect.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons.Messages.Admin;
+
+/// <summary>
+///     AdminUI → AdminOperationsActor request: probe one driver type's connection using
+///     the supplied JSON config. Routed through <c>IAdminOperationsClient</c>; reply is
+///     <see cref="TestDriverConnectResult"/>.
+/// </summary>
+/// <param name="DriverType">Must match an installed <c>IDriverProbe.DriverType</c>.</param>
+/// <param name="ConfigJson">Driver config as JSON (same shape as <c>DriverInstance.DriverConfig</c>).</param>
+/// <param name="TimeoutSeconds">Per-probe timeout; server clamps to [1, 60].</param>
+/// <param name="CorrelationId">Round-trip correlation token.</param>
+public sealed record TestDriverConnect(
+    string DriverType,
+    string ConfigJson,
+    int TimeoutSeconds,
+    Guid CorrelationId);
+
+/// <summary>Reply for <see cref="TestDriverConnect"/>.</summary>
+/// <param name="Ok">True iff the probe succeeded.</param>
+/// <param name="Message">Failure reason; null on success.</param>
+/// <param name="LatencyMs">Round-trip latency in milliseconds; null on failure or timeout.</param>
+/// <param name="CorrelationId">Echoes the request's correlation token.</param>
+public sealed record TestDriverConnectResult(
+    bool Ok,
+    string? Message,
+    double? LatencyMs,
+    Guid CorrelationId);
diff --git a/src/Core/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions/IDriverProbe.cs b/src/Core/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions/IDriverProbe.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2043f3cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Core/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions/IDriverProbe.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions;
+
+/// <summary>
+///     Test-connect probe for one driver type. Implementations deserialize a driver-config
+///     JSON, attempt a cheap connection (TCP open, OPC UA session, gRPC ping — whatever the
+///     driver's native protocol supports), and report success/failure with latency. Probes
+///     MUST NOT mutate any persistent state; the AdminUI invokes them against transient
+///     config from the typed form, NOT against the persisted DriverInstance row.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IDriverProbe
+{
+    /// <summary>DriverInstance.DriverType string this probe handles. Used for DI lookup.</summary>
+    string DriverType { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     Run the probe with the supplied config + timeout. Honour <paramref name="ct"/> for
+    ///     timeout cancellation. Never throw on connection failure; instead return a result
+    ///     with <c>Ok = false</c> + a message.
+    /// </summary>
+    Task<DriverProbeResult> ProbeAsync(string configJson, TimeSpan timeout, CancellationToken ct);
+}
+
+/// <summary>Outcome of a single <see cref="IDriverProbe.ProbeAsync"/> call.</summary>
+/// <param name="Ok">True iff the probe reached its target and the handshake succeeded.</param>
+/// <param name="Message">Human-readable status; null on success.</param>
+/// <param name="Latency">Wall-clock duration of the successful probe; null on failure.</param>
+public sealed record DriverProbeResult(bool Ok, string? Message, TimeSpan? Latency);
diff --git a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/AdminOperations/AdminOperationsActor.cs b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/AdminOperations/AdminOperationsActor.cs
index b84e1a7f..671524b3 100644
--- a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/AdminOperations/AdminOperationsActor.cs
+++ b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/AdminOperations/AdminOperationsActor.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons.Types;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Configuration;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Configuration.Entities;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Configuration.Enums;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions;
 
 namespace ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.AdminOperations;
 
@@ -19,28 +20,35 @@ public sealed class AdminOperationsActor : ReceiveActor
 {
     private readonly IDbContextFactory<OtOpcUaConfigDbContext> _dbFactory;
     private readonly IActorRef _coordinator;
+    private readonly IReadOnlyDictionary<string, IDriverProbe> _probesByType;
     private readonly ILoggingAdapter _log = Context.GetLogger();
 
     /// <summary>Creates actor props for the admin operations actor.</summary>
     /// <param name="dbFactory">Factory for creating config database contexts.</param>
     /// <param name="coordinator">Reference to the deployment coordinator actor.</param>
+    /// <param name="probes">Driver probes registered in DI; keyed by DriverType (case-insensitive).</param>
     /// <returns>Props configured to create an AdminOperationsActor.</returns>
     public static Props Props(
         IDbContextFactory<OtOpcUaConfigDbContext> dbFactory,
-        IActorRef coordinator) =>
-        Akka.Actor.Props.Create(() => new AdminOperationsActor(dbFactory, coordinator));
+        IActorRef coordinator,
+        IEnumerable<IDriverProbe> probes) =>
+        Akka.Actor.Props.Create(() => new AdminOperationsActor(dbFactory, coordinator, probes));
 
     /// <summary>Initializes a new instance of the AdminOperationsActor.</summary>
     /// <param name="dbFactory">Factory for creating config database contexts.</param>
     /// <param name="coordinator">Reference to the deployment coordinator actor.</param>
+    /// <param name="probes">Driver probes registered in DI; keyed by DriverType (case-insensitive).</param>
     public AdminOperationsActor(
         IDbContextFactory<OtOpcUaConfigDbContext> dbFactory,
-        IActorRef coordinator)
+        IActorRef coordinator,
+        IEnumerable<IDriverProbe> probes)
     {
         _dbFactory = dbFactory;
         _coordinator = coordinator;
+        _probesByType = probes.ToDictionary(p => p.DriverType, StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
 
         ReceiveAsync<StartDeployment>(HandleStartDeploymentAsync);
+        ReceiveAsync<TestDriverConnect>(HandleTestDriverConnectAsync);
     }
 
     private async Task HandleStartDeploymentAsync(StartDeployment msg)
@@ -112,4 +120,51 @@ public sealed class AdminOperationsActor : ReceiveActor
                 msg.CorrelationId));
         }
     }
+
+    private async Task HandleTestDriverConnectAsync(TestDriverConnect msg)
+    {
+        var replyTo = Sender;
+        if (!_probesByType.TryGetValue(msg.DriverType, out var probe))
+        {
+            replyTo.Tell(new TestDriverConnectResult(
+                false,
+                $"No probe registered for driver type '{msg.DriverType}'.",
+                null,
+                msg.CorrelationId));
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var clampedSec = Math.Clamp(msg.TimeoutSeconds, 1, 60);
+        var timeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(clampedSec);
+        using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(timeout);
+
+        var sw = System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch.StartNew();
+        try
+        {
+            var result = await probe.ProbeAsync(msg.ConfigJson, timeout, cts.Token);
+            sw.Stop();
+            replyTo.Tell(new TestDriverConnectResult(
+                result.Ok,
+                result.Message,
+                result.Ok ? sw.Elapsed.TotalMilliseconds : (double?)null,
+                msg.CorrelationId));
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            replyTo.Tell(new TestDriverConnectResult(
+                false,
+                $"Probe timed out after {clampedSec}s.",
+                null,
+                msg.CorrelationId));
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            _log.Error(ex, "Probe for {DriverType} threw", msg.DriverType);
+            replyTo.Tell(new TestDriverConnectResult(
+                false,
+                ex.Message,
+                null,
+                msg.CorrelationId));
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
index 4e174da3..e9276742 100644
--- a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Audit;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Coordinators;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Fleet;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Redundancy;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions;
 
 namespace ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane;
 
@@ -59,7 +60,8 @@ public static class ServiceCollectionExtensions
             {
                 var dbFactory = resolver.GetService<IDbContextFactory<OtOpcUaConfigDbContext>>();
                 var coordinator = registry.Get<ConfigPublishCoordinatorKey>();
-                return AdminOperationsActor.Props(dbFactory, coordinator);
+                var probes = resolver.GetService<IEnumerable<IDriverProbe>>() ?? Enumerable.Empty<IDriverProbe>();
+                return AdminOperationsActor.Props(dbFactory, coordinator, probes);
             },
             singletonOptions);
 
diff --git a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.csproj b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.csproj
index d30b3e25..57565199 100644
--- a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.csproj
+++ b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.csproj
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
         <ProjectReference Include="..\..\Core\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons.csproj"/>
         <ProjectReference Include="..\..\Core\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Cluster\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Cluster.csproj"/>
         <ProjectReference Include="..\..\Core\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Configuration\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Configuration.csproj"/>
+        <ProjectReference Include="..\..\Core\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions\ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions.csproj"/>
     </ItemGroup>
 
     <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Tests/AdminOperationsActorTests.cs b/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Tests/AdminOperationsActorTests.cs
index e0f4d73b..559110cb 100644
--- a/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Tests/AdminOperationsActorTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Tests/AdminOperationsActorTests.cs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Commons.Types;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Configuration.Enums;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.AdminOperations;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Tests.Harness;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Core.Abstractions;
 
 namespace ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.ControlPlane.Tests;
 
@@ -19,7 +20,7 @@ public sealed class AdminOperationsActorTests : ControlPlaneActorTestBase
     {
         var dbFactory = NewInMemoryDbFactory();
         var coordinator = CreateTestProbe("coord");
-        var actor = Sys.ActorOf(AdminOperationsActor.Props(dbFactory, coordinator.Ref));
+        var actor = Sys.ActorOf(AdminOperationsActor.Props(dbFactory, coordinator.Ref, Enumerable.Empty<IDriverProbe>()));
 
         actor.Tell(new StartDeployment("joe", CorrelationId.NewId()));
 
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ public sealed class AdminOperationsActorTests : ControlPlaneActorTestBase
         }
 
         var coordinator = CreateTestProbe("coord");
-        var actor = Sys.ActorOf(AdminOperationsActor.Props(dbFactory, coordinator.Ref));
+        var actor = Sys.ActorOf(AdminOperationsActor.Props(dbFactory, coordinator.Ref, Enumerable.Empty<IDriverProbe>()));
 
         actor.Tell(new StartDeployment("joe", CorrelationId.NewId()));