This page explains what a comlete system testing setup looks like. What are the moving parts? and how do they interact with each-other?

Terminology

System under test

This is the system which we are trying to test.

Scripts

This is the description of what SeqZap should do to the system under test to test it.

These scripts are usually written by developers and testers, and are usually written based on some requirements defined by marketing/product persons.

Tool

A tool is a SeqZap plugin which provides access to a interface of the system under test, this can be anything from simple analog/digital input/output signals and simple interfaces to get/set values all the way to complete user interface or web browser interfaces.

Report

The output of a formal test run, usually these reports are used by developers and testers to prove that the system under test is working in a specific configuration/version.

Log

The output of a test used by the test developer to find bugs in either the system under test or the test itself, this is usually read from inside SeqZap.

Process

Testing happens when execution of a single test case or an entire test suite is initiated. This can happen either inside due to user interaction, or as part of a script on a test/build server.

SeqZap reads and parses the script files, connects to the relevant interfaces on the system under test through the appropriate tools and executes the selected test suite or test case.

When the test is done executing it will have one of the following results:

• Pass: The test passed, and the system under test adhered to all the expectations communicated in the test scripts.
• Fail: The test failed, and a developer or tester should inspect the log or report to find out why the system under test failed to meet the expectations.
• Error: The test caused an error, this is similar to a test failure, but rather than the system under test failing to meet the expectations, the system under test did something completely unexpected (rebooted during a test/caused a communication CRC error/etc.).

This process is not specific to SeqZap, but is a standard way of handling test in all industries. With SeqZap the process is just built-in.