System for recording, editing and playing back web-based transactions using a web browser and HTML

• US 20020143931A1
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Bartz, Thomas G., Smith, Mark D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,043,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

A software product tests and monitors an Internet server system. Advantageously, the software product communicates with a web browser without the need for other client software to configure transactions. The user of the web browser is guided through web pages to record, edit, and playback transactions. Recording may occur over a secure connection. The software product performs automated tests using the transactions in addition to measuring both system performance data and business performance data. The software product generates alarms when thresholds are exceeded. The test data, performance data, and alarms are correlated in time and presented graphically to the user.

Claims

1. A software product for a computer system to configure a transaction for a user operating a web browser wherein the transaction is used for automated testing of an Internet server system, the software product comprising:

transaction configuration instructions configured to direct a processor to generate and transfer Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages without cookies to the web browser and to configure the transaction for automated testing of the Internet server system in response to user inputs to the HTML pages, wherein the HTML pages include a user login page, a transaction selection page, a transaction record page, a transaction edit page, and a transaction play page;

page transition instructions configured to direct the processor to transition between the pages in response to the user inputs and to constrain the transition between the pages based on transition state rules; and

a storage media configured to store the page transition instructions and the transaction configuration instructions.

2. The software product of claim 1 wherein:

the transaction record page allows the user to use the web browser to initiate a recording of web browser activity to generate the transaction;

the transaction edit page allows the user use the web browser to edit the transaction generated using the transaction record page; and

the transaction play page allows the user to use the web browser to view results of an automated test using the transaction generated using the transaction record page and edited using the transaction edit page.

3. The software product of claim 2 wherein the transaction selection page identifies the transaction, a transaction step, and a Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step.

4. The software product of claim 2 wherein the transaction record page identifies the transaction, the transaction step, and the Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step, and displays the web page of the Uniform Resource Locator.

5. The software product of claim 2 wherein the transaction edit page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, the Uniform Resource Locators for each of the transaction steps, and test conditions for each of the Uniform Resource Locators.

6. The software product of claim 2 wherein the play page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, and test results for each of the transaction steps.

7. The software product of claim 2 wherein the transaction is a purchase from the Internet server system.

8. The software product of claim 1 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction record page in response to a selection page record request, transition from the transaction record page to the transaction edit page in response to a record page stop request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction play page in response to an edit page play request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction edit page in response to a play page stop request.

9. The software product of claim 8 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to start at the user login page and transition from the user login page to the transaction selection page in response to an authorized login and transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction edit page in response to a selection page edit request.

10. The software product of claim 9 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction play page in response to a selection page play request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction record page in response to an edit page record request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction selection page in response to an edit page stop request, transition from the transaction selection page to the user login page in response to a selection page stop request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction selection page in response to the play page stop request and the transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction play page.

11. A method of operating a computer system to configure a transaction for a user operating a web browser wherein the transaction is used for automated testing of an Internet server system, the method comprising:

generating Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages including a user login page, a transaction selection page, a transaction record page, a transaction edit page, and a transaction play page;

transferring the HTML pages to the web browser without transferring cookies and constraining transitions between the HTML pages that are transferred based on transition state rules; and

receiving user inputs to the HTML pages and configuring the transaction for automated testing of the Internet server system in response to the user inputs.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

initiating a recording of web browser activity to generate the transaction in response to the user input through the web browser to the transaction record page;

editing the transaction generated using the transaction record page in response to the user input through the web browser to the transaction edit page; and

on the transaction play page, displaying results of an automated test using the transaction generated using the transaction record page and edited using the transaction edit page.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the transaction selection page identifies the transaction, a transaction step, and a Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the transaction record page identifies the transaction, the transaction step, and the Uniform Resource Locator for the transaction step, and displays the web page of the Uniform Resource Locator.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the transaction edit page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, the Uniform Resource Locators for each of the transaction steps, and test conditions for each of the Uniform Resource Locators.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the play page identifies the transaction, the transaction steps, and test results for each of the transaction steps.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the transaction is a purchase from the Internet server system.

18. The method claim 11 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction record page in response to a selection page record request, transition from the transaction record page to the transaction edit page in response to a record page stop request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction play page in response to an edit page play request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction edit page in response to a play page stop request.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to start at the user login page and transition from the user login page to the transaction selection page in response to an authorized login and transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction edit page in response to a selection page edit request.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the transition state rules constrain the transition between the pages to transition from the transaction selection page to a transaction play page in response to a selection page play request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction record page in response to an edit page record request, transition from the transaction edit page to the transaction selection page in response to an edit page stop request, transition from the transaction selection page to the user login page in response to a selection page stop request, and transition from the transaction play page to the transaction selection page in response to the play page stop request and the transition from the transaction selection page to the transaction play page.