More On Designing TAF Layers

If you decide not to design some parts of TAF at the very beginning, you are guaranteed to have HUGE problems in the long run. Do not deceive yourself by thinking that the future is far away. Issues that stem from poor design can turn out to be nasty. It will not be just 'a bit expensive' to get rid of them. Failing to design TAF layers properly may render the whole system virtually unusable. I always invest a lot into the initial design, and I have never regretted it. It saved me time, effort and sanity.

Real Life Requirements For A Test Framework

The layers

The majority of test frameworks solve the same problem, so it is only natural that even on different projects you end up using the same architecture. The variable part is limited to:
-- tests (they depend on requirements);
-- support of the project-specific infrastructure (you may need to implement support for AWS when assigned to project A, and it will not be required on project B, because the stack is completely different).

Balancing team effort

Personally, I developed a habit of thinking of TAF architecture in terms of layers:
-- a layer of test;
-- a layer of helpers (mainly boilerplate, moved out of tests to avoid duplication);
-- core layer and configuration (start up and shutdown, envrironmnet, logging, working with API of third-pary systems, etc.)
This approach has a lot of advantages, because it allows to share workload across the team without stepping on each other toes.

Test Framework Is A Software Product

When you intend to write a test framework you need to remember the following:

- test framework is a software product, which means everything that applies to a commercial product, also applies to a test framework;

- test framework is not less important than the software under test, it is actually more important (and sometimes more complicated) than the software under test.

Test frameworks are created to help you check if you still meet the requirements (and to do it with less effort than manual test requires). Because if you do not meet the requirements, you do not achieve the project goals and|or create more problems than you solve. For instance, you spend enormous amount of time on manual defect management and dealing with architectural issues when it is too late and too expensive.

So if you decide to create a test framework, you have to:
-- define the requirements;
-- define priorities for the requirements;
-- define stages of maturity (what is to be implemented first and what next);
-- find out how much resource you have (time, technical knowledge, congitive ability, ability to delegate);
-- build the schedule of implementation (preferably by using a Gantt diagram).

Otherwise, I am sorry to say, your test framework will be nothing but a cost.

-------------------------------

Related posts:
Real Life Requirements For A Test Framework
More On Designing TAF Layers

TCP/IP vs Real Life

I was busy talking to my imaginary friends and then it came to me how to explain TCP/IP to the non-technical people. It is important because most of my imaginary friends are non-technical. So, here is how you can do it. 

First, forget the OSI, no one needs it anyway. Think of TCP/IP as your clothes. 

Application layer is your coat, your suit, your jumper, your shoes, your hat.

Transport layer is your shirt, your dress, your pants (meaning trousers), your stockings.

Internet is your underclothes, your lingerie, your thermals.

Link is the naked you.

Protocol stacks follow the same logic. For instance, when you have a date you wear your suit and you put your shoes on, right? Then all this gradually comes off. Then the connection happens. Then you put everything on in the reverse order. You don't put your underwear over your jeans, do you? 

See, technology can be easy to understand.

Firefox Conspiracy Theory

I am a little paranoid which is an unfortunate side-effect of my profession. And due to this side-effect I always keep my third-party cookies switched off. I also use Firefox most of the time, unless it is required to do otherwise. I have been using it since version 0.75 and it is a bit like till death do us part. And this is how I ran into a very funny problem about a year ago: Google began to ask for third party cookies in order to allow you to download the content.

My guess is Google decided to switch from client-side trackers to server-side trackers sometime during summer 2021. They have already been tracking users by means of a fingerprint, and a fingerprint was (and is) built around user's device data, such as network data, payment data like cards (a card number carries information about the bank it was issued by), unique configuration of your device, user activity patterns, etc, etc. Well, they do own about 3/4 of the mobile market, don't they? And they do that without giving the end user the root access to the system.

Why I Don't Regret Starting This Stupid Blog

From time to time I ask myself is it really worth it? The blog. Who reads it? Well, today I got the ultimate answer: I DO. My post from almost three years ago has just saved my OS, my data and my sanity. So, keep writing your blogs, and NEVER EVER switch your BIOS to defaults if you notebook was made to be Windows-friendly. Windows will never be a friend to a Linux user.

The post in question: https://tatjandr.blogspot.com/2020/03/fix-invisible-drive-for-linux-installer.html 

PS: Even my failing touchpad, who started all this, seemed to behave better for a minute

ISTQB is a bad bad thing

ISTQB is a bad, bad thing. Reeeeeally bad thing. And here is why.

First of all, they certify something there are more than one opinion about. Something that has different approaches. Something that is poorly measurable since it depends on efficiency of decision making process. And decades of IQ testing and similar attempts to measure and control human brain and psyche proved it spectacularly inefficient.

Whatever you can read in ISTQB material is just an opinion and a book would suffice to share it. Unfortunately, royalties that only one or even several books can bring is nothing compared with certification system would bring. Basically, you bypass market competition by forcing people into buying books and paying for exams, and you do it by pressuring their employers into pressuring their employees.

IT suffers from its own popularity

IT suffers from its own popularity. People go to IT not only because they love it or know how to do it, but because they need money, a reputation and a little bit of power. Because of this, a significant part of decisions are made out of greed, vanity and for the sake of a line in a resume. And an attempt to change priorities in favor of the interests of the project often leads to a conflict. The problem is equally common among both management and engineers, although it manifests itself in each group in its own way

2022-09-09

General Purpose Randomizer

I've decided to introduce some noise into the fingerprints collected on me by various unnecessarily curious services and people, so I've written a simple randomizer for selecting a string from a list of strings. The idea was to remove patterns from server selection process when using vpn. Not sure it'll work for obfuscation, but it is a functioning piece of code. Life will prove the rest.

Known to be working with Ubuntu+bash+ExpressVPN

#!/bin/bash
vpnservers=$(expressvpn list all | cut -d" " -f 1 | tr "\n" " ")
list=${vpnservers}

# using just a big value for length
# syntax ${parameter:offset:length}
vpnservers=${list:12:1500}
printf "Available vpn servers:\n${vpnservers}\n"

read -a arrayofservers <<< ${vpnservers}

length=${#arrayofservers[@]}
printf "Actual array length:\n$length \n\n"

randomvalue=$((1 + $RANDOM % ${length-1}))
printf "Your random value:\n$randomvalue \n\n"

printf "Your server id:\n${arrayofservers[randomvalue]} \n"

Requirements for Requirements

This text is not exactly mine. It is a very high-level abstract of what a book Requirements Engineering by Elizabeth Hull, Ken Jackson, Jeremy Dick, 2005 has to say on the subject of requirements for requirements.

So, how can we understand that your requirements are ok, or not ok? If they are another source of quality risks? To answer these questions, I've prepared some sets of criteria that we can use for assessment:
 

Fix Invisible Drive for Linux Installer on Windows Notebook (ASUS VivoBook S14)

As it turns out it is not unusual to try to install Linux on a Windows notebook and notice that your installer (such as Unetbootin, for instance) can not locate any hard drive. The easiest way to fix it is to switch to legacy mode (Internet claims that legacy mode should be supported under any circumstances), but it is not always easy to find.

I got myself a new ASUS VivoBook S14 and there were no legacy option (it was in place on my old ACER Aspire V). I had to google around, try switching things on and off, and here is what changed things to the better:

-- get into BIOS menu (F2);
-- switch  to Advanced;
-- open SATA Configuration;
-- permanently switch it to AHCI.

This will make your hard drive visible and goodbye Windows.

My configuration:
ASUS VivoBook S14
Ubuntu 19.10 on Unetbootin USB stick
Temporary enabled boot with USB

Docker commands vs Docker life cycle - Basic level

Earlier I noticed that there's one problem with Docker support documentation. Unfortunately, while it is possible to find out the very basic scenarios in its Get Started section, you need to dig through the Internet for hours to find information about use cases. Use cases is an answer to the question "What are we trying to do here, anyway?".

So, I started to collect this information for myself and pair it with command sets. Below you can find a use case for setting up a docker image and performing some basic commands on it. I shall extend this collection later, if I'm lucky.

Troubleshooting Citrix Client for Linux and Fixing Mike Support

Sometimes you find yourself in one of those situations when nobody seems to have an easy solution, so you have to find one for yourself. For instance, you may need to connect to your VDI, and start your Skype meeting only to find that your microphone is disabled (in Skype, in Control Panel > Device manager).

And the answer is
to add AllowAudioInput=True
to the section [WFClient]
of wfclient.ini file
of your Citrix client configuration

So, here is how to fix it in slightly more detail:

Test Plan structure proven by several projects

Some time ago I wrote about the importance of using standards as a time saver. Since then I had a chance to apply this approach to several projects where I participated as a test expert.

So, below you can find a structure that helps to collect in one place all info you need to know about the state of test in a project. (I usually build a test plan as a single entry point for all the questions related to test by means of Atlassian Confluence, but I guess any other knowledge sharing system will do).

Also, I can guarantee that if you are able (have enough info, that is) to fill all the sections of my version of a test plan, then you do have your test process under control. So it can function as a checklist and and answer to a question where to start.

My version of a test plan consists of eight sections with subsections. Subsections may vary for each particular project, but I recommend sticking with the top-level ones.

IMPORTANT: Don't duplicate info, don't add info just to fill in sections, it is important that test plan is not just a formal piece of paper.

Bash - Another thing for the lazy: umount by name

Hi, just another script. You won't believe how many errors you can get before this simple thing works. Sometimes I wonder if my brain does it just for kicks, to see what funny message we can get this time. Or maybe it is too lazy to bother with heuristics and just goes over all the imaginable options. Surprisingly, the second thing feels like an easier one.

Or maybe it does both: 

#!/bin/bash

if [ -z $1 ]
  then printf "\nPlease provide drive name (label)\n\n"
    exit
fi

drivelabel = $1

cat /etc/mtab | grep ${drivelabel} | cut -d " " -f1 | xargs umount

Bash - Bulk file update with find and sed

Doing bulk file update (mind escapes when using complicated patterns):

#!/bin/bash

if [ -z $1 ] || [ -z $2 ]  || [ -z $3 ] || [ -z $4 ]; then
        printf "\nPlease enter:\n
        1. file command-compatible filename pattern
        2. backup suffix for affected files
        3. pattern to replace
        4. replacement\n\n
        For instance, $0 *.txt .xml-backup blue red\n
        This should replace blue with red in all txt files\n\n"
        exit
fi


filename_pattern=$1
backup_suffix=$2
pattern_to_replace=$3
replace_with=$4

find . -type f -name ${filename_pattern} -exec sed -i${backup_suffix} "s|${pattern_to_replace}|$replace_with|g" {} \+

Bash - Cut a fragment of a log by some criteria (like timestamp)

Here is how to cut out a piece of a log between two unique strings (like timestamps):

#!/bin/bash

printf "\nResults are returned *inclusive*\n\n"

if [ -z $1 ] || [ -z $2 ] || [ -z $3 ]; then
        printf "\nPlease enter SUBSTRSTART SUBSTREND and LOGPATH\nFor instance, $0 11:59:17,206 12:02:14,606 test.log\n\n"
        exit
fi

substrstart=$1
substrend=$2
logpath=$3

sed -n "/${substrstart}/,/${substrend}/p" ${logpath} | tee log_excerpt-$(date +%F_%H-%M-%S) | cat

Bash - Getting network data for the port (localhost only)

Getting network data:

#!/bin/bash

printf "\nCurrently for localhost only\n\n"

if [ -z $1 ]; then
    printf "Please enter port and [host]\n\n"
    exit
fi

port=$1
host=localhost

printf '========= lsof -i ============\n\n'

lsof -i :${port}

printf '========= netstat -lnt | grep $port ============\n\n'

netstat -lnt | grep ${port}

printf '========= nc -z $host $port  ============\n\n'

nc -z ${host} ${port}

Bash - kill everything with a matching name

Just a small script for killing matching processes by name:

#!/bin/bash

if [ -z $1 ]
then
    printf "keyword is empty\n\n"
    exit
fi

let k=0
let min=1

# mind the double brakets in do part
for i in $(ps -e | grep "$1"); do ((k++)); done

if [ "${k}" -lt "${min}" ]
then
    printf "no such process to kill\n\n"
    exit
fi


for i in $(ps -e | grep $1 | cut -s -f1 -d\t); do kill -9 ${i}; done

Password generator with bash

Looks like the best way to handle your passwords strongly depends on which password breaking approach is the most effective at the moment, and apparently those ways are changing as quickly as technology develops. Which is why it's unlikely that there will ever be a perfect way to avoid all the risks, but we can design an optimal one.

It occurred to me that first we need to select between two strategies: storing generated password or memorizing them with mnemonics. I don't think it would be a good idea to store memorizable data cause it's too easy to break the pattern, or to try to remember a generated one. As I already can do mnemonics, so I decided to write my own password generator (I like having my own collection of tools).

Solution is based on LINK. Stuff in use: cat, tr, fold, head, /dev/urandom, echo, printf, for each and parameters testing