Guidelines
for Successful Network Product Testing
A few guidelines that will enhance the chances of successful
network product/software testing (i.e, find errors) and
evaluations are outlined below. These concepts can be useful to
both end-users evaluating products and developers striving for
qualilty products.
- Know the expected results of all tests to be run. (our ITF and SDTF tests indicate
the expected results)
- Validate the tests to be used (or use our tests for SNA and TCP/IP
that have been tested and validated with specifications
and multiple real-world products). Review test case and
test case library functions and select tests that are
more effective than others for current testing objectives.
- The following types of tests should be available:
- Protocol and Functional Verification
- Functionality
- Performance
- Stress
- Have tests developed and run by someone
other than the person (team) who wrote the implementation
being tested.
- Keep a log of the types of errors found during past
testing. Particular types of errors tend to occur
repeatedly. Keeping track of these errors will help find
them faster.
- Errors are not uniformly distributed through out an
implementation. The more errors found in a module or
program, the more errors that remain.
- Verify that products/programs do what they are supposed
to do and be sure they do not do what they are not
supposed to do (our SNA and TCP/IP tests do lots of both
sunny day and rainy day tests).
- Testing probably requires even more creativity than
writing the original products/programs.
- Effective testing requires lots of skill and is not a
task for rookies or new-hires.
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Computer Technology, Garland, TX USA (972)240-6744 Last Updated:
Jan. 4, 2002 http://www.acomtech.com/netestl.html