Creating a Test Configuration

dsTest is configured by uploading an XML document with the source command. dsClient Desktop produces dsTest XML documents constructed from the parameter settings that you configure in a Workspace, and those documents can be exported for use by automation scripts or transmitted to a server and sourced with the click of a button. This topic focuses on the steps necessary to create and configure a Workspace and ultimately produce a complete dsTest XML document.

If you haven't registered your server(s), you should do so prior to creating a workspace. A workspace can be configured and saved without a server association, but it will use the default schema bundled with dsClient rather than the schema used by your server and no server interaction will be possible. See Managing Your Servers.

From the File menu, select New > Workspace > dsTest Workspace. If you have registered more than one server, a pop-up dialog will appear and prompt you to select the server for this Workspace. If only one server is registered it will automatically be associated with the Workspace. Refer to About the Workspace Window to acquaint yourself with the items that will be discussed below. Refer to About the Application Window for more information about the different panels in the application window.

At the top of the Configuration tab in the document window is a panel labeled Node Selections that displays a set of checkboxes. Use the checkboxes to select the types of nodes to be emulated in your scenario. When you select a checkbox a configuration tab for that node will be displayed.

If you plan on configuring multiple nodes that will share a subscriber database, include a Subscriber Profile Repository (SPR) Node in your configuration. It's a convenient way to share a database between nodes and since the database resides in a separate node you can stop or delete other nodes during run time without disturbing the subscriber database.

Nodes that have a connection should NOT share a subscriber database, as both sides (server, client) of the connection will be updating the database, producing unreliable and unpredictable results. Nodes should only share a subscriber database if they are not directly connected. See also this FAQ.

Now that you have a configuration tab for each type of node, you can configure the interfaces, applications, and subscribers. Before you start, familiarize yourself with the options dsClient Desktop offers by reviewing the Working with Snippets and Setting Parameter Values topics.

If you will require multiple nodes of the same type, you can either explicitly configure multiple instances, use the Copy Count and Increment By attributes to replicate nodes that have a common configuration except for their addresses and identifiers, or use a combination of both methods to achieve the number of nodes required.

When you configure multiple instances of any object you should include the Name attribute in the object's configuration. If you will be referencing that object in a command, it must be specified by name. When Copy Count is used, dsTest will generate unique names for each instance. In that case, the specified name is assigned to the first instance (or the element name if no name was specified) and _<instance index> (zero-based) is appended to the names of subsequent instances. If you specify a name that ends with a number, the number will be incremented for each instance.

Be sure to periodically save your work in the XML Library using the Save As... and Save buttons.

The XML structure and parameter values are validated in real-time. Validation errors are reported in the Errors tab. Invalid values are indicated in the document window with an exclamation point (!) next to the field and with red label text and are also highlighted with red text in the Document Outline. All errors must be resolved before you can generate a dsTest XML document, but validation errors will not prevent you from saving your document. The F3 key provides easy navigation between validation error notifications and the specified configuration element that requires modification, and between tree structure element and its corresponding configuration element in the workspace window. Just highlight an invalid entry in the tree to the left and hit F3. You will be taken to the area of the workspace that requires modification to eliminate the invalid value.

The subscriber_database element in the dsTest schema houses the subscriber database. Its child elements can have multiple occurrences and each contains start and end attributes that enable you to apply a value or structure to a range of subscribers. That capability is achieved in dsClient Desktop through subscriber groups. You can provision up to 50 groups of subscribers, each encompassing a range of subscribers. The starting and ending subscriber is defined once for each group and dsClient provisions the start and end attributes on the applicable child elements when the final XML is generated.

Location information that may be configured and that can be learned during transaction processing.

The association of subscriber group with the profiles the subscribers will use. There is one element for each profile type (with matching tag names) and the elements' values are profile instance names. This is presented as a table with a row for every type of profile that is configured. A group is linked to a profile by checking the "Use" checkbox and then selecting the instance name from the list in the "Profile Name" column. Refer to the figure below.

If you want to include commands in the XML document so that they will be executed immediately after initialization, switch to the the Commands tab and configure the Initial Commands desired. Use the controls provided to add, modify, delete, and re-order commands until you have a command profile that suits your purpose. Refer to Working with the Command Wizard for information on configuring individual commands.

You can also configure Run-Time Commands at this point and save them with your Workspace, although you will not be able to issue those commands until after you have transmitted the XML document to the server.

When you have finished configuring your Workspace and any validation errors have been resolved, you will be able to generate the dsTest XML and load it on the server.

To do so from your Workspace, click the Transmit to Server button. If the button is disabled (gray), confirm that no validation errors are present and then check to be sure you are connected to the server either by clicking the Test Connection button or by opening the server window. If the operation was successful, you will see the following messages in the Server Responses pane on the Commands tab:

Transmitting XML source document...
XML source document successfully loaded

If you will be using an automation script or if you will be manually sourcing the document, click the To XML... button to generate the final XML document. Follow the instructions in Launching dsTest or CLI Commands and Syntax to load the document on your server.

Workspaces register for status_change notifications upon entering the running state (transmitting a configuration to the server) and deregister when cleaning up or entering the EDITING state. Notifications received are displayed with a time stamp in a response container that is always first in the list and that will expand as new notifications are received.