Two-way remote communication system for testing a client device program

• US 10,044,591 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patwardhan, Makarand V., Furtwangler, Tyler R., Furtwangler, Brandon C., Corrington, Jesse
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le H
• Application Number:
  US14/843,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3644 by instrumenting at runtime
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3668 Software testing software testing in telephone exchanges H04M3/242, testing of hardware G06F11/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3696 Methods or tools to render software testable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]

Abstract

The described technology is directed towards server-controlled testing and/or monitoring of a client device application program. The server loads plug-in components directed towards the testing and/or monitoring operations, and instructs the client device to couple counterpart plug-in components to the client device application program. The server'"'"'s plug-in components communicate with the application program'"'"'s plug-in components to run the testing and/or monitoring operations, which may be automated, send queries to the client to receive responses, and send commands to the client to take actions. The server includes dashboards for interacting with the client device. The client device includes virtual input devices that allow the server to inject input into the client application program.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

loading, by a server device comprising a processor, server-side plug-in components respectively providing distinct testing operations of a client device program operating on a client device;

communicating, by the server device, a message comprising information on the loaded server-side plug-in components to the client device that initiates the client device to load respective client-side plug-in components that correspond to the server-side plug-in components;

establishing, by the server device via the server-side plug-in components, respective communication links between corresponding server-side plug-in components and client-side plug-in components; and

executing, by the server device via the server-side plug-in components, one or more of the distinct testing operations on the client device program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises communicating, by the server device, a query to the client device program, and receiving, by the server device, a response from the client device program in response to the query.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises monitoring one or more events generated by the client device program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises running, by the server device, an automated test on the client device program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises debugging, by the server device, the client device program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises instructing, by the server device, the client device program to not send information that the client device program is capable of providing but is unwanted by the server device for the distinct testing operations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises communicating, by the server device, a command to the client device program to invoke a client-side action.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein communicating the command comprises injecting input to the client device program via a virtual input device coupled to or incorporated into the client device program.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein communicating the command corresponds to obtaining data corresponding to at least part of a user interface tree of the client device program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises obtaining, from the client device, logging data generating by the distinct testing operations executed on the client device program.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause a server device including a processor to perform operations, comprising:

loading, by a server device, server-side plug-in components respectively providing distinct testing operations of a client device program operating on a client device

communicating, by a server device, a message comprising information on the loaded server-side plug-in components to the client device that initiates the client device to load respective client-side plug-in components that correspond to the server-side plug-in components;

establishing, by a server device via the server-side plug-in components, respective communication links between corresponding server-side plug-in components and client-side plug-in components; and

running, by a server device, one or more of the distinct testing operations on the client application program.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the running the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises communicating, by the server device, a query to the client device program, and receiving, by the server device, a response from the client device program in response to the query.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the running the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises communicating, by the server device, a command to the client device program to invoke a client-side action.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein communicating the command comprises injecting input to the client device program via a virtual input device coupled to or incorporated into the client device program.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein debugging, by the server device, the client device program.

16. A system, comprising:

a server device, comprising a processor, configured to;

loading server-side plug-in components respectively providing distinct testing operations of a client device program operating on a client device;

communicate a message comprising information on the loaded server-side plug-in components to the client device that initiates the client device to load respective client-side plug-in components that correspond to the server-side plug-in components;

establish, via the server-side plug-in components, respective communication links between corresponding server-side plug-in components and client-side plug-in components; and

execute, via the server-side plug-in components, one or more of the distinct testing operations on the client device program.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the execution of the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises communication of a query to the client device program, and receipt of a response from the client device program in response to the query.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the execution of the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises receipt of information associated with one or more events generated by the client device program.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the execution of the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises execution of an automated test on the client device program.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the execution of the one or more of the distinct testing operations comprises a debugging operation of the client device program.