The Role of Test Drivers
An independent testing laboratory will invariably use a driver to verify the functional design of a system before commencing production. The Driver is a special program that acts as a proxy between the CAD/CAM software and the hardware. It is designed such that it will capture all the relevant information from the software, in a way that it can be understood by the CAD/CAM software. This enables the software engineers to fine tune the designs with utmost precision. A Test Driver is a special program that is written to verify the functional design of the software and thereby aids the engineers in the process of producing the final product.
Test drivers are typically used during Bottom-up compatibility testing, so as to simulate the behavior of the upper level non-integrated modules. Also referred as Flash-boards, they allow a user to quickly debug a CAD drawing or other integrated software program. In addition to this, test drivers require a host of computer-based tests that need to be run simultaneously in order to verify the design, performance and compatibility of a particular system. As the name implies, a test driver requires a specific testing application or methodology. The methodology typically varies across different system applications.
For the majority of systems there are two approaches to develop a test driver: One is to convert a previously existing application program, and the second is to write a new program. Writing a new test driver involves defining the test requirements, creating the test data, building the test execution environment and finally validating the test results. Most systems will allow the user to define a set of test cases. The test cases are an expression of a system’s functionality requirements expressed in terms of individual tests. System test tools usually support different testing approaches; a user may opt to implement one or more of these approaches.
Typically, vehicle testing is performed on a variety of platforms such as x86, Linux/xBox, UNIX, Windows 2021, and others. To get started with vehicle testing, it is important for an engineer to define the goal of their testing. A good test driver will first perform a series of function calls to gather input from a user. The purpose of this initial input is to optimize the implementation’s behavior. After the utility has gathered a substantial amount of input, it will use this input to derive and compare actual performance. This final analysis is used to optimize the final design.
Test drivers often contain a number of diagnostic tools to detect bugs in the design and functionality of the application. A reserve driver is a special type of diagnostic tool that is designed specifically to run only on one piece of hardware. Most reserve drivers come with a default setting to repair a specific device or application whenever a problem occurs. The purpose of a reserve driver is to reduce the workload on the main testing infrastructure.
While testing new software development techniques, some companies opt for manual testing. While testing a software application manually is faster and more efficient, this method does not include the same level of optimization as a test driver. Therefore, manual testing is not recommended for software testing. In most cases, it is necessary to utilize both types of tools to gain the maximum benefits for your testing efforts. Using test drivers as well as test drivers is an important part of software testing.
