Abstract
A new algebraic system, test algebra (<formula><tex>$\mathsf{TA}$</tex></formula>), is proposed for identifying faults in combinatorial testing for software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. In the context of cloud computing, SaaS is a new software delivery model, in which mission-critical applications are composed, deployed, and executed on cloud platforms. Testing SaaS applications is challenging because new applications need to be tested once they are composed, and prior to their deployment. A composition of components providing services yields a configuration providing an SaaS application. While individual components in the configuration may have been thoroughly tested, faults still arise due to interactions among the components composed, making the configuration faulty. When there are <formula><tex>$k$</tex></formula> components, combinatorial testing algorithms can be used to identify faulty interactions with <formula><tex>$t$</tex></formula> or fewer components, for some threshold <formula><tex>$2 \le t \le k$</tex></formula> on the size of interactions considered. In general, these methods do not identify specific faults, but rather indicate the presence or absence of some faults. To identify specific faults, an adaptive testing regime repeatedly constructs and tests configurations in order to determine, for each interaction of interest, whether it is faulty or not. In order to perform such testing in a loosely coupled distributed environment such as the cloud, it is imperative that testing results can be combined from many different servers. The <formula><tex>$\mathsf{TA}$</tex></formula> defines rules to permit results to be combined, and to identify the faulty interactions. Using the <formula><tex>$\mathsf{TA}$</tex></formula>, configurations can be tested concurrently on different servers and in any order. The <formula><tex>$\mathsf{TA}$</tex></formula> always keeps the high reduction rate of potential faulty configurations in fault location analysis.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | IEEE Transactions on Reliability |
| DOIs | |
| State | Accepted/In press - Jun 26 2018 |
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Keywords
- Algebra
- Cloud computing
- cloud computing
- combinatorial testing (CT)
- Fault location
- fault location analysis
- Program processors
- Software as a service
- software-as-a-service (SaaS)
- Testing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Cite this
Test-Algebra-Based Fault Location Analysis for the Concurrent Combinatorial Testing. / Qi, Guanqiu; Tsai, Wei Tek; Colbourn, Charles; Luo, Jie; Zhu, Zhiqin.
In: IEEE Transactions on Reliability, 26.06.2018.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Test-Algebra-Based Fault Location Analysis for the Concurrent Combinatorial Testing
AU - Qi, Guanqiu
AU - Tsai, Wei Tek
AU - Colbourn, Charles
AU - Luo, Jie
AU - Zhu, Zhiqin
PY - 2018/6/26
Y1 - 2018/6/26
N2 - A new algebraic system, test algebra ($\mathsf{TA}$), is proposed for identifying faults in combinatorial testing for software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. In the context of cloud computing, SaaS is a new software delivery model, in which mission-critical applications are composed, deployed, and executed on cloud platforms. Testing SaaS applications is challenging because new applications need to be tested once they are composed, and prior to their deployment. A composition of components providing services yields a configuration providing an SaaS application. While individual components in the configuration may have been thoroughly tested, faults still arise due to interactions among the components composed, making the configuration faulty. When there are $k$ components, combinatorial testing algorithms can be used to identify faulty interactions with $t$ or fewer components, for some threshold $2 \le t \le k$ on the size of interactions considered. In general, these methods do not identify specific faults, but rather indicate the presence or absence of some faults. To identify specific faults, an adaptive testing regime repeatedly constructs and tests configurations in order to determine, for each interaction of interest, whether it is faulty or not. In order to perform such testing in a loosely coupled distributed environment such as the cloud, it is imperative that testing results can be combined from many different servers. The $\mathsf{TA}$ defines rules to permit results to be combined, and to identify the faulty interactions. Using the $\mathsf{TA}$, configurations can be tested concurrently on different servers and in any order. The $\mathsf{TA}$ always keeps the high reduction rate of potential faulty configurations in fault location analysis.
AB - A new algebraic system, test algebra ($\mathsf{TA}$), is proposed for identifying faults in combinatorial testing for software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. In the context of cloud computing, SaaS is a new software delivery model, in which mission-critical applications are composed, deployed, and executed on cloud platforms. Testing SaaS applications is challenging because new applications need to be tested once they are composed, and prior to their deployment. A composition of components providing services yields a configuration providing an SaaS application. While individual components in the configuration may have been thoroughly tested, faults still arise due to interactions among the components composed, making the configuration faulty. When there are $k$ components, combinatorial testing algorithms can be used to identify faulty interactions with $t$ or fewer components, for some threshold $2 \le t \le k$ on the size of interactions considered. In general, these methods do not identify specific faults, but rather indicate the presence or absence of some faults. To identify specific faults, an adaptive testing regime repeatedly constructs and tests configurations in order to determine, for each interaction of interest, whether it is faulty or not. In order to perform such testing in a loosely coupled distributed environment such as the cloud, it is imperative that testing results can be combined from many different servers. The $\mathsf{TA}$ defines rules to permit results to be combined, and to identify the faulty interactions. Using the $\mathsf{TA}$, configurations can be tested concurrently on different servers and in any order. The $\mathsf{TA}$ always keeps the high reduction rate of potential faulty configurations in fault location analysis.
KW - Algebra
KW - Cloud computing
KW - cloud computing
KW - combinatorial testing (CT)
KW - Fault location
KW - fault location analysis
KW - Program processors
KW - Software as a service
KW - software-as-a-service (SaaS)
KW - Testing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049129945&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85049129945&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TR.2018.2833449
DO - 10.1109/TR.2018.2833449
M3 - Article
JO - IEEE Transactions on Reliability
JF - IEEE Transactions on Reliability
SN - 0018-9529
ER -