Interfaces and Techniques for Runtime Testing of Component-Based Systems

Abstract

Code reuse has always been an important area for reducing development time. The component-based software development paradigm is becoming increasingly important as a structured way of achieving effective code reuse, moving away from the ad-hoc processes that have tended to be used in the past. However, attention must be given to difficulties associated with testing a system composed of (possibly third party) components whose internal structure is not visible to the system integrator. In general, it cannot be assumed that a component will function as expected when exposed to a specific usage profile in a particular target environment, which will usually differ from that used by the component developer for testing purposes. It is unrealistic to expect non-trivial components to be 100% defect free. A further complication arises when components, possibly of different manufacture, must interact to meet the overall requirements of the software system. To facilitate the construction of robust component-based software systems, it is argued that a software component must provide some form of test service that enables the verification of correct internal functioning in the target environment, and supports the verification of component interactions. This chapter describes an architecture that facilitates such tests, and briefly outlines some of the test types that may be incorporated into the component.