Web & Client/Server Testing Resources
Articles
How to Test Cookies in a
Stateful Web System
First Paragraph:
My corporate duties these days at Testware
Associates tend towards the managerial - responding to requests for proposals,
comfortably relaxing in my corner office while others do the real work, waxing
poetically in StickyMinds.com articles. However, I sometimes forego management
nirvana to participate in several of the many and varied testing engagements
under way. This article will focus on cookies and cookie testing techniques that
Testware has employed in Web testing.
Comments: A technical background and explanation of how cookies
work combined with real-world examples will show you how to test cookies, an
important element in e-commerce.
Author: Rich Brauchle
Publisher:
stickyminds.com
Issue/Date:October, 2001
Two-Tier Software
Architecture
First Paragraph:
Two tier software architectures were
developed in the 1980s from the file server software architecture design. The
two tier architecture is intended to improve usability by supporting a
forms-based, user-friendly interface. The two tier architecture improves
scalability by accommodating up to 100 users (file server architectures only
accommodate a dozen users), and improves flexibility by allowing data to be
shared, usually within a homogeneous environment [Schussel 96]. The two tier
architecture requires minimal operator intervention, and is frequently used in
non-complex, non-time critical information processing systems. Detailed readings
on two tier architectures can be found in Schussel and Edelstein [Schussel 96,
Edelstein 94].
Comments: An overview of two-tier software
architecture.
Author: Darleen Sadoski
Publisher:
Carnegie Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997
How Email Works
First Paragraph:
Every day the citizens of the Internet send
each other billions of e-mail messages. If you are online a lot, you yourself
may send a dozen or two e-mails each day without even thinking about it.
Obviously, e-mail has become an extremely popular communication tool in a very
short time!
Comments: Web application testing normally involves the testing of
email. Find out how email works in this article.
Author: Marshall Brain
Publisher:
How Stuff Works
Issue/Date:NA
Trade Secrets From a Web
Testing Expert
First Paragraph:
Load testing has rapidly become one of the
top QA priorities for companies with mission-critical Web sites. How many users
will your site be able to serve while still maintaining acceptable response
times? That's an indispensable piece of information for planning marketing
campaigns, estimating IT budgets, and basic delivery of service. And yet
practically all Web site load tests are seriously flawed - because they all seem
to make mistakes that have a huge impact on the accuracy of the test and the
reliability of the results. Let's look at three of the biggest and most common
Web load testing blunders, and how to avoid them.
Comments: In this article, the author offers three of the biggest
and most common Web load testing blunders, and also gives advice on how to avoid
them.
Author: Alberto Savoia
Publisher:
Stickyminds.com
Issue/Date:May, 2001
Component Object Model (COM),
DCOM, and Related Capabilities
First Paragraph:
COM [COM 95] refers to both a specification
and implementation developed by Microsoft Corporation which provides a framework
for integrating components. This framework supports interoperability and
reusability of distributed objects by allowing developers to build systems by
assembling reusable components from different vendors which communicate via COM.
By applying COM to build systems of preexisting components, developers hope to
reap benefits of maintainability and adaptability.
Comments: A technical overview of COM and DCOM
Author: Ed Morris and Emil Litvak
Publisher:
Carnegie Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997
How CGI Scripting
Works
First Paragraph:
The How Stuff Works article entitled How a
Web Page Works discusses the basic features of HTML and shows you how to create
web pages that contain text and graphics. It also shows you how to get your page
"on the air" with a hosting service. One of the questions frequently asked by
new web site designers once they get their site up is, "What is CGI Scripting
and how can I use it on my site?" or, "How do I create interactive forms on my
site?" This edition of How Stuff Works will answer your questions about CGI
scripting and show you how to create your own scripts. It will also teach you a
bit about Web Servers in the process. Let's get started!
Comments: CGI is one of the elements that enrich the functionality
of Web applications. The Web application under test (AUT) will have executable
programs or procedures running on the server-side to carry out various tasks.
Itšs common that CGI is a type of program that takes on that role. Understanding
how CGI works will enhance your capability of testing Web applications and
analyzing bugs. This article offers an overview of CGI scripting and how CGI
scripts or applications can be used to create interactive forms on Web sites.
Author: Marshall Brain
Publisher:
howstuffworks.com
Issue/Date:NA
Client-Server Software
Architecture
First Paragraph:
The term client/server was first used in the
1980s in reference to personal computers (PCs) on a network. The actual
client/server model started gaining acceptance in the late 1980s. The
client/server software architecture is a versatile, message-based and modular
infrastructure that is intended to improve usability, flexibility,
interoperability, and scalability as compared to centralized, mainframe, time
sharing computing.
Comments: A technical overview of client/server
architecture.
Author: Darleen Sadoski
Publisher:
Carnegie-Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997
Risk-Based E-Business Testing -
Part 1. Risks and Test Strategy
First Paragraph:
There are five main risk areas in E-Business
(EB) system development. These risks relate to usability, performance, security,
availability and functionality. These risks are not new...
Comments: This is Part 1 of 2 in a well-written paper that
thoroughly discusses Web-based testing issues and strategies..
Author: Paul Gerrard
Publisher:
Methods & Tools or Systeme Evolutif
Ltd.
Issue/Date:Volume 8 | Number 2, Summer 2000
Web Accessibility Initiative of
the World Wide Web Consortium
First Paragraph:
Mission: The W3C's commitment to lead the Web
to its full potential includes promoting a high degree of usability for people
with disabilities. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), in coordination with
organizations around the world, is pursuing accessibility of the Web through
five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education &
outreach, and research & development.
Comments: Includes accessibility guidelines and techniques, a
guide to getting started on making sites accessible, and quick
tips.
Author: Judy Brewer and Daniel Dardailler
Publisher:
www.w3.org
Issue/Date:September 22, 2000
How Internet Infrastructure
Works
First Paragraph:
One of the greatest things about the Internet
is that nobody really owns it. It is a global collection of networks, both big
and small. These networks connect together in many different ways to form the
single entity that we know as the Internet. In fact, the very name comes from
this idea of interconnected networks.
Comments: Identify Web testing bottlenecks by reading this article
about network infrastructure.
Author: Jeff Tyson
Publisher:
How Stuff Works
Issue/Date:NA
Scaling Web applications with
Windows 2000 Advanced Server's Network Load Balancing
First Paragraph:
With ever larger Web applications being built
to service tremendous amounts of simultaneous users pounding away at Web sites,
the issue of scaling applications beyond a single machine is often on the mind
of Web application developers and network administrators. While hardware seems
to be ever increasing to the point that high power single machines can handle
tremendous loads there will always be those apps that push beyond what a single
machine can service. In addition, for many administrators and IT planners it's
often not good enough to say that a server can handle x number of users, but
they want to have redundancy, backup and overflow support so that a Web server
or hardware failure or an unexpected surge of visitors doesn't cripple the
corporate Web site. In this article, Rick discusses the issues of scalability
and how load balancing services can help provide redundancy and extra horse
power to large Web sites that need to reach beyond a single box.
Comments: In this article, the author discusses system scalability
issues and how load balancing services, based on Windows 2000 Network Load
Balancing Service, can help provide better redundancy and load handling
capabillity through multiple box configurations.
Author: Rick Strahl
Publisher:
West Wind Technologies
Issue/Date:October 2000
Three-Tier Software
Architecture
First Paragraph:
The three tier software architecture (a.k.a.
three layer architectures) emerged in the 1990s to overcome the limitations of
the two tier architecture (see Two Tier Software Architectures). The third tier
(middle tier server) is between the user interface (client) and the data
management (server) components. This middle tier provides process management
where business logic and rules are executed and can accommodate hundreds of
users (as compared to only 100 users with the two tier architecture) by
providing functions such as queuing, application execution, and database
staging. The three tier architecture is used when an effective distributed
client/server design is needed that provides (when compared to the two tier)
increased performance, flexibility, maintainability, reusability, and
scalability, while hiding the complexity of distributed processing from the
user. For detailed information on three tier architectures see Schussel and
Eckerson. Schussel provides a graphical history of the evolution of
client/server architectures [Schussel 96, Eckerson 95].
Comments: An overview of three-tier software
architecture.
Author: Darleen Sadoski and Santiago Comella-Dorda
Publisher:
Carnegie Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997-2000
COTS and Open
Systems
First Paragraph:
One of the latest trends in systems
development is to make greater use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products.
While this change has been encouraged for many years for all kinds of systems
development, especially in the Department of Defense (DoD), it is only in the
early 1990s that the practice has been mandated by everyone from industry
executives to Congress.
Comments: An Overview explaining the decisions involved in
choosing off-the-shelf software products.
Author: Tricia Oberndorf
Publisher:
Carnegie Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997
How Domain Name Servers
Work
First Paragraph:
If you spend any time on the Internet sending
email or browsing the web, then you use Domain Name Servers without even
realizing it. Domain Name Servers, or DNS, are an incredibly important but
completely hidden part of the Internet, and they are fascinating! The DNS system
forms one of the largest and most active distributed databases on the planet,
and without DNS the Internet would shut down very quickly.
Comments: This article takes a look at the largest distribution
center in the world: the Domain Name Servers System. It is an overlooked pillar
of the internet. Learn how the DNS system powers the Internet.
Author: Marshall Brain
Publisher:
How Stuff Works
Issue/Date:NA
Object-Request
Broker
First Paragraph:
An object request broker (ORB) is a
middleware technology that manages communication and data exchange between
objects. ORBs promote interoperability of distributed object systems because
they enable users to build systems by piecing together objects- from different
vendors- that communicate with each other via the ORB [Wade 94]. The
implementation details of the ORB are generally not important to developers
building distributed systems. The developers are only concerned with the object
interface details. This form of information hiding enhances system
maintainability since the object communication details are hidden from the
developers and isolated in the ORB [Cobb 95].
Comments: A technical description of ORB
Author: Kurt Wallnau and John Foreman
Publisher:
Carnegie Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997
Risk-Based E-Business Testing -
Part 2. Test Techniques and Tools
First Paragraph:
This paper describes twenty techniques for
testing E-Business applications. These techniques were introduced in the
companion paper: Risk-Based E-Business Testing, Part 1, Risks and Test Strategy.
The techniques are described under five categories...
Comments: Part 2 of 2 of a paper that discusses testing techniques
for Web-based applications.
Author: Paul Gerrard
Publisher:
Methods & Tools or Systeme Evolutif
Ltd.
Issue/Date:Volume 8 | Number 3, Fall 2000
How Web Servers and the
Internet Work
First Paragraph:
Have you ever wondered about the mechanisms
that delivered this page to you? Chances are you are sitting at a computer right
now, viewing this page in a browser - so when you clicked on the link for this
page, or typed in its URL (Uniform Resource Locator), what happened behind the
scenes to bring this page onto your screen?
Comments: The Internet is built around the client-server process.
Find out exactly how client and server machines form the entire Web.
Author: Marshall Brain
Publisher:
How Stuff Works
Issue/Date:NA
Common Object Request Broker
Architecture (CORBA)
First Paragraph:
The Common Object Request Broker Architecture
(CORBA) is a specification of a standard architecture for object request brokers
(ORBs) (see Object Request Broker). A standard architecture allows vendors to
develop ORB products that support application portability and interoperability
across different programming languages, hardware platforms, operating systems,
and ORB implementations: "Using a CORBA-compliant ORB, a client can
transparently invoke a method on a server object, which can be on the same
machine or across a network. The ORB intercepts the call, and is responsible for
finding an object that can implement the request, passing it the parameters,
invoking its method, and returning the results of the invocation. The client
does not have to be aware of where the object is located, its programming
language, its operating system or any other aspects that are not part of an
object's interface" [OMG 96]. The "vision" behind CORBA is that distributed
systems are conceived and implemented as distributed objects. The interfaces to
these objects are described in a high-level, architecture-neutral specification
language that also supports object-oriented design abstraction. When combined
with the Object Management Architecture (see Technical Detail), CORBA can result
in distributed systems that can be rapidly developed, and can reap the benefits
that result from using high-level building blocks provided by CORBA, such as
maintainability and adaptability.
Comments: A technical overview of CORBA.
Author: Kurt Wallnau
Author: Kurt Wallnau
Publisher:
Carnegie-Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997
Online
Applications
First Paragraph:
The concept of online computing has been
talked about for years. There are many variations, but the basic idea is that a
software application runs on a server, instead of on a local desktop machine.
The client machine connects to the server over the Internet, but serves only as
a user interface. This is technically known as a server-based computing model,
and it offers several advantages, as we shall see. This form of computing is
also called an online computing model, an online application, or a hosted
application.
Comments: Take a closer look at how this computing model is
applied in ERP software and end-user applications for better understanding and
testing of server-based computing.
Author: Charlie Morris
Publisher:
Web Developer Journal
Issue/Date:June 5, 2000
Finding Components On The
Web
First Paragraph:
Here are a few of the development portals
we've been able to find on the Web. They offer a variety of products and
services that can directly influence the bottom line.
Comments: Development portals offer tested, certified, reusable
code that helps speed projects.
Author: Andy Patrizio
Publisher:
InformationWeek
Issue/Date:August 14, 2000
The New Developer
Portals
First Paragraph:
"Component-based development will increase as
time goes on, analysts say. By 2003, at least 70% of new applications will be
built primarily from software components and application frameworks, according
to Gartner Group. The reasons are simple: reduced time to market and reduced
cost of development." Components will be part of the application under test. If
we get information the developers get on components, wešll get a pretty good
background information about these components themselves.
Comments: Buying, selling, and building components on the Web
speeds companies' time to market.
Author: Andy Patrizio
Publisher:
InformationWeek
Issue/Date:August 14, 2000
MiddleWare
First Paragraph:
Middleware is connectivity software that
consists of a set of enabling services that allow multiple processes running on
one or more machines to interact across a network. Middleware is essential to
migrating mainframe applications to client/server applications and to providing
for communication across heterogeneous platforms. This technology has evolved
during the 1990s to provide for interoperability in support of the move to
client/server architectures (see Client/Server Software Architectures). The most
widely-publicized middleware initiatives are the Open Software Foundation's
Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) , Object Management Group's Common
Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), and Microsoft's COM/DCOM (see
Component Object Model (COM), DCOM, and Related Capabilities) [Eckerson
95].
Comments: A technical description of middleware.
Author: Mike Bray
Publisher:
Carnegie-Mellon SEI Software Technology
Review
Issue/Date:1997
Java
First Paragraph:
Java is an object-oriented programming
language (see Object-Oriented Programming Languages) developed by a small team
of people headed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems (development began in
1991) [Sun 97e]. It was originally intended for use in programming consumer
devices, but when the explosion of interest in the Internet began in 1995 it
became clear that Java was an ideal programming language for Internet
applications [van Hoff 96]. Java addresses many of the issues of software
distribution over a network, including...
Comments: An overview of Java technology.
Author: Santiago Comella-Dorda, Scott Tilley
Publisher:
Carnegie-Mellon University, The Software
Engineering Institute (SEI)
Issue/Date:1997-2000
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