Network Service Testing via Role Reversal

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In distributed systems, service testing is challenging due to differences in hardware capabilities and platforms between service providers and consumers, leading to difficulties in replicating real-world conditions for testing and ensuring end-to-end functionality, especially when access and control constraints limit the installation and execution of test clients on consumer-side systems.

Innovation Solution

The approach reverses the roles of service providers and consumers during testing, where the service is executed on the consumer side, and a test client resides on the provider side, allowing for less intrusive and more flexible testing with direct control over test execution and data confidentiality, while also enabling test clients to be shipped to consumers for real-environment testing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If test clients are installed on consumer-side systems to exercise service provider code, then service functionality can be tested, but consumer systems are disrupted and control is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice testing completenessVSAvoidconsumer system disruption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional testing architecture by placing the service code on consumer systems and the test client on provider systems. This reversal allows testing to occur without installing software on consumer devices, eliminating consumer disruption while maintaining comprehensive service testing capability through the provider-controlled test environment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Measurement precision

If services are tested in real environments with actual consumers, then realistic conditions are replicated, but control over test execution is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereal-world condition accuracyVSAvoidtest execution control

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a hybrid testing model where a test client acts as an intermediary between provider control and real consumer environments. The test client, running on provider systems, communicates with services deployed on consumer systems, thereby maintaining provider control over test execution while accurately replicating real-world conditions through actual consumer device interactions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If test clients are shipped to consumers for execution, then real-environment testing is enabled, but data confidentiality risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereal-environment testing capabilityVSAvoiddata confidentiality exposure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy of the consumer environment on provider systems where the test client executes. This virtualized test environment replicates the necessary consumer device characteristics and service interactions without requiring actual test client software on consumer devices, thereby enabling real-environment testing while maintaining data confidentiality by keeping all test data and operations within the provider's secure infrastructure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS8108711B2Systems and methods for hosting and testing services over a network

Publication Date: 2012.01.31 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Communication symmetry is leveraged to facilitate testing of network services. To identify, isolate, understand, and resolve problems a test client is employed. In accordance with one aspect, a service can be provided for execution on a service consumer while the test client resides on a service provider. Roles are reversed to provide more testing freedom on the provider side and less intrusion on the consumer side. Additionally or alternatively, a service and/or test client can be shipped to consumers to aid testing in a real execution environment.