Test in Different Dimensions

This is the way I visualize the testing of large systems.

1. Unit testing comprises one dimension, where programmers test their code with all their might and tools (boundary, failure, code coverage, etc.). Unit testing is done continuously by programmers as code changes.
2. The second dimension is component testing. Large systems are comprised of a collection of components that deliver different areas of functionality (reporting, messaging, data translation, etc). Component testing is done to make sure each component meets the terms of its interfaces to provide its area of functionality. This testing usually takes place after the completion of coding for each component and is done by technically skilled testers / programmers.
3. The third dimension is system testing. This is black-box testing using real end-user business scenarios for test cases. Test cases are created for each path described in the system's use cases (one user, one sitting variety). Additionally, long running test cases are created that take system objects (customer, product, document, etc.) through their life-cycles (multi-user, multi-sitting variety). This testing usually takes place after the components are assembled together and is best done by business end-users.

By testing in these (3) dimensions, we form a virtual net that catches system bugs. Pulling this net through the system makes it very difficult for major bugs to sneak through. This testing approach is old school, but incredibly effective and efficient. I've personally used it multiple times to successfully deliver large systems to customers. Now, it's your turn.

Lesson learned: For the most efficient delivery of non life-critical systems, test systems in increasing levels of scope where each level tests a different dimension of the system.

Poor Man's Job Runner (pmjrunner)

Do you work with batch programs new and old? Do these programs reside on different servers / platforms? Do you want to execute these programs in sequence without gaps, and honor the dependencies between them? Do you want the console output of these jobs automatically logged, organized, and rotated? When a program advents, do you want an easy way to restart / finish the sequence without worrying about missing steps or breaking their dependencies? Do you want to do all of this by editing one simple config file?

If the answer is yes, give this tool a try. We've been using it in production for over a year now. Very nice... especially when batch programs misbehave.

Introducing pmjrunner

pmjrunner is short for Poor Man's Job Runner (download). It's designed to be used in combination with your OS's default scheduler to provide for the intelligent execution or restart of a sequence of batch programs that have dependencies between them. Used in combination with a tool like SSH, pmjrunner can be used to execute a sequence of batch programs across different nodes and OS's. And yes, it runs great on both Linux and Windows.

For more on how it works, view the comments in pmjrunner.pl (or run it using the -h option). See the README.txt for setup info.

Updates since original posting:
v1.4.4 2012.12.14
v1.4.3 2012.10.26
v1.4.2 2012.10.10

Low tech search tags: How to execute sequence of batch programs, open source job runner, open source job scheduler, simple job scheduler, lightweight job scheduler, cross-platform job scheduler.