Title: An integrated TTCN-3 test framework architecture for interconnected object-based internet applications

Authors: Bernard Stepien; Liam Peyton; Ming Shang; Theofanis Vassiliou-Gioles

Addresses: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, 800 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, K1N 6N5 Canada ' School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, 800 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, K1N 6N5 Canada ' Research in Motion Limited, 295 Phillip Street, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3W8, Canada ' Testing Technologies IST GmbH, Michaelkirch Strasse 17/18, 10179-Berlin, Germany

Abstract: The internet is being transformed by rich interconnected object-based applications that support session-based interactions between users and applications over a variety of protocols (HTTP/s, SOAP, SIP). In this paper, we analyse and demonstrate the key benefits and advantages of TTCN-3, especially in terms of costs, as a test language and framework for testing internet applications. The integration of TTCN-3 and object-based unit test frameworks can provide superior testing of interconnected object-based internet applications but is currently limited by a small flaw in the TTCN-3 concrete layer architecture. We propose a refinement to the TTCN-3 standard which enables seamless integration with object-based unit test-frameworks. An existing TTCN-3 vendor has already incorporated the changes in the latest version of their tool and ETSI has established a committee to modify the TTCN-3 standard accordingly. We demonstrate the benefits with a series of examples involving both SIP and HTTP-based internet applications.

Keywords: internet applications; internet protocols; test frameworks; penetration testing; multi-user concurrency; service oriented architecture; SOA; TTCN-3 standard; electronic business; e-business; object-based unit test.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2014.057898

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2014 Vol.11 No.1, pp.1 - 23

Published online: 06 Feb 2015 *

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