Test forensics: A guide to evaluating TPS transportability

Test forensics is a systematic approach for evaluating execution results of a Unit Under Test (UUT) over a broad set of criterion. Execution results include the traditional test numbers, measured values and limits, but also include timing relationships and configuration information about the UUT and Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) used while conducting the test. Occasionally a test may pass on station (A) but fail on station (B), even though both stations are identical, and manufactured from the same production line. Finding the root cause of this type of failure is often tedious and time-consuming. The complexity of solving this issue increases significantly if station (B) is a replacement for station (A), containing a different hardware and software architecture, subject only to the requirement of being functionally equivalent. For either the production case or the transportability case, engineering could benefit from automated tools and data collection. Presented in this paper is an approach for collecting data from the early stages of compilation and translation of a test program set (TPS) all the way through TPS execution on the ATE. Test forensics is a design approach of the runtime system coupled with automated tools for analyzing and presenting the data to the operator. This paper will briefly touch on how the test-forensics implementation would benefit net-centric and distributive network efforts to achieve TPS transportability.