Driver Testing Techniques

Posted April 29, 2004

Chat Date: April 15, 2004

Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity

Introduction

Moderator: Eric_S (Microsoft)
Welcome to today's Chat. Our topic is Driver Testing Techniques. Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome.

Moderator: Eric_S (Microsoft)
Let's introduce our hosts for today!

Host: Fargo (Microsoft)
Hello, I am Fargo. I am a Windows Core test engineer for PNP and 64bit

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Hi, I'm Scott Stephens test lead for ACPI/Power in the Core Test group for Windows

Host: vivek (Microsoft)
I am Vivek -a sdet in core team, working in pnp and acpi.

Moderator: Eric_S (Microsoft)
Welcome everyone, let's get started!

Start of Chat

Moderator: Eric_S (Microsoft)
Q: it was stated that such devices should be tested under unclassified/universal, which is no change from previous policy
A: We don't have anyone from the WHQL team joining us for this chat, sorry. This chat is focusing on driver testing, so we don't have a good answer for you right now. I'd recommend posting your question in the news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowxp.winlogo newsgroup.

Host: vivek (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any tools available today to fully test PnP?
A: pnpdtest is available for testing pnp paths. we have added new options to that test for rebalancing resources with different options. There is already a test for surprise remove and cancel remove. The new version should be available in LDK for the winhec build.

Host: vivek (Microsoft)
Q: Will we see and updated version of the LDK test harness at WinHEC?
A: Yes - it should be available in the winhec build.

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any Microsoft tools available/planned to do code coverage testing?
A: we have code coverage tools internal and I'm finding out now if they will ship external.

Host: Fargo (Microsoft)
Q: We are developing a PCI-X card, currently for use in 32-bit systems, however we may soon be supporting amd64 arch. In a nut shell, what type of additional testing should be look at?
A: Ctews, for testing on amd64 platform you can test your driver against as many different MB and bioses as well as are available. I would also recommend testing with the latest HCT 12.0 kit available which supports x64 platform. There is a new version of the PCitest. I would also recommend testing with normal bootswitches(maxma,burnmem,etc.), verifier and bridgeboxes.

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Q: Does Microsoft test the sample drivers in the DDK?
A: MS does test the sample drivers, but I will admit they don't go through as rigorous testing as our Windows code. For the LDK samples, we plan to put them through the same drill as our inbox drivers.

Host: Fargo (Microsoft)
Q: Would you recommend testing PCI adapters in a clustering environment?
A: Depends, do you have a specific adapter or scenario in mind? Net,Fiber, etc?

Host: vivek (Microsoft)
Q: Do you have any recommendations for Windows Server 2003 test systems, that fully support S1, S3 and S4?
A: I found this on google:-)The Intel Desktop Board VC820 supports two ACPI standby states: S1 and S3. The S1 state is the default setting. The S3 state, also known as Suspend to RAM (STR), is an ACPI state that makes PCs "Instantly Available."

Host: Fargo (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any Microsoft tools available/planned to do code coverage testing?
A: Yes, the next version of Visual Studio Tools will have some code coverage tools available.

Moderator: Eric_S (Microsoft)
Q: I have a question about something that was published in the WHQL Testing e-mail newsletter of April 5th, concerning Multi-port Serial Devices. It was stated that such devices should be tested under unclassified/universal, which is no change from previous policy BUT the cost was listed as Full Test at $2000.
A: Unclassified has never been no charge, you may be thinking of the beta code coverage program? The beta code coverage program is free for the first 100 submissions and is submitted under unclassified. The fee for Multi-port Serial was changed to reflect the fact that the program is really full test but had been previously charged a self test fee ($250 per OS). The fee is now correct for the testing done, $2000 per submission.

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Q: Do the Visual Studio Tools include code coverage for drivers?
A: yes I believe they will.

Host: Fargo (Microsoft)
Q: When is the HCT 12.0 due to be released?
A: There is a Beta 2 review currently available.https://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hwtest/search/details.aspx?ID=793. The 12.0 release should coincide with the release of Windows 2003 Server SP1.

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Q: Thomas_PCAUSA : A list of machines/motherboards that have been used for successful testing (of NDIS components in my case) would be a great help.
A: I have a couple machines that might work for you. HP XW5000 and Dell Dimension 4500 both support S1,S3.

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Q: Can you confirm that the systems you mentioned work for Windows Server 2003 WHQL testing?
A: I can confirm they will run Windows Server 2003, but I do not know the specific WHQL requirements.

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Q: Do you have any recommendations for Windows Server 2003 test systems, that fully support S1, S3 and S4?
A: Another system you might try is the Compaq EVO D510. It supports S1, S3

Host: Scott (Microsoft)
Q: Will Microsoft be coming out with a BT driver stack? What would the process be to get a filter driver signed for this type of stack?
A: There will be a BT stack in the new xpsp2, WHQL will have to comment on the procedure for driver submittal and signatures.

Host: Fargo (Microsoft)
Q: Are there different standards for getting different types of drivers signed. Where is the best place to get this information?
A: I am not sure if there are different standards when applying for a digital driver signature. They are based on device class.

Moderator: Eric_S (Microsoft)
Thanks for joining us today and thanks for the questions. It's time for us to go now. If we couldn't get to your question, please post it in the following newsgroup: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.development.device.drivers.

For further information on this topic please visit the following:

Newsgroups: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.development.device.drivers

Windows Drivers Transcripts: Read the archive

Website: Visit the Community Home Page for Windows Platform Development

Top of page