Sommerville 9th Edition

Chapter 8: Software Testing

Exercises
8.2. Explain why testing can only detect the presence
of errors, not their absence.
Assume that exhaustive testing of a program,
where every possible valid input is checked, is
impossible (true for all but trivial programs).
Test cases either do not reveal a fault in the
program or reveal a program fault. If they
reveal a program fault then they demonstrate
the presence of an error. If they do not reveal
a fault, however, this simply means that they
have executed a code sequence that for the
inputs chosen is not faulty. The next test of
the same code sequence with different
inputs could reveal a fault.
8.4. You have been asked to test a method called catWhiteSpace in a
Paragraph object that, within the paragraph, replaces sequences of blank
characters with a single blank character. Identify testing partitions for this
example and derive a set of tests for the catWhiteSpace method.

Testing partitions are:

Strings with only single blank characters
Strings with sequences of blank characters in
the middle of the string
Strings with sequences of blank characters at
the beginning/end of string
8.4. You have been asked to test a method called catWhiteSpace in a
Paragraph object that, within the paragraph, replaces sequences of blank
characters with a single blank character. Identify testing partitions for this
example and derive a set of tests for the catWhiteSpace method.
8.4. You have been asked to test a method called catWhiteSpace in a
Paragraph object that, within the paragraph, replaces sequences of blank
characters with a single blank character. Identify testing partitions for this
example and derive a set of tests for the catWhiteSpace method.
8.5. What is regression testing? Explain how the use of automated
tests and a testing framework such as JUnit simplifies regression
testing.
Regression testing is the process of running tests for
functionality that has already been implemented when
new functionality is developed or the system is changed.
Regression tests check that the system changes have
not introduced problems into the previously
implemented code.
Automated tests and a testing framework, such as JUnit,
radically simplify regression testing as the entire test set
can be run automatically each time a change is made.
The automated tests include their own checks that the
test has been successful or otherwise so the costs of
checking the success or otherwise of regression tests is
low.
8.7. Write a scenario that could be used to help design tests for
the wilderness weather station system.
A possible scenario for high-level testing of the
weather station system is:
John is a meteorologist responsible for producing
weather maps for the state of Minnesota. These maps
are produced from automatically collected data using
a weather mapping system and they show different
data about the weather in Minnesota. John selects the
area for which the map is to be produced, the time
period of the map and requests that the map should
be generated. While the map is being created, John
runs a weather station check that examines all
remotely collected weather station data and looks for
gaps in that data this would imply a problem with the
remote weather station.
8.8. What do you understand by the term stress testing?
Suggest how you might stress test the MHC-PMS.
Stress testing is where you deliberately increase
the load on a system beyond its design limit to
see how it copes with high loads. The system
should degrade gracefully rather than collapse.
The MHC-PMS has been designed as a client-
server system with the possibility of downloading
to a client. To stress test the system, you need to
arrange for (a) many different clinics to try and
access the system at the same time and (b)
Large numbers of records to be added to the
system. This may involve using a simulation
system to simulate multiple users.
KEY POINTS
1) What is the distinction between validation
and verification?
2) What are the advantages of inspections over
testing?
3) Briefly describe the three principal stages of
testing for a commercial software system.
4) What tests should be included in object class
testing?
5) What guidelines does Whittaker suggest for
defect testing?
6) What is an equivalence partition? Give an
example.
7) What are the three important classes of
KEY POINTS (CONTD)
8) What should be the principal concerns of
system testing?
9) Briefly summarize the test-driven
development process.
10) What is scenario testing?
11) What is stress testing and why is it useful?
12) What are the three types of user testing?