Colloquium: Virtualization in Software Testing - Questions/Discussions

Replies

• 

  Saandeep Sreerambatla

  CB congratulations for your fantastic presentation.
  
  I read it , its nice.
  
  I have a couple of questions but will check and will post them here.
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  Good presentation. On slide #4, you mention -
  
  

  It provides isolated sandboxes for running applications and presents homogenous environments even on heterogeneous hardware

  1. Could you explain the point in more detail?
  2. What are the typical situations where such environments are needed?
• 

  Anil Jain

  Thanks Biggi and E-S for the appreciation !!! Biggi, my try to explain your doubt is as follows:
  
  Homogeneous environment
  Hardware and system software from one vendor; for example, an all-IBM or all-Windows shop.
  
  Heterogeneous environment
  Using hardware and system software from different vendors. Organizations often use computers, operating systems and databases from a variety of vendors.
  
  These are the environment definations from The Latest Technology Product Reviews, News, Tips, and Deals | PCMag. Now, I will try to answer your query using a scenario, and will hope that it will answer your question.
  
  Example:- A testing team needs to test an application which supports the microsoft applications (Obviously first they will get support from windows OS). Team test the same on a machine on which windows Xp Prof is installed.
  
  In next build (after further development) the application got the mac and Linux support as well. Now the problem arises in front of testin team is
  
  1. They do not have the enough hardware to install 3 OS (Windows, Mac, Linux)
  2. For mac they need an Apple computer to make homogenous environment.
  
  Now test lead of Testing team suggests the use of Virtualization technique, in which he just increase the RAM (to 4 GB ) of the base machine, installed 2 Virtual machine managers aka VMM's (for linux and Mac). Now he installed the mac and linux on the respective VMM's.
  
  After this testing team would be able to test the application on all 3 OS (Homogenious enviornment on heterogenous harware). No need to say about the cost saving.
  
  Do let me know if I sound a bit confusing anywhere in explanation, or if your query need more explanations.
  
  More Questions are welcomed.
  
  -CB
• 

  ms_cs

  Nice PPT CB. I dont know much about testing but know a little about the virtualization. Whether if we use "software as service" concept for testing will it be more efficient than the "virtualization in testing"?
• 

  Anil Jain

  ms_cs

  Nice PPT CB. I dont know much about testing but know a little about the virtualization. Whether if we use "software as service" concept for testing will it be more efficient than the "virtualization in testing"?

  Thanks !!!
  
  However, I couldn't get you why do you want to compare "software as service" and "virtualization in testing"?
  
  I hope that you do not wanted me to keep the name of the presentation as "software as service".
  
  Actually Virtualization is a concept, and in its simplest defination If I will describe this it would be, "Something which is not actually present however it pretends/works as it is available for use". If I will take an example, we require to perform testing on 5 systems and we do not have number of system (hardwares), still we can use virtualization to fulfill our need of various system.
  
  Please, do let me know if this clears your doubt. Or could you please rephrase your query so that I can answer this in a much better way?
  
  -CB
• 

  ms_cs

  I heard "software as service" as an option for testing. Now From your presentation I aware that virtualization is an alternative for testing. I want to know which method is efficient.
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  ms_cs

  I heard "software as service" as an option for testing. Now From your presentation I aware that virtualization is an alternative for testing. I want to know which method is efficient.

  
  @ CrazyBoy: Above comment attracts my next question. Do you think "virtualization is an alternative for testing"? 😀
• 

  ms_cs

  The_Big_K

  @ CrazyBoy: Above comment attracts my next question. Do you think "virtualization is an alternative for testing"? 😀

  @Big_K: Cool
  That comment should be,
  I heard "software as service" can be used for testing . Now From your presentation I aware that "virtualization in testing" as an alternative. I want to know which method is efficient.
• 

  Anil Jain

  Hey Hey Hey !!!
  
  I am afraid that you are taking it in a wrong sense. "Software as service" and "Virtualization in testing" is two entirely different things. I tried to explain virtualiztaion as a medium to do the testing task. I never meant to say that we can use virtualization as an alternative for testing.
  
  Rather, at first I named my Presentation as Virtualization in software world. But After adding the testing case study I renamed the presentation to Testing environment.
  
  If this clears your doubt, probably you can start a new thread for "software as service" concept. There are many senior IT Testing pros who can explain software as service concept in much better way.
  
  Hope this cleas the doubt. If not, next query is welcomed.
  
  All CEan's I wuold be more than happy to answer your doubts.
• 

  Anil Jain

  The_Big_K

  @ CrazyBoy: Above comment attracts my next question. Do you think "virtualization is an alternative for testing"? 😀

  @ Biggi, does my presentations sounds like we can use virtualization as an alternative solution for Testing. I hope Biggi is not making fun of me 😁
  
  My Apologies, If I am sounding a bit offensive
  
  Sire, Virtualization is a medium to do the testing or development or any other IT related task. Using virtualization we can reduce the cost, save time and resources and optimize the time/cost for testing/devlopment. Certainly virtualization can not be considered as an alternative for testing.
  
  However, if prject is sizable then Virtualization is testing can be considered as one of the best technique to optimize the time and cost for the testing and development of the product/project. Hope this clears your doubt.
  
  Again, if doubt is not clear more discussion on the same question is welcomed.
  
  -CB
• 

  ms_cs

  OK.
  
  Should We virtualize the storage too or the existing is adequate ?
• 

  ms_cs

  crazyboy

  Certainly virtualization can not be considered as an alternative for testing.
  
  -CB

  I didnot say virtualization as an testing or an alternative. I said virtualization in testing can be alternative to software as service in testing.
  
  let me know if still my question is not clear
• 

  Anil Jain

  ms_cs

  OK.
  
  Should We virtualize the storage too or the existing is adequate ?

  Yes, definately we can virtualize the storage as well. However, it would be benefetial only when the project is sizable and would last for around a year or more. Other wise virtualization of storage would not give you desired ROI.
  
  For more explanations:
  As per wikipedia we can define Storage virtualization as "Storage virtualization refers to the process of abstracting logical storage from physical storage. The term is today used to describe this abstraction at any layer in the storage software and hardware stack."
  
  Reference: Storage Virtualization
  
  -CB
• 

  Anil Jain

  ms_cs

  I didnot say virtualization as an testing or an alternative. I said virtualization in testing can be alternative to software as service in testing.

  Yup, It can be. if project is sizable enough and testing is required to be done in number of builds then Virtualization is testing can definately be considered over "softare as service" and can be rated as one of the best technique to optimize the time and cost for the testing and development of the product/project.
  
  -CB
• 

  ms_cs

  Hmm. Thanks for the Kind response
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  Interesting discussion building up here.
  
  @CB: Could you tell us cases in which virtualization would fail or may not be a good choice?
• 

  Anil Jain

  @ Biggi - As always, You caught me in my own territory 😁. Some of the virtualization limitations are as follows:
  
  1. Virtualization is preferable for sizable / bigger projects only. As, for small project ROI would not be as great as for smaller projects.
  2. We need a lots of space to save the virtual IMAGES. These virtual images are prone to get corrupt very easily if we do not handle them properly. So anytime we should have backup of these images.
  3. VMWare / IBM / Microsoft had there monopony in market, so it creates dependency on these VMM vendors.
  
  I hope this answers your doubts upto some extent.
  
  -CB
• 

  madhumurundi

  hi, CB Good Presentation .. as well as Good topic which is very much holds good for todays Software Companies
  
  I have one question 😕 😕
  1. Can you give me an Example of Network Virtualization ??
• 

  Saandeep Sreerambatla

  CB I have a question,
  
  Using this VM technology can we install QTP in one server , LR in another and doing some manual in our local Parallely?
  
  Since when I execute QTP scripts it takes the control over the system So can we use another machine minimising it??
• 

  Anil Jain

  WOW!!! so many questions 😀, I will go one by one.
  
  

  1. Can you give me an Example of Network Virtualization ??

  @ madhumurundi - VLAN and VPN network's are most common example of Network Virtualization. Do you want me to explain VLAN / VPN ??
  
  -CB
• 

  Anil Jain

  VM technology can we install QTP in one server , LR in another and doing some manual in our local Parallely?

  @ ES - Yes, We can do this. Infact these are the scenarios we use while doing automation using virtualization technology. Generally we use a poserful machine with 4 GB RAM than install 3 VM's one with QTP Image, another LR image and third with manual configuration. Also I have the base machine to note down the results or perform some basic testing. By this way we can do the 3 types of testing (Functional Automation / Performance and Manual) on the same box.
  
  

  Since when I execute QTP scripts it takes the control over the system So can we use another machine minimising it??

  @ ES - Yes, we can do this. VNC would help me in doing this thing.
  
  Pals, do let me know if this answer your doubts.
  
  -CB
• 

  Saandeep Sreerambatla

  This is out of scope question may be !!
  
  But the question is If you install QTP in Virtual Machine and run it on windows application is the behavior same as running it in normal machine.
  
  Since for few actions on windows we need the control to QTP completely.
  
  Like clicking on message boxes , alerts etc.
  
  The same question again IS installing QTP in VM ware and running it is same as running QTP in local machine when the machine is being locked ?
• 

  Anil Jain

  English-Scared

  This is out of scope question may be !!
  
  But the question is If you install QTP in Virtual Machine and run it on windows application is the behavior same as running it in normal machine.
  
  Since for few actions on windows we need the control to QTP completely.
  
  Like clicking on message boxes , alerts etc.
  
  The same question again IS installing QTP in VM ware and running it is same as running QTP in local machine when the machine is being locked ?

  This question falls very much in the scope. And you can ask anything which falls within my knowledge, I would be more than happy to answer that
  
  Once you install QTP on your virtual machine, after that it will behave like your base machine only. Though you need to install VMWare tools (Just like some plug-in) , after that You can perform all the tasks which you can perform on your base machine.
  
  -CB
• 

  estherpola

  hi every one.. Could anyone please tell how big the project has to be to use virtualization ?some one mentioned that virtualization is not suitable for small projects.can we not just do software testing by installing and uninstalling different operating systems on one PC?
  pls help me answering my question asap
  thanks
• 

  estherpola

  say for example i want test a software application in different versions of windows operating system,do I need to use virtualization ?
  pls help asap
  thanks
• 

  Anil Jain

  estherpola

  say for example i want test a software application in different versions of windows operating system,do I need to use virtualization ?
  pls help asap
  thanks

  For usage of Virtulizations project size need not be huge. However its ROI can be easily seen in bigger projects,
  
  For your scenario, if you have one hardware system and you need to test your appication on different flavours of OS, virtulization suites best to your need.
  
  -CB