Configuration Testing and Its Applications

Configuration testing the major part of Software testing. Configuration Testing is the method of testing of an application with multiple combinations of software and hardware. It ensures that designed software will be able to perform the task with full capability on different platforms using different hardware, not on any particular hardware. In this, we test the software with all possible supported software and hardware.

During this testing application under test has to be tested using multiple sets of software and hardware. Using configuration testing, we can feel that our work will be completed with full more accuracy, efficiency, and fewer bugs. Configuration testing ensures that we won't face a lot of bugs and faults during execution of the program because of the maximum number of bugs have been fixed in starting of the process through which we'll reach on the exact or desired result.  

Prerequisites for Configuration Testing-

1. Record of data which contains various sets of software & hardware.

2. Arrange them according to the rate of accuracy and capability of performing any task.

3. Test every functionality based on the arrangement of the software and hardware.

The objective of Configuration Testing-

Verify that application is fulfilling all the requirements.

Filter the reasons because of defects that are not efficiently found at the time of testing.

Fix the minimum configuration of the application.

Calculate the efficiency of the system based on the prioritization.

Verify that how much effectively system is working after the distribution in the environment among end users.

Check it that how easily the mistakes can be removed or bugs can be fixed.

Verify the flexibility of the system throughout the SDLC.

There are 2 strategies which are mandatory to follow the configuration testing type-

• Software configuration testing

• Hardware configuration testing

SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION TESTING

It is the testing when software under test with more than one Operating System, different updates in different software but it is a time taking process because we want to test any software then first we have to install that and for another testing, we’ve to uninstall the previous versions and then install the new ones.

To keep away from this time taking process, we should install the software on any virtual machine and then test the software. It’ll help to save the time and interruption because of installing and uninstalling process.

HARDWARE CONFIGURATION TESTING

Generally, we perform this testing in the labs because at that time physical machines can be connected with many hardware parts.

Like – when any build has to be installed, then before the release we install that in different physical machine and checks the functionality of the application that, it is working fine or not? In this process, we have a need for so many efforts (Manual or automate) because only on the basis of one thing we can’t ensure that application is working perfectly.