Automated hardware for input/output (i/o) test regression apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021248051-A1
Application number	US-202016788763-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 12, 2020
Priority date	Feb 12, 2020
Publication date	Aug 12, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A test apparatus is provided for use with a mainframe and an adapter. The test apparatus includes a logical adapter interface unit and a control system. The logical adapter interface unit is interposable between the adapter and the mainframe whereby an I/O signal transmittable from the adapter and to the mainframe is transmitted through the logical adapter interface unit. The logical adapter interface unit is configured to manipulate the I/O signal. The control system is coupled to the logical adapter interface unit and the mainframe and is configured to control manipulations of the I/O signal by the logical adapter interface unit to mimic a condition of I/O traffic being run through the adapter and to log a response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A test apparatus for use with a mainframe and an adapter, the test apparatus comprising:
a logical adapter interface unit interposable between the adapter and the mainframe whereby an input/output (I/O) signal transmittable from the adapter to the mainframe is transmitted through the logical adapter interface unit, the logical adapter interface unit being configured to manipulate the I/O signal; and a control system coupled to the logical adapter interface unit and the mainframe and configured to control manipulations of the I/O signal by the logical adapter interface unit to mimic a condition of I/O traffic being run through the adapter and to log a response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

2 . The test apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the logical adapter interface unit comprises:
an adapter interface which is connectable with the adapter; and a logic controller which is connectable with the mainframe, wherein the control system is coupled to the adapter interface and the logic controller in parallel with a direct connection between the adapter interface and the logic controller.

3 . The test apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control system comprises:
a programming interface coupled to the logical adapter interface unit and configured to control the manipulations of the I/O signal by the logical adapter interface unit to mimic the condition of the I/O traffic; and a service element coupled to the mainframe and configured to log the response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

4 . The test apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the manipulations of the I/O signal comprise insertions of errors into the I/O signal.

5 . The test apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the programming interface is further configured to:
define one or more conditions of the I/O traffic; identify the manipulations which optimally mimic each of the one or more of the conditions of the I/O traffic; and cause the logical adapter interface unit to execute the manipulations which optimally mimic each of the one or more of the conditions of the I/O traffic in sequence.

6 . The test apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein:
the one or more conditions of the I/O traffic are time-variant such that the manipulations change over time, and the programming interface is further configured to identify changes to the manipulations over time.

7 . The test apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the service element is further configured to:
associate logged responses of the mainframe to the condition of the I/O traffic being mimicked; and generate a database, which is accessible to a user of the mainframe, in accordance with associations between the logged responses of the mainframe to the condition of the I/O traffic being mimicked.

8 . The test apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the service element is further configured to upload code to the mainframe whereby the mainframe is configured to compensate for the response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

9 . An input/output (I/O) test apparatus, comprising:
a mainframe; an adapter through which I/O traffic is run such that the adapter generates an I/O signal for transmission to the mainframe; a logical adapter interface unit interposable between the adapter and the mainframe whereby the I/O signal is transmittable from the adapter to the mainframe through the logical adapter interface unit, the logical adapter interface unit being configured to manipulate the I/O signal; and a control system coupled to the logical adapter interface unit and the mainframe and configured to control manipulations of the I/O signal by the logical adapter interface unit to mimic a condition of the I/O traffic and to log a response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

10 . The I/O test apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:
the adapter comprises one or more physical adapters and the logical adapter interface unit is interposable between each of the one or more physical adapters and the mainframe, and the I/O test apparatus further comprises multiple external sources of one or more types and each of the one or more physical adapters is receptive of the I/O traffic from the multiple external sources of the one or more types.

11 . The I/O test apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the logical adapter interface unit comprises:
an adapter interface which is connectable with the adapter; and a logic controller which is connectable with the mainframe, wherein the control system is coupled to the adapter interface and the logic controller in parallel with a direct connection between the adapter interface and the logic controller.

12 . The I/O test apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the control system comprises:
a programming interface coupled to the logical adapter interface unit and configured to control the manipulations of the I/O signal by the logical adapter interface unit to mimic the condition of the I/O traffic; and a service element coupled to the mainframe and configured to log the response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

13 . The I/O test apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the service element is further configured to:
associate logged responses of the mainframe to the condition of the I/O traffic being mimicked; generate a database, which is accessible to a user of the mainframe, in accordance with associations between the logged responses of the mainframe to the condition of the I/O traffic being mimicked; and upload code to the mainframe whereby the mainframe is configured to compensate for the response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

14 . The I/O test apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a robotic tester, which is supportive of the logical adapter interface unit and the control system and movable relative to the mainframe and the adapter,
wherein the robotic tester is configured to connect and disconnect the logical adapter interface unit to and from each of the mainframe and the adapter and to couple and decouple the control system to and from the mainframe.

15 . A method of operating an input/output (I/O) test apparatus in which a logical adapter interface unit is interposed between an adapter and a mainframe, the method comprising:
running I/O traffic through the adapter such that the adapter generates an I/O signal for transmission to the mainframe; controlling manipulations of the I/O signal by the logical adapter interface unit to mimic a condition of the I/O traffic; and logging a response of the mainframe to the manipulations.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the manipulations of the I/O signal comprise insertions of errors into the I/O signal.

17 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the controlling of the manipulations comprises:
defining one or more conditions of the I/O traffic; identifying the manipulations which optimally mimic each of the one or more of the conditions of the I/O traffic; and causing the logical adapter interface unit to execute the manipulations which optimally mimic each of the one or more of the conditions of the I/O traffic in sequence.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein:
the one or more conditions of the I/O traffic are time-variant such that the manipulations change over time, and the identifying of the manipulations comprises identifying changes to the manipulations over time.

19 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
associating logged response

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hicks Andrew C M
• Lyons Michael Peter
• Pedrone Miles C
• Garrett Tynan J

Classifications

• G06F13/20

  for access to input/output bus · CPC title

• G06F11/2733 Primary

  Test interface between tester and unit under test · CPC title

• G06F11/2268

  Logging of test results · CPC title

• G06F11/221

  to test buses, lines or interfaces, e.g. stuck-at or open line faults · CPC title

• G01R31/31712

  Input or output aspects · CPC title