Types of Testing

The test team performs the following types of tests, depending on the type of application to be migrated . It is recommended that the different types of testingbe derived from the test plan of the application, if such a plan exists.

• Security testing

  Security testing is performed on the application to guarantee that only the users with the appropriate authority are able to use the applicable features of the application. The systems engineer establishes different security settings for each user in the test environment. Network security testing is performed to guarantee that the network is secure from unauthorized users. The test manager must consider the depth of hacking skill of the test staff and whether they would be able to create an adequate set of challenges to network security. Frequently,it is advisable to use outsourced specialists who can provide comprehensive security testing.

  Note  

  In most companies, the systems engineer is a member of the developmentor product support team rather than a member of the test team.

• Out-of-memory and memory-leaks testing

  This testing ensures that the application will run in the amount of memory specified in the technical documentation. This testing also detects memoryleaks associated with frequent starting and stopping of the application.

• Performance testing

  This testing is necessary for any enterprise-scale application, to provide an understanding of system capacity and the system s behavior under overloaded conditions. After the capacity of each server is known, the architect can make final decisions about how many of each type of server are needed to supportthe load. Understanding the system s behavior under abnormally high loads allows the architect to decide whether it is important to build the system to handle dramatic and temporary increases in traffic or whether administrative measures can be taken instead.

• Scalability testing

  Scalability is a measure of how easy it is to modify the application infrastructure and/or architecture to meet variances in utilization. These tests help to ensure that the infrastructure is scalable under varying conditions and is designed to meet growth needs.

• Stability testing

  This testing ensures that the migrated application is stable when exposedto prolonged load tests.

• Management testing

  This testing is performed if applicable to prove that the migrated applicationcan be managed. The following procedures can be tested :

  • Monitoring of all the computers running Internet Information Services (IIS), Component Object Model (COM), the Active Directory directory service,and SQL Server

  • Monitoring of the hardware information on various servers in the architecture

  • Monitoring of the CPU usage and memory usage

  • Monitoring of the authentications carried out on the servers running Active Directory

  • Monitoring of alerts when any of the stated thresholds is exceeded.

The test team must decide on the level of testing that is required in each case or type of testing. Each type of testing can be classified according to the following levels of importance:

• High . A very important area that must be thoroughly tested.

• Medium . Standard testing is required.

• Low . Test if time allows.