Integrating software testing and run-time checking in an assertion verification framework

We have designed and implemented a framework that unifies unit testing and run-time verification (as well as static verification and static debugging). A key contribution of our approach is that a unified assertion language is used for all of these tasks. We first propose methods for compiling runtime checks for (parts of) assertions which cannot be verified at compile-time via program transformation. This transformation allows checking preconditions and postconditions, including conditional postconditions, properties at arbitrary program points, and certain computational properties. The implemented transformation includes several optimizations to reduce run-time overhead. We also propose a minimal addition to the assertion language which allows defining unit tests to be run in order to detect possible violations of the (partial) specifications expressed by the assertions. This language can express for example the input data for performing the unit tests or the number of times that the unit tests should be repeated. We have implemented the framework within the Ciao/CiaoPP system and effectively applied it to the verification of ISO-prolog compliance and to the detection of different types of bugs in the Ciao system source code. Several experimental results are presented that ¡Ilústrate different trade-offs among program size, running time, or levéis of verbosity of the messages shown to the user.

Análisis de sistemas eléctricos en microsatélites. Desarrollo de módulos para una Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) para desarrollo y análisis de misiones espaciales = Analysis of microsatellites power subsystems (battery testing). Development and programming of a new Orbit Design Module for a space mission Concurrent Design Facility (CDF)

El presente proyecto se ha realizado durante las prácticas curriculares que han tenido lugar en el Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad “Ignacio Da Riva” (IDR/UPM). A lo largo de estas prácticas se han llevado a cabo trabajos en diversos campos, todos relacionados con el UPMSat-2, desde el subsistema de potencia (placas solares y baterías) hasta el desarrollo de módulos para la Sala de Diseño Concurrente (Concurrent Design Facility, CDF). En la realización de las mismas se ha trabajado en equipo, junto con otros dos alumnos. El objetivo del proyecto es recopilar las tareas realizadas, proporcionando el desarrollo teórico necesario para llevar a cabo todas ellas. Al ser un trabajo con varias partes claramente diferenciadas, se ha optado por comenzar con unas páginas dedicadas a las misiones espaciales. A continuación el trabajo se adentra en el subsistema de potencia de un satélite, particularizando para el UPMSat-2. Finalmente, se proporciona la teoría necesaria para el desarrollo del módulo de misión de la CDF del IDR/UPM, software que se ha desarrollado y tiene reservado un espacio al final, en el cual se describe el programa y se realizan comparaciones de los resultados que proporciona frente a casos reales.

Software Testing and Documenting Automation

This article describes some approaches to problem of testing and documenting automation in information systems with graphical user interface. Combination of data mining methods and theory of finite state machines is used for testing automation. Automated creation of software documentation is based on using metadata in documented system. Metadata is built on graph model. Described approaches improve performance and quality of testing and documenting processes.

Transactions and schema evolution in a persistent object-oriented programming system

Applications are subject of a continuous evolution process with a profound impact on their underlining data model, hence requiring frequent updates in the applications' class structure and database structure as well. This twofold problem, schema evolution and instance adaptation, usually known as database evolution, is addressed in this thesis. Additionally, we address concurrency and error recovery problems with a novel meta-model and its aspect-oriented implementation. Modern object-oriented databases provide features that help programmers deal with object persistence, as well as all related problems such as database evolution, concurrency and error handling. In most systems there are transparent mechanisms to address these problems, nonetheless the database evolution problem still requires some human intervention, which consumes much of programmers' and database administrators' work effort. Earlier research works have demonstrated that aspect-oriented programming (AOP) techniques enable the development of flexible and pluggable systems. In these earlier works, the schema evolution and the instance adaptation problems were addressed as database management concerns. However, none of this research was focused on orthogonal persistent systems. We argue that AOP techniques are well suited to address these problems in orthogonal persistent systems. Regarding the concurrency and error recovery, earlier research showed that only syntactic obliviousness between the base program and aspects is possible. Our meta-model and framework follow an aspect-oriented approach focused on the object-oriented orthogonal persistent context. The proposed meta-model is characterized by its simplicity in order to achieve efficient and transparent database evolution mechanisms. Our meta-model supports multiple versions of a class structure by applying a class versioning strategy. Thus, enabling bidirectional application compatibility among versions of each class structure. That is to say, the database structure can be updated because earlier applications continue to work, as well as later applications that have only known the updated class structure. The specific characteristics of orthogonal persistent systems, as well as a metadata enrichment strategy within the application's source code, complete the inception of the meta-model and have motivated our research work. To test the feasibility of the approach, a prototype was developed. Our prototype is a framework that mediates the interaction between applications and the database, providing them with orthogonal persistence mechanisms. These mechanisms are introduced into applications as an {\it aspect} in the aspect-oriented sense. Objects do not require the extension of any super class, the implementation of an interface nor contain a particular annotation. Parametric type classes are also correctly handled by our framework. However, classes that belong to the programming environment must not be handled as versionable due to restrictions imposed by the Java Virtual Machine. Regarding concurrency support, the framework provides the applications with a multithreaded environment which supports database transactions and error recovery. The framework keeps applications oblivious to the database evolution problem, as well as persistence. Programmers can update the applications' class structure because the framework will produce a new version for it at the database metadata layer. Using our XML based pointcut/advice constructs, the framework's instance adaptation mechanism is extended, hence keeping the framework also oblivious to this problem. The potential developing gains provided by the prototype were benchmarked. In our case study, the results confirm that mechanisms' transparency has positive repercussions on the programmer's productivity, simplifying the entire evolution process at application and database levels. The meta-model itself also was benchmarked in terms of complexity and agility. Compared with other meta-models, it requires less meta-object modifications in each schema evolution step. Other types of tests were carried out in order to validate prototype and meta-model robustness. In order to perform these tests, we used an OO7 small size database due to its data model complexity. Since the developed prototype offers some features that were not observed in other known systems, performance benchmarks were not possible. However, the developed benchmark is now available to perform future performance comparisons with equivalent systems. In order to test our approach in a real world scenario, we developed a proof-of-concept application. This application was developed without any persistence mechanisms. Using our framework and minor changes applied to the application's source code, we added these mechanisms. Furthermore, we tested the application in a schema evolution scenario. This real world experience using our framework showed that applications remains oblivious to persistence and database evolution. In this case study, our framework proved to be a useful tool for programmers and database administrators. Performance issues and the single Java Virtual Machine concurrent model are the major limitations found in the framework.

Code pattern analysis of object-oriented programming languages

Code patterns, including programming patterns and design patterns, are good references for programming language feature improvement and software re-engineering. However, to our knowledge, no existing research has attempted to detect code patterns based on code clone detection technology. In this study, we build upon the previous work and propose to detect and analyze code patterns from a collection of open source projects using NiPAT technology. Because design patterns are most closely associated with object-oriented languages, we choose Java and Python projects to conduct our study. The tool we use for detecting patterns is NiPAT, a pattern detecting tool originally developed for the TXL programming language based on the NiCad clone detector. We extend NiPAT for the Java and Python programming languages. Then, we try to identify all the patterns from the pattern report and classify them into several different categories. In the end of the study, we analyze all the patterns and compare the differences between Java and Python patterns.

Observations on Software Testing Practice

This thesis investigates factors that affect software testing practice. The thesis consists of empirical studies, in which the affecting factors were analyzed and interpreted using quantitative and qualitative methods. First, the Delphi method was used to specify the scope of the thesis. Secondly, for the quantitative analysis 40industry experts from 30 organizational units (OUs) were interviewed. The survey method was used to explore factors that affect software testing practice. Conclusions were derived using correlation and regression analysis. Thirdly, from these 30 OUs, five were further selected for an in-depth case study. The data was collected through 41 semi-structured interviews. The affecting factors and their relationships were interpreted with qualitative analysis using grounded theory as the research method. The practice of software testing was analyzed from the process improvement and knowledge management viewpoints. The qualitative and quantitativeresults were triangulated to increase the validity of the thesis. Results suggested that testing ought to be adjusted according to the business orientation of the OU; the business orientation affects the testing organization and knowledge management strategy, and the business orientation andthe knowledge management strategy affect outsourcing. As a special case, the complex relationship between testing schedules and knowledge transfer is discussed. The results of this thesis can be used in improvingtesting processes and knowledge management in software testing.

Software testing design and implementation in a small software company

Monet ohjelmistoyritykset ovat alkaneet kiinnittää yhä enemmän huomiota ohjelmistotuotteidensa laatuun. Tämä on johtanut siihen, että useimmat niistä ovat valinneet ohjelmistotestauksen välineeksi, jolla tätä laatua voidaan parantaa. Testausta ei pidä rajoittaa ainoastaan ohjelmistotuotteeseen itseensä, vaan sen tulisi kattaa koko ohjelmiston kehitysprosessi. Validaatiotestauksessa keskitytään varmistamaan, että lopputuote täyttää sille asetetut vaatimukset, kun taas verifikaatiotestausta käytetään ennaltaehkäisevänä testauksena, jolla pyritään poistamaan virheitä jo ennenkuin ne pääsevät lähdekoodiin asti. Työ, johon tämä diplomityö perustuu, tehtiin alkukevään ja kesän aikana vuonna 2003 Necsom Oy:n toimeksiannosta. Necsom on pieni suomalainen ohjelmistoyritys, jonka tutkimus- ja kehitysyksikkö toimii Lappeenrannassa.Tässä diplomityössä tutustutaan aluksi ohjelmistotestaukseen sekä eri tapoihin sen organisoimiseksi. Tämän lisäksi annetaan yleisiä ohjeita testisuunnitelmien ja testaustapausten tekoon, joita onnistunut ja tehokas testaus edellyttää. Kun tämä teoria on käyty läpi, esitetään esimerkkinä kuinka sisäinen ohjelmistotestaus toteutettiin Necsomilla. Lopuksi esitetään johtopäätökset, joihin päädyttiin käytännön testausprosessin seuraamisen jälkeen ja annetaan jatkotoimenpide-ehdotuksia.

Interface Implementation for GPRS/PCU Software Testing with Emulators

Jatkuvasti lisääntyvä matkapuhelinten käyttäjien määrä, internetin kehittyminen yleiseksi tiedon ja viihteen lähteeksi on luonut tarpeen palvelulle liikkuvan työaseman liittämiseksi tietokoneverkkoihin. GPRS on uusi teknologia, joka tarjoaa olemassa olevia matka- puhelinverkkoja (esim. NMT ja GSM) nopeamman, tehokkaamman ja taloudellisemman liitynnän pakettidataverkkoihin, kuten internettiin ja intranetteihin. Tämän työn tavoitteena oli toteuttaa GPRS:n paketinohjausyksikön (Packet Control Unit, PCU) testauksessa tarvittavat viestintäajurit työasemaympristöön. Aidot matkapuhelinverkot ovat liian kalliita, eikä niistä saa tarvittavasti lokitulostuksia, jotta niitä voisi käyttää GPRS:n testauksessa ohjelmiston kehityksen alkuvaihessa. Tämän takia PCU-ohjelmiston testaus suoritetaan joustavammassa ja helpommin hallittavassa ympäristössä, joka ei aseta kovia reaaliaikavaatimuksia. Uusi toimintaympäristö ja yhteysmedia vaativat PCU:n ja muiden GPRS-verkon yksiköiden välisistä yhteyksistä huolehtivien ohjelman osien, viestintäajurien uuden toteutuksen. Tämän työn tuloksena syntyivät tarvittavien viestintäajurien työasemaversiot. Työssä tarkastellaan eri tiedonsiirtotapoja ja -protokollia testattavan ohjelmiston vaateiden, toteutetun ajurin ja testauksen kannalta. Työssä esitellään kunkin ajurin toteuttama rajapinta ja toteutuksen aste, eli mitkä toiminnot on toteutettu ja mitä on jätetty pois. Ajureiden rakenne ja toiminta selvitetään siltä osin, kuin se on oleellista ohjelman toiminnan kannalta.

A Survey and Classification of Software Testing Tools

Software testing is one of the essential parts in software engineering process. The objective of the study was to describe software testing tools and the corresponding use. The thesis contains examples of software testing tools usage. The study was conducted as a literature study, with focus on current software testing practices and quality assurance standards. In the paper a tool classifier was employed, and testing tools presented in study were classified according to it. We found that it is difficult to distinguish current available tools by certain testing activities as many of them contain functionality that exceeds scopes of a single testing type.

Developing an introductory object-oriented programming course

The state of the object-oriented programming course in Lappeenranta University of Technology had reached the point, where it required changes to provide better learning opportunities and thus the learning outcomes. Based on the student feedback the course was partially dated and ineffective. The components of the course were analysed and the ineffective elements were removed and new methods were introduced to improve the course. The major changes included the change from traditional teaching methods to reverse classroom method and the use of Java as the programming language. The changes were measured by the student feedback, lecturer’s observations and comparison to previous years. The feedback suggested that the changes were successful; the course received higher overall grade than before.

OPUS: interactive software for solving linear programming models using the simplex algorithm

Includes bibliography