Experience With Developing a High-Productivity Test Framework for Scalable Embedded and Mechatronic Systems
Stephen P. Masticola, Rajesh Subramanyan · Volume 3: ASME/IEEE 2009 International Conference on Mechatronic and Embedded Systems and Applications; 20th Reliability, Stress Analysis, and Failure Prevention Conference · 2009
We describe the software core of a generic system test framework, named TF, for engineering verification of embedded and mechatronic systems. TF originated as an automated system test framework for the Siemens FireFinder XLS fire-safety system, but can be easily customized to place other systems under test. As a scalable and safety-critical system under rigorous certification constraints, XLS placed some very stringent requirements on the test harness. We performed a thorough evaluation of the available options for test executives, selecting the best one for our purposes. We then built TF on that test executive. TF enables high levels of productivity for both test developers and framework maintainers. TF also allows simulators to be substituted for physical hardware, without modifying the test scripts or underlying infrastructure. This feature is vitally important in scalability testing.