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In this white paper we will demonstrate the
usage of Cyth Systems Virtual Operator for automated testing of
hardware using a real-world test. This article describes
how to automate the control of an application that would
normally be done manually by a human operator.
The purpose of Virtual Operator is simple -
to allow automated control of existing applications. The
test to be performed included connecting through a VPN for
testing of a consumer router using Linksys QuickVPN sotware.
In the case of manufacturing, each router
is tested for connectivity, and in fact with the help of
TestStand it is very easy for Virtual Operator to test several
routers simultaneously during a single test run. In
comparison, for reliability or life testing the router needs to
be subjected to repeated connect and disconnect operations with
varying or random conditions such as amount of time connected or
time between connections. Whereas software regression
testing requires the exact same test procedure to be used for
each new release of the router firmware, and must be a thorough
and vigilant test of the every one of the firmware's features.
To automate this process, VirtualOperator
launches the program and enters the connection information,
username, password, and server name in the application before
pressing the “connect” button. Note that VirtualOperator has a
“Help” mode which allows you to see the hidden names of controls
and indicators. As shown below, the Connect button was
actually called “Button2”.
 
Before connecting, VirtualOperator will to
answer any prompts that arise, much like a human operator would
be trained to do. Notice that in this case the name of the
window is “Warning” and the name of the button happens to be
“Button2” like the previous window. Therefore we would use
two VirtualOperator steps in a configuration which means "If the
'Warning' window appears" ... "Click Button2".
To make sure the next step is operating
properly, we can even verify dialog boxes and make sure the
connection is progressing. This step uses the “Get Control
Text” window and actually has a simple “Test Now” which can show
the result of your configuration while you’re configuring it and
before returning to TestStand. You can see that this step
successfully read “Verifying Network” from the field called
“Static2”.
To determine the final connection result,
we chose to wait in TestStand for either the “Info” window, or
the “Connected” window to appear, and provided a 60-second
timeout. Shown below is an example where the router did not
reply to the VPN request, and the “Info” window appeared.
This example demonstrates a unique way to
show the ability for ExpressPlus Virtual Operator to control a
third-party application. As you can see, there was no
software programming done along the way to accomplish this test
configuration.
For your test and measurement needs, or for other automation
such as hardware testing or software regression testing,
consider VirtualOperator to automate testing for you without any
programming.
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