System and method for software run-time testing

• US 7,721,154 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parasoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: Parasoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jaamour, Rami, Tabanao, Thomas Macario Pasana, Min, Jeehong
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal; Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US11/849,907
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 714/18, 714/21, 714/26, 714/32, 714/33, 714 37- 39, 714/47
• US Class Current: 714/38.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3696 Methods or tools to render software testable

Abstract

A method and system for run time testing of a computer software application. The method and system include attaching a RAS agent to the application to be tested; running the application with the attached RAS agent; configuring the RAS agent to monitor a component of the application, while the application is being executed to collect results; exercising the application to perform a task; and validating the collected results while the task is being performed by the application. The RAS agent may be configured (for example, remotely) to modify behavior of the component of the application, while the application is being executed.

Claims

1. A method for run time testing of a computer software application, the method comprising:

attaching a Run-time Application Stubs (RAS) agent to the software application to be tested;

running the software application with the attached RAS agent;

configuring the RAS agent to monitor a component of the software application to collect results, while the software application is being executed;

exercising the software application to perform a task; and

recording a first set of calls to every function in the software application including arguments passed to the functions and return values by the functions, while the task is being performed by the software application;

re-exercising the software application to perform the same task;

recording a second set of calls to every function in the software application while the same task is being performed by the re-exercised software application;

comparing the second set of calls to the first set of calls; and

reporting an error when the second set of calls return different values from the first set of calls, to the same functions with the same arguments.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the RAS agent to modify behavior of the component of the software application, while the software application is being executed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the RAS agent comprises remotely configuring the RAS agent via a computer network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the validated results on a computer screen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the component of the software application is one or more method.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the component of the software application is one or more function.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the component of the software application is one or more statement.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing regression testing of the software application using the validated results.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein regression testing of the software application is performed while the behavior of the component is being modified by the RAS agent.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying the type of information to collect.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected results includes objects calling sequence, wherein the objects calling sequence is implied from temporal recording of sequence of calls from the exercising of the software application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the RAS agent to monitor a component of the software application comprises configuring the RAS agent to profile interfaces available for a given program type to provide data about method invocation sequence and argument values.

13. A system for run time testing of a computer software application comprising:

means for attaching a Run-time Application Stubs (RAS) agent to the software agent to the application to be tested;

means for running the software application with the attached RAS agent;

means for configuring the RAS agent to monitor a component of the software application to collect results, while the software application is being executed;

means for exercising the application to perform a task; and

means for recording a first set of calls to every function in the software application including arguments passed to the functions and return values by the functions, while the task is being performed by the software application, wherein the software application is re-exercised to perform the same task and a second set of calls to every function in the software application is recorded while the same task is being performed by the re-exercised software application;

means for comparing the second set of calls to the first set of calls; and

means for reporting an error when the second set of calls return different values from the first set of calls, to the same functions with the same arguments.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for configuring the RAS agent to modify behavior of the component of the software application, while the application is being executed.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein means for configuring the RAS agent comprises means for remotely configuring the RAS agent via a computer network.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for displaying the validated results on a computer screen.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the component of the software application is one or more of a group consisting of a method, a function, and a statement.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for performing regression testing of the software application using the validated results.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein means for regression testing of the software application is configured to performed the regression testing while the behavior of the component is being modified by the RAS agent.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for specifying the type of information to collect.