Method and apparatus for testing software

a software and software technology, applied in the field of information technology and data processing, can solve the problems of deployment failure, inability to test new software against pertinent, and high cost of deploying new software to a population of client platforms, so as to reduce the chance of deployment failure caused by untested client platform configuration and reduce testing time

US20070214391A1Inactive Publication Date: 2007-09-13IBM CORP
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
Publication Date
2007-09-13
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

Techniques are provided for testing new software slated to be deployed on a target machine population with a number of target machines having a number of existing software programs. Method steps can include obtaining a list of depending software programs on selected ones of the target machines. The list can include those of the existing software programs which depend on the new software and / or those of tile existing software programs on which the new software depends. The steps can further include identifying relevant test cases based on the list of depending software programs, instantiating a plurality of test client platforms characteristic of the target machine population, and testing the relevant test cases on the plurality of test client platforms to identify failures.
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Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention generally relates to information technology and data processing, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for testing software. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Deploying new software to a population of client platforms is a costly process for both software vendors and their enterprise customers, due to the common occurrence of failures. Recovery from such failures usually entails platform users calling a support center multiple times; when problems nevertheless remain un-resolved, technical support personnel may be dispatched to the user work place. One reason for the prevalence of deployment failures is neglecting to test the new software against the failed client platform configuration. The inability to test new software against pertinent possible client platform configurations may be a problem for the software vendor, but is likely far less problematic in the case of an enterprise. An enterprise usually knows the con...

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0014]FIG. 1 shows a flow chart 100 of exemplary method steps in a method (which can be computer-implemented) for testing new software (broadly understood to include new versions of existing software), according to one aspect of the invention. The new software can be slated to be deployed on a target machine population with a number of target machines. The target machines can have a number of existing software programs.

[0015] After beginning at block 102, the method can include the step, depicted at block 104, of obtaining a list of depending software programs on selected ones of the target machines. The list can include those of the existing software programs which depend on the new software and / or those of the existing software programs on which the new software depends. Stated differently, in the general case, the list could include both (i) those of the existing software programs which depend on the new software and (ii) those of the existing software programs on which the new ...