Capturing test data associated with error conditions in software item testing

• US 8,839,201 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: McDonald, Sean, Gibbens, David, Schissel, Callistus C
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Ben C
• Application Number:
  US13/650,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0712 in a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/368 for test version control, e.g. updating test cases to a new software version
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

In a method of testing a software item, an automated test of a software item is conducted. In response to occurrence of an error condition during the test, test data associated with the error condition is captured. A portion of the captured test data is forwarded to a designated electronic notification location.

Claims

1. A method of software item testing, said method comprising:

conducting an automated test of a software item within a computing environment;

responsive to occurrence of an error condition during said test, automatically capturing documentation of an execution state associated with said software item at a time of occurrence of said error condition, said automatically capturing documentation of an execution state associated with said software item at a time of occurrence of said error condition comprising;

provided said software item under test is associated with graphical output of said software item, automatically capturing a screen shot of an execution state of said software item upon occurrence of said error condition;

provided said software item under test is not associated with graphical output of said software item, automatically capturing a snap shot of software item log file from said software item under test upon occurrence of said error condition;

capturing a test log of actions performed during said test;

annotating said test log with a description of said error condition; and

electronically referencing said captured documentation as a hyperlink within said test log; and

electronically forwarding said captured documentation of the execution state associated with said software item to a designated electronic notification location.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said automatically capturing documentation of an execution state associated with said software item at a time of occurrence of said error condition further comprises:

capturing a snap shot of a device under test testing log from a computing environment upon which said software item is being tested.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said electronically forwarding said captured documentation of an execution state associated with said software item to a designated electronic notification location comprises:

electronically forwarding said captured documentation to a designated electronic notification location selected from the group consisting of;

an electronic mail address, a social network, a wiki, a flat file, a spread sheet, and a network storage location.

4. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause a computing system to perform a method of software item testing, said method comprising:

conducting an automated test of a software item;

responsive to occurrence of an error condition during said test, automatically capturing test data associated with said error condition, said automatically capturing test data associated with said error condition comprising;

provided said software item under test is associated with graphical output of said software item, automatically capturing a screen shot of an execution state of said software item upon occurrence of said error condition;

provided said software item under test is not associated with graphical output of said software item, automatically capturing a snap shot of software item log file from said software item under test upon occurrence of said error condition;

capturing a test log of actions performed during said test;

annotating said test log with a description of said error condition; and

embedding a hyperlink in said test log, said hyperlink comprising a link to additional captured data regarding said error condition; and

forwarding a portion of said captured test data to a designated electronic notification location.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein said conducting an automated test of a software item comprises:

conducting said automated test of said software item utilizing a virtual machine as a device under test.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein said conducting an automated test of a software item comprises:

conducting said automated test of said software item utilizing a cloud computing environment.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein said capturing test data associated with said error condition comprises:

capturing a snap shot of a device under test log file upon occurrence of said error condition.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein said capturing test data associated with said error condition comprises:

creating a summary of statistics regarding said test.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein said

hyperlink is embedded in said test log at a point associated with said error condition.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein said forwarding a portion of said captured test data to a designated electronic notification location comprises:

forwarding said portion of said captured test data to a designated electronic notification location selected from the group consisting of;

an electronic mail address, a social network, a wiki, a flat file, a spread sheet, and a network storage location.

11. A method of software item testing, said method comprising:

conducting an automated test of a software item within a computing environment; and

responsive to occurrence of an error condition during said test;

automatically annotating a description of said error condition into a test log of actions performed during said test to create an annotated test log;

automatically capturing documentation of an execution state associated with said software item at a time of occurrence of said error condition, said automatically capturing documentation of an execution state associated with said software item at a time of occurrence of said error condition comprising;

provided said software item under test is associated with graphical output of said software item, automatically capturing a screen shot of an execution state of said software item at said time of occurrence of said error condition; and

provided said software item under test is not associated with graphical output of said software item, automatically capturing a snap shot of software item log file from said software item at said time of occurrence of said error condition; and

embedding a hyperlink to said captured documentation within said annotated test log.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

electronically forwarding said annotated test log to a designated electronic notification location.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said electronically forwarding said log of actions to a designated electronic notification location comprises:

electronically forwarding said annotated test log to a designated electronic notification location selected from the group consisting of;

an electronic mail address, a social network, a wiki, a flat file, a spread sheet, and a network storage location.