Virtual Machine Tool Qualifier for Application Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity and size of application programs make manual testing challenging, and automated testing tools may introduce inaccuracies or incompleteness, requiring efficient qualification and requalification processes that are time-consuming and costly due to hardware and software evolution.
Innovation Solution
A virtual computer system comprising a physical computer, a first operating system, a virtual machine emulating a second processor type, and a tool qualifier module, which allows for the verification and validation of application testing tools independently of specific hardware configurations, enabling easy requalification across different hardware configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated application testing tools are used to test complex application programs, then testing efficiency and completeness are improved, but the risk of errors in testing results increases due to potential inaccuracies in the testing tools themselves
Solution Approach 1:
A virtual machine is introduced as an intermediary layer between the physical computer system and the application testing tool. The virtual machine emulates a specific hardware configuration and provides a controlled environment where the testing tool can be executed with guaranteed consistency. This mediator isolates the testing tool from direct interaction with evolving physical hardware, ensuring that the same virtual environment is used for both tool qualification and subsequent testing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of maintaining and requalifying testing tools on evolving physical hardware configurations, the system creates a virtual copy of the original qualification environment through a virtual machine. This virtual copy captures the exact hardware and software state used during initial tool qualification, allowing the testing tool to be reused across different physical systems without requalification, thereby maintaining reliability while improving productivity.
2Measurement precision
If specific hardware configurations are maintained to qualify application testing tools, then tool qualification accuracy is improved, but the cost and complexity of maintaining and requalifying tools increases due to hardware evolution
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy of the original qualification hardware environment through a virtual machine that emulates the specific processor type and system configuration. This virtual copy preserves the exact characteristics needed for accurate tool qualification while being independent of physical hardware evolution. The virtual machine can be deployed on any modern physical system, eliminating the need to maintain obsolete hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual machine serves as an intermediary between the physical computer system and the application testing tool, abstracting away the physical hardware details. This allows tool qualification to be performed with high precision by presenting the exact expected hardware environment, while simultaneously simplifying hardware configuration management because the virtual machine software layer handles all hardware abstraction and compatibility concerns.
3Reliability
If application testing tools are requalified after hardware modifications, then tool reliability is improved, but the time and cost of requalification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual machine creates a persistent copy of the qualification environment that remains unchanged despite physical hardware modifications. When hardware is modified or upgraded, the same virtual machine image can be deployed on the new hardware without modification, allowing testing tools to maintain their qualification status. This eliminates the need for time-consuming requalification processes while preserving tool reliability through consistent virtual environment presentation.
4Measurement precision
If manual testing is used for complex application programs, then testing accuracy is improved through human verification, but testing productivity decreases due to the increasing size and complexity of applications
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual machine acts as a mediator that enables automated testing tools to achieve reliability comparable to manual testing by providing a controlled, consistent environment. This allows automated tools to execute comprehensive test suites with high throughput while the virtual environment ensures that testing conditions match the original qualification parameters, maintaining accuracy without sacrificing productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus, and virtual computer system for testing application software. A first operating system of a first operating type is run on a first processor of a first processor type in a physical computer system. A virtual machine that emulates a second processor of a second processor type is run on the first processor. A second operating system of a second operating type is run on the virtual machine with the virtual machine running on the first processor. The first processor running the first operating system and the virtual machine running the second operating system together form the virtual computer system. A tool qualifier module performs verification of an application testing tool on the virtual machine using tool qualification data to qualify the application testing tool before the application testing tool is run using the second operating system on the virtual machine to test an application program.