Simulator tool for testing software in development process

• US 7,310,798 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2003
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gunara, Alfredo Edwin, Zhan, Shiming
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Francis, Mark P.
• Application Number:
  US10/643,328
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 717/143, 717/101, 717/128, 717/135, 717/124, 717/125, 717/126, 714 38-724, 710/107, 709/224, 707/10
• US Class Current: 717/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3696 Methods or tools to render software testable

Abstract

A simulator tool for testing software is provided. The simulator tool includes a simulator to test the software, an interface to promote communication between the simulator and the software, a message including a component utilized by the simulator to promote testing of the software, and a test controller operable to communicate the message to the simulator, such that the message is utilized by the simulator to test the software. A method for testing software and applications is also provided.

Claims

1. A method of testing software, comprising:

providing the software;

providing a script to a test controller, wherein the script includes a plurality of messages and each of the plurality of messages has a message component and a data component, wherein the message component of each of the plurality of messages includes an identification of one of a plurality of simulators, wherein the message component of each of the plurality of messages includes a designation of a direction of communication between the one of the plurality of simulators and the software, and wherein the designation of the direction of communication for at least one of the plurality of messages is an inbound direction;

communicating each of the plurality of messages in the script, by the test controllers to the simulator identified in the message component of each of the plurality of messages;

testing the software by the plurality of simulators performing the script, wherein each of the plurality of simulators interact with the software in accordance with the messages communicated by the test controller to simulate an application in communication with the software; and

displaying a result of the testing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message component of each of the plurality of messages further includes an indication of the interaction that the identified simulator performs, wherein the interaction includes waiting to receive a response from the software or transmitting the data component of the message to the software.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in response to receiving the response from the software, the identified simulator compares the response to the data component of the message and reports a result of the comparison to the test controller, wherein the result of the testing includes the result of the comparison.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of simulators concurrently interact with the software to perform the script.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of simulators synchronously interact with the software to perform the script.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of simulators independently interact with the software to perform the script.

7. A system, having a processor for testing software, comprising:

a test scenario that maintains a set of messages, each message having a script portion and a data portion;

a first simulator that executes the set of messages to simulate an application in communication with the software;

a test controller that obtains the set of messages from the test scenario and communicates the set of messages to the first simulator; and

a tool to develop the script portion of each message in the set of messages and provide the script portion of each message in the set of messages to the test scenario,

wherein the script portion of each message in the set of messages includes a designation of a direction of communication between the first simulator and the software,

wherein the designation of the direction of communication for a first message in the set of messages is an inbound direction, and

wherein the first simulator executes the first message by waiting to receive a response from the software and upon receiving the response from the software, the first simulator compares the response to an expected response included in the data portion of the first message and reports a result of the comparison to the test controller.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the script portion of each of the set of messages further includes an identification of the first simulator.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the script portion of a third message in the set of messages includes a delay between execution of, and

wherein the first simulator executes the third message by delaying execution between a message prior to the third message and a message subsequent to the third message in accordance with the delay.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a second simulator that executes a second set of messages to simulate a second application in communication with the software;

wherein the test scenario further maintains the second set of messages, each message having a script portion and a data portion and

wherein the test controller further obtains the second set of messages from the test scenario and communicates the second set of messages to the second simulator.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the test controller sequentially communicates each of the messages in the set of messages to the first simulator and sequentially communicates each of the messages in the second set of messages to the second simulator.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the test controller communicates the set of messages to the first simulator concurrent with communicating the second set of messages to the second simulator.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first simulator and the second simulator independently execute the set of messages and the second set of messages respectively.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first simulator and the second simulator synchronously execute the set of messages and the second set of messages respectively.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the script portion of each message in the second set of messages includes an identification of the second simulator.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the script portion of each message in the second set of messages includes a designation of a direction of communication between the second simulator and the software, and

wherein the designation of the direction of communication between the second simulator and the software is one of the inbound direction or an outbound direction.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a first portion of the second set of messages designates the inbound direction and a second portion of the second set of messages designates the outbound direction,

wherein the second simulator executes each of the first portion of the second set of messages by waiting to receive a response from the software and upon receiving the response from the software, the second simulator compares the response to an expected response included in the data portion of each of the first portion of the second set of messages and reports a result of the comparison to the test controller, and

wherein the second simulator executes each of the second portion of the second set of messages by communicating the data portion of each of the second portion of the second set of messages to the first simulator.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein the tool develops the set of messages as reusable objects.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the tool changes the order by which the set of messages are executed without modifying a content of the message.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the tool adjusts a position of one or more of the set of message in the test scenario and thereby changes the order by which the set of messages are executed.

21. The system of claim 7, wherein the designation of the direction of communication for a second message in the set of messages is an outbound direction, and

wherein the first simulator executes the second message by communicating the data portion of the second message to the first simulator.

22. A system, having a processor, for testing software, comprising:

a test scenario that maintains a plurality of messages, each of the plurality of messages having a script portion and a data portion, wherein the script portion of each of the plurality of messages includes a designation of a direction of communication between a simulator and the software, and wherein the designation of the direction of communication for at least one of the plurality of messages is an inbound direction;

a first simulator to simulate a first application in communication with the software;

a second simulator to simulate a second application in communication with the software;

a test controller that obtains each of the plurality of messages from the test scenario and communicate a first portion of the plurality of messages to the first simulator and communicate a second portion of the plurality of messages to the second simulator; and

a tool to develop the plurality of messages and provide the plurality of messages to the test scenario in a manner such that the test controller promotes sequential execution of a the first portion of the plurality of messages by the first simulator and concurrently promotes sequential execution of the second portion of the plurality of messages by the second simulator.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the tool develops the script portion of the plurality of messages.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the script portion of each of the plurality of messages includes an identification of the first simulator or the second simulator.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein first portion of the plurality of messages include the identification of the first simulator, and the second portion of the plurality of messages include the identification of the second simulator.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the script portion of one of the plurality of messages includes a delay between execution of a first message and a second message.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the tool develops the data portion of the message by associating a data object with the data portion of the message or by receiving test data.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the first simulator passes the test data to the software.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the first simulator compares the test data to data received from the software.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of messages each include an instruction component and wherein the first simulator receives the first portion of the plurality of messages from the test controller and executes the instruction component simulating the application in communication with the software.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein the tool develops the messages as reusable objects.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the tool changes the order by which the plurality of messages are executed without modifying a content of the messages.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the tool adjusts a position of one or more of the plurality of message in the test scenario and thereby changes an order by which the plurality of messages are executed.

34. The system of claim 22, wherein the first simulator and the second simulator independently execute the first portion of the plurality of messages and the second portion of the plurality of messages respectively.

35. The system of claim 22, wherein the first simulator and the second simulator synchronously execute the first portion of the plurality of messages and the second portion of the plurality of messages respectively.