Method for testing operating system components

• US 20060150025A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hughes, Bryan William
• Granted Patent: US 7,278,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3676 for coverage analysis

Abstract

A sequential operation system component (e.g., shell) testing method is disclosed that utilizes a set of established user applications to access particular components of an operating system. A set of components of the operating system to be tested are established. Capabilities of a set of applications to access the components is established. The manner in which applications access the components is analyzed to establish classes. Furthermore, parameter sets are identified for each of the classes (e.g., functions). Test cases are created based upon combinations of parameter usages. Test calls are formulated by defining actual values to the parameter usages defined for the test cases.

Claims

1. A method for testing components of an operating system via a set of application programs in accordance with a test definition, the method comprising:

first establishing a set of operating system components to be represented in the test definition;

second establishing a set of capabilities of each application program to issue requests to one of the set of operating system components, including for each request a way in which a particular one of the components is accessed;

third establishing a set of classes for the components in accordance with various ways in which the application programs access the operating system components; and

formulating a set of test calls to be issued by the application programs in accordance with the capabilities defined during the second establishing step, the set of test calls covering the components and classes established during the first establishing and third establishing steps.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

opening the set of application programs; and

invoking, by the applications, the set of test calls on the operating system components via an application program interface.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the opening and invoking steps are performed sequentially with regard to the set of application programs.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

logging a set of results, arising from the invoking step, for the set of test calls.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a class of the set of classes corresponds to a function.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

identifying, for the function, a set of parameters associated with a call to the function.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

formulating test cases for the set of parameters.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the function is an application program interface method.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a class of the set of classes corresponds to an application program interface method.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

fourth establishing a set of test cases for a class.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the components are accessed by applications via an application program interface.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

selecting, after the third establishing step, a single representative application program for each of the set of classes.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of components comprises an operating system shell component.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of components comprises an operating system sub-component.