Stream Generation

• US 20130262932A1
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Katz, Yoav, Rimon, Michal, Ziv, Avi
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3696 Methods or tools to render software testable

Abstract

A method, apparatus and product for generating elements based on generation streams. The method comprises: obtaining one or more generation streams, wherein the streams comprise elements, wherein each element is a formal specification of an operation that stimulates a system, wherein based on each of the generation streams one or more alternative stimuli for the system can be generated, which stimuli comprises operations according to the elements; and generating a stimuli in accordance with the one or more generation streams, wherein the stimuli comprises at least one hybrid operation, wherein the hybrid operation complies simultaneously with two or more elements of the one or more generation stream, whereby the stimuli is comprised of a number of operations that is smaller than a sum of the numbers of elements of the one or more generation streams.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a processor, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more generation streams, wherein the streams comprise elements, wherein each element is a formal specification of an operation that stimulates a system, wherein based on each of the generation streams one or more alternative stimuli for the system can be generated, which stimuli comprises operations according to the elements;

generating a stimuli in accordance with the one or more generation streams, wherein the stimuli comprises at least one hybrid operation, wherein the hybrid operation complies simultaneously with two or more elements of the one or more generation stream; and

whereby the stimuli is comprised of a number of operations that is smaller than a sum of the numbers of elements of the one or more generation streams.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the generation streams is associated with a different scenario of the system;

and wherein the stimuli is a combined scenario that at least partially overlays the different scenarios.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating comprises, repeatedly:

selecting a first element and a second element from a first and a second generation streams respectfully; and

generating one or more operations based on the first and second elements, wherein in response to a determination that the first and second elements can be satisfied by a single transaction, generating the hybrid operation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said generating the hybrid operation comprises:

generating a hybrid element, wherein the hybrid element comprises requirements of the first and second elements; and

based on the hybrid elements, generating the hybrid operation, whereby the hybrid operation complies simultaneously with the first and second elements.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said generating further comprises:

in response to a determination that the first and second elements cannot be satisfied by a single operation, generating two operations based thereon.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the determination that the first and second elements can be satisfied by a single operation is performed by verifying that the first and second elements do not impose contradicting requirements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid operation is generated based on two elements of a same generation stream.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprises:

selecting the first and second specification elements out of a plurality of potential combinable elements, wherein the selection is based on testing knowledge, and wherein each of the potential combinable elements is a group of elements that can be implemented by a single hybrid operation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the testing knowledge is selected from the group consisting of:

generic testing knowledge and user-provided testing knowledge.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimuli is a stimuli for a target processor, wherein the operations are instructions that are performed by the target processor, and wherein the streams are obtained based on a verification scenario of the target processor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the streams are defined based on a test template designed for the target processor.

12. A computerized apparatus having a processor, the processor being adapted to perform the steps of:

obtaining one or more generation streams, wherein the streams comprise elements, wherein each element is a formal specification of an operation that stimulates a system, wherein based on each of the generation streams one or more alternative stimuli for the system can be generated, which stimuli comprises operations according to the elements; and

generating a stimuli in accordance with the one or more generation streams, wherein the stimuli comprises at least one hybrid operation, wherein the hybrid operation complies simultaneously with two or more elements of the one or more generation stream, whereby the stimuli is comprised of a number of operations that is smaller than a sum of the numbers of elements of the one or more generation streams.

13. The computerized apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the generation streams is associated with a different scenario of the system;

and wherein the stimuli is a combined scenario that at least partially overlays the different scenarios.

14. The computerized apparatus of claim 12, wherein generating comprises, repeatedly:

selecting a first element and a second element from a first and a second generation streams respectfully; and

generating one or more operations based on the first and second elements, wherein in response to a determination that the first and second elements can be satisfied by a single transaction, generating the hybrid operation.

15. The computerized apparatus of claim 14, wherein generating one or more operations further comprises:

in response to a determination that the first and second elements cannot be satisfied by a single operation, generating two operations based thereon.

16. The computerized apparatus of claim 14, wherein the determination that the first and second elements can be satisfied by a single operation is performed by verifying that the first and second elements do not impose contradicting requirements.

17. The computerized apparatus of claim 12, wherein the hybrid operation is generated based on two elements of a same generation stream.

18. The computerized apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor being further adapted select the first and second specification elements out of a plurality of potential combinable elements, wherein the selection is based on testing knowledge, and wherein each of the potential combinable elements is a group of elements that can be implemented by a single hybrid operation.

19. The computerized apparatus of claim 12, wherein the stimuli is a stimuli for a target processor, wherein the operations are instructions that are performed by the target processor, and wherein the streams are obtained based on a verification scenario of the target processor.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium retaining program instructions, which instructions when read by a processor, case the processor to performs the steps of:

obtaining one or more generation streams, wherein the streams comprise elements, wherein each element is a formal specification of an operation that stimulates a system, wherein based on each of the generation streams one or more alternative stimuli for the system can be generated, which stimuli comprises operations according to the elements; and

generating a stimuli in accordance with the one or more generation streams, wherein the stimuli comprises at least one hybrid operation, wherein the hybrid operation complies simultaneously with two or more elements of the one or more generation stream, whereby the stimuli is comprised of a number of operations that is smaller than a sum of the numbers of elements of the one or more generation streams.