Testing a multiprogramming system
Per Brinch Hansen · Software Practice and Experience · 1973
Abstract A central problem in program design is to structure a large program such that it can be tested systematically by the simplest possible techniques. This paper describes the method used to test the RC 4000 multiprogramming system. During testing, the system records all transitions of processes and messages between various queues. The test mechanism consists of fifty machine instructions centralized in two procedures. By using this mechanism in a series of carefully selected test cases, the system was made virtually error free within a few weeks. The test procedure is illustrated by examples.