README
1 Autotest: Fully automated tests under the linux platform
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3
4 Autotest is a framework for fully automated testing. It is designed primarily to
5 test the Linux kernel, though it is useful for many other functions such as
6 qualifying new hardware. It's an open-source project under the GPL and is used
7 and developed by a number of organizations, including Google, IBM, Red Hat, and
8 many others.
9
10 Autotest is composed of a number of modules that will help you to do stand alone
11 tests or setup a fully automated test grid, depending on what you are up to.
12 A non extensive list of modules is:
13
14 * Autotest client: The engine that executes the tests (dir client). Each
15 autotest test is a a directory inside (client/tests) and it is represented
16 by a python class that implements a minimum number of methods. The client
17 is what you need if you are a single developer trying out autotest and executing
18 some tests. Autotest client executes ''client side control files'', which are
19 regular python programs, and leverage the API of the client.
20
21 * Autotest server: A program that copies the client to remote machines and
22 controls their execution. Autotest server executes ''server side control files'',
23 which are also regular python programs, but leverage a higher level API, since
24 the autotest server can control test execution in multiple machines. If you
25 want to perform tests slightly more complex involving more than one machine you
26 might want the autotest server
27
28 * Autotest database: For test grids, we need a way to store test results, and
29 that is the purpose of the database component. This DB is used by the autotest
30 scheduler and the frontends to store and visualize test results.
31
32 * Autotest scheduler: For test grids, we need an utility that can schedule and
33 trigger job execution in test machines, the autotest scheduler is that utility.
34
35 * Autotest web frontend: For test grids, A web app, whose backend is written in
36 django (http://www.djangoproject.com/) and UI written in gwt
37 (http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/), lets users to trigger jobs and visualize
38 test results
39
40 * Autotest command line interface: Alternatively, users also can use the
41 autotest CLI, written in python
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43
44 Getting started with autotest client
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46
47 For the impatient:
48
49 http://autotest.kernel.org/wiki/QuickStart
50
51
52 Check out the main project documentation source
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54
55 You can find plenty of information on the autotest wiki
56
57 http://autotest.kernel.org/
58
59 That also contains references to the project activity
60
61 http://autotest.kernel.org/timeline
62
63 Links to an online view of the version control system
64
65 http://autotest.kernel.org/browser
66
67
68 Grabbing the latest source
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70
71 http://autotest.kernel.org/wiki/DownloadSource
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73
74 Hacking and submitting patches
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76
77 http://autotest.kernel.org/wiki/SubmissionChecklist
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79
80 Downloading stable versions
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82
83 http://autotest.kernel.org/wiki/Download
84