Testing the system
As a system administrator, you must be involved in two phases of testing. One phase occurs when application programs are verified prior to a cut over to production mode. The second phase involves evaluating changes or corrections to existing application programs to ensure that application function has not regressed and to validate the new or changed function.
When you have multiple application programs, you must ensure that modifications to one application program do not impact the service provided to any end users.
The various testing phases, with the corresponding administration tasks and related development activity, are listed in the following table.
| Test phase | Administration task | Related development activity |
|---|---|---|
| Unit test | Identify bottlenecks | Test development code |
| Function test | Plan operations procedures | Test explicit functions |
| Integration test | Prepare test system definition | Build the system |
| Plan test database | Build test database | |
| Component test | Verify network operation | Validate major portions of application program logic |
| System test | Check out operations and recovery procedures | Build fully executable system |
| Coordinate use of test tools and monitoring | Validate operational procedures | |
| Ensure network readiness | Test coexistence | |
| Performance testing | Plan for simulation | Validate claims and set benchmarks |
| Stress testing | Plan for peak loads and response criteria | Test for high volume of traffic and processing |
| Acceptance test | Finalize operations procedures | User liaison checkout on behalf of end users |
| Maintenance testing | Control libraries and online definition | Application and IMS service checkout |
| Design change testing | Plan response across administration tasks | Control verification of changes |
| Regression testing | Plan monitoring | Verify that old function is not damaged |