Cloud Architecture for Scalable Automated Software Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
System and software developers face challenges in testing software at scale and for security flaws, as on-premise testing labs are difficult to expand and require significant computational power or specialized tuning, making them costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A cloud architecture that enables scalable testing by providing a service for multiple tenants, allowing users to configure and test virtual machines with embedded security testing methods, using a cloud computing platform to create clones of user-submitted virtual machines, isolate testing environments, and report results securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If on-premise testing labs are used, then security testing can be performed, but expansion is difficult and cost increases when testing capacity is reached
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of testing lab environments through virtual machines that can be rapidly deployed and scaled in the cloud. Instead of expanding physical on-premise labs, the system provisions multiple virtual testing environments that replicate the required security testing capabilities, enabling easy capacity expansion while maintaining consistent security testing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from physical on-premise infrastructure to virtual cloud-based infrastructure, adding the dimension of virtualization. This allows testing capacity to be expanded by provisioning additional virtual machines in the cloud rather than being constrained by physical space and hardware limitations of on-premise labs.
2Reliability
If specialized testing methods are used, then testing effectiveness improves, but computational power requirements and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal cloud-based testing platform that can execute multiple specialized testing methods through standardized virtual machine configurations. The same cloud infrastructure can dynamically provision different testing environments for various security testing methodologies, eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware for each testing method and reducing overall computational power requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of testing by moving from persistent high-power on-premise hardware to on-demand cloud virtual machines. Computational power is allocated dynamically based on testing needs, allowing specialized testing methods to be executed with appropriate resources temporarily provisioned, then released when no longer needed, reducing average power consumption while maintaining testing effectiveness.
3Productivity
If on-premise labs are used, then testing can be performed, but specialized tuning is required and expense increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service capabilities where users can automatically provision and configure testing environments through cloud-based interfaces without requiring specialized tuning expertise. The cloud platform automatically handles environment setup, configuration, and optimization, eliminating the need for manual specialized tuning while maintaining high testing productivity and reducing setup costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary configuration and tuning of testing environments in advance through automated cloud-based setup processes. Virtual machines are pre-configured with necessary security testing tools and configurations before deployment, eliminating the need for on-site specialized tuning and reducing both complexity and cost of getting testing capabilities operational.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods can be implemented to perform software testing or to perform emulated hardware testing using a cloud architecture that can utilize centralized testing technology and can enable scaling up to test for multiple tenants and scaling up to arbitrary numbers of programs tested for each tenant. A user can configure an initial test virtual machine on a cloud platform for a cloud service over a physical network such as the Internet. Components of the cloud architecture can create a set of clones of the initial test virtual machine and inject tools into each clone for testing. Testing of one or more clones of the set can be conducted in an environment isolated from the physical network and isolated from a backend of the cloud service. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.