Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Environment & Compatibility Testing

What is Environment & Compatibility Testing?

Environment & compatibility testing, also known as platform testing or configuration testing, verifies that an application functions the same, or in an appropriately similar manner, across all supported platforms or configurations.

For websites, environment & compatibility testing verifies that a website looks and functions the same across all supported Web browsers and browser versions / patch levels -- Netscape, Internet Explorer, AOL, and others. Other "variables" considered besides the Web browser, especially for multimedia and graphics-rich sites, include operating system, processor type, processor speed, installed RAM and video display & resolution settings.

Environment & compatibility testing for non-Web systems (client/server or standalone applications) verifies an application functions the same across all supported hardware and software configurations. The variables considered here usually include operating system, processor type and speed, memory (RAM) and video display & resolution settings. Depending on the exact nature and architecture of the application, variables such as client database type, server database type and server hardware configuration might be included.

The typical environment & compatibility testing process at Testware is:

· Determine what "variables" are relevant to the application or website and prioritize them according to risk.

· Identify the total number of configurations that could be tested.

· Based on time, budget and risk considerations, determine how many configurations should and will be tested.

· Determine what application or website features and functions should be tested on each configuration. In most situations, a subset of the functionality is tested on each. In high-risk situations, a complete functional regression test is executed.

Execute tests on each configuration, leveraging Testware's library of operating system and software configurations and automated configuration setup tools to keep setup time to a minimum and maximize testing time.

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