Method and apparatus for executing commands and generation of automation scripts and test cases

• US 7,559,001 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sapphire Infotech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sapphire Infotech Incorporated
• Inventors: Narayan, Purnendu, Goradia, Dinesh, Betawar, Manoj
• Primary Examiner(s): Trimmings; John P
• Application Number:
  US11/423,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/738
• 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

A command execution terminal includes an interactive graphical-user-interface (GUI) for sending commands to devices under test and to capture and display the command responses and maintaining a list of executed commands. The command execution terminal also provides functionality to create reusable device libraries of commands for a given device under test and to automate test case creation for device testing.

Claims

1. A method for creating a test case for a device under test (DUT) through a command terminal, the method comprising:

(a) selecting the DUT in the command terminal, wherein the selecting includes retrieving connection parameters for the DUT;

(b) connecting to the DUT using the connection parameters;

(c) enabling input of a text string in the command terminal, wherein the text string includes a command;

(d) storing the text string in a history buffer, the history buffer storing previously executed commands;

(e) displaying the text string in a command history panel of the command terminal, the command history panel displays content of the history buffer;

(f) sending the text string to the DUT;

(g) displaying a response from the DUT in the command terminal;

(h) enabling a user to select and unselect a text string in the command history panel; and

(i) storing the selected content of the history buffer in a data file that represents the test case, wherein the unselected content not being stored in the test case,

wherein the command terminal including a command emulator panel to facilitate entry of the text string and to display a response of the DUT to the text string.

2. The method for creating the test case as recited in claim 1, wherein the text string further comprising at least one command parameter.

3. The method for creating said test case as recited in claim 2 further comprising detecting a prompt in a command-response from the DUT.

4. The method for creating the test case as recited in claim 2 wherein the sending further comprising capturing a value of the command parameter.

5. The method for creating said test case as recited in claim 1 further comprising storing the command in a command execution history buffer.

6. The method for creating said test case as recited in claim 1 wherein the connecting further comprising capturing values of the connection parameters.

7. The method for creating the test case as recited in claim 1 wherein the storing further comprising associating the data file with the DUT.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein steps (a) to (i) are executed sequentially in listed sequence.

9. The Method as recited in claim 1, wherein steps (d) and (e) are executed after step (g).

10. An apparatus for creating a test case for a device under test (DUT), comprising:

a command terminal to display a command response of the DUT;

a command history panel to display a command execution history, wherein the command execution history includes a plurality of previously executed commands, the command history panel including a user interface to display each of the plurality of previously executed commands, the user interface includes a re-execute control associated with the each of the plurality of previously executed commands to enable a re-execution of each of the plurality of previously executed commands; and

a connection control to establish a connection to the DUT.

11. The apparatus for creating a test case as recited in claim 10, wherein the command history panel further comprising a selection control to select or unselect the command, wherein only selected commands in the command history panel are included in the test case when the command execution history is saved.

12. The apparatus for creating a test case as recited in claim 10 further comprising a save file control to store in a data file selected ones of the plurality of previously executed commands.

13. The apparatus for creating a test case as recited in claim 10 further comprising a prompt management user interface to manage prompts in a prompt data store.

14. The apparatus for creating a test case as recited in claim 13, wherein the prompt management user interface further comprising a control to add a prompt to the prompt data store.

15. The apparatus for creating a test case as recited in claim 14, wherein the prompt management user interface further comprising a control to delete the prompt from the prompt data store.

16. The apparatus for creating a test case as recited in claim 10 further comprising a device information user interface to manage device parameters, device parameters including interface type and IP address of the DUT.

17. A method of managing a test case for a device under test (DUT) comprising:

separating the test case in a plurality of execution steps wherein, each execution step in the plurality of execution steps is associated with a command;

assigning a completion behavior to each execution step in the plurality of execution steps, wherein the completion behavior includes determining completion of each execution step, wherein determining the completion of each execution step includes detecting at least one of a particular string in a device response of the each execution step and a time out, the particular string being defined in login rules for the DUT; and

assigning an extra command to each execution step in the plurality of execution steps, wherein the extra command includes a preset answer to a command query.

18. The method of managing a test case as recited in claim 17, further comprising assigning a repeat behavior to each execution step in the plurality of execution steps, wherein the repeat behavior includes specifying a number of executions of the execution step.

19. The method of managing a test case as recited in claim 17, further comprising assigning a wait period for the execution step to wait before starting execution.