CORBA Application Simulator and Regression/Load Testing Tool

CAST (CORBA Application Simulator and regression/ load tester) is a CORBA simulator that can simulate any CORBA-based applications, for both the client and server. The biggest difference between CAST and other competitors is that CAST is data-file-driven  (in XML format), instead of script-based, though an application-specific data handling module can be added to handle extremely dynamic cases when needed. The data files needed to drive CAST can be easily copied from real systems or generated using a GUI Wizard based on IDL specifications. It eliminates up to 99% of setup and programming time when compared to other simulator approaches. Besides, the XML data files can be easily modified by non-programmers using a text or XML editor.

CAST is also an automatic regression-testing tool that can detect discrepancies between a new and baselined versions. While CAST can simulate multiple instances of clients, it is an effective tool to perform performance and load tests which should be part of the regression test procedures.

Table of Contents

• Regression Test
• Performance Test
• How to Create or to Generate the Needed Data Files
• Development Procedures and Tools  
• Major Features  
• Requirements
• Evaluation and Web-based Demo

Regression Test:

Regression test is a process to retest a software for every release to make sure its original features still work the same. This is an important procedure because original features might have been unintentionally broken due to newly added functions or bug fixes. Regression test is usually performed in the same, controlled environment applied with the identical, standardized procedures to ease discrepancy detection.

Manual regression testing is expensive, time-consuming and usually error-prone. CAST can be configured to extract essential information from both requests and responses and then compares with the counterparts stored in the baselined release. All these can be done automatically to perform thousands or even hundred thousands of cases over night or over the weekend.

Performance Test:

Performance or load test is the procedure to benchmark your application’s processing capabilities, for example, number of requests the server can process per second, number of concurrent users a system can support, or the time required to process a set of tasks.

Performance test is also an important and necessary procedure to be conducted for each release before deployment or starting a field trial. A system's processing capability may have been unintentionally degraded due to newly added functions or bug fixes. For example, how does one know the system can sustain 100 or 1000 concurrent users with the satisfied response speed before starting a field trial.

Manual performance testing is also expensive, time-consuming and usually error-prone. CAST can be configured to perform performance tests automatically to simulate one or multiple clients concurrently. Performance statistics reports are also generated.

How to Create or to Generate the Needed Data Files?

 XML data files contain the most important information needed to model an application. The following are available options to create or to generate XML data files.

•  Modify the template data files generated by Servant Generation Wizard (see below).

• Configure CAST as a router and record the traffic between a real client and server in XML data files.

• Configure CAST as a client and record the replies sent back by a real server in XML data files.

Development Procedures and Tools

A set of user-friendly tools are used to configure CAST at development time and to simulate a server and/ or client application at runtime:

  Servant Generation Wizard: this is a tool used at development time to generate needed data template files and CORBA servant classes as specified in the IDL files.

  Project Designer: this is a development time GUI tool to configure CAST for an application. You can use the Project Designer to configure a project that simulates the client, server or both for your application. One can add various plug-ins into the project, e.g., a CorbaSubscriber plug-in can simulate one or more CORBA servers, a CorbaPublisher plug-in can simulate one or more CORBA clients and a TemplatePublisher can log all requests/ responses into files.

Runtime Controller:  this is the runtime tool that loads a  project file created by the Project Designer to simulate CORBA client or server applications.

  Load (Performance) Test Summary Window:  this is the performance report of an example that simulating 40 clients. CAST is an easy and effective tool to help you configure and optimize your application. One can use other 3-party programs (e.g., MS excel) to analyze or visualize the performance data.

  Regression Summary Window: this window lists the regression testing report. You do not need to perform regression tests manually. Let CAST do it for you. It can perform thousands or even hundred thousands of cases for you and simply give you the summary that can help you detect any discrepancies between the baselined and new version. 

The following are typical steps to simulate a CORBA application:

•  Use the Servant Generation Wizard to generate the data template files and CORBA servant classes.

• Use the Project Designer to configure CAST for your application.

• Create or generate the needed data files as mentioned in How to Create or to Generate the Needed Data Files.

• Use Runtime Controller to start simulating your application.

• Perform Load or Regression tests if needed.

Major Features:

• CAST is implemented in 100% Java and is available on all major platforms, including Window 2000/ XP, Solaris, Linux and HP/UX.

• CAST complies with OMG CORBA Portable Object Adapter (POA) standard, including implementations provided by Iona’s Orbix 2000/ ASP, Borland’s Visibroker and Sun’s JDK1.4+.

• CAST supports name service, stringified objects, event service, application exceptions, asynchronous callbacks, iterative operations, servant references, ANY and enumeration object types etc. advanced CORBA features.

• Scalable: CAST is based on a multiple-thread Java implementation provided by the underlying ORB and by the simulator engine.

• Extensible. CAST allows you to include any application specific data handling module. 

• Configurable & Highly Maintainable: CAST can be easily configurable using the development time GUI and maintained by non-programmers.

Requirements:

• Needs a POA-compliant Java compatible ORB implementation (Orbix 2000, Orbix ASP 5.1/6.0, Visibroker, and JDK 1.4+ etc. ) to run. ORB license is not included.

• Works with JDK 1.3 or above (also check with ORB-specific requirements)

• Requires Pentium III 800 HZ CPU or above (for PC) with a minimum 1024x768 screen resolution, 16-bit or above display color,, minimum of 256 MB of memory and 100 MB of hard drive space.

Evaluation and Web-based Demo:

Please select Download page for an evaluation copy or contact prod@eaiBridge.com for a Web-based demonstration.