Globus Toolkit Release Testing Overview

The diagram above presents a high-level overview of the quality assurance process for Globus Toolkit® releases.   The process begins when the first Release Candidate (RC) is assembled using code from the Globus CVS repository.  The RC is then subjected to a standard battery of tests.  If the tests reveal a showstopper bug, the problem is fixed and a new RC generated.  The process continues until all tests have completed without uncovering any showstoppers.

The standard battery of tests for the Globus Toolkit includes:

  1. Unit Tests: Unit Tests are written by Globus Alliance developers in support of their own development process.  The tests are designed to verify method and function-level integrity of the developer’s code.  These are “glass box” tests, meaning that they have been written by people with a deep understanding of the implementation.
     

  1. Component-Level Tests: Component-Level Tests are higher-level in scope than Unit Tests.  These tests target the code in a particular Globus Component (i.e., GRAM).  Technology Coordinators hold the responsibility for maintaining the suite of Component-Level tests for their Technology.  Component-Level tests also fall into the “glass box” category.
     

  1. Basic User Tests: Basic User Tests are designed to exercise the software in ways that developers may not anticipate.  These tests are built using existing user documentation; they are known as “black box” tests.  While the focus of the testing is on basic user interactions, a Basic User Test can involve more than one Globus Component (i.e., GRAM + RFT + GridFTP.)
     

  1. Project-Specific Tests: Project-Specific Tests mimic the way the Globus Toolkit is applied in various application domains (HEP, Earthquake Engineering, etc.).
     

Calls for Community Testing

A Call for Community Testing is a mechanism to notify our users that new code is available for testing in the field.  See this page for the list of current and future testing calls.

If you have any questions or comments about the process, feel free to contact Lisa Childers <childers@mcs.anl.gov> or Bob Gaffaney <gaffaney@mcs.anl.gov>.