Entries Tagged 'Web Testing' ↓

In this post I am gonna give answer to reader’s question.
There was one question asked by Srividya:
Q.What is difference between client server and Web Testing?
Vijay: Well Srividya I would like to add one more testing type i.e Desktop Testing in this discussion. So now we have three testing types Desktop application testing, Client server application testing and Web application testing.

Each one differs in the environment in which they are tested and you will lose control over the environment in which application you are testing, while you move from desktop to web applications.

Desktop application runs on personal computers and work stations, so when you test the desktop application you are focusing on a specific environment. You will test complete application broadly in categories like GUI, functionality, Load, and backend i.e DB.

In client server application you have two different components to test. Application is loaded on server machine while the application exe on every client machine. You will test broadly in categories like, GUI on both sides, functionality, Load, client-server interaction, backend. This environment is mostly used in Intranet networks. You are aware of number of clients and servers and their locations in the test scenario.

Web application is a bit different and complex to test as tester don’t have that much control over the application. Application is loaded on the server whose location may or may not be known and no exe is installed on the client machine, you have to test it on different web browsers. Web applications are supposed to be tested on different browsers and OS platforms so broadly Web application is tested mainly for browser compatibility and operating system compatibility, error handling, static pages, backend testing and load testing.

I think this will have an idea of all three testing environment. Keep in mind that even the difference exist in these three environment, the basic quality assurance and testing principles remains same and applies to all.

WEB TESTING
While testing a web application you need to consider following Cases:

• Functionality Testing
• Performance Testing
• Usability Testing
• Server Side Interface
• Client Side Compatibility
• Security

Functionality:
In testing the functionality of the web sites the following should be tested:
• Links
i. Internal Links
ii. External Links
iii. Mail Links
iv. Broken Links

• Forms
i. Field validation
ii. Error message for wrong input
iii. Optional and Mandatory fields

• Database
* Testing will be done on the database integrity.

• Cookies
* Testing will be done on the client system side, on the temporary Internet files.

Performance :
Performance testing can be applied to understand the web site’s scalability, or to benchmark the performance in the environment of third party products such as servers and middleware for potential purchase.

• Connection Speed:
Tested over various networks like Dial Up, ISDN etc
• Load:
i. What is the no. of users per time?
ii. Check for peak loads and how system behaves
iii. Large amount of data accessed by user
• Stress:
i. Continuous Load
ii. Performance of memory, CPU, file handling etc..

Usability:
Usability testing is the process by which the human-computer interaction characteristics of a system are measured, and weaknesses are identified for correction.
• Ease of learning
• Navigation
• Subjective user satisfaction
• General appearance

Server Side Interface:
In web testing the server side interface should be tested. This is done by verify that communication is done properly. Compatibility of server with software, hardware, network and database should be tested.

Client Side Compatibility:
The client side compatibility is also tested in various platforms, using various browsers etc.

Security:
The primary reason for testing the security of a web is to identify potential vulnerabilities and subsequently repair them.
• Network Scanning
• Vulnerability Scanning
• Password Cracking
• Log Review
• Integrity Checkers
• Virus Detection

Points to be considered while testing a Web site:

Web sites are essentially client/server applications -
with web servers and ‘browser’ clients.

Consideration should be given to the interactions between html pages, TCP/IP communications, Internet connections, firewalls, applications that run in web pages (such as applets, javascript, plug-in applications), and applications that run on the server side (such as cgi scripts, database interfaces, logging applications, dynamic page generators, asp, etc.).

Additionally, there are a wide variety of servers and browsers, various versions of each, small but sometimes significant differences between them, variations in connection speeds, rapidly changing technologies, and multiple standards and protocols. The end result is that testing for web sites can become a major ongoing effort.

Other considerations might include:

What are the expected loads on the server (e.g., number of hits per unit time?), and what kind of performance is required under such loads (such as web server response time, database query response times). What kinds of tools will be needed for performance testing (such as web load testing tools, other tools already in house that can be adapted, web robot downloading tools, etc.)?

Who is the target audience? What kind of browsers will they be using? What kind of connection speeds will they by using? Are they intra- organization (thus with likely high connection speeds and similar browsers) or Internet-wide (thus with a wide variety of connection speeds and browser types)?

What kind of performance is expected on the client side (e.g., how fast should pages appear, how fast should animations, applets, etc. load and run)?

Will down time for server and content maintenance/upgrades be allowed? how much?

What kinds of security (firewalls, encryptions, passwords, etc.) will be required and what is it expected to do? How can it be tested?

How reliable are the site’s Internet connections required to be? And how does that affect backup system or redundant connection requirements and testing?

What processes will be required to manage updates to the web site’s content, and

what are the requirements for maintaining, tracking, and controlling page content, graphics, links, etc.?

Which HTML specification will be adhered to? How strictly? What variations will be allowed for targeted browsers?

Will there be any standards or requirements for page appearance and/or graphics throughout a site or parts of a site??

How will internal and external links be validated and updated? how often?
Can testing be done on the production system, or will a separate test system be required? How are browser caching, variations in browser option settings, dial-up connection variabilities, and real-world internet ‘traffic congestion’ problems to be accounted for in testing?

How extensive or customized are the server logging and reporting requirements; are they considered an integral part of the system and do they require testing?

How are cgi programs, applets, javascripts, ActiveX components, etc. to be maintained, tracked, controlled, and tested?
Pages should be 3-5 screens max unless content is tightly focused on a single topic. If larger, provide internal links within the page.

The page layouts and design elements should be consistent throughout a site, so that it’s clear to the user that they’re still within a site.

Pages should be as browser-independent as possible, or pages should be provided or generated based on the browser-type.

All pages should have links external to the page; there should be no dead-end pages.
The page owner, revision date, and a link to a contact person or organization should be included on each page.

I am working on the search engine website. Testing a search engine site is a little bit different than a regular website. In my next posts I will explain how to test WWW in detail.