Virtual Testbeds (VTB) is a breakthrough capability available in iTest® 3.4 that delivers significant value to testing organizations. VTB enables iTest to emulate responses from devices, allowing test development to proceed when testers don't have access to test lab equipment — or even before the new version of equipment or software is available. VTB allows test organizations to drive costs down, improve lab utilization, and move testing months forward.

Enable earlier testing:
Test development can begin well in advance of new feature or device/prototype availability, speeding time to market.

Improve tester productivity:
Testers no longer need to be physically connected to devices, allowing test development to continue when testers are offline or remote.

Reduce capital expenditures:
Many test development activities can be performed without tying up lab assets, allowing better utilization of expensive lab equipment.

Eliminate device staging:
Emulated responses can be used to simulate device failures and/or abnormal conditions, verifying that test cases are properly designed to capture errors.

With iTest's virtual testbed capability, virtual devices become an integral part of your testing environment.

Use Case #1:

I want to work on test cases without being connected to the lab.

With VTB you can:

• Build, edit, and validate test cases on the train, plane, or in the coffee shop
• Get work done while on travel, at home, or just at your desk and not in the noisy lab

How does it work?

• VTB allows you to create an emulation of each device, controlling the command-response pairing.
• You can quickly create an emulation of each device and then use this library for the creation, editing, and running of a test case in emulation mode.

Use Case #2:

I want to test negative use cases and ensure they work.

With VTB you can:

• Test the test: you can change values to ensure errors are reported and captured
• Ensure diagnostic procedures work correctly and branching works as designed
• Create real-world scenarios for complex features such as spanning tree, fail over, etc.

How does it work?

• VTB allows you to force a device to give the data you want by changing its output.
• Simply take the last response output and edit with the desired values, then run the test selecting emulation for just that response.

Use Case #3:

I want to start my testing cycle earlier.

With VTB you can:

• Build, modify, and validate tests months before a prototype is even ready
• Prepare and test your regression suite for a minor software upgrade before development is even finished

How does it work?

• VTB makes it possible to create a fully emulated command-response pairing for a device that is still in development by using the design spec to create the expected output of the device response.
• VTB can make software upgrades a snap by just emulating the changes expected in the next software release. This is done by editing an existing response.

Use Case #4:

I want to ensure my expensive lab equipment is being used wisely.

With VTB you can:

• Free up lab equipment from testing that is being used to develop or edit test cases
• Allow costly equipment and prototypes to support larger groups, saving capital expenditures

How does it work?

• VTB allows you to create an emulation of specific devices so that creation of test cases doesn?t tie up lab equipment or prototypes.
• Build a virtual testbed library for the creation, editing, and running of a test case in emulation mode; then once the test works, run it against the real equipment.