This article presents a novel approach to testing distributed systems. Our automated test environment (ATE) is created to validate the BACnet/IT building automation protocol and is easily adaptable to other domains.
During development of the new BACnet/IT reference implementation, we had to face several testing challenges. Based on that, we derived requirements for the ATE. The result is a flexible and lightweight test environment, which consists of only a few interacting components. Our ATE is able to simulate real-life situations like a power outage or a replacement of a BACnet/IT device. Further, it allows manipulating the behavior of BACnet/IT components during runtime. With such a test environment it is possible to automate tests in a straightforward and efficient way.
