Monitoring of distributed component interactions

We have describe a generic monitoring approach that can be used to enhance the quality of distributed component software. The generality of the approach is achieved through using reflective technology, i.e. CORBA Interceptors, CORBA POA and Java 2 features. A drawback of using interceptors is the fact that their interfaces have not been standardised so far. However, the process of standardisation is ongoing and has recently resulted in an OMG Joint Revised Submission called Portable Interceptors. Although the Java 2 API enables discovery of ‘forks’ in the execution, we find it lacking functionality for the purpose of discovering synchronisation points (e.g., ‘joins’) within multithreaded components

Software integration testing based on communication coverage criteria and partial model generation

This paper considers the problem of integration testing the components of a timed distributed software system. We assume that communication between the components is specified using timed interface automata and use computational tree logic (CTL) to define communication-based coverage criteria that refer to send- and receive-statements and communication paths. The proposed method enables testers to focus during component integration on such parts of the specification, e.g. behaviour specifications or Markovian usage models, that are involved in the communication between components to be integrated. A more specific application area of this approach is the integration of test-models, e.g. a transmission gear can be tested based on separated models for the driver behaviour, the engine condition, and the mechanical and hydraulical transmission states. Given such a state-based specification of a distributed system and a concrete coverage goal, a model checker is used in order to determine the coverage or generate test sequences that achieve the goal. Given the generated test sequences we derive a partial test-model of the components from which the test sequences are derived. The partial model can be used to drive further testing and can also be used as the basis for producing additional partial models in incremental integration testing. While the process of deriving the test sequences could suffer from a combinatorial explosion, the effort required to generate the partial model is polynomial in the number of test sequences and their length. Thus, where it is not feasible to produce test sequences that achieve a given type of coverage it is still possible to produce a partial model on the basis of test sequences generated to achieve some other criterion. As a result, the process of generating a partial model has the potential to scale to large industrial software systems. While a particular model checker, UPPAAL, was used, it should be relatively straightforward to adapt the approach for use with other CTL based model checkers. A potential additional benefit of the approach is that it provides a visual description of the state-based testing of distributed systems, which may be beneficial in other contexts such as education and comprehension

A Multi-Agent Framework for Testing Distributed Systems

Software testing is a very expensive and time consuming process. It can account for up to 50% of the total cost of the software development. Distributed systems make software testing a daunting task. The research described in this paper investigates a novel multi-agent framework for testing 3-tier distributed systems. This paper describes the framework architecture as well as the communication mechanism among agents in the architecture. Web-based application is examined as a case study to validate the proposed framework. The framework is considered as a step forward to automate testing for distributed systems in order to enhance their reliability within an acceptable range of cost and time

Creating telecommunication services based on object-oriented frameworks and SDL

This paper describes the tools and techniques being applied in the TINA Open Service Creation Architecture (TOSCA) project to develop object-oriented models of distributed telecommunication services in SDL. The paper also describes the way in which Tree and Tabular Combined Notation (TTCN) test cases are derived from these models and subsequently executed against the CORBA-based implementations of these services through a TTCN/CORBA gateway

MC-TESTER v. 1.23: a universal tool for comparisons of Monte Carlo predictions for particle decays in high energy physics

Theoretical predictions in high energy physics are routinely provided in the form of Monte Carlo generators. Comparisons of predictions from different programs and/or different initialization set-ups are often necessary. MC-TESTER can be used for such tests of decays of intermediate states (particles or resonances) in a semi-automated way. Since 2002 new functionalities were introduced into the package. In particular, it now works with the HepMC event record, the standard for C++ programs. The complete set-up for benchmarking the interfaces, such as interface between tau-lepton production and decay, including QED bremsstrahlung effects is shown. The example is chosen to illustrate the new options introduced into the program. From the technical perspective, our paper documents software updates and supplements previous documentation. As in the past, our test consists of two steps. Distinct Monte Carlo programs are run separately; events with decays of a chosen particle are searched, and information is stored by MC-TESTER. Then, at the analysis step, information from a pair of runs may be compared and represented in the form of tables and plots. Updates introduced in the progam up to version 1.24.3 are also documented. In particular, new configuration scripts or script to combine results from multitude of runs into single information file to be used in analysis step are explained.Comment: 27 pages 4 figure

7e Nederlandse testdag, Eindhoven, 8 November 2001 : proceedings

These are the proceedings of the seventh edition of the Nederlandse Testdag (a.k.a. Dutch Testing Day), held on November 8, 2001 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The increase in the complexity of software and hardware systems was the predominant concern in the software design of the last decades. This increase is still going on today. and mastering this complexity is possible, only by investigating, discussing and evaluating methods and techniques for testing such systems. The Nederlandse Testdag serves as a forum in which researchers from the industry and the academia discuss and present their latest experiences and theories in the area of testing. The initiative for organising the Nederlandse Testdag is, and has always been, the result of the combined efforts of the Dutch academia and the industry. The Nederlandse Testdag is an annual event which was first held in 1995. This year's edition again consists of one invited presentation by Jens Grabowski, on ITCN-3. and six regular presentations, both from the academia and from the industry. The presentations capture a broad field of the entire testing spectrum. In the presentation by Martin Gijsen (CMG), test automation for Graphical User Interface (GUI), dedicated and embedded systems according to the TestFrame methodology is explained. Klaas Mateboer (Collis) presents the test-tool Conclusion. René de Vries (University of Twente) reports on specification testing in practice and illustrates this by means of an example. In the presentation by Loe Feijs (Eindhoven University of Technology), testing is related to game-theory. Marcel Verhoef (Chess) and Bertil Oving (NLR) present their experiences using real-time simulation, UML and VDM to obtain more reliable spacecraft avionics. Finally, Ben van Buitenen (Baan), provides an insight in service pack testing: how to efficiently test customised software components and packages. The organisation of the Nederlandse Testdag is grateful for the sponsorship it received from the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Eindhoven Embedded Systems Institute, and the financial support from Dutch Research School IPA. We are very much indebted to CMG and Telelogic's willingness to sponsor this event financially. Over the years, both companies have profiled themselves as companies investing both time and resources in advancing the current state in testing. Finally, the organisation thanks Marcella de Rooij and EIize Russell for their organisational assistance