Testing of The Platform Configuration

Testing of The Platform Configuration

Configuration variations significantly complicate the testing. In particular, such complications can arise due to the use of peripheral devices. Each peripheral device comes with a manufacturer’s driver, which is selected from a set of drivers for different operating systems. That is why personal computers are mostly designed for use in a fixed location whether it is home or office, they are meant to be used by a single individual at a time. Owing to the complexity and high cost of operating systems and peripherals, it is too expensive to test a software application for all possible configurations of personal computers. The rapid tester should refer to the process as branch testing which does not provide complete code coverage, and apply test cases only to prevailing combinations of operating systems and peripheral devices.

In order to make it simpler to manage a set of test platforms, you can use the technology for development of a test configuration matrix that accelerates the planning and implementation of a test process and facilitates the organization of a test results reporting process. The suggested format of the test configuration matrix can be found on the Internet. Outsource testing to someone you acknowledge as having an authority to conduct different tests. For example, Ukrainian testers are famous for ensuring the quality of software apps at an attractive price and without bias.

If the platform matrix is ​​large and complex, it can be a database that provides transaction date for each transaction and logging to implement configuration management. To keep track of changes made to hardware, you can regularly perform tests on this matrix, so that to find an answer to the question: is equipment tested on the most modern platforms occupying the same place in the market as the software product under test? This matrix or test configuration database should be shared by all partners responsible for testing the final software product.

Usually, when the software is put to on the market for customer use, it is common to list the basic requirements for the platform. For example, when specifying an operating system for a test configuration, you must mention the version number and service pack level. In addition, hard drives must be documented along with the manufacturer’s name, firmware version, driver version and any other parameters.