Infrastructure testing is the Testing of hardware and software dependencies required to run software products efficiently. It helps to cover the product risks that relate to the target infrastructure.
Infrastructure testing is carried out in sync with an integrated team that performs Testing, including the hardware, operating system and firmware, along with application functional Testing.
The types of changes that happen in the IT infrastructure largely depend on the IT landscape volume and complexity of any organization. Apart from the application testing, there are high-risk areas that would be routed to system failures, performance issues and downtimes, including
New, updated Operating system, patch releases
Updating OS in the Middle tier and or backend
Hardware changes, configuration changes
Firmware revisions
Infrastructure applications
Database, data centre migration
Memory upgrade for servers
New tool implementation
Mail server upgradation
Horizontal scaling responsiveness
Infrastructure Testing requirement While companies spend $$ to ensure their business applications are tested to perfection, they quite often underestimate the infrastructure that hosts and conveys these applications.
Infrastructure testing is needed to mitigate the risk of failure of any hardware or software component. When a new infrastructure design is prepared for the software, it becomes necessary to perform this Testing. It is needed to ensure that the new infrastructure functionality is working as intended. Issues arise more likely when a new infrastructure module is integrated with the project.
Infrastructure failures arise when no testing is planned on scalable infrastructure. Therefore, to prevent disruption and last-minute problems, this Testing needs to be performed. This Testing is needed to identify defects that were not efficiently found during different testing processes. It becomes important to analyze the software application whenever hardware and software resources are changed.
It is done to analyze the system's efficiency and performance. Timely implementation of this testing type is required because projects involve a high cost of infrastructure. Therefore, good knowledge of this Testing is required to minimize the cost involved in project risks. To avoid any failures, this Testing is needed as an industry standard.
Infrastructure Testing benefits include
Reduction in Production failures.
Improvement in defect identification before production execution. Upgrade the quality of infrastructure with zero defect slippage to production.
Quickened test execution, empowering early go live.
It helps in annual cost savings in operations as well as in business.
Confirm that software works in a systematic and controlled procedure.
Reduction in downtime.
Improvement in quality of service.
Availability of stable environments.
Reduction in the cost involved in risks.
Better user experience.
Infrastructure Testing Challenges
Remote environment Test environments are positioned in remote geographies, making the test teams rely upon support groups in the area to manage challenges related to equipment, hardware components, software components, networking, etc.
Absence of a dedicated team Lack of knowledge among the team is a major challenge to performing this Testing. A dedicated team is required to maintain information related to all activities, including schedules, plans, coverage, and status reports.
Investigation of test environment issues Many times, test environment issues cannot be resolved and needs investigation. Coordination with concerned teams is required until the issue is resolved.
Maintaining environments in one place Maintaining a common storehouse of test environments, their old compatibility, as well as the latest versions, pose a major challenge while performing this Testing.
Manual work Few activities involved in this Testing require manual work as no tools are available. This leads to human error and delays in the process.
Lack of standard definition for Infrastructure Testing Most people are still not aware of the implementation and processes. Improper knowledge and understanding often lead to difficulties in implementation. Lots of new problems arise that may affect the process to be stable.
Isolated teams There lies a big gap between team locations. This usually leads to a lack of transparency and poor teamwork.
Infrastructure Testing Methodologies include
Server/Client Infrastructure Servers include web servers, file servers, mail servers, proxy servers, virtual servers, and physical servers on hardware. The client includes OS, applications, user settings, etc. Servers run different services, and these services can be used by clients. The main objective is to test the quality of servers, desktops, Operating Systems, and hardware. Server/Client components are tested to ensure the performance of infrastructure is improved in the production environment. It also includes Testing of installation or uninstallation of applications, browser compatibility testing, and integration testing with different versions of OS and user settings.
Data Migration Data Migration includes data migrated from the old version to the new version, data migrated from one server to another, and also data migrated to different configurations. The main objective of Data Migration testing is to test the data migrations on various versions, servers, and new builds. Test the application to certify that there is no impact due to migration. Data Migration testing is also performed to verify the performance and latency of the application.
Infrastructure Testing In the Cloud, Information and data is mostly stored on virtual servers, and these servers are kept and managed by Cloud computing vendors such as AWS. The main objective is to certify the Cloud services for different versions of applications. Test the architecture of the application on the Cloud. A real application is simulated on Cloud, and the performance and scalability of applications are tested.
Network-level Testing The network is the most important part of the infrastructure of the application. The network helps in communication between servers, clients, and other networks. Networks have different modules, such as proxy servers and infrastructure for Internet connectivity. The main objective is to control and manage any network-level issues such as excessive resource usage, server downtime, system configuration, the infrastructure required for operations, and Operating System patches.
Installation/Uninstallation/Deployment The main objective of Testing infrastructure while performing the installation is to ensure that whenever a new client is using the application, no issues arise while installing the application for the first time. Uninstallation of the application is performed to test the exit process of the application.
Testing infrastructure while installing/uninstalling/deploying ensures that the application can be installed over the network at a particular time. It makes sure that any patch can be later installed or not. Helps in improving the storage required by the application.
Test Environment Infrastructure A test environment is a collection of hardware, software, tools, and processes. To execute the Testing accurately and efficiently, the test environment is necessary. The test environment also includes the workplace where a good network, PC, and power supply are provided to testers to perform their job. The main objective is to check the software installation and application configuration setups and choose the right testing tools that support test planning and test execution. It also ensures the continuity of test execution.
TDD Approach Test-Driven Development or TDD framework is a method to first write test cases based on the requirement documents and then implement the functionality according to the test. The main objective is to know the infrastructure resources required for the project. The purpose is to define and organize the infrastructure for security, operations, and production.
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