CONCURRENT TEST INSTRUMENTATION

• US 20130179735A1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Buckhurst, David W., Cartmell, Michael T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,103,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2516 Modular arrangements for computer based systems; using personal computers (PC's), e.g. "virtual instruments"
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2834 Automated test systems [ATE]; using microprocessors or computers G01R31/317 takes precedence; ATE for detection of defective computer hardware G06F11/2736

Abstract

A program can be instrumented to test the program. The test instruments are classified, and concurrency constraints applied based on the classifications. A testing tool determines classifications of a plurality of test instruments in the instrumented program. The testing tool prevents concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a first classification of the classifications. Multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a second classification of the classifications are concurrently instantiated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining classifications of a plurality of test instruments in an instrumented program;

preventing concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a first classification of the classifications; and

concurrently instantiating multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a second classification of the classifications.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining sub-classes of a set of the plurality of test instruments classified in a third classification of the classifications; and

preventing concurrent instantiation of multiple of the set of the plurality of test instruments in same ones of the sub-classes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said determining the sub-classes of the set of the plurality of test instruments classified in the third classification of the classifications comprises:

for each of the set of the plurality of test instruments, determining an identifier of the test instrument and determining which of the sub-classes the identifier indicates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the classifications of the plurality of test instruments in the instrumented program comprises:

for each of the plurality of test instruments, determining an identifier of the test instrument and determining which of the classifications the identifier indicates.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said preventing concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in the first classification of the classifications comprises:

encountering a second of the plurality of test instruments determined to be in the first classification;

determining that a first of the plurality of test instruments also in the first classification has already been instantiated; and

refraining from instantiating the second of the plurality of test instruments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said preventing concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in the first classification of the classifications comprises:

determining that the instrumented program comprises a first test instrument of the plurality of test instruments and a second test instrument of the plurality of test instruments in the first classification; and

preventing instantiation of the second test instrument.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said preventing instantiation of the second test instrument comprises one of deleting the second test instrument, commenting out the second test instrument, and skipping execution of the second test instrument.

8. A computer program product for classification based concurrent test instrumentation of an instrumented program to be tested, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising a computer usable program code configured to;

determine classification of each test instrument in the program to be tested;

for a first classification, prevent concurrent instantiation of test instruments in the first classification;

for a second classification, allow concurrent instantiation of test instruments in the second classification; and

for a third classification, allow concurrent instantiation of test instruments in different sub-classes of the third classification.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to track instantiation of tests instruments and classifications thereof.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to generate a different version of the instrumented program to be tested responsive to preventing instantiation of a second test instrument in the first classification because the second test instrument would be instantiated concurrently with a first test instrument in the first classification, wherein the different version of the instrumented program comprises the second test instrument and not the first instrument.

11. A computer program product for classification based concurrent test instrumentation of an instrumented program to be tested, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising a computer usable program code configured to;

determine classifications of a plurality of test instruments in an instrumented program;

prevent concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a first classification of the classifications; and

concurrently instantiate multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a second classification of the classifications.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to:

determine sub-classes of a set of the plurality of test instruments classified in a third classification of the classifications; and

prevent concurrent instantiation of multiple of the set of the plurality of test instruments in same ones of the sub-classes.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code configured to determine the sub-classes of the set of the plurality of test instruments classified in the third classification of the classifications comprises the computer usable program code configured to:

for each of the set of the plurality of test instruments, determine an identifier of the test instrument and determine which of the sub-classes the identifier indicates.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code configured to determine the classifications of the plurality of test instruments in the instrumented program comprises the computer usable program code configured to:

for each of the plurality of test instruments, determine an identifier of the test instrument and determine which of the classifications the identifier indicates.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code configured to prevent concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in the first classification of the classifications comprises the computer usable program code configured to:

encounter a second of the plurality of test instruments determined to be in the first classification;

determine that a first of the plurality of test instruments also in the first classification has already been instantiated; and

refrain from instantiating the second of the plurality of test instruments.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code configured to prevent concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in the first classification of the classifications comprises the computer usable program code configured to:

determine that the instrumented program comprises a first test instrument of the plurality of test instruments and a second test instrument of the plurality of test instruments in the first classification; and

prevent instantiation of the second test instrument.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer usable program code configured to prevent instantiation of the second test instrument comprises the computer usable program code configured to one of delete the second test instrument, comment out the second test instrument, and skip execution of the second test instrument.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a storage device coupled with the processor; and

a concurrent instrument test module operable to,

determine classifications of a plurality of test instruments in an instrumented program;

prevent concurrent instantiation of multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a first classification of the classifications; and

concurrently instantiate multiple of the plurality of test instruments in a second classification of the classifications

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a computer readable storage medium encoded with program instructions that embody the concurrent instrument test module.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the concurrent test instrument module is further operable to:

determine sub-classes of a set of the plurality of test instruments classified in a third classification of the classifications; and

prevent concurrent instantiation of multiple of the set of the plurality of test instruments in same ones of the sub-classes.