Scalable multithreaded system testing tool

• US 6,889,159 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Klotz, Steve, Connell, Michael D., Lanteigne, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUAREZ, FELIX E
• Application Number:
  US10/201,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 702120-122, 702/188, 345/744, 709/207, 709/246, 711/153
• US Class Current: 702/122
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/263 Generation of test inputs, e.g. test vectors, patterns or sequences ; with adaptation of the tested hardware for testability with external testers

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention generally provide a system and method for testing integrity of data transmitted to and from a target device through a data connection. In one embodiment, the method generally includes creating one or more test threads. The method further includes, for each test thread, generating a data load on the data connection by repetitively writing test data patterns to the target device and reading data patterns from the target device using a synchronous I/O dispatch method, measuring data throughput to and from the target device while generating the data load, comparing the data patterns read from the target device to the test data patterns to detect data corruptions. The method may further include generating debug information if a data corruption is detected by one of the test threads.

Claims

1. A test system for testing a validity of data transmitted to and from a target device, the test system comprising:

a target device having one or more storage locations;

at least one computer system attached to the target device through a data connection; and

a test utility installed on the computer system, wherein the test utility is configured to;

(a) create one or more test threads, each thread increasing a data load on the data connection;

(b) for each test thread,

(i) generate a portion of the data load on the data connection by repetitively writing test data patterns to a particular portion of the one or more storage locations of the target device and reading data patterns from the particular portion of the one or more storage locations using a synchronous I/O dispatch method,

(ii) compare the data patterns read from the particular portion of the one or more storage locations to the test data patterns written to the particular portion of the one or more storage locations to detect data corruptions, and

(c) generate a debug file with debug information in response to detecting a data corruption.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises more than one processor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the target device is a hard drive and the data connection is a local bus connection.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the test utility is configurable to generate the data load on the local bus connection by repetitively writing test data patterns to a single sector of the hard drive and reading data patterns from the single sector of the hard drive.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the target device is a memory device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein repetitively writing test data patterns to the one or more storage locations of the memory device comprises copying test data patterns between different storage locations within the memory device using a custom memory copy routine.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the target device is a SCSI device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the target device is an external storage device and the data connection is a Fibre Channel connection.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the external storage device is a redundant array of independent disks (RAID).

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of test threads created is a user specified parameter.

11. A method for testing integrity of data transmitted to and from a target device through a data connection, the method comprising:

(a) creating one or more test threads, each thread increasing a data load on the data connection;

(b) creating a performance thread;

(c) for each test thread,

(i) generating a portion of the data load on the data connection by repetitively writing blocks of test data patterns to corresponding blocks of memory locations of the target device using a synchronous I/O dispatch method,

(ii) reading blocks of data patterns from the corresponding blocks of storage locations using a synchronous I/O dispatch method, and

(iii) comparing the blocks of data patterns read from the target device to the blocks of test data patterns written to the target device to detect data corruptions;

(d) measuring data throughput with the performance thread while generating the data load with the one or more test threads; and

(e) generating debug information if a data corruption is detected.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each test thread writes blocks of test data patterns to a user-specified range of blocks of memory locations of the target device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each test thread writes blocks of test data patterns to a different portion of the predetermined range of blocks of memory locations of the target device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising obtaining, from a user, a size of the predetermined range of blocks of memory locations is specified by a user.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein each test thread writes test data patterns to a different data file on the target device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising, for each test thread:

detecting a data corruption in a first block of data patterns read from a block of memory locations of the target device by comparing the first block of data patterns to a block of test data patterns;

reading a second block of data patterns from the same block of memory locations;

comparing the second block of data patterns to the first block of data patterns or the block of test data patterns; and

storing results of comparing the second block of data patterns to the first block of data patterns or the block of test data patterns in the debug information.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising periodically displaying measured data throughput to a screen.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising, for each test thread, embedding a signature in each of the test data patterns prior to writing the test data patterns to corresponding blocks of memory locations of the target device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the signature identifies the test data pattern by an I/O number or an address.

20. A method for testing integrity of data transmitted to and from a target device through a data connection, the method comprising:

(a) creating one or more test threads that generate a data load on the data connection;

(b) for each test thread,

(i) generating a portion of the data load on the data connection by repetitively writing test data patterns to a particular portion of the target device using a synchronous I/O dispatch method,

(ii) reading data patterns from the particular portion of the target device using a synchronous I/O dispatch method, and

(iii) comparing the data patterns read from the target device to the test data patterns written to the target device to detect data corruptions; and

(c) generating debug information if a data corruption is detected.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a number of the one or more test threads created is determined by a user specified parameter.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising repeating steps (a) through (b) until a data corruption is detected or until one of a set of termination events occurs.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the set of termination events comprises repeating steps (a) through (b) a user-specified number of times.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising triggering an analyzer in response to detecting the data corruption.

25. A computer-readable medium containing a program which, when executed on a computer system, performs operations for validating data transmitted between the computer system and a target device through a data connection, the operations comprising:

(a) creating one or more test threads that generate a data load on the data connection;

(b) for each test thread,

(i) generating a portion of the data load on the data connection by repetitively writing test data patterns to a particular portion of the target device using a synchronous I/O dispatch method,

(ii) reading data patterns from the particular portion of the target device using a synchronous I/O dispatch method, and

(iii) comparing the data patterns read from the particular portion of the target device to the test data patterns written to the particular portion of the target device to detect data corruptions; and

(c) generating debug information if a data corruption is detected.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprising obtaining, from a user, a number of the one or more test threads to create.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein generating debug information comprising re-reading a data pattern from a memory location of the target device corresponding to the data corruption.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise creating a performance thread and measuring data throughput to and from the target device with the performance thread while the one or more test threads generate the data load on the data connection.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the operations further comprise periodically displaying the measured data throughput on a screen.